Peckham Children's Cooking and Exercise Programme January 2014

Fit Foodie founder, Eric

The Mini Cooking Club are launching a new and free programme called the Fit Foodie, designed by trained exercise physiologist and long-time volunteer Eric Ogbogbo. Eric has lived in South London all his life, and believes there is a need for more children’s activities that teach them how to be healthy.

This programme uniquely aims to combine cooking and exercise. It will improve children's practical cooking skills, fitness and their understanding of the benefits of physical activity. Those who attend this course will learn about how exercise can benefit physical health, boost mood and confidence, as well as improving body composition, strength and flexibility.

Eric says, “The Fit Foodie programme with The Mini Cooking Club is a project I am very passionate about, and absolutely thrilled to be starting. I’ve worked in both the private and public health sector as a physiologist and have witnessed how many people’s lives are affected by preventable health problems, because they have a poor lifestyle. Unfortunately the number is growing. 

“That’s when I was lucky enough to find The Mini Cooking Club and volunteered with them as they did wonderful work teaching children how to cook and eat well. The idea naturally came to combine their expertise with mine to give the children of Southwark the key skills they need to get them started on the journey to a healthy life.”

Each two-hour session will consist of light exercise, an exercise theory/nutrition session (including how to eat a balanced diet and understand food labels), plus one hour's cooking practice.

All sessions include popular games such as handball, football and touch rugby, as well as fun quizzes with prizes for top students (sports water bottles). At the end of the course, kids will be awarded a Graduation Certificate as proof of their new skills and hard work.

One of our past programmes, Food for Champions

Finally, Eric says, “The Fit Foodie program will centre on teaching kids how to enjoy cooking and showing them how to make simple great tasting recipes that they will be proud of. Each week we will cover an aspect of fitness such as cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, physical and mental benefits of exercise. The exercise section will not just be about playing games, it is also about teaching and showing the children why staying active is important, how it improves not just your body but you’re your mind and your confidence.”

The Fit Foodie programme is open to all children (5-11years) from local families who are interested in learning how to cook and taking part in physical activities. We will hold the sessions at the Copleston Centre in Peckham which is easily accessible using local bus routes. All children need to do is bring themselves and be keen to have fun!

The course is free to all children who are residents of Southwark.

Time: Saturdays 12:30-14:30

Venue: Copleston Centre, Copleston Road, Peckham SE15 4AN

Cost: Free

Starts: 25th January 2014 

Runs for: 6 weeks

To book: contact eric@theminicookingclub.org.uk | 07738 399 474

Charity Info

The Mini Cooking Club is a registered charity that runs educational cooking and nutrition workshops for children and families in Southwark. All classes are free to attend. We are staffed entirely by volunteers and funded by donations. For more information about us visit our website, or to donate to us visit our Charity Checkout page.

The Best Start To Life: Healthy Eating Week 2013

The British Nutrition Foundation is launching Healthy Eating Week in order to promote healthy eating habits and exercise in all schools and nurseries. Part of the focus will also be the origins of the food we eat and practical cooking skills. Over 3,000 schools have registered to take part (that’s over one million children and young people). 

Research shows a strong correlation between diet and academic performance. It was shown that children who eat balanced meals are far more likely to do well than children who eat more consume more processed foods and higher levels of fat, sugar and salt. (Aldridge et al, 2008).

The key is not low calorie intake or eating large amounts of fruit and vegetables, but actually to consume enough types of food from each dietary group (fats, dairy, carbohydrate, protein and vitamins and minerals) to fulfil each quota. The focus is on diversity of diet throughout the school day. 

Britain still needs to improve standards of nutrition knowledge and cooking abilities. As processed food and ready meals become ever more widely and cheaply available, children can grow up without managing to learn these essential life skills. 

Academic performance in school influences future educational achievement and therefore adult income levels. It is our responsibility to make sure every child gets the best start possible in life. This may seem obvious, but the amount of money spent on advertising by companies that promote unhealthy food like Nestle and Cadbury is ten times as much as the government spends on healthy eating campaigns.

Parents can try their best to feed their children nutritious food and still lose out to clever marketing campaigns targeted at kids, and too many snacks available in school. Instead of giving children money to spend on chips, try making them a healthy salad or tortilla wrap. If they are hungry in between meals, replace crisps or sweets with fruit or sliced vegetables. Involve children in the preparation of the evening meal to encourage confidence in the kitchen.

Show your support for Healthy Eating Week 2013 by eating your homemade food and tweeting us pictures @EatinCampaign or post on Facebook. 

Ref:

‘Diet Quality and Academic Performance,’ Aldridge, et al. (2008)

By Catherine Heath