Thanks to chef Stephanie Alexander and her kitchen garden foundation, many children across Australia are now being given the chance to ‘grow, harvest, prepare and share’ food through gardening and kitchen classes. Growing up as a child I was always given healthy home cooked meals, however like most children I knew, not having a garden at home or at school I had no idea where my food was coming from or how it was grown. I feel that it is important for children to develop a positive relationship with food from an early age that will plant the seed of healthy eating for a lifetime. With childhood obesity on the rise, having a kitchen garden at home really gives children the opporunity to develope a postitive attitude towards eating as well as helps give them practical life skills and connects them with nature in this technological age.

Families that grow their own food are more likely to eat healthier because they are growing food that they harvest themselves which is fresh, organic and in season. By growing your own food you are moving away from consumption towards production and on your way to become more self sufficient rather than relying so much on companies and corporations. It is also more economical and environmentally sustainable as most foods you buy from supermarkets are imported and take large amounts of energy to pack and transport. You also have the benefit of knowing exactly where your food has come from and how it was grown. It’s more cost effective for you to grow your own food and the nutrition in home grown food is heightened because it is picked fresh and eaten straight away, no long distance travelling and extended storage.

Growing your own food is not only fun and a great opportunity to get outdoors and get your hands dirty, but it is also rewarding watching everything grow and finally harvesting for eating. When you cook with home grown herbs, fruits and vegetables you instantly notice how much fresher and tastier they are. By teaching your children where their food comes from they will be able to gravitate away from packaged foods and enjoy what nature intended for health and nourishment.
To get started, you can either set up garden beds in your backyard or if you are tight for space then container gardens work well too. Simply purchase or find some pots and tubs to grow your plants in and arrange them in your courtyard or on balconies. Get your hands on a growing guide which will tell you what to plant each month and season, for example tomatoes in spring and beetroot in summer. This of course depends on the climate you live in as well. For more information on what you will need and planting guides ask your local nursery or scour the internet for tips.
To get the kids involved here are some ideas:
Get them to make colorful signs and tags for the garden
Ask them what they want to grow
Teach them about what foods grow when
Make a Scarecrow together
Make compost
Make a wormfarm
Get them to water the garden daily
Get them to plant and transport seedlings
Teach them about how the garden works
Get some chickens, chook manure is great for the garden!
Get them to pick the fruits and vegetables when ripe
Get them to help cook with the produce they have picked

KATE HARRISON

Kate Harrison is a Melbourne based Naturopath and mother. Kate specialises in Woman and Children’s Health and has worked alongside other allied health professionals at Victoria’s first independent midwifery centre, MAMA (Midwives and Mothers Australia). Kate maintains a blog and social media platforms where she regularly writes health related articles which focus on educating the public about Herbal Medicine and Nutrition. You can follow Kate’s Blog at www.kate-harrison.net

If you think that the slicing and dicing of genes to create cross species is something that only happens in science fiction movies then sadly your  in for a surprise. GMO, or Genetically Modified Organisims are a modern reality which involves the manipulation of our food in order to improve production on mass scale.

Examples of GM foods include pest resistant corn and delayed ripening of tomatoes. To achieve these properties, animal genes are employed such as moth genes into apples and rat genes into lettuce. There is little research about GM foods and hence little understanding about what effect they have on our health and the environment. Concerns include the increased use of pesticides which are known toxins, cross contamination of crops, the creation of superweeds and superbugs, widespread crop failure, adverse effects on soil and water ecosystems, endocrine discruption, toxins, anti-biotic resistance and allergies.

In Australia, GM ingredients are mainly sourced from four main crops; Corn, Cottonseed, Soy and Canola, which are often used as feed for livestock, entering into meat, dairy and egg products. These ingredients are also often found in packaged and processed foods such as cakes and biscuits without labelling. There is currently limited regulation in Australia when it comes to the labelling of GM foods and as of recently the NSW government has approved the growth of GM canola with many more trials under way. American chemical companies such as Monsanto and Bayer are behind the process of Genetic Engineering.

Modification of food genes allows the plants to withstand the toxic effects of herbicides which are sprayed over crops to deter pests. These herbicides are provided by Monsanto themselves.

As consumers we have the right to know what is in our food. There are many ways that you can make a difference including signing the ‘Right toKnow’ petition found at at http://www.truefood.org.au/OurRightToKnow/  to let the government know your stance on GM foods.You can also get a copy of the ‘TrueFoods guide’ at the same address which informs you which popular brands contain GM ingredients and which are GM free. A kids edition of the guide has recently been released with popular childrens foods listed.

Eating a diet consisting predominatly of plant based foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds will help you to avoid the packaged and processed foods which are commonly sourced from GM ingredients.

Try to buy organic as much as possible, especially when it comes to animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs. By demanding the labelling of GM ingredients in our food we can protect ourselves and our children from such artificial manipulation of our food supply and therefore preserve our health and wellbeing.

So… what do you think about GMO foods? Was this info a surprise?

Kate Harrison is a Melbourne based Naturopath and Mother. Kate specialises in Woman and Children’s health and has worked alongside other allied health professionals at Victoria’s first independent midwifery center, MAMA. (Midwives and Mothers Australia). Kate maintains a blog and social media platforms where she regularly writes health related articles which focus on educating the public about Herbal Medicine and Nutrition. You can follow Kate’s blog at www.kate-harrison.net