Real Veggie Tales

It has been reported that our children's health is clearly in jeopardy. Everyday, we can read somewhere that different cancers are on the rise, childhood diseases we thought were eradicated are making a comeback--what's going on? Has the medical community failed us?

No, the responsibility for raising healthy children belongs with the parents, not the medical profession. Our children's doctors are merely allies. Our child's well-being and health begins with us. By our example and choices, we can raise our children to make healthy choices for themselves. But first, we need to get an education what constitutes healthy. It is no longer enough to eliminate sugar and encourage vegetable eating.

Remember Meryl Streep's impassioned pleas to the apple growers back in the '80's? She was concerned about alar, a known carcinogen, being sprayed on the apples her children were eating. She was passionate, she got press, but the apple folks won.

And it's not just apples we need to be concerned about. All of our produce is bombarded with pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. These chemicals are being ingested by our children. As a nation, we dump a billion tons of chemicals on our crops every year. Not only do we chemically clobber our produce, but it's picked before it's ripe, dyed, gassed and waxed. We pick up a "shiny, red apple" and tell our kids to eat the skin because "it's good for them", not realizing of course, that the wax on the apple has sealed in a lot of these chemicals.

DDT was banned back in the 70's. Remember that? It may have been banned, but we still produce it here in this country. We just don't use it. South America has no such ban, so just remember that the next time you pick up a bunch of beautiful-looking Chilean grapes.

So, what's the answer? Buy organic. Yes, it will cost about 20% or more than conventional produce, but consider cutting something else unhealthful out. Like soda, potato chips or candy. What a good investment you will be making in children's health.

A lot of people are blessed with big yards and a portion of that could easily be made into a vegetable garden. It's a wonderful opportunity to take on a project like this as a family and get some great tasting produce to boot.

Copyright Leanne Ely

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