📖 Veggie Village
Kids’ glossary
Clear, kid-friendly meanings for the food, nature and kindness words you meet around Veggie Village, from “legume” to “pollinator”.
33 words
Food & cooking
- Fibre
- The part of plant foods our bodies can’t fully break down. It keeps food moving through the gut and feeds helpful gut bacteria.
- Food allergy
- When the body reacts badly to a food that is fine for most people, such as peanuts, tree nuts, sesame or soya. Always ask a grown-up before sharing food.
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- Fortified
- Fortified food has extra vitamins or minerals added, such as calcium in some plant milks or vitamin B12 in some breakfast cereals.
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- Hummus
- A creamy dip made from chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice and garlic. It contains sesame, a common allergen.
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- Legumes (pulses)
- Plants that grow their seeds in pods, such as beans, lentils, peas, chickpeas and peanuts. They bring plenty of protein and fibre.
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- Plant milk
- A drink made from plants such as oats, soya, almonds or rice. Some are fortified with calcium and vitamins, so it is worth checking the label.
- Plant-based
- Food made mostly or completely from plants: vegetables, fruit, grains, beans, nuts and seeds.
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- Protein
- A nutrient the body uses to grow and repair muscles, skin and much more. Beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds and grains all contain protein.
- Seasonal food
- Fruit and vegetables that are naturally ready to harvest at a certain time of year where you live, like strawberries in early summer.
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- Tofu
- A soft food made by curdling soya milk and pressing the curds into a block, a little like making cheese. It soaks up the flavours it is cooked with.
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- Vegan
- Someone who chooses not to eat foods that come from animals, such as meat, fish, milk, eggs and honey, and tries not to use animal products like leather.
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- Vegetarian
- Someone who does not eat meat or fish. Many vegetarians still eat eggs and dairy foods such as milk and cheese.
- Vitamin B12
- A vitamin the body needs for healthy blood and nerves. Plants don’t provide it reliably, so vegans get it from fortified foods or supplements chosen with a grown-up and a doctor.
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- Whole grain
- A grain that still has all three of its parts (bran, germ and endosperm), like oats, brown rice and wholemeal bread. Whole grains have more fibre than refined white ones.
Animals & nature
- Animal sanctuary
- A safe place where rescued animals can live out their lives with care, space and protection.
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- Biodiversity
- The variety of all living things (plants, animals, fungi and tiny creatures) in one place or on the whole Earth.
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- Compost
- Dark, crumbly soil made when fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves and grass break down. Gardeners use it to feed plants.
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- Germinate
- When a seed wakes up and starts to grow, usually sending out a root first and then a shoot.
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- Habitat
- The natural home where an animal or plant lives and finds food, water and shelter, such as a pond, a hedge or a forest.
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- Life cycle
- The stages a living thing goes through during its life, such as egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly.
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- Photosynthesis
- The way green plants make their own food, using sunlight, water and carbon dioxide from the air. They release oxygen as they do it.
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- Pollen
- A fine, often yellow powder made by flowers. When it reaches another flower of the same kind, the plant can make seeds.
- Pollinator
- An animal that carries pollen from flower to flower so plants can make seeds and fruit. Bees, butterflies, moths and some birds and bats are pollinators.
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- Sentient
- Able to have feelings such as pain, fear and happiness. Scientists recognise that many animals are sentient, including mammals such as pigs and cows and birds such as chickens.
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- Wildlife rescue
- People trained to help injured or orphaned wild animals. If you find a hurt animal, keep your distance and ask a grown-up to contact them.
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Kindness & our planet
- Carbon footprint
- An estimate of how much planet-warming gas, such as carbon dioxide, is released by something we do, like travelling or producing food.
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- Compassion
- Caring about how others feel and wanting to help when someone, a person or an animal, is hurting.
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- Food waste
- Food that gets thrown away instead of eaten. Planning meals, saving leftovers and composting scraps all help reduce it.
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- Kindness
- Choosing to be friendly, generous and gentle towards people, animals and the planet.
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- Recycling
- Turning used materials such as paper, glass, metal and some plastics into new things. The rules depend on where you live.
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🎲 Word games to try
- Pick three words and use them all in one silly sentence.
- Choose a word, then act it out without speaking while others guess.
- Draw a picture for one word and add it to your nature notebook.