First 2,000 Days

The Foundation for a Healthy Lifestyle

Food preferences are established early in life, which is why it is vital to introduce young children to plant-based whole foods early and often in order to develop healthy eating habits. By doing so regularly, we can lay the foundation for healthy eating habits that last a lifetime. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize the importance of making “every bite count” during the period from a child’s birth until their second birthday, recognizing its critical role in their growth and development.

Partnering with Early Care Programs to Foster Healthy Eating

As the Vitamix Foundation is dedicated to fostering healthier lifestyles and nurturing the well-being of young children, we recognize the crucial role of early care education settings in shaping nutritional habits. With almost 60% of young children receiving care outside of their homes, the foundation is focused on improving the quality of healthy early care education and school meals, fostering nutrition education, and supporting impactful programming initiatives.

Did you know?

According to Research

10^%

of children meet the daily serving recommendation of vegetables.¹

60^%

of children ages 2-4 exceed the daily recommended servings of added sugars.²

19.7^%

of adolescents and children in the U.S. — 14.7 million individuals — have obesity.³

Approximately 90 percent of brain development occurs by age 5, with good nutrition playing a key role.

Source: HWEC

Grantee Spotlight

Nurturing Healthy Teachers

Nurturing Healthy Teachers program evaluates the impact of combining access to fresh fruits and vegetables with nutrition education on food insecurity, dietary behaviors, mental health, and cardiometabolic health among early childcare teachers in Houston, TX.