Nutrition begins from the ground up, and creating a family garden can provide the perfect platform to teach kids the benefits of healthy eating. To help increase your kids' appetites for nutritious foods, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national nonprofit founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation to combat childhood obesity, has provided parents 10 tips on how to create a family garden successfully.
1. Chart Your Course
Create a list of fruits and vegetables you want to comprise your garden. As a family, vote on the plants that will populate your crop.
2. Look Before You Leap
Have all family members sketch the garden of their dreams. Incorporate elements of each design into an outline that best suits your space.
3. Do Your Research
Take a family trip to the library and explore how to successfully care for and create a garden.
4. Be Climate Friendly
Determine what fruits and vegetables will thrive in your local conditions.
5. Reach Out
Chat with local gardening businesses to request useful information and ask about specials they might have.
6. Turn Responsibilities into a Break
Create a maintenance schedule that allows your family to tend the garden together.
Be sure to plant the garden in an area with sufficient sunlight.
8. Plant the Rainbow
Include fruits and vegetables that possess a wide variety of colors to increase your garden's nutritional value.
9. Appreciate the Fruits of Your Labor
Don't forget to explore the garden and enjoy a snack.
10. Share Your Success
Donate excess food to soup kitchens and local charities to provide those in need with a nutritious meal.
For more tips on ways you can cultivate a healthy lifestyle and help reverse the trend of childhood obesity visit www.HealthierGeneration.org.