They say knowledge is power. The power to make decisions that positively impact your life and your health.
And that knowledge starts forming when we’re really young, setting us up with certain healthy (or unhealthy) habits for life.
So, it would make sense to start instilling knowledge about food and nutrition at the place where we’re initially educated about the world: school… right?
Childhood obesity is epidemic in Australia.
There’s no two ways about it. More than a quarter of Aussie children are now overweight or obese. That’s right, a quarter! Up to 95 per cent don’t eat enough vegetables. And up to 76 per cent exceed the World Health Organization’s RDI for added sugar.
This situation is really scary. So, what role can the school system play in helping to reverse these stats?
What are kids learning now?
While nutrition is briefly touched on in the mandatory school curriculum, any further food education varies from school to school.
Some schools are definitely beginning to recognise the importance of establishing healthy food habits at a young age, implementing initiatives like gardens, cooking classes and crunch and sip. Giraffe puppet Healthy Harold continues to do his bit, with a renewed emphasis on food and nutrition.
But these initiatives rely on support and subsidy from the Government and the wider school community. Support a lot of schools just don’t receive. Particularly in lower socioeconomic areas where there simply aren’t enough resources to dedicate to these programs. And where, unfortunately, the childhood obesity epidemic is most rampant.
Sorting school canteens.
Another big issue with food in schools is what’s been served up in most canteens. (A subject we’ve campaigned passionately about.)
“Parents are no longer able to run canteens like they used to and schools are struggling with canteen funding,” says Sarah. “Which has let Big Food get their grubby fingers all over kids’ diets.”
Debbie Ross from The Tuckshop Revolution agrees: “Childhood obesity is [in part] due to fast food options in our school tuckshops. Many are labeled as ‘healthy’, but are actually full of hidden sugars and preservatives.”
If the Government can’t sort out its school canteen subsidy issues and serve kids actual healthy food (not just crap food with a healthy label), how can we expect the next generation to understand what makes them well? And what makes them sick?
Let’s get the kids cooking!
As Sarah says: “If you want to know the best way to take charge of your wellness and the wellness of your family, learn to cook!” So why is this vital life skill not being taught in schools as part of the mandatory curriculum?
“What I hear from parents is that they want to get their kids into mandatory cooking classes again, like it was when we grew up,” says Sarah.
We reckon it’s time the Government dedicated the necessary resources for all schools to teach kids:
- How to cook.
- How to grow their own food.
- How to read the labels on packaged foods.
- Essentially, the importance of eating seasonal, local, sustainable, REAL food.
Putting more emphasis on these kinds of programs will help our kids establish healthy eating habits that will stick with them for life, letting them take control of their health (and keep grubby Big Food out of it!).
0 comments :
Post a Comment