EAT YOUR VEGGIES

I don't remember my Mum even once asking my siblings and I to eat our vegetables.It was because we thought eating them was the normal thing to do. We grew up in a family where eating raw shoots called ulam was a routine. I was surprised initially to know that nowadays, even my nieces and nephews do not like their vegetables. Why is this so? Is is because vegetables are too bitter for their taste buds? Of is it because they have been trained to be sweet toothed from young and not taught to eat the greens. Or is it because their parents find it too bothersome to stock fresh vegetables in their fridges? Don't they know that vegetables are a source of complex carbohydrate, good phyto- chemicals and contains no cholesterol? Are they not aware that vegetables keeps them young as it contains anti-oxidants, keep them strong and beautiful with nutrients like vitamins and minerals that encourage good health and immunity against infectious diseases? Haven't they been told that vegetables contain soluble and insoluble fibre that can prevent constipation and expel deadly toxins from your body, thus preventing from fatal diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cancer ?

If only, they knew or their Mums knew....

I fed my babies a balanced diet as soon as they were ready for solid foods. That means starting on vegetables at a very early age. I remember boiling rice, adding a protein source and a vegetable before blending them. I would introduce a new vegetable each week and alternate between meat, chicken and fish. I did not season the baby food with either salt or sugar.

Of my five children, only Afif refused his vegetables when young. However, nowadays, Afif's meals would be incomplete without vegetables. These days, pecal is our family favorite.The trick I used was to serve the vegetables that he loved. Afif loved, and still loves, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. That was what I fed him in the initial years. When he started to like his vegetables, I introduced different vegetables and presented them as colourful as possible by mixing the green ones (leafy vegetables, broccoli) with orange ones ( carrots and sweet potatoes) and red (tomatoes or red spinach). You see, kids love colourful things and so, their meals should be as cheerful and full of colour. The other thing is not to overcook the vegetables. You can also make salads or kerabu out of them. The torch ginger in mango kerabu is not only attractive but also tasty.

I will unsatiated during visits to relatives' houses when they do not serve vegetables with their meals.I see that in some families only the parents eat their vegetables while their children simply will not touch them. The parents have given up telling ther children to eat the veggies.

Some people will tell you that vegetables come with risks if laced with residual pesticides and herbicides. But you can always try to wash them out thoroughly. Nowadays there are products that can nullify the toxins but they are too expensive for the average income earner.

The risks are reduced only when the government implements the ruling that vegetables sold locally must be pesticide and herbicide- free prior to entering the market.

Meanwhile, the doctors will tell you that the risk is less if you eat your vegetables than if you don't. Or you can grow your own vegetables, pluck wild vegetables or buy organic vegetables. The choice is yours to make.

As for me, I continue to pray to God to protect my family from dangerous diseases and heal whatever disease that we may have. In the final analysis, we can only plan and do our best.Leave the rest to the Lord.