Nutrition education should mainly focus on food labels, calories, and portion sizes. Or at least that’s what I thought.When I landed in the nutrition education program in college, it felt like the perfect fit. I got to study something I love: food.
For my thesis project, I created a “nutrition education intervention” for 5th grade students. It was a six-session survey course on theMyPlate guidelines, salt and sugar levels in processed foods, how to read a nutrition label, and more. At the end of each session, my students sampled a “healthy” snack like hummus, trail mix, and yogurt parfaits.
After college, I sought out other opportunities to bring nutrition education to students. Instead of building my lessons around nutritional science, cooking is now at the forefront.
Preventing Childhood Obesity
Studies have linked childhood obesity to many adverse health outcomes, including higher rates offatty liver disease,type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.Public health authorities have suggested that childhood obesity is preventable with dietary and physical activity modifications.
But the idea that obesity is preventable can lead to feelings of shame for individuals who are unable to lose weight.It’s important to acknowledge that there are many factors out of an individual’s control that may also contribute to body weight. Children especially don’t have much control over their environment and meals.
Hands-On Nutrition Education: Cooking Classes
When I moved to New York in 2018, I started teaching cooking classes with a local program calledAllergic to Salad. This program uses healthy, nut-free vegetarian recipes to give school-age studentshands-on experience on cooking with whole foods.
As I teach these classes, I’ve seen how excited the students are to cook. And the messier the recipe, the better. Anytime we get to mash ingredients, like chickpeas for hummus, or whip cream for a berry mousse treat, they’re very engaged.
While nutritional science isn’t the focus of these classes, I talk about ingredients along the way. Students also build confidence in the kitchen as they learn how to chop vegetables (using the“bear claw” grip) and measure ingredients.
One of my favorite moments in these classes is when the students taste the food they’ve made. We all eat together and I give them some time to take their first few bites. Then I ask if they like or dislike the food. Usually, there will be a student or two who nervously says they don’t like it.
“That’s OK! What don’t you like about it?” I always ask.
A 2019 study published inAppetitesuggested that when children prepare foods themselves, they’re likely to eat more. Cooking is a “compelling activity” that could affect children’s food preferences over time, according to the researchers.
Since the first nutrition classes I led in college, I’ve become more aware of how complex the issue of childhood obesity is. There are more factors at play than I imagined as a 20-year-old. Genetics, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors all play key roles in the health outcomes of children.And at the end of the day, children don’t have a lot of control over what they’re fed.
As the study suggested, cooking classes alone likely won’t reverse childhood obesity rates.But as students are exposed to different whole food ingredients and have fun in the kitchen, they might be curious and more open to trying other nutritious recipes as they get older.
Recipe: Fig & Oats Energy Bites
My students often love recipes that allow them to touch and mold the food with their bare hands. This recipe for chewy fig and oat energy balls was adapted from a recipe in my classes. It’s great to make with a group because there’s something for everyone to do. Let some kids start chopping the figs while others measure out the ingredients.
Once the prep is done, everyone can get to roll their own energy ball.
This recipe also works with a smaller group. If you want to spend some fun time in the kitchen with your family, this easy and kid-approved recipe is a great place to start.
These can last about one week in the fridge and are great to whip up on the weekend to have on hand for an easy after-school snack.
I used peanut butter, but if you’re allergic to nuts, you can opt for sunflower seed butter. Dried figs are available at many grocery stores and online. (I get mine from Trader Joe’s.)
Stephanie Brown
Time: 1 hourYield: 10 energy bites
Ingredients2 tbsp rolled oats2 tbsp fresh cranberries1/2 cup dried figs (stems removed)3 tbsp peanut butter4 tbsp coconut flakes divided1/4 tsp ground cinnamon1 tbsp coconut oil1 tbsp honey1 tsp lemon juicepinch of salt
Ingredients
2 tbsp rolled oats2 tbsp fresh cranberries1/2 cup dried figs (stems removed)3 tbsp peanut butter4 tbsp coconut flakes divided1/4 tsp ground cinnamon1 tbsp coconut oil1 tbsp honey1 tsp lemon juicepinch of salt
2 tbsp rolled oats
2 tbsp fresh cranberries
1/2 cup dried figs (stems removed)
3 tbsp peanut butter
4 tbsp coconut flakes divided
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
Directions:
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.Prevalence of obesity in the United States, 2009–2010.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics.Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among children and adolescents aged 2–19 years: United States, 1963–1965 through 2017–2018.
Sahoo K, Sahoo B, Choudhury AK, Sofi NY, Kumar R, Bhadoria AS.Childhood obesity: causes and consequences.J Family Med Prim Care. 2015;4(2):187. doi:10.4103/2249-4863.154628
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Childhood obesity causes & consequences.
Lobstein T.The language of obesity just makes matters worse.Nat Hum Behav. 2018;2(3):165. doi:10.1038/s41562-018-0295-6
DeJesus JM, Gelman SA, Herold I, Lumeng JC.Children eat more food when they prepare it themselves.Appetite. 2019;133:305-312. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2018.11.006
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