Joanna Norquist
asked
Michael Pollan:
Any advice on how to encourage a reluctant partner or child to join in on the "real food" journey?
Michael Pollan
I find the best way to enlist children in eating real food is to get them involved in growing food and cooking food. My son would eat vegetables in the garden that he would never eat at the table-- there was something about picking them himself that made him curious, and he was often surprised how good they tasted. Cooking, too, gives kids an investment in foods they might otherwise not eat. It also demystifies foods for them. To some picky eaters, cooked food is a black box --what the hell is that sauce hiding? they wonder-- and their suspiciousness is allayed when they see how a food is prepared, that it is the sum of ingredients that aren't scary or disgusting. Kids will eat food they cook because they have an investment in it. They also love the process. It's about the magic of transformation, after all. Who doesn't like watch inert, tasteless dough turn into a gorgeous, browned loaf of fragrant bread?
For this reason, I think we need to bring gardens and cooking classes into the schools, probably in middle school. Kids love to learn with their senses, and what better sensory education than food?
For this reason, I think we need to bring gardens and cooking classes into the schools, probably in middle school. Kids love to learn with their senses, and what better sensory education than food?
More Answered Questions
Lisa Barrangou
asked
Michael Pollan:
Your message that poor people who cook with real foods eat healthier diets than rich people who don’t may encourage rich people to reconsider their food behaviors, but how do we encourage more poor people to do so, since their demographic generally seems to not believe eating well is a realistic option?
Ami
asked
Michael Pollan:
Since I live in Brooklyn, a chunk of each weekend is inevitably spent at a farmers' market. The stands there are usually a mix of organic and non-organic produce, all indistinguishable except for the prices. What is your opinion of the necessity of going organic in this situation? Is the extra price worth it for health, or even for encouraging the farmers to keep growing this way?
Pam Rider
asked
Michael Pollan:
I am looking for a food quality advocacy group for seniors living in group situations where food is provided. My current living situation includes meals. The stuff served is mostly highly processed, cooked into high-glycemic mush or disguised "pink slime." Diabetes is epidemic and diagnoses grow every month. If school children were served this slop, there would be a national outrage.
Michael Pollan
12,510 followers
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