Kids love veggies !
Beets ! That ’ s right , kids chose beets as the Veggie of the Year for 2017 . In 2016 , it was cactus . What ’ s this all about ? The Food Literacy Center , an organization whose mission is to inspire kids to eat their vegetables .
The Sacramento-based center provides three weekly afterschool programs : food literacy classes , the Food Literacy Academy and Food Literacy Corps . Through these programs , organizers teach low-income elementary children cooking and nutrition to improve their health , environment and the economy .
In addition , the Food Literacy Center sponsors Food Literacy Month every September and the Sacramento Food Film Festival in April . The center is a multiple award-winning operation run by a very small , dedicated staff .
Each year , students vote for their favorite vegetable , sending the crystal clear message that they love veggies . But the staff knows there is plenty of work to do , since only 4 percent of kids overall are protecting their own health by eating them . athletic endeavor .
Our personal relationships come into play here as well . Friendships are emotional bonds , and knowing how your mind works to produce emotions can help you understand your own behavior and that of your friends . What kind of friend are you ? What kind of friend do you need ? Do you value loyalty , honesty , empathy , fun , shared interests ? Think about the friendships in your life , those that have lasted , those that haven ’ t , the ones where you wish you ’ d been a better friend , or had a better friend . Wouldn ’ t it be nice to know why ?
Life is filled with choices . Most of the choices related to our bodies , health , wellness , emotions , identity , and relationships we make with surprisingly little understanding of what , why or how we are doing it . With a better foundational knowledge of our bodies , our minds , and how they work , we could undoubtedly make better decisions .
Self-literacy is not new . Indeed , it has been an ideal pursued for at least 2,500 years . From Aristotle ’ s “ Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom ,” to Ben
Franklin ’ s writings , Mahatma Gandhi ’ s teachings , and innumerable philosophers in between , self-literacy has always been recognized as the central key to our happiness , wisdom and fulfillment .
So why is it that today , when perhaps our greatest need is to keep our footing in an uncertain world , it is overlooked as a teachable skill ? If we are serious about preparing our young people for success in the 21st century – at home , at work and in the community – we must ensure that self-knowledge is as fundamental to our educational systems as the ABCs and 123s .
Tim Howes , Ph . D . is co-founder and co-CEO of Know Yourself , a leading Self Literacy company that combines vetted scientific material with art and storytelling to create a series of captivating workbooks , comics and activity kits that help children make healthy choices and achieve happiness . Learn more at https :// knowyourself . com . The story of the Food Literacy Center , which is funded by donations , is not only about inspiring students to eat their vegetables . The staff aims to empower them to be “ fearless food adventurers .” Teaching kids to eat cactus and raw beets – and looking forward to it – is certainly a sign they are meeting those goals .
Learn more about the Food Literacy Center at www . foodliteracycenter . org .
10 Leadership
Kids love
veggies!
Beets! That’s right, kids chose beets
as the Veggie of the Year for 2017. In
2016, it was cactus. What’s this all
about? The Food Literacy Center,
an organization whose mission is to
inspire kids to eat their vegetables.
The Sacramento-based center pro-
vides three weekly afterschool pro-
grams: food literacy classes, the Food
Literacy Academy and Food Literacy
Corps. Through these programs,
organizers teach low-income elemen-
tary children cooking and nutrition to
improve their health, environment and
the economy.
In addition, the Food Literacy Center
sponsors Food Literacy Month every
September and the Sacramento Food
Film Festival in April. The center is a
multiple award-winning operation run
by a very small, dedicated staff.
Each year, students vote for their
favorite vegetable, sending the crystal
clear message that they love veggies.
But the staff knows there is plenty of
work to do, since only 4 percent of
kids overall are protecting their own
health by eating them.
The story of the Food Literacy Center,
which is funded by donations, is not
only about inspiring students to eat
their vegetables. The staff aims to
empower them to be “fearless food
adventurers.” Teaching kids to eat
cactus and raw beets – and looking
forward to it – is certainly a sign they
are meeting those goals.
Learn more about the Food Literacy
Center at www.foodliteracycenter.org.
10
Leadership
athletic endeavor.
Our personal relationships come into
play here as well. Friendships are emo-
tional bonds, and knowing how your mind
works to produce emotions can help you
understand your own behavior and that of
your friends. What kind of friend are you?
What kind of friend do you need? Do you
value loyalty, honesty, empathy, fun, shared
interests? Think about the friendships in
your life, those that have lasted, those that
haven’t, the ones where you wish you’d
been a better friend, or had a better friend.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know why?
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