It’s no secret that the rate of childhood obesity in the United States is rising at an alarming pace. Between our multi-screen, sedentary lifestyle and easy access to an abundance of unhealthy, highly processed foods, today’s kids have the odds stacked against them when it comes to fitness.
Jaimie Davis, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences in the School of Human Ecology, has a fresh strategy for fighting back against this wave of childhood obesity teach kids to garden.
Davis, a registered dietician, has focused much of her research at UT Austin on exploring the connections between nutrition, physical activity and behavior.
The centerpiece of her recent work has been the launch of L.A. Sprouts. Davis and Nicole Gatto at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health developed L.A. Sprouts together in 2012.
L.A. Sprouts is a school gardenbased nutrition and gardening intervention aimed at improving diet and reducing the risk of obesity and related metabolic disorders in Latino youth (ages 8-11).
Topics covered in the nutrition component of the program include adding fruits and vegetables to a diet, real food vs. processed food, strategies for eating a healthier breakfast and school lunch, the importance of fiber, and hidden sugars in sodas and other beverages.
Students learn about sowing seeds and transplanting seedlings, composting, watering, and how to use recycled materials for gardening and plant identification.
By testing the effects of school- and community-based gardens, improved nutrition, and cooking interventions Davis is proving that kids who garden eat better, have improved brain function, and have a lower risk of obesity and related diseases.
Jaimie Davis, she’s a Longhorn Game Changer. That’s how we change the world.
