Rob Ferrett and Veronica Rueckert look at the effect of a new farm bill on Wisconsin’s farmers, get an update on what’s happening in Congress, and find out how to feed kids well.
Featured in this Show
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Feeding The Children: What Americans Can Learn From Italy
When Americans think of food for children, things like breakfast cereal, snack treats and other processed foods might be way ahead of kale, bean soup and risotto. However, a journalist living in Rome said people should turn that around — and Italian parents can show the way.
Canadian writer Jeannie Marshall moved to Italy 12 years ago and in her new book, “The Lost Art of Feeding Kids,” she said she didn’t look closely at the Italian diet until her infant son was ready to start eating solid foods.
Marshall said she was ready to start feeding her son one mashed-up food at a time, and introduce things slowly, but Italian parents saw things differently.
“There were all of these Italian mothers opening these containers with this food that smelled incredible. It had flavor, things like onions and garlic, and they were stirring parmesan cheese into it, and this is what they gave their babies,” she said.
She makes the case that giving children more complex foods at an earlier age helps them appreciate a greater variety of foods and makes it easier to get children to eat healthy things like vegetables and whole grains.
“They’re actually thinking about teaching their kids to like food, instead of just to nourish them,” she said.
Marshall contrasts the traditional Italian style of eating with the things Americans think of as children’s food, which she argues are high in sugar and white flour and low in nutritional value.
“There’s no kid food, that’s the amazing thing,” she said. “When families get together, they feed the children the same things that the adults are eating and if they’re really small kids, they just puree it for them.”
One of Marshall’s main concerns has to do with health and the rise of obesity and diabetes. She said as American-style foods and eating habits catch on in Italy, negative health outcomes are following along.
“They’re starting to have the kinds of health problems we’ve already had, we should be a cautionary tale to them,” she said.
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How The Farm Bill Could Affect Wisconsin
The House of Representatives just passed a new farm bill agreement, the first step in ending a two-year-long impasse. A guest from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation explains how this bill could affect Wisconsin’s farmers.
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This Week In Congress
USA Today Politics and Congress Editor Paul Singer joins Central Time for his weekly congressional update. He talks about what Obama’s State of the Union means for the House and Senate and assess the newly agreed upon Farm Bill.
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Why Kids Need Real Food
A journalist explains what living in Rome taught her about the Italian way of childrearing and the importance of feeding children real food.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- Amanda Magnus Producer
- Galen Druke Producer
- Cynthia Schuster Producer
- Jim Holte Guest
- Paul Singer Guest
- Jeannie Marshall Guest
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