Valley Woman Getting Kids to Eat Their Vegetables

02/17/2007 (KFSN) -- Valley parents will be thrilled to know their kids are learning about healthy alternatives to burgers and pizza.

It's just too easy for kids to tell their parents they hate broccoli or carrots and get away with it. The harvest of the month program highlights Valley grown produce...and actually gets kids to eat their vegetables.

Michelle Roman just wants kids to have an open mind. Most of the students at Lincoln Elementary in Kingsburg had no idea what shredded cabbage tasted like, but after close inspection, they were willing to give it a try.

Solomon Gastelun closed his eyes to hear the pleasant cabbage crunch, but this was an eye-opening experience. "Cabbage is good, " he says

The purple cabbage drew an enthusiastic response, perhaps because it resembles a brain.

Roman is a Fresno county nutrition consultant. She cited the health benefits of purple produce like plums and cabbage. She says, "You get lots of what's called antioxidents and girls it promotes cell growth. So for our beautiful skin we want to have that cell growth."

Fourth grader Cassidy Vink says, "I just realized it was so healthy for me. I didn't know it was that healthy." Cassidy Vink never knew snack-time could be so educational. She couldn't wait to go home and tell her parents what to add to the shopping list. "I'll tell them mom, dad. Guess what? I tried something new finally because I'm a very picky eater."

The second graders found Chinese cabbage quite entertaining. "Look at this...Heheheh. That looks like a crab."

Cabbage definitely passed the taste test. Romans tells the kids, "Raise both hands if you like them both. Oh there we go. That's what we want to see."

Parents are grateful for the healthy lessons Michelle Roman has been teaching. She says, "I get stopped in the grocery store by parents, at baseball, soccer, saying you got my child to eat broccoli. I don't know how you did it. Now they want broccoli.

Roman has been visiting Fresno County classrooms for two years now. She says the program's effective because the entire class is willing to sample different fruits and vegetables and those who'd rather not at least will take a bite.

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