BRIX, Nutrition Miles & Why Fresh Food Matters
In this expanded lesson, students discover how a plant’s BRIX level doesn’t just reflect sweetness — it tells the story of how far that food has traveled and how much nutrition it has held onto along the way. Students explore the concept of “nutrition miles,” learning that every hour after harvest, a plant slowly loses vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and flavor. Through hands-on comparisons using store-bought produce versus freshly harvested garden samples, students see firsthand how BRIX readings drop with long-distance transport, cold storage, and delayed eating. A simple timeline demo shows what happens the moment a fruit or vegetable is picked, and why garden-to-table eating makes such a big impact. Students chart BRIX readings, inspect texture and color changes, and even taste-test to notice differences in flavor intensity and juiciness. By the end, they understand that high BRIX isn’t about sugar — it’s about nutrient-packed food grown in healthy soil… and that the freshest food often grows right outside their classroom door.