Check out this post from grist.org comparing the foods that families eat around the world:
Have you seen these photos by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Alusio? They show what a family eats for a week in countries around the world. They’re a quick and fascinating window in the differences in the quantity and the quality of food people eat.
Just look for a second at all the colors in this Mexican family’s food:
And then check out the American family’s groceries. Still colorful, yeah, but the colors come from the bright packaging of processed food:
In Mongolia, a more arid environment, the food’s more monochrome:
And in the countries where families have fewer resources, like Ecuador, their food has less variation: They buy groceries in sacks. Full article here.
In many places around the world, children eat what they grow and produce with their families in their town or village. In America, we are blessed (and cursed) with a huge variety of foods available. If asked to display a weekly supply of food, Americans could put together almost any combination. Children here often have the chance to make food choices on their own, away from parent guidance. Unfortunately the choices marketed to them aren’t the healthiest. This reminds us that growing vegetables, cooking, and eating as a family helps to guide children’s food choices now and as they grow up. In Nevada County, we have an abundance of fresh local food. Just imagine how colorful and vibrant you could make your family’s weekly food choices, loaded with fresh fruits and veggies. Maybe try it and take a picture!