Motivating a Generation - Kids Can Cook Kitchen

After visiting over 400 NZ schools and cooking in front of over 45,000 students and teachers the mobile Kids Cooking Kitchen and Teens Can Cook Kitchen is ready to take a well-earned break over the upcoming Christmas Holidays. I have been, invigorated and inspired and motivated by the students, teachers, school garden champions and food heroes that I have met on my travels who are all sowing the seeds of well-being for the future generation.

Two years ago my family rented out our family home and home-schooled our own children as we travelled and explored Aotearoa. We sampled the very best of Stewart Island kaimoana as we cooked our way towards Kaitaia and the abundance of far north tropical fruits, always asking ourselves….why do some NZ children go to school without breakfast? The answers are as diverse as our multinational population that is time poor but has all of the ingredients surrounding them. The fact that some parent’s eyes are open wide shut when it comes to the most important meal of the day, that gives our kids the energy to learn and prosper, is somewhat alarming in the 21st century. While breakfast in schools program is the short-term band aid the longer term goal needs to be a focus on education and role models both inside and outside the family home and community.

95 % of kids and teenagers and teachers that I visit in NZ Schools do not know what guarana is (a little red berry from South America found in so called energy drinks). They are confused about sucrose, glucose, corn syrup, concentrated fruit juices and high fructose syrup and yet they are drinking it on a weekly or daily basis. The vast majority of our future generation are consuming sugar laden empty calorie liquids and have never read the back label that says “not recommended for children”. If parents took the time to understand “that too much sugar is not good for you” they would see that the industry “puffery” is influencing the health and well-being of some of our most vulnerable assets. If more time and understanding was taken we would not have the dark clouds of Type 2 diabetes hanging over our future generation.

Less than 20 years ago I could purchase cigarettes for 5 cents each from the local corner store diary, today our kids can purchase their own “lifestyle disease” liquids at a cheap price that is only paid back later in life through our healthcare system. Food Education in schools is just one more arrow to the bow but it is going to take a whole community to change the focus away from empty calories in tins and bottles to a lifestyle that incorporates everything in moderation, including moderation itself.

Chris Fortune is the founder of the Kids Can Cook Kitchen and Teens Can Cook Kitchen and is a professional cook with over 20 years’ experience in hospitality. More information can be found at
info@kidscancookkitchen.org.nz

www.kidscancookkitchen.org.nz www.teenscancookkitchen.org.nz www.chrisfortune.co.nz
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