By Kamaya Caldwell

TABLE FOR TWO USA is a nonprofit organization that focuses on promoting healthy eating while also helping provide school meals to children in need around the world. The organization partners with several groups and companies on its annual fall ONIGIRI ACTION campaign to support its mission of reducing hunger and encouraging healthier lifestyles.

Recently, on the second day of my Japan in DC program, we had the opportunity to attend a presentation from TABLE FOR TWO USA where we learned about their work and participated in a bento box workshop. During the presentation, our guest, Miwako Felix, explained that in Japan both the presentation of food and the quality of ingredients are considered very important. Food is not only meant to taste good, but it should also be visually appealing and balanced.

One of the most interesting things I learned was the five color system used when creating a bento box. The colors are red, white, yellow, black, and green, and each color represents different types of foods and nutrients. For example, yellow foods can include eggs or yellow peppers. By including foods from each color group, a bento box becomes more nutritious, colorful, and enjoyable to eat. Before this workshop, I never really thought about how much effort goes into planning a balanced meal. I usually focused on whether food tasted good, but this experience showed me that nutrition and presentation are important too. I learned that adding a variety of colors to a meal is an easy way to make sure you are getting different nutrients. Seeing how much care is put into bento boxes helped me appreciate the connection between healthy eating, creativity, and mindfulness. This experience taught me how thoughtful meal planning can make healthy eating both fun and appealing.