Why Eat Our Vegetables? (1962)

[Music] one day when Miss Blake and her class were trying to answer the question why eat our vegetables she decided to read them a story it was an adventure story about a family once there were two children Bobby and cynthy Jorgenson they were children who enjoyed their meals but they didn't much care for vegetables sometime later on a vacation trip across the ocean the Jorgenson family escaped from a shipwreck all the people escaped in lifeboats after many days at Sea the Jorgenson steered their Lifeboat to a deserted island here they would have to live for a while the family had been lucky enough to save a few of the things they would need they hadn't much a few tools and some cans of food meat powdered milk and biscuits the family believed that they had enough food to last them several months and they did still as the months passed the Jorgenson did not feel well what was the matter they had enough food meat bread and milk but they had no vegetables and without vegetables the family did not feel healthy but luckily they were rescued soon after the Jorgenson were given a tasty meal by the ship's Captain there was some meat and best of all plenty of vegetables and the Jorgenson children found that the string beans and corn and tomatoes and lettuce had a wonderful taste vegetables the captain told them would help give the Jorgenson the vitamins and minerals their bodies needed to grow healthy again yes after many months without vegetables both cynthy and Bobby came to know how important vegetables are to Good Health After the Storm story was over Miss Blake asked her class if they could think of vegetables the Jorgenson's didn't have on the desert island Paul thought of one vegetable lettuce Paul knew about this vegetable because he sometimes helps his father in the garden back of their house last year they grew some lettuce from seeds seeds just like these a few weeks after the seeds were planted they had lettuce growing what we eat are actually the leaves of lettuce plants Paul and his father grew other vegetable plants in their garden vegetables whose leaves are good for us to eat cabbage was one spinach was another so Paul thought the family in the story didn't have the leaves of the different vegetable plants we eat the leaves of such plants as cabbage spinach and lettuce this idea of leaves started Sally thinking she tried to picture in her mind the many many vegetabl she had seen in that roadside stand she had visited with her mother last summer Sally remembered that mother had bought vegetables whose leaves are good for us to eat and mother had bought other vegetables that are good for us to eat asparagus was one and rhubarb was another and potatoes which are a certain kind of underground stem were still another Sally was right asparagus and rhubarb are stems of two vegetable plants we eat could anyone think of other kinds of vegetables George thought he could he told about the time he had visited his cousin's Farm among the vegetables George had seen there were carrot plants the part of the carrot plant used for food grows under the ground it is actually the root of the carrot plant other vegetable plants had roots used for food beets for instance are roots and so are turnips and parsnips and sweet potatoes these were just a few of the many root veget vegetables George could think of the names of these root vegetables were added to the list were there any other vegetables that would have helped the Shipwreck family keep well and healthy Alice thought there were most of the vegetables they had named are usually grown from seeds beans for example are the seeds of bean plants and are also eaten as vegetables then certain seed vegetables such as beans and peas and the kernels of sweet corn are all seed vegetables that the family in the story did not have on their desert island there was certainly quite a list of vegetables all the vegetables named come from plants some from the leaves of plants some from the stems of plants some from the roots of plants and some from the seeds of plants Miss Blake then read something the school doctor had written to her class doctors he wrote know that properly cooked vegetables give our bodies certain things that are needed for good health vegetables contain vitamins and minerals of course we can't see the vitamins and minerals in vegetables but we know they are there as we eat vegetables their vitamins and minerals help our bodies grow strong and healthy we help build strong and healthy teeth and gums when we eat raw vegetables raw vegetables such as carrots celery radishes and cucumbers have a clean fresh taste which most of us enjoy because raw vegetables must be chewed well our teeth and gums get the exercise that helps them stay healthy when we remember how vegetables help our bodies we can understand why doctors say that we should eat one serving of potatoes every day one serving of a vegetable such as tomatoes and at least one serving of a leafy green vegetable such as lettuce by EA e such vegetables we get the vitamins and minerals they contain which help us to have more energy for work and play they help us to be more energetic and happier in the things we do vitamins and minerals also help us to have stronger and better bones these are some of the ways vitamins and minerals from vegetables help us stay healthy yes veget vegetables can help us keep healthy and we are fortunate to have many many different kinds of vegetables to eat among the many vegetables we have there are sure to be some that each one of us will like where do these vegetables come from Paul knew that most vegetables are grown on farms after the vegetables are harvested some are sold within hours at roadside stands or neighborhood markets Country Fresh and delicious other vegetables are sent in trucks and railroad cars to cities and towns where they're sold in groceries and supermarkets still other vegetables are quick Frozen or canned so that we may eat them during all seasons of the year so we may have many different kinds of vegetables every day vegetables that are good for us because vegetables help keep our bodies strong and healthy and those are the reasons Miss Blake's class discovered why it is so important that we eat our vegetables [Music]