Leaf for Life

Leaf for Life helps people improve their health by showing them ways to make better use of vegetables, especially leaf crops, in their diets. Since 1986 we have worked on nutrition projects here in the United States, and in Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, India, Mexico, and Nicaragua. We show children, parents, and health workers the relationship between diet and health, and offer simple and creative ways to encourage children to eat more dark green leafy vegetables. We link our work to the worldwide movement "5 a Day for Better Health." Much of our current work is focused in two locations where diet-related health problems are prevalent: near our base in Eastern Kentucky and in southern Mexico (with our sister organization Hoja para la Vida).

We provide technical support for nutrition programs and provide a range of educational and research materials for groups that are combating diet-related diseases. Much of our work revolves around two techniques for converting leaf crops into more versatile and valuable foods: solar drying of leaf crops and making leaf concentrate. We also teach people how to garden for maximum nutritional value.

In addition to hands-on workshops and training, we function as a clearinghouse for information on green leaf crops. We think this web site is a valuable means of informing and connecting a growing network of people throughout the world who are trying to increase vegetable use in community based nutrition and agriculture programs. We produce training presentations on growing and processing vegetables and on the 5 a Day for Better Health program. They are available in English and Spanish, with some also available in Portuguese.