‘HOMEGROWN HEALTH EVENT’ PROVIDES KIDS FREE PLANTS
Dignity Health Woodland Clinic — located at 2081 Bronze Star Dr. — held a “Homegrown Health Event” for kids Saturday that provided kids from the community with their own vegetable plant and the opportunity to learn about growing their own food.
“Kids will eat more fruits and vegetables if they grow the plants themselves,” Samuel Siegel, a pediatrician with the clinic and event organizer, said. “It’s important that kids learn about healthy eating early on to help avoid picking up unhealthy habits, decreasing their risk of developing childhood obesity.
Only an hour into the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. event, Siegel noted that the clinic had already given out 100 tomato plants to families.
“I’ve been doing pediatrics for about ten years now and pediatric obesity has gotten to the point where we need to try everything at our disposal,” he stressed. “We can’t just talk to patients in the clinic… we need to show them, and there’s no better way to show that kid how to eat healthy than growing their own vegetables at home.”
He argued that kids appreciate their homegrown vegetables more than store-bought produce because of the pride it gives them and the taste.
“A lot of the reason why kids don’t like vegetables in the stores is because they don’t taste very good,” he explained. “I guarantee when they grow them at home, they’re gonna love the way they taste.”
For parents interested in making small and sustainable changes at home, Siegel recommends that they offer a fruit or vegetable at every meal.
“Sometimes kids don’t want broccoli with their dinner all the time. Sometimes they want apples or they want grapes, and that’s fine,” he said. “Just a fruit and a vegetable in every meal.”
Siegel also highlighted that the clinic will likely have leftover plants after the event and encouraged any clinic patients to ask their doctors if any plants are still available during their next visit.
Furthermore, the clinic highlighted data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows 1 in 5 children in the United States are affected by childhood obesity.
“Many different factors can contribute to childhood obesity including access to nutritional foods,” the release for the event stated. “The link between learning to grow food and a decreased risk of childhood obesity is an increase in consumption of fresh produce.”
Manmeet Kaur attended the event with her daughter after visiting the clinic recently and seeing a flyer for the event.
“Usually you see flyers and you forget about them, but I was like, ‘no, I have to take initiative on this,’” she emphasized.
Kaur explained that her family gardens so she thought the event would be a good opportunity for her kids to participate in the event and to “see the community come together.”
“Kids get to see where the food comes from, ask questions and get educated so they could
make the right food choices when they go to the store,” she remarked. “You teach the kids this process at home, but it makes a big difference when you visually see it.”
Kaur enjoyed the event and said she hopes to bring her kids to more of the clinic’s events in the future.
“Even if it’s for 15 or 20 minutes, that makes a difference, it really does,” she concluded.
The plants for the event were provided by the clinic’s pediatric department and Woodland Community College.
Pots and soil donated by C.L. Smith Landscape Materials and Tractor Supply Company were available for anyone who did not have a space at home to plant their vegetables.