How to resolve AdBlock issue? Children are naturally curious, so teaching mindful eating is a natural fit. Being a mindful eater means paying attention to the food you’re eating and why you’re eating, among other aspects of the meal. If you want your children to grow up knowing where their food comes from, teach them to be mindful of the food they eat. To cultivate a conscious awareness of the food children are eating you can present it as a game.
Kids will do anything, if you make a game out of it!
You can start simply by pausing at the beginning of a meal, perhaps to recite a blessing or another acknowledgement of the food your family is about to eat. A simple statement such as, “I am grateful for the food I am about to eat,” can suffice.
Smaller children can be asked about the color of foods and the name of foods that might be unfamiliar to them. A conversation might go like this…
Adult: How did this food on your plate or the milk in your glass get there?
Child: Mommy or Daddy put it there.
Adult: Where did we get it from?
Child: The grocery store.
Adult: How did it get to the grocery store?
Child: Someone brought it there in a truck.
Adult: Where did the truck driver get it from?
Child: The farm!
Older children can be asked questions like:
Does the produce grow on top of the ground, under the ground, on a vine, bush or on a tree?
What part of the plant are we eating: the seed, root, stem, leaf or fruit?
Who took care of the animals whose meat or milk you’re eating or drinking?
Where was the food grown/raised, and how far did it travel?
Did the food go directly from the farm to the market, or was it processed somewhere along the way?
What kind of climate does the food grow best in?
You can see how this can continue through the whole meal, so go ahead and eat while you continue this game digging deeper and deeper into the origin of the food. This can lead to compassion for the farmer who worked so hard to pick the vegetables they nurtured through the growing season, or the dairy farmer who cares for his cows 365 days a year.
To further your children’s knowledge of where their food comes from, take them to the grocery store or, better yet, the farmers’ market where you can talk to the farmer, or invest in Community Supported Agriculture by purchasing a CSA share. Pitney Meadows Community Farm in the city of Saratoga Springs is offering a
pick-your-own CSA which is a perfect way to connect children with their food, including where, how, and when it’s grown and picked.
Visit PitneyMeadowsCommunityFarm.org/csa for more information. Bring your children to meet some dairy farmers and their cows at Sundae on the Farm this Father’s Day at Clear Echo Farm in Schuylerville. VisitCCEsaratoga.org for details about this free, family friendly event.
Through this game of food awareness and mindful eating, your whole family will find appreciation of the food that’s been prepared and placed before them. Eating together as a family is a valuable part of a daily routine, and this game can bring fun and education to every meal!
