SubscribeReal Meals: Free Recipes for 11 Year Olds
Even if you don't have an 11 year old, or you're not in the UK, you can get the book for free - download all the recipes from Real Meals on TeacherNet. But is it any good - and what else is the government doing to make sure that children have the chance to learn to cook?
What's the Book Like?
I downloaded a few of the recipes to take a look, and was impressed by:
- The attractive page layout (the book has a fun, kid-friendly appeal - it's designed to look like a school notebook).
- The straightforward and non-patronizing instructions which use simple cookery terms like "dice", "simmer", "bring to the boil" and "drain". (Parents might need to explain some of these to their kids the first time round, but it's good for children to learn the proper words.)
- The inclusion of tips for varying recipes, e.g. "Add mixed herbs to the mashed potato, or top with a little grated cheese before putting in the oven" on the cottage pie.
- A box on each recipe explaining what cooking skills it involves: I can see this being very useful for parents and teachers. The fajitas recipe, for instance, helps kids to develop the skills:
- Using the hob
- Handling and marinating raw meat
- Stir-frying
- Using the grater
- Weighing and measuring
- Combining ingredients together
- Preparing a selection of vegetables
If that all sounds quite advanced, there are some simpler recipes for food such as custard, which would be good ones to start your kids off with.
Teaching Kids to Cook
I'm sure that Diet Blog's readers are all well aware of the importance of healthy eating, and of encouraging kids to develop good habits whilst they're young. There's currently a big push towards getting children cooking in the UK, to tackle rising rates of obesity and increasing reliance on ready meals and fast food.
The government says that:
Learning cooking skills is vital to fighting obesity in young people. Once they've mastered the basic dishes, they can keep cooking for life.
If you've got kids, why not print out some of the recipes and get them to help make dinner today? You never know, you might soon be able to put your feet up in the evenings and let them get on with the cooking...
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I'm in shock! The UK government has finally pulled it's finger out! This is actually really good... the recipes are easy and nutritious, and you can see they've made a big effort to make it appeal to kids. Whoever thought this up deserves a medal!
Replythis is great! and tons of fun! i think i'm going to show my boyfriend...
ReplyWhy in the hell is it ANY business of the federal government what kids are eating?
This leviathan has grown completely out of control, and now they're ready to nationalize wall street.
Wake up people!!!
ReplyIt's in the U.K. not the U.S. so don't worry.
ReplyOur nation (the U.K, not your own) is becoming increasingly obese at a rapid rate. It's partially due to many people simply being ignorant about what healthy food really is. Many children not knowing how to name vegetables is atrocious. I believe schools and parents are responsible for teaching children basic information, which can contribute towards a healthier life. The problem is that schools are feeding children crap, not teaching much (or nothing at all) about nutrition and many parents themselves are totally uninformed. This is a total disservice to children. This kind of problem really didn't exist a few decades ago but it's necessary now as food has declined in quality, has increased in price and cheap processed food is abundant.
Imo, any action that helps educate people and tries to get them to make better choices is a valuable one. Call it intrusion or whatever you want. The government can't force people to eat anything but they can help educate. Over here, free health care is available and if the government taking a long overdue interest in the eating habits of children means that less tax money could eventually be being spent on treating people for obesity related problems in the long run, then that's marvellous.
The government - and your own government too - ignoring the food it's citizens are consuming and what's produced has contributed to wide-spread obesity and the plethora of illnesses that have increased due to it.
Replywell by that reasoning no public information campaigns should be run... private health choices have big implications for public health and the associated costs and resources they involve. And the government is not forcing anything on anyone... no govt official is in anyone's kitchen making them do anything...
ReplyI think providing a way to teach kids some proper cooking is a fantastic idea. I didn't learn to cook for myself until I was WELL into college. My nutrition and interest in healthy eating went up dramatically when I was involved in my own food prep.
ReplyThis is a great article! Its a shame that so many of our children are obese in the US.My childrens school has added extra PE programs and required healthy snacks because of their high obesity rate.I think the world has become sedentary and technology has made work too easy for individuals.I hope the word spreads on this and any other programs to help children now before they fall in the obesity trap.Enjoyed your blog
Tamara
Replywww.losingweightwebsite.com
I think it is a great idea. Teaching kids to cook and exposing them to proper nutrition can only do them good.
ReplyI'd say anything that will raise the awareness and increase knowledge especially among children is better than nothing. Having said that there is a total of 30 something recipies that require a few clicks to get to from the main page. I am sure the Goverment can be (and should be) more 'influencial' in supporting or promoting the healthy eating habits for children.
ReplyThis is awesome, I am not 11 but, I've been trying to stay healthy. Cause every day I come home I eat like a bunch of junk. And my mom doesnt buy junk anymore. So, now I eat carrots.. lol. And I saw this and I got it!.. Make new ones errrrrday
ReplyTeaching kids how to cook gives them a lot of skills that they'll be able to use later in life when they are trying to eat healthier. Even if 11 year olds aren't necessarily cooking the most healthy foods yet, they won't feel intimidated by the kitchen when, say, they move out and go to college (and order takeout all the time). I was cooking all the time when I was 10-11...mostly with my dad and my grandma, but I did know how to make quite a few simple things on my own.
ReplyI think it's a great idea.
What might help also are some scare tactics. I am in my mid 30's and never was shown anything beyond the food pyramid when it came to nutrition. Real portion sizes, benefits of exercise and the problems with weight gain and diabetes were not taught.
Going beyond the pyramid and actually showing kids what will happen to their bodies and minds if they don't eat right would be a bit more effective. Kind of in the same way schools used the "Just Say No" anti-drug thing.
Learning how to cook healthy *AND* why you should do it are two important things for our kids to learn.
Or else they will end up like my coworker that eats McDonalds sandwiches and sodas for breakfast, Wendy's burgers and fries (don't forget the lg frosty!) for lunch and pizza for dinner. He can't walk 50 feet without sweating like a pig. He's already had a heart attack too and he's still clueless.
Replyi think this is a mostly good website but i don`t believe that cheese on toast is a very good option for an every day breakfest as it is very high in oil and very high in carbihidrates and to much for breakfast it is good fo r every now and then but not every day which is how i see this website is saying it............
but other than tat i would use this website if i needed a new idea on which food sto eat i feel that thus website has not been updated lately so that is somthing as well but it is good.......
ReplyIt's about time ! I believe cooking is a lifeskill and should be taught at school. I've been on my own crusade, creating a series of One page cookbooks, trying to get more people hooked on healthy curries.
Reply