Auckland school kids learn about nutrition

Kids at May Rd School get hands-on with healthy eating.

Three Auckland schools have been learning first hand about healthy eating.

Rosebank School. Wesley Primary and May Rd School have all held workshops which aim to get Kiwi kids eating plant-based foods more often.

The Eat Your Words programme allows classes of primary school children to express their creativity and discover new foods and food groups before preparing, cooking and sharing a tasty and nutritious meal with their classmates.

Many Kiwi kids consume limited amounts of plant-based foods, with the Ministry of Health reporting that 60 per cent of New Zealanders between the ages of 5-24 years do not meet the recommended intake of three or more servings of vegetables per day.

In 2013 Sanitarium Nutrition Service (SNS) piloted Eat Your Words and were overwhelmed with the results, in particular the improvement in children's interest in plant-based foods and willingness to eat them following the programme.

"We were very impressed with last year's Eat Your Words workshops. Nearly all of the children tried every one of the plant-based foods on offer and we had a 50 per cent increase in overall preference for plant-based foods," SNS Manager Cherry Barker said.

"We hope that by inspiring children to get creative with plant-based foods on a seasonal basis it will create positive eating habits that will last a lifetime," says Barker.

In 2014, SNS will visit seven schools in the North Island region.

Research has shown that a diet rich in plant based foods helps to substantially lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type II diabetes and some cancers.

Schools, parents and teachers can register interest in the Eat Your Words programme by contacting the team at SNS on 0800 100 257 or via email nutrition@sanitarium.co.nz