Reuters – Kathryn Doyle
“In a pilot study, the Harvest for Healthy Kids programs helped preschoolers in Head Start centers be willing to try and to like foods like butternut squash, turnips and asparagus. “We know that children develop their food preferences based on early experiences with foods, so it is important to introduce healthy foods in early years,” said lead author Betty T. Izumi of Portland State University in Oregon. “There’s a general myth that kids don’t like vegetables,” but that’s not necessarily true, Izumi told Reuters Health by phone. Between fall of 2012 and spring of 2013, four Head Start centers in Portland, Oregon, implemented the Harvest for Health Kids program. The “target” foods included carrot, butternut squash, sweet potato, cabbage, turnip, rutabaga, berries, beet, and asparagus, all prepared with simple recipes designed to highlight, not mask, their flavor. The researchers chose local, seasonal foods, as they would be more affordable and would taste best, Izumi said.”(more)