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First Graders Can’t Identify Common Vegetables

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February 28, 2010
	Jo Wehage : Head Operations Ego

Perhaps you’ve read the statistics on childhood obesity, seen the growing size of our nation’s school-age kids, but what might obesity sound like in a first grade class? Right “from the mouths of babes” comes yet another symptom of the health crisis in this country. Food ignorance.

In a clip from the upcoming series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, the British celebrity chef visits a first grade class. Along with him is a table full of fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Who knows what this is?” Oliver asks as he holds a bunch of tomatoes before their eyes. Just the looks on their little faces alone paint a daunting tale for the likelihood of healthy home cooked meals everywhere. Hear their answers in this clip:

(Video tip: if you have delays in the video feed, hit the pause icon on the far left & give the video more time to download.)

Think that town is an anomaly?

Consider the stats:

• Childhood and teenage obesity in the U.S. has increased by four times in the last 40 years.
• In 1999-2000, over 10 percent of younger preschool children between ages 2 and 5 were overweight
• Approximately 19% of children (ages 6–11) and 17% of adolescents (ages 12–19) were overweight in 2000. An additional 15% of children and adolescents were at risk for overweight (based on BMI / body mass index measures).
• An estimated 70 percent of diabetes risk in the U.S. can be attributed to excess weight.

It’s not easy out there. Gone are the days and schedules that make family mealtime around a kitchen table a nightly ritual. Many of us have some fighting to do. The decreasing life-span of your kids makes the effort worth it. Check out Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution which premieres on ABC March 26^th. Let’s hope he can inspire us all. 

Unfortunately the first grade class wasn’t where Jamie hit his biggest opposition when visiting this West Virginia town, recently named The Unhealthiest City in America.

Looking for tips and tricks to get more fruits and veggies into your kid’s diet? Check out our post: 5 Sneaky Tactics to Get Kids to Eat Vegetables and share your own creative tactics and ideas.