Getting kids to eat vegetables can be challenging, but increasing their exposure to fresh produce may help.
A health education and behavior professor from the University of Florida has launched a research project to find out.
Project VEGGIE (Vegetable Eating Gets Going with Increased Exposure) is a 12-week pilot program that brings together Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida in partnership with UF Professor Dr. Layton Reeser-Oyer, the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County and volunteers from the University of Central Florida.
Every other week, 50 boxes of 10 to 14 pounds of fresh produce will be delivered and distributed at three early learning sites. Parents are encouraged to offer fruits and vegetables to their preschoolers and record their experience.
“We’re also providing them with the educational materials about how to offer them, such as not pressuring the kids and having (the fruits and vegetables) around,” Dr. Layton said. “We want to get kids to try these foods by encouraging changes in parenting and enhanced nutrition security.”
The parents will complete a daily diary entry about whether they offered the produce, if their child tried the fruits and vegetables, and how much they ate. A survey about the child’s eating habits will be given before the program starts, after the 12 weeks and then four weeks after.
“We want to see if it’s sustained,” Dr. Layton said. “And what things are now finding their way into their grocery carts.”
At the project launch in early March, Dr. Layton, representatives from ELCOC, produce suppliers from Harvill’s Produce and volunteer delivery drivers from UCF gathered at Second Harvest’s Mercy Kitchen to pack the produce boxes and celebrate the program kickoff.
Everyone helped pack the apples, broccoli, oranges, strawberries, sweet potatoes, corn, kale, carrots and more before loading the boxes into volunteers’ cars to head to the preschools.
“It’s exciting,” Dr. Layton said. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time. The items included in these boxes are good choices. It’s a combination of things we know kids really like and things they’ve probably seen less often.”
The Special Projects Manager for ELCOC has seen success with programs centered around healthy eating and connected with Dr. Layton through a preschool gardening program that has also been successful.
“We know when we first introduce them to the unfamiliar food, they may be reluctant, but if you offer it enough, they will try it,” Chanel Graham-Ndhlovu said. “Children begin to desire more healthy food in general when they try more fruits and vegetables.”
She said it is important to get everyone involved in Project VEGGIE. The teachers will talk to the students about it, and each center will also get a box to offer produce to students during the day.
“We tell parents to try different ways of preparing the food if they don’t like it one way,” Chanel said. “We also tell the parents to try everything because we want the kids to see them doing it. Children are more likely to try it with a hands-on approach.”
She pointed out that this is an affordable method to try different things without investing a lot, making these foods more accessible to many families.
“Fruits and vegetables are expensive,” Chanel said.
She said she expects the program to be a success and for it to provide valuable insight. She also hopes it will lead to more project opportunities in the future.
“It’s going to be a good experience and going to be awesome,” Chanel said. “Children need to have healthy choices and to start young.”
