Recently in Growing your food Category

Obesity is "the single greatest threat to public health in this century," an expert panel declared in a report Tuesday that urges Americans to slash calories and increase their physical activity.The report calls for many changes in the food environment, including:

•Improve nutrition literacy and cooking skills, and motivate people, especially families with children, to prepare healthy foods at home.

•Improve the availability of affordable fresh produce through greater access to grocery stores, produce trucks and farmers' markets.

•Encourage restaurants and the food industry to offer health-promoting foods that are low in sodium; limited in added sugars, refined grains and solid fats; and served in smaller portions.

At Recipe for Success Foundation, we are working hard on the first two recommendations, with great success.  Our Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education Program™ introduces children to healthy food in fun experiential ways that change their eating patterns for life, and Hope Farms will supply fresh healthy produce to Houston neighborhoods that are marooned in food deserts.  See www.recipe4success.org for more information.

A great video production from our friends at the Chicago Botanic Garden -- Windy City Harvest project.  As we build the final details for Hope Farms™, we continue to reach out to urban agricultural projects across America to share best practices and ideas.

Hungry for Change

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/white-house-abuzz-with-first-honey/?ref=dining

  Recipe for Success Foundation has begun the fall term--year four on the ground in five Houston elementary schools, and growth is in the air. Time spent planting and stirring with over 10,000 kids has cooked up our comprehensive Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ program that is adaptable to any school's capabilities.  Every element is infused with the Recipe for Success mantra that Healthy Food is Fun.  There is no question that we are making a difference, with parents and teachers reporting that children participating in our programs eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and demonstrate an awareness of good nutrition as well as a willingness to try new foods.

 At our showcase schools, 3050 children are cooking with Chefs in Schools™ and gardening every month during the school day and waiting lists fill fast for spots in Eat This!™ & Kids Dig it!™ after school programs and summer camps. We are the largest sustained effort of this kind in the country.  Now we have turned our sights on the 40+ Houston area schools and districts that have waited patiently for us to expand.  We are exploring the right fit for them--one that will be sustainable and effective for the whole campus.  In the coming year, we also look forward to working with the City of Houston Health Department to implement Kids Dig It!™ and Eat This!™ After School and Summer Camps in their Community Centers, reaching a whole new population. Dozens of other centers and schools are making plans now to instigate various facets of our Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ programs in the coming year and beyond.  Parents and educators are so enthusiastic about our results, that they feel confident in securing the funding required to launch their own RFS program.

In the meantime, RFS will continue to grant our core Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ to Briscoe, Gross, NQ Henderson, Mac Gregor & Rodriguez, where we have already spent over $1million dollars to establish, test and develop the concept, but we are anxious to share with the nearly 100 folks who have contacted us from across the country.  So our new RFS Program Guide will be launched in July 2010 with a Summer Seminar for educators to be trained and certified. 

We are deeply grateful for the ever-growing ranks of chefs and volunteers who have discovered the joys of lending a hand in our classrooms and gardens, and the support and collaboration of many others.  Numerous awards and recognition have come our way and the national spotlight has begun to seek us out as we model a highly effective approach to the epidemic of childhood obesity with tools that can travel anywhere.  We are heartened by the extra attention that first lady Michelle Obama has brought to the issue and we look forward to leading more and more children, parents, and educators down the path to healthy eating through fun interactive lessons in the kitchen and garden.

   Come join us anytime! 

Gracie & the Recipe for Success Team