Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month (NNM)? This year’s NNM theme, Food Connects Us, reminds us that food can be more than just the recipes we choose and the dishes we serve our families. Through food we honor tradition, support our community and remind children that families all over the world gather to enjoy delicious food. Here are five ways you can honor NNM with your children:
Visit the produce section of your local Hannaford
Look for exotic fruits and vegetables that are new to your family. Invite children to learn the produce’s origin and explore how to use it. Then create a dish to share together. Help them imagine that a child from another part of the world may be eating the same meal!
Make a family recipe
Bond children with loved ones (present and past) through a dish that represents your family’s traditions.
Connect with your community
Donate food, volunteer time at a local food pantry or help prepare a community garden.
Start a food tradition
Maybe it’s “birthday pancakes”, jam made from fresh picked berries or a picnic the first time the temps rise above a certain temperature. Start an easy tradition for your children to grow up with and look forward to.
Spice it up
Prepare a dish they already love but add spices and flavors from different parts of the world to introduce children to different ways foods can be made. Try Black Bean Pizza or Curried Vegetable Lo Mein.
