Getting kids to love real food | YMCA Strong Kids Campaign

Teaching children healthy eating habits is critical to preventing and combating childhood obesity. Yet many families do not have the time or the skills to prepare a home cooked meal.

The YMCA of Kingston has come up with a simple and effective solution to help people get healthy –teach kids to do the cooking and make it fun.

The program “Now You’re Cooking” teaches children how to plan and cook for their families. From planning and budgeting for meals, to understanding food labels and cooking techniques, kids receive a culinary education in a fun, active and social environment.

Children age 6 to 12 spend two hours a week doing physical exercises, learning about nutrition and food through games before rolling up their sleeves to prepare a meal from scratch.

This form of education is particularly important for lower income families that often do not have the resources to eat and live healthily and affordably.

Thanks to the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign, the YMCA of Kingston is able to offer this opportunity for free to children from financially challenged families. The funds from the campaign also enable children in need to receive subsidized memberships to take advantage of other programs offered by the YMCA of Kingston to learn a healthy lifestyle.

“Statistics show 22 percent of the total energy intake by Canadian children and youth aged 4 to 18 come from foods that are mostly fats or sugar or high-fat and/or high salt snacks,” said Mary Kloosterman, CEO, YMCA of Kingston.

“Now You’re Cooking teaches kids to love real food and prepare a meal from scratch. The idea is to help them make informed choices within an increasingly complex food environment.”

Now You’re Cooking started as a pilot project in 2010. The project became so successful that the YMCA of Kingston expanded it since last fall, serving both children who are members of the Y and the underserved neighbourhood in the North End.

By getting kids to start eating healthily at a young age, the YMCA of Kingston is taking healthy community building to the next level. With the funds from the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign, not only does the YMCA of Kingston continue to provide opportunities for people to get and stay fit through physical activities, it is also investing in a new generation to make better lifestyle choices.