Filling up on food knowledge

A recent study suggests that Canadian parents think their kids would benefit from improved food and nutrition knowledge. Conducted on behalf of PC Children’s Charity, the survey revealed that 87 percent of respondents believe the school curriculum should include more practical skills, like cooking and food preparation.

Here are a few tips to get kids up to speed on nutritional education and cooking skills.

Take kids shopping and engage them in the kitchen. There’s no better classroom to learn about nutrition than the aisles of your local grocery store and the kitchen at home. Shopping and cooking with kids can teach them the practical skills they need to make healthy choices and survive on their own once they leave the nest. It can also create healthy habits that are likely to last for years to come.

Donate to nutrition and meal programs. Donations to organizations like PC Children’s Charity provided 6.9 million meals to feed Canadian kids in the last year, but it doesn’t stop there. The organization also funds food and nutrition education for kids through meal programs and new school curriculum developed in conjunction with WE Schools.

Tell your child’s teacher about WE Schools nutrition curriculum. WE Schools offers a range of supplementary resources and activities for kids in kindergarten to grade eight. Healthy Foods for Healthy Bodies is a classroom resource that explores how healthy food helps the body grow, function and develop and helps with understanding the importance of making healthy food choices. The knowledge students gain helps prepare them to make their own wise food choices and can encourage those around them to make good choices as well.

Stay tuned for Canada’s new food guide. Canada’s Food Guide is still in the revision process, but the government is aiming to release new guidelines in the coming months. If you have kids or work with kids, familiarizing yourself with the new guidelines is a good way to share the most up-to-date info.