Episode 116: Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak
Sep 14, 2020, Updated Jun 11, 2021
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September is National Fruits And Veggies Month hosted by the Produce For Better Health Foundation!
Founded by Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, President and CEO, and internationally celebrated dietician, the Produce For Better Health Foundation not only wants to help increase fruit and vegetable consumption but elevate the behaviors of fruit and vegetable consumption as a national priority.
Unfortunately, we’re facing a fruit and vegetable consumption crisis that’s been chronic in our nation for years. You might be thinking, “yes, I know I need to eat more fruits and vegetables,” but it goes beyond that. This is something that’s negatively impacting our society, our culture and our economy.
Not only is this an opportunity for the fruit and veggie-loving public and industry to come together under one initiative to make this a priority, but a lot of research has come out identifying that people, in general, eat healthier meals when they’re eaten together as a family.
Eating healthier foods isn’t the only benefit of eating meals together; people greatly benefit from the connection of family and spending time together having conversations around the dinner table. Especially if you’re a family with kids, this is when important conversations happen, connection key to development is fostered, dangerous behaviors can be identified and discussed, and social behaviors are developed. The psychological benefits of connectedness are crucial during times like this.
This is why the National Fruit and Veggie Month theme this year is Have A Plant® Nation. During a national and global pandemic, this aims to act as a catalyst for creating family connections, celebrating diverse and unique ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables, improve America’s public health across the board, and elevate how the produce industry (and its influencers) advocate for fruits and vegetables to be enjoyed more often.
The Have A Plant initiative wants folks like you to align with their values and share that with the world. It’s not just about eating more fruits and vegetables daily or at every meal, it’s about sharing your beliefs on how important that is with the rest of the world. That means having conversations at home, yes, but online as well! If just one more serving of fruits and vegetables on your plate could create the same for hundreds if not thousands of people through sharing one comment or one post, you’d be helping transform the nation’s health.
“It’s one attainable thing that we can all do to make our lives better — eat more fruits and vegetables.” – Lori Taylor (15:16-15:24)
Take the pledge for Have A Plant® Nation by visiting www.fruitsandveggies.org! They have tons of resources you can download to put on your social media, phone or share with friends and your family. Start the conversation and see if you have someone in your life or even a group that wants to hold each other accountable. Make sure to use #haveaplant and #haveaplantpledge on your posts along with #nfvm2020 to support National Fruits and Veggies Month.
How to get involved
- Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!
- Reach out to us – we’d love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.
If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!
Previous episodes you may enjoy
- Episode 115: Sustainable Medical Grade Sanitization With Best in Class UV-C Light Experts Tim Busby, Cofounder and Managing Partner and Kurt Wagaman, General Manager of PurLite
- Episode 114: Creating The Future Health Of Our Country Through School Meals With Adam Russo, Director of School Food and Nutrition Services at Prince William County Public Schools and Mollie Van Lieu, Senior Director of Nutrition Policy at United Fresh Produce Association
- Episode 113: Never Let Fear Stop You With Sarah Frey, CEO of Frey Farms, Founder of Tsamma™ Watermelon Juice and Sarah’s Home Grown, and United Fresh Women In Produce’s 2020 Honoree
- Episode 112: Bringing You The Healthiest Dried Fruit Possible with Case Samuel, VP of Sales and Irrigation Manager, and Jake Samuel, CEO of Sunrise Fresh
- Episode 111: Making Healthy, Nutritious Food The Default Choice with Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD, Retail Health & Wellness Expert and Founder/CEO of The Market RD
