More enjoyment and healthier children - when they make food themselves
The Norwegian study "Love of food in children - the effects of a teaching programme" shows that knowledge about ingredients and increased knowledge about food helps children and young people to take responsibility for their own health.
The Master's thesis "Love of food in children - the effects of a teaching programme" (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) has studied the effects of the teaching at the Geitmyra Food Culture Centre.
The conclusion is that attitudes related to taste and health improved significantly after the course. The pupils worked with healthy ingredients such as seafood and vegetables, and scepticism turned into curiosity and enjoyment of food. In Norway, children and young people eat half the recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables. The National Council for Nutrition also recommends an increase in the intake of fish and seafood.
To develop a positive attitude to these ingredients early is very important. In particular, the relationship to health was one of the topics that was identified in the study. 4-6 weeks after the classes at the Geitmyra Food Culture Centre, the pupils still had a greater focus on health. They also showed an improvement when it came to enjoying healthy food like fish soup, mussels and kale.
Classes at the Geitmyra Food Culture Centre involve pupils learning about food and cooking for a whole week as part of food and health education in 6th grade. The teaching is a co-operation between the Department of Education in Oslo City Council and the Geitmyra Food Culture Centre for Children.
Read more about the thesis in Norwegian here: http://www.nb.no/idtjeneste/URN:NBN:no-bibsys_brage_42434
For more information:
Kristine Svartebakk Myhrer, master student, Nofima. Tlf: 64 97 01 77 kristine.myhrer@nofima.no
Lene Gjelsvik, manager, Geitmyra matkultursenter for barn. Tlf 982 57 582. lene@geitmyra.no
Photo: Geitmyra
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