Studies show that adult health starts in childhood. Nutrient dense vegetable juice can play a pivotal role in the health of our children by providing readily absorbed nutrients. But some believe that such health giving food/drink may provide a further benefit beyond nourishing bodies – it could help nourish your children’s values as well.
Recently I heard a radio interview with Alice Waters discussing how she believes our values are directly linked to what we eat and drink. She quoted French philosopher Brillat-Savarin who wrote – “The destiny of nations depends on how they nourish themselves.”
Fast, cheap and easy or fresh, slow and fair?
Alice says fast-food companies position themselves as high value holders, pricing their product for ‘the people’, yet their product is fast, cheap and easy. She believes the problem occurs because we absorb the values of what we are consuming.
Fresh, slow and fair or guzzled and uncaring of origins (so long as the final product is cheap) and leaving the waste for someone else to clean up – it is a choice each of us is free to make.
Does any of this describe something you consumed today?
Science says it’s the other way around
A study of 1283 Norwegian adults, however, found that the link between values and consumption of organic food, may be the other way around to what Alice suggests. The researchers of the study believe that environmental and animal rights issues especially, had a strong influence on attitudes towards purchasing and consuming organic food. They found that the more people are concerned about these issues, the more positive attitude they have towards organic food, and the more likely they are to consume it.
Consuming family values
As a parent, I know first hand how you hope you will instil, what you consider, the ‘right values’ in your child. But as time passes you realise that so long as you act out the ‘right values’ then there is a pretty good chance your kid will absorb some of them. Yes, positive role-modelling, the phrase that sends all parents into an involuntary audit of their own behaviour, is a powerful beast.
The real value is for adults to make sense
In my home we are organic, whole- food and we juice fresh produce daily (either bought or home grown). My son has been raised with this lifestyle since birth, yet he gets to sample the fast, cheap and overly sweet at numerous birthday parties and play-dates. I’m happy to say now that he is old enough to share his views on the world – from his six years of experience – signs are showing that they contain many of my and my husbands core values (respect your body and self, others and the planet). Is this because he has had a daily organic vegetable juice since he was two years old? Or is it because, hopefully, my husband and I have role modelled our values consistently? My guess is the combination of both. Imagine how confusing it would be for a child if their parents talked about caring for their bodies but then provided convenience/nutrient deplete food, or caring for the environment but then supported farmers who spray with pesticides. If our core values and eating and drinking habits are inextricably linked, our kids need us to make sense.
Adult health starts in childhood. Our value system starts in childhood. What will your child be eating and drinking today?
Happy juicing
References
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/2014-11-17/5883132
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090114160546.htm
http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/january2009/Reimer-diet
http://www.learningace.com/doc/3115857/9cc9ea8663475a3c5d29b5520f3ceeca/ethical-values-and-motives-driving-organic-food-choice
Juicingkids.com helps parents and carers create life-long juicers out of their children.
As a child I stood at the juicer with my mother and now my son does the same with me. Experience has taught me how to start a child drinking fresh, raw nutrient dense vegetable juice and then keep them doing it as a daily habit.
In our home now we make a daily vegetable juices with a little low sugar fruit added for taste. Kids need parents and carers to to guide them lovingly through this over processed and hyper marketed world of foods to teach them how to love and nourish their bodies.
www.juicingkids.com
