Food Literacy for All - Center for Nutrition Studies (original) (raw)

Food is more than sustenance for fueling body and brain; it influences nearly all aspects of human life. From culture and agriculture to economics and the environment, food has always played a vital role in human history. Food marks celebrations, connects us with nature, nourishes body and soul. Food unites us and divides us, provides great pleasure, and contributes to deep suffering for the hungry and malnourished. Food is a powerful lens for understanding the world.

Our food system and health outcomes have changed drastically over the last one hundred years. Our ancestors from a few generations ago would not recognize much of what we call food today. Changes in farming and processing have led to the ubiquity of hyperpalatable, shelf-stable, chemical-laden “food products,” and the food landscape is increasingly confusing to navigate. Too many people continue suffering from diseases that are preventable and even reversible through diet. The earth is meanwhile suffering from chemical-based farming that depletes soil health and harms plants and animals. Teaching people about the ripple effects our food choices have on personal and global health is essential to cultivating a better tomorrow. Despite recent funding cuts to nutrition education programs like SNAP Ed, people are hungry for this type of learning.

Experiential food literacy education is one of the most effective tools we have for improving the health of people and the planet. Food literacy is a term that encompasses a broad understanding of food—where food comes from; how it’s grown, produced, and distributed; its nutritional value and impact on health; what people around the world eat, and why. It explores the intersection of food, science, ecology, history, literature, culture, and the arts.

At the Food Studies Institute, a national nonprofit based in New York state, we deliver professional development in food literacy education for teachers and food advocates, like parents, chefs, and medical professionals. Through our food educator training, based on the award-winning Food Is Elementary curriculum written by pioneering educator Antonia Demas, PhD, we equip adults to engage students of all ages in sensory-based lessons on nutrition, gardening, and multicultural cooking. In PK–12 schools, food is a vehicle for enriching academic learning through interdisciplinary lessons that directly relate to daily life. In daycares, after-school programs, summer camps, community centers, and senior centers, people of all ages bond through shared cooking and gardening experiences centered on health-promoting whole foods that taste good and make them feel well.

Food literacy education is effective when learning is fun, hands-on, and respectful of individual taste preferences and food traditions. Food educators meet students at their current level of understanding, build on their natural curiosity, and connect to their lived experience. They present evidence-based information and help students develop critical thinking skills so that students can make informed decisions when selecting and preparing their food.

People of all ages, from preschoolers to seniors, benefit from food literacy education. But the potential for health promotion and disease prevention among young children is especially powerful. Eating habits and taste preferences are formed in childhood, and they are hard (but not impossible) to change as we age. When young children have positive sensory experiences with healthful foods, they are more likely to eat these foods throughout life. Children are not as picky as we think they are. They may have stronger taste buds (which dull with age) and a rational fear of unfamiliar foods, but they are quite open-minded about food given the right conditions.

Adults play a critical role in shaping eating habits for children, both in formal settings and at home. Subtle messages about food are conveyed through the behaviors we model and the language we use. We can cultivate awareness of our own biases to avoid communicating them to children. Instead of assuming children won’t eat certain foods, assume they will. Provide repeated opportunities for children to look, touch, smell, taste, cook, and grow a variety of healthy foods. When they chop, stir, plant, or harvest, they are much more likely to try the foods they handled, because fear of the unfamiliar has been removed and their energy, curiosity, and ego are invested in the outcome of the cooking or gardening project. Praise kids for being brave when they try something new, even if they don’t care for it. Implement a “No Yuck” rule to cultivate respect for individual taste preferences. Never force anyone to eat, and avoid pressuring or drawing negative attention when certain foods are rejected. Do not engage in power struggles over food; it will backfire. To foster sustainable healthy habits, motivate with pleasure, not fear or shame. And make sure the food is beautiful and delicious.

Let’s invest in the health of people and the planet by expanding food literacy education in schools, daycares, after-school programs, senior centers, and medical practices.

What You Can Do

Become a food educator—enroll today!
Model healthy eating habits—all the time!
Eat mostly whole foods—especially fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes!
Ignore food advertising—read the ingredients list!
Vote with your dollar—food companies respond to sales!
Support small farmers—purchase fresh, locally grown food!
Request healthier foods—in schools, hospitals, and underserved neighborhoods!