Vallejo People's Garden | USFS Flickr
Why do college students choose junk food once they start making their own food decisions in college? Millions of dollars are currently being spent on programs trying to get college kids to eat a better diet with more fruits and veggies. But, it turns out childhood habits are the best drivers to get young adults to make decisions to eat healthier in college.
A study by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences shows that students who garden as kids eat 15 percent more fruits and vegetables than those who didn’t. In the study, investigators interviewed 1,351 college students and found that students who actually got their hands dirty ate more fresh produce than those who didn’t. Surprisingly, just being in a gardening family where the parents did all of the work made no difference. Only students who actually participated in the gardening process made the choice to increase their fruit and veggie intake once they were on their own at school.
So, if the goal is healthy eaters, the solution is participation in the process. Get your kids involved in a home garden or a 4H club.