Chef José Andrés
Kids need to eat their veggies. All kids. For some parents, getting their kids to eat their peas and carrots is a matter of offering healthy food and doing what you can to get your kids to come around until something works. But for other parents it's not so simple. In the United States, about 23.5 million people live in food deserts, areas without ready access to fresh, healthy and affordable food. Many of those living in food deserts are children and the effects of not having access to fresh vegetables and other healthy foods can lead to a number of ill effects.
Washington, DC struggles with addressing the problem of food deserts in its poorest wards, where food insecurity has resulted in the highest obesity rates in the city. On the other end of the spectrum, DC is home to several world-class restaurants, from Jaleo to Zaytinya, that serve healthy and delicious food. Many of the most popular restaurants are run by premier Chef José Andrés.
Chef José Andrés
So, when Chef José heard that Naked Juice was starting the Drink Good Do Good initiative to help provide fresh fruits and veggies to people who don't have access to them he got on board right away. For every selfie posted with a fruit or a vegetable using #DrinkGoodDoGood, Naked Juice will donate 10lbs of produce to Wholesome Wave, which is a non-profit that was started by Jose's dear friend Michel Nischan. In fact, Chef José was one the first to post his own selfie.
It is simple for to join the #DrinkGoodDoGood effort: just take a photo of your child or yourself holding a fruit or vegetable, tag a friend, tag Naked Juice, and include #DrinkGoodDoGood. Naked Juice will donate the equivalent of 10 pounds of produce to neighbors in need in DC and across the country for each selfie posted with the #DrinkGoodDoGood hashtag. Rarely is doing good so easy and it's a great way to teach kids about the importance of helping others.
Even kids can participate (with a parent's help)! To get kids interested in helping out their peers living in food deserts Chef José took a break from cooking to answer some very important questions about vegetables posed by some very curious kids from his base in DC.
Ian, age 8: If you were to prepare broccoli for the president how would you prepare it?
José: It just so happens that broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables! What I love is that it is made up of hundreds and hundreds of tiny flowers all around the broccoli. I also love tomatoes, so first I would make a tomato sauce. Then I would take the broccoli florets and boil them in water with salt, but not for too long, just for one minute so you don't lose the flavor and texture. We use this same technique at my newest restaurant, Beefsteak, and it is one of my favorite ways to cook vegetables. Then I would pick the florets from the stem and put them on the plate. I would tell the President to eat them with his hands, using the tomato sauce like a dipping sauce. I think he would love broccoli prepared this way!
Isla, age 6: Do you know how carrots get orange?
José : You are not going to believe what I'm about to tell you, but carrots were not really orange to begin with -- they were white and even purple! The orange color was actually developed in the 17th century, and Dutch farmers had a lot to do with this development. It is amazing how our farmers can transform vegetables. Always remember that while we usually associate carrots as orange, you should actually think of them like a rainbow! They have a lot of different colors.
Nava, age 2: What vegetables do you most like to cook with your kids?
José : My kids and I like to cook many things. They love tomatoes so we make something called gazpacho. This is a tomato soup, which is always served cold. Think of it as a salad that we transform into a drink. It is great in the summer! We are always drinking gazpacho, so tell your mom to make you gazpacho, Nava!
Ben, age 7: Did you cook vegetables as a kid?
José : I cook vegetables all the time and actually, vegetables were the most popular item on the table when I was growing up. One thing I love today are peppers, but when I was a kid I didn't like them. One day, my mother made me eat them, and for two days she only gave me peppers, and now today peppers are my favorite. So when your mom tells you to eat your vegetables, she's actually doing it because she knows what's good for you, like my mother did. What I didn't like when I was little is now my favorite vegetable in the whole world.
Sarah, age 5: Did you eat vegetables as a kid?
José : Yes, I ate a lot of vegetables when I was a kid. I ate beans, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. We'd eat them raw, cooked, sautéed, fried and steamed.
Thali, age 3: How do you get your kids to eat vegetables?
José : I am lucky, my daughters love vegetables without me having to teach them. What you need to make sure of is that your parents don't cook the vegetables too much. I believe this is the reason that kids don't often like vegetables. Our family or the restaurants we go to cook them for too long. They need to be cooked less and you will love them more!
Sam, age 6: Which vegetables did you like most as a kid?
José : The vegetables I liked most as a kid were zucchinis. My father would buy these very big zucchinis and cook them like they were a steak on the grill.
Lily, age 6: Do you ever cook vegetables because you like their colors?
José : Yes, sometimes I cook vegetables because I like the color. With pasta, for example, you can make a rainbow of colors depending on the vegetables, fruits and herbs you add to it. Your pasta can be a beautiful green if you add basil, a striking red with tomato sauce, or a vibrant yellow if you cook it with yellow beets.
Will, age 4: What are your favorite vegetables?
José : I love all vegetables. Each one has a story to tell, you just have to listen!
Estelle, age 5: Do you know how to grow any vegetables?
José : Yes, I know how to grow vegetables. When I was growing up many of my friends were farmers or sons of farmers, so I've always been very close to that world. Now, at my home, my family and I have a garden and we plant many different types of vegetables. It is great to see them all the way from the seed to the plate. I think it is important to have a real understanding of how difficult it is to grow vegetables but also how rewarding it is. That is why we need to be taking care of the soil, so the soil can produce the food that will feed all of us. The soil will equal healthy food, which equals healthy people. We need to take care of the environment, which starts by taking good care of the soil and understanding how it is the beginning of everything.
Now go post your selfie!