Health professional / educator

As a child I loved vegetables and I have my parents to thank for this. They always prepared decent, fresh dishes with lots of vegetables from our garden with much love. My childhood memories include many happy moments of dining together at the table. Now in my daily life, I notice how vital these family dining moments still are for me. When I return home from a day's work and head into the kitchen, I feel myself relaxing and unwinding. I prefer to prepare fresh dishes using a variety of vegetables.

You can't teach children about a healthy diet early enough. This includes eating vegetables! After all, what’s learned in the cradle is carried to the grave. Unfortunately, in the Netherlands, one in seven children are overweight. It a heartfelt concern to me that many children develop an unhealthy diet early in life with the ensuing health problems risks.

By researching taste preferences and development in young children, I have made my passion my work. In addition to my academic career, I aim to increase my social impact by applying my knowledge and experience in practice through Groente & Meer. In doing so, I advise parents about their children's eating habits taking both nutrition and behaviour into consideration.