Fair Lawn, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/22/2016 -- Across the board, the land of the free is becoming the land of the overweight, and there does not appear to be any slowing down in sight. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who are overweight has steadily risen over the last 15 years. From 2001 to 2013, the rate has climbed from just under 14% to nearly 17%. Helping young children understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle with sound nutrition is at the core of what Veggiecation does best. Started in 2009 by a woman who saw the need for better nutrition in elementary schools, Veggiecation is a culinary-nutrition education program that seeks to reverse the current trend, and emphasize the significance of vegetables and fruits as part of a balanced diet. Most recently, the company took its in-person training for educators and made it into an all-access webinar! Now teachers and parents alike can learn the Veggiecation formula in their homes, on their schedule.

While the training program itself is sure to spurn even more Veggiecation educators, the company is not completely abandoning their outreach in communities. Trainees will be encouraged to attend a live Q&A and ask any questions they have about the program.

Students who engage in the program are taught numerous things about the vegetables in each session, including:

- The type of vegetable
- Parts of the plant
- Where is it grown?
- How do you find it locally?
- When is it in season?
- Why is it nutritionally beneficial?
- And how does it make your stomach happy and body happy? (brain power, bigger muscles, shinier hair)

"We have been developing for this informative training for some time, so it is exciting to finally have it available for educators," explained owner and founder of Veggiecation Lisa Suriano. She continued "This webinar is going to save our trainees tons of time, and allow them to learn all of the nuances of the program at their leisure. In addition, it will free our instructors to spend more time teaching children about the great value of fruits and vegetables."

About Veggiecation
Veggiecation was founded in 2009 by Lisa Suriano, who saw the need for nutrition education in elementary schools. After working in the school food industry for many years, she developed the program to help teachers incorporate vegetable education into their existing curriculum. Over the years the methods and goals of Veggiecation evolved, and they began bringing nutrition education to communities outside the classroom setting. Today, Veggiecation offers a variety of tools to incorporate vegetable education into everyday life. From healthy kids' cooking classes and family workshops to educational posters that display the who, what, when, where, and why of a "Special Veggie." Currently, Veggiecation programming has been implemented in over 30 US States, as well as, Canada.

www.veggiecation.com

201-773-4533