Empowering Families for a Healthier Future
Join Our Mission to Combat Childhood Obesity
Discover how Real Kids Real Food is transforming lives through engaging nutrition education and hands-on activities designed to foster healthy habits in children and families for free.
Our Mission
Real Kids Real Food is committed to preventing childhood obesity and promoting healthy living by offering fun, interactive nutrition education. Our programs engage children and families in learning about nutrition, food preparation, physical activity, and mindfulness. We believe in empowering families with the knowledge and skills to lead healthier lives, reducing the risk of chronic diseases and malnutrition. Join us in making a difference, one family at a time.
Implementing Our Mission
We achieve our mission by:
– Educating children and their families on the relationship between the food they eat and their overall health and wellness.
– Engaging children in hands-on learning of growing, harvesting, and preparing their own fruits and vegetables.
– Providing a fun environment that includes physical exercise and emotional wellbeing.
– Making a difference one child at a time.
Who we are
Real Kids Real Food was founded in 2008 by Betsy Bragg with a simple but powerful goal: to help children and families build lifelong healthy habits that prevent obesity, chronic disease, and malnutrition.
With decades of experience in nutrition and wellness education, Betsy developed hands-on, engaging programs that make healthy living accessible and enjoyable for kids. She leads both Real Kids Real Food, focused on children and families, and Eat to Thrive, a companion program for adults.
Betsy is the author of Eat to Thrive: 10 Weeks to Lifelong Healthy Habits, Real Kids Real Food: Kids-Tested Recipes, and the Real Kids Real Food Lesson Plans. Her work has educated hundreds of youth and families, empowering them with practical skills for healthier living. In recognition of her impact, she received the 2014 Humanitarian Service Award.
At Real Kids Real Food, we believe that when kids learn early how to care for their bodies, they gain confidence, independence, and habits that last a lifetime.
What If the Healthiest Years of Your Life Were Still Ahead?
Every day we make hundreds of choices.
Most seem small.
What to eat for breakfast.
Whether to take a walk.
How to respond to stress.
What to teach our children about food.
Yet these ordinary moments quietly shape extraordinary futures.
At Real Kids Real Food and Eat to Thrive, we believe that lifelong health isn’t created through diets, willpower, or perfection. It begins with education, encouragement, and simple habits that become part of everyday life.
Our mission is to prevent obesity, chronic disease, and malnutrition through education and the advocacy of healthy living. Since 2008, we’ve helped children, families, and adults discover that healthy living can be enjoyable, practical, affordable, and empowering.
Health Is Learned—Not Inherited
No one is born knowing how to choose nutritious foods, prepare healthy meals, manage stress, or understand how lifestyle affects long-term health.
These are life skills.
Unfortunately, they’re rarely taught in schools.
That’s where our programs make a difference.
Instead of lectures, we create experiences.
Participants learn by doing.
Children laugh while preparing colorful recipes. Adults discover why foods affect their energy, weight, mood, and long-term health. Families begin making healthier choices together, one meal at a time.
Instead of asking people to change overnight, we help them build habits they can sustain for a lifetime.
Real Kids Real Food
Growing Healthy Kids from the Inside Out
Imagine your child…
- proudly preparing healthy recipes
- discovering vegetables they’ve never tasted before
- learning where food comes from
- becoming excited about exercise instead of avoiding it
- practicing mindfulness to reduce stress
- gaining confidence in the kitchen
- encouraging the whole family to eat healthier
That’s what happens every week in Real Kids Real Food.
Designed for children ages 3–12, our fun, interactive Zoom program combines nutrition education, hands-on food preparation, movement, games, gardening concepts, mindfulness, and family participation into an unforgettable learning experience.
Children don’t just hear about healthy eating.
They create it.
They chop, mix, taste, laugh, ask questions, and discover that healthy food can actually taste amazing.
Along the way they develop confidence, curiosity, leadership skills, and healthy habits that often influence the entire family.
Many parents tell us that after just a few weeks, their children begin requesting healthier foods at home.
That’s the kind of ripple effect that changes lives.
Eat to Thrive
Because Parents Deserve Health Too
Healthy families begin with healthy adults.
Whether you’re trying to lose weight, reduce your risk of chronic disease, increase energy, or simply feel better, lasting change starts with understanding why your body responds the way it does.
Eat to Thrive is far more than another nutrition class.
It’s a guided journey toward lifelong wellness.
During this comprehensive 10-week program, you’ll explore topics including:
- Whole-food, plant-based nutrition
- Disease prevention
- Food preparation
- Reading food labels
- Healthy grocery shopping
- Stress reduction
- Physical activity
- Mindfulness
- Building sustainable habits
Rather than relying on restrictive diets or temporary motivation, you’ll gain practical knowledge you can use every day for the rest of your life.
Learning Together Changes Everything
One of the most unique aspects of our programs is that children and adults can learn simultaneously.
When parents understand nutrition…
Children benefit.
When children become excited about healthy foods…
Parents become inspired.
Healthy habits spread throughout the family.
That’s how lasting change happens.
More Than Nutrition
Real wellness isn’t only about what’s on your plate.
Our programs also emphasize:
- emotional wellbeing
- physical activity
- positive body image
- mindfulness
- confidence
- environmental stewardship
- kindness toward ourselves and others
Health is about living well—not simply eating well.
A Community That Supports You
Learning is easier when you’re surrounded by people who share your goals.
Our live online classes create an encouraging, welcoming environment where participants ask questions, celebrate successes, and support one another.
There is no judgment.
No perfection required.
Just progress.
Week by week.
Why Families Keep Coming Back
Participants consistently tell us they leave our programs with:
✔ greater confidence
✔ healthier habits
✔ practical cooking skills
✔ increased energy
✔ delicious new recipes
✔ stronger family connections
✔ renewed hope that lasting health really is possible.
Your Future Begins with One Decision
Imagine where you—or your child—could be just ten weeks from now.
More energy.
More confidence.
More knowledge.
Healthier habits.
A healthier future.
Every journey begins with a single step.
Why not take yours today?
Join Real Kids Real Food or Eat to Thrive and discover how enjoyable healthy living can be.
Registration is now open. We would love to welcome you into our community.
Real Kids Real Food
What We Teach
Nutrition Education
Empower children with knowledge about balanced diets, essential nutrients, and healthy eating habits.
Healthy recipes
Teach kids the recipes needed to make healthy, nutritious meals for them and their family.
Physical Activity
Incorporate enjoyable exercises to promote fitness and encourage an active lifestyle.
Mindfulness Practices
Introduce techniques to enhance emotional wellbeing and reduce stress through mindfulness.
Family Involvement
Encourage family participation to foster a supportive environment for healthy living.
Interactive Learning
Utilize engaging methods to make learning about health and wellness exciting for kids.
What Our Participants Say
“Bernice has been waiting for the meetings every Saturday; she likes it so
much. She liked the following recipes recipes: celery+peanut butter, the salad+avocado, the banana ice cream, and the brownie. Bernice enjoyed planting [as] she explains the procedure for planting on zoom for her school class. She can talk about the good sugars and bad sugars. She has learned a lot.”
Bernice
Age 5
“This recipe is so good! It’s really healthy and quick to make!
“This program is amazing; it has taught me how to be healthy and the instructors were super nice and fun! My
favorite part about the program was making new, delicious recipes and making new friends. I will definitely be
signing up again.”
Alice
Age 12