Brainstorming the Topic of Interest

As many of you already know, Gremi’s Garden is not just a title, but an idea that I can make a contribution to the wellness and development of early childhood through gardening. In perusing through the recommended website in our book the National Library of Medicine (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/pubmed_tutorial/ m1001.html), there was a particular element of surprise in discovering that there is a large herb garden in front of the building that pays tribute to the healing properties of nature and its application to medicine throughout history. Let us not forget that in a land not so distant, apothecary, or the use of plants for medicinal purposes, was the only means of treatment for many.  Moreover, the continued use of apothecary in today’s societies, are referred to as herbal, holistic, and natural approach medicine.  New age books like Forks over Knives promote healthy living through vegan diets, with the notion that all we need to be healthy is available from the earth.

I cannot claim to be vegan or even vegetarian, as many of my meals include a portion of animal; as in cheese, yogurt, fish, eggs, turkey and chicken, and of course the occasional hamburger, but I do prefer plant sources over bread and pasta and steer clear of processed foods. I have to admit that I do feel a difference when my intake is free of meat products, though no significant difference has been noted with the inclusion/exclusion of eggs, or dairy products.  Getting back on track with the simulations for this course, I have chosen the following subtopic and reasonable expectancy of nutritional knowledge as a variable for the consumption of fresh home grown fruits and vegetables.

• Malnutrition: The effects of malnutrition [independent variable] on psychological and physical development  [dependent variable] in early childhood.   
• Understanding how nutrition effects the physiological and psychological development lending to conscious dietary consumption.  

There is a plethora of information surrounding this very topic, and many different studies that also entertain the idea that knowledge increases the likelihood of healthy dietary options. To further complicate the issue of malnutrition, access and affordability is of great importance in some communities. I certainly hope that I can narrow my inquiry even further, for I fear that I will certainly be swallowed up by the abundance of information I am sure to uncover on the matter.