A dialogue about food and the planet… and the important role parents play in shaping what kids eat.
Back in June, I had the great pleasure and honor of having a dialogue with kids who were a part of a summer program put on by Strengthening Our Students at Emmanuel Baptist in Cleveland, Ohio.
Strengthening Our Students (or SOS) is a wonderful organization whose purpose is to prepare youth and children for the future. We talked about how food choices affect the environment. More specifically, how animal agriculture contributes to climate change; and lowering your footprint can start by choosing healthful, nutrient-dense plant-based food options.
Two students in the group said they followed a vegetarian diet already. When I asked them how they came to eat that way, they both said their parents decided to start eating veg and it changed what they ate.
Hearing this reinforced the central role adults play in shaping what kids eat. Not only do parents buy the food, thus controlling what’s in the refrigerator, but children naturally mimic them.
After the talk and a short question-answer period, we went to the church dining room and I shared with them how to make veggie wraps with spinach, carrots, cucumbers, hummus, and dressing.
My intention was to use budget-friendly, nutritious ingredients widely available at any grocery store. I also wanted the process of making the wraps to be quick and easy, only two or three minutes.
What was cool was overhearing two young ladies spark ideas about other veggies they would put in the wraps.
We also made peanut butter and banana wraps—a super-fast and easy breakfast option that even the six- and seven-year-olds enjoyed creating.
Not only was it great fun, but it was rewarding to be among such a great group of talented and curious kids.
About the Author
Gigi Carter, nutritionist, personal trainer and author, resides in Washington state. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from John Carroll University and a master’s in business administration from Cleveland State University. Over the last two decades, Carter’s career has been mostly with Fortune 500 companies in financial services and manufacturing. Carter made a career change in 2016 to pursue her master’s in nutrition sciences from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she graduated with honors, and launched the socially conscious nutrition and wellness practice, My True Self, PLLC. Carter is a licensed nutritionist in the State of Washington, and certified personal trainer and senior fitness specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is the author of The Plant-Based Workplace and co-author of The Spinach in My Teeth.