Middle NZ: Lesson learned on school trip to supermarket in Hawke's Bay

A good lesson learned from school trip to the supermarket. Photo / File

OPINION:
Recently one of my granddaughters asked me if I would be able to go on a school trip with her.

A school trip — haven't been on one of those for years. Tell me more, I said.

"Well you will need your car to drive myself and some others from my class. You have to bring your licence."

Okay that sounds fine. Where are we going?

"To the supermarket."

I couldn't help myself — I laughed. "The supermarket?" I said. "Why are you going to the supermarket?"

"To learn about what food is healthy and what's not."

Oh — well that made perfect sense. After a few more questions I learned that it would take less than two hours and I would have a group of children to look after in the supermarket.

Yes, I said, I would love to do that.

So the following week I arrived at her school, had my children assigned to me and off we went.

Before the trip the class had a nutritionist come and talk to them. She explained to them what they should be looking for on food packages.

She told the class "our bodies are not designed to have junk food."

That is so true. Just take a look at the statistics for obesity in this country. According to the Ministry of Health's website around 1 in 3 adults (aged 15 years and over) were obese and around 1 in 10 children (aged 2–14 years) were obese.

Not pretty reading so the idea of teaching children to read and more importantly understand the nutritional value of the food they were eating is priceless.

She also told the class that they should eat three pieces of fruit and four vegetables every day. "More if you are an athlete."

So back to the supermarket. All the children had clipboards with a work sheet attached and a pen.

Linda Hall is assistant editor, at Hawke's Bay Today.

There was a list of items they had to find, including bread, cereal, snacks and a dairy product. They were asked to find a healthy option and a not so healthy option (more a treat for now and then).

They had to list sodium, dietary fibre, sugar, fat, energy — think that was all I'm having a nana moment — per 100gm.

The nutritionist had given them a guideline so they knew what was healthy and what wasn't.

It was interesting to watch them select something they thought would be good for them and then realise it wasn't.

I was amazed at how much sugar was in some products that I thought were relatively healthy.

When we had finished our list we headed to the fruit and vege aisle where the children had to find and list different coloured fruit and vegetables.

I thought this was such a good idea. They stopped and had a really good look at all the colourful delicious food that is so good for you.

Brilliant idea to take children on a school trip to the supermarket, I learned something myself. Next time mum or dad goes to pick up the breakfast cereal full of sugar and hardly any dietary fibre, they might just find their child requesting something a lot more healthy.

Shout out to Havelock North New World shoppers. There were children everywhere but not once did I see anyone frown, in fact there were lots of smiling shoppers.

The last words go to my granddaughter. "Don't believe everything you see on TV. Read the labels."

Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke' Bay Today.