STUDENTS at two Cockburn primary schools were on a mission to eat as noisily as possible last week.
Spearwood Primary School and Yangebup Primary School encouraged their students to loudly eat a stack of fresh vegetables as part of Cancer Council WA’s Great Vegie Crunch.
They are among more than 26,000 WA children aiming to send a crunch-o-meter off the scale with their noisy munching.
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Cancer Council WA Schools Nutrition coordinator Shannon Wright said the event was part of the Crunch&Sip program, which helped make healthy eating fun for children.
“Over the years we’ve done a great job of encouraging kids to eat fruit, but the message hasn’t sunk in as well for veg, only one in six WA kids are eating enough vegies, meaning the vast majority are missing out on the nutrients they need for sustained health,” she said.
“We need to find more effective ways to engage kids in the food and nutrition process and treat this education with the same level of focus we provide subjects like English and maths.
“Kids who have opportunities to explore, taste, cook and grow fruit and vegetables are more likely to have good long-term attitudes towards these foods, and develop healthy food habits that will continue into adulthood and prevent the risk of chronic disease.
“It doesn’t have to be a time-consuming thing, something as simple as including a Crunch&Sip break in the school day for students to eat a piece of veg provides an opportunity for a conversation to take place in the classroom.”