We are creatures of habit, and those habits develop at a young age. We all know someone who’s a picky eater. Their diets consist of bland carbohydrates, salty and sweet foods, and white bread with the crusts cut off. They eschew vegetables, healthy proteins, and well-rounded dishes. With the cheap and easy availability of these picky-eater unhealthy foods, it’s increasingly easy for kids to become picky eaters and to only eat these low-nutritionally dense foods. I wrote in one of my past posts that what food you like is really dependent on what you’re fed by your parents and their taste in food. It also has to do with what you’re exposed to in school and what your friends are eating.

This is what I liked so much about the Two-Bite Club at Boulder Elementary School. Not only do they introduce the healthier foods in school, but they also make trying new foods and healthier eating “cool.” For kids that’s really important. I also really like that they have the two bite requirement and no negativity rules. Encouraging kids to be open minded about food is important for a diverse diet. If good eating habits start at a young age, it will be increasingly easier for to pursue healthy diets throughout their life, no matter where they end up.

What I most like about this initiative is its creativity. This is what we need. We need passionate individuals who can implement creative solutions. You can’t mandate behavior, you have to influence it. To make the great changes we’d like to make in the American diet or our food systems, we have to come up with creative ways to influence people.