Kids' health
Back to school lessons in moderation and nutrition at the farmers market
By Lisa Snider 09/24/2009
Someone gave me a virtual finger wag for daring to indulge in chocolate-covered bacon at the Ventura County Fair while attempting to champion the suggestion that people take responsibility for their personal health. I easily dismissed the finger wagger’s chiding with one word: moderation. Yes, this health column writer eats chocolate-covered bacon, but she doesn’t eat it every day. Being healthy and taking responsibility for your own health doesn’t mean depriving yourself of everything. But it does mean having some measure of discipline and a balanced diet.
Now that the fair is over and school is back in session, it’s a great opportunity for parents to set the example and talk to their children about moderation and good nutrition. Kids need to understand what a balanced diet is and that it doesn’t mean a burger, fries and a shake for every meal. Getting into the habit of packing healthy school lunches that kids will like is not easy, but the Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association is doing its part to help parents this fall.
“One of our ongoing goals is to educate families about good, wholesome nutrition,” says Karen Wetzel Schott, operations manager for the association. “If we can get kids excited about including fruits and vegetables in their daily lunch sack, we’ve done our job,” she adds.
Schott is encouraging parents and their children to come to the markets, meet the farmers and sample the produce. “We have plenty of lunch bag favorites available with ample amounts of fruits and vegetables available through the fall.”
Rather than deciding for them and packing their lunch boxes with something that might get thrown away, have your children taste what’s available and choose for themselves. Talk to your kids about portion size and healthy snacking between meals. Starting healthy habits early in a child’s development will prevent diseases later on and ensure a long, happy life. And it’s OK to indulge once in a while in something decadent like chocolate-covered bacon at the fair. (Thank goodness it’s only once a year!)
Ventura is served with two certified farmers markets — Wednesdays at the Pacific View Mall, front west parking lot on Main Street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Saturdays in Downtown Ventura at the corner of East Santa Clara and Palm streets from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The Thousand Oaks farmers market is held Thursdays at The Oaks Shopping Center at the east end parking lot, Wilbur Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Santa Clarita farmers market is held on Sundays at the College of the Canyons, Parking Lot 8 on Valencia Boulevard, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The Ojai farmers market is every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Moorpark College farmers market is the newest market (an activity sponsored by the Moorpark College Foundation), held on Saturdays, eastside on Campus Park Drive from 8 a.m. to noon.
For more information on the Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association, call 529-6266 or visit the Web site at www.vccfarmersmarket.com.
Lisa Snider is a local freelance writer. For more, go to www.LisaSnider.com.
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