I spent this morning teaching the intricacies of the Food Guide Pyramid to middle schoolers in the St. Louis public school system. Definitely challenging to say the least. After 4 summers as a camp counselor, I’ve learned how to interact with all sorts of kids, but it’s still hard to teach a lesson while competing with 25 chatty 8th graders. I think these kinds of experiences just serve to build character, kinda like this apple…
We actually served these to the kids today, and most labeled them as moldy or rotten-looking, but the apples are actually really good…the taste is almost reminiscent of a pear. I think hard situations may seem ugly at surface value, but if you look deeper, you can always find good. I know that we did make an impact on some of the kids who heard our lessons today, and if even one decides to take steps toward better nutrition, I feel like I’ve done something.
On that note, let’s chat about kale. I refused to eat this green for the longest time because it’s pretty bitter in the raw form [unless you make it into a green monster]. Nutritionally, it’s pretty awesome, and with the swine making its way around, I know we could all use some extra vitamin C.
Unfortunately, cooking kale causes it to lose many of its nutritional benefits, but the good news is that it still remains a good source of many vitamins and minerals, even after boiling. I’m not sure how many nutrients are left after the sauté, boil, and bake process I put the poor kale through to make these bagels.
The verdict: I was sad they didn’t taste more like kale, which is weird, I know. I think they needed more garlic + salt [gasp], to avoid masquerading as regular old whole wheat bagels. I like knowing exactly what goes into the food I’m eating, though, so modifying the recipe and trying again is worth it to me.
I have to admit that bagel-making is pretty fun [although a bit labor intensive]. I hadn’t made bagels since my food science class during my sophomore year of college…and who knows how those turned out with all our shenanigans in the foods lab.
As for preventing the swine: In addition to normal hand sanitation guidelines and increasing vitamin C intake, I would also add the importance of adequate sleep, hydration, and practicing overall good nutrition habits to the mix. And maybe throwing back a shot of wheat grass or two.
Stay healthy, everyone!
