`

Cooking with Kids Nutrition, Food, and Fun

Kayla Slater, BS, Dietetic Graduate Intern Mary Ann Dowdell, Ph.D., RD, CDN Faculty Advisor

Jennifer Bueche, Ph.D., RD, CDN Faculty Advisor M.S.- Nutrition and Dietetics Program

AbstractAccording to the CDC (2014), childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Previous studies have shown that nutrition health programs involving meal preparation may be beneficial in decreasing the rates of obesity/overweight among elementary school children. Meal preparation involving children increases healthy eating behavior. The purpose of this study was to teach young children about nutrition, healthy eating, and cooking to increase healthy eating behaviors. The outcome objectives were after participating in 6 cooking lessons, (1) at least 90% of students will be able to follow a recipe and use two cooking skills, (2) at least 90% of students will be able to name a new food or meal they learned how to prepare, and (3) at least 90% of students will eat one more fruit or vegetable a day. Participation involved 10 fourth graders of the afterschool RISE program at McGraw Elementary school in 6 cooking lessons focused on the 5 food groups and fats/oils. A pre and post-test were given to the subjects containing 10 multiple choice/short answer questions. The results of the post-test showed, only 61% of students knew how to read a recipe, 90% of students were able to use two cooking skills, 100% named a new food or meal they learned how to prepare, 12.5% ate one more fruit a day, and 37.5% ate one more vegetable a day. The goal was met for cooking skills and naming a new food or meal, but was not met for reading a recipe or eating one or more fruit or vegetable a day. Even though all objectives were not met, this study shows that meal preparation may be beneficial for youth and contributes

to previous studies on children, meal preparation, and healthy eating behaviors.

PES/Goals PES: Food-and nutrition-related knowledge deficit related to parent/children’s limited nutrition knowledge/education of meal preparation/cooking skills as evidenced by meals prepared and frequency of children involvement in meal preparation per parent and student surveys.

Goals:

Students will learn and practice how to read a recipe and use cooking skills.

Exposure to different foods, meals, and kitchen tools/equipment.

Eat more fruits and vegetables.

Objectives After participating in 6 nutrition education/cooking lessons, at least

90% of students will be able to follow a recipe and use two cooking skills.

After participating in 6 nutrition education/cooking lessons, at least 90% of students will be able to name a new food or meal they learned how to prepare.

After participating in 6 nutrition education/cooking lessons, at least 90% of students will eat one more fruit or vegetable a day.

MethodsFourth graders of the afterschool RISE program at McGraw Elementary school participated in 6 cooking lessons on the 5 food groups and fats/oils. Students were divided into groups to prepare a healthy meal related to the nutrition topic.

• Introductory Lesson – Food and Knife Safety

• Lesson 1 – Using Healthy Fats/Oils in Cooking: “Zesty” Chicken Nuggets

• Lesson 2 - Cooking with Veggies: Veggie Tacos

• Lesson 3 – Including Whole Grains: Veggie Pizza

• Lesson 4 – Choosing Lean Protein Sources: Black Bean Burgers

• Lesson 5 – Including Low-fat Dairy: Cauliflower Mac n’ Cheese

• Lesson 6 – A Healthy, Alternative Fruit Dessert: Baked Apples

ResultsObjective 1: Only 61% of students knew how to read a recipe and 90% of students were able to use two cooking skills.

Objective 2: 100% named a new food or meal they learned how to prepare.

Objective 3: 12.5% ate one more fruit a day, and 37.5% ate one more vegetable a day.

ResultsQuestion % of

Correct Student Answers

1 88.9%2 55.5%3 44.4%4 55.5% 61%

(Average)

Test # # of Cooking Skill Questions Answered

Correctly or Listed on Post-test

1 3

2 3

3 X

4 3

5 3

6 4

7 3

8 4

9 3

10 X

Conclusions• The objective was met for cooking skills and naming a new food or

meal, but was not met for reading a recipe or eating one or more fruit or vegetable a day.

• Participating in meal preparation may be beneficial for young children to learn how to cook and try new “healthy” foods.

• Contributes to previous studies related to children, meal preparation, and healthy eating behaviors.

Objective 1:

# of times listed/total number of lesson (food items)

% of Item Listed

1. Bean Burger 3/6 50%

1. Veggie Taco 1/6 17%

1. Macaroni and cheese

3/6 50%

1. Baked Apples

2/6 33%

1. Veggie Pizza 4/6 67%

1. Chicken Nuggets

3/6 50%

Objective 2:

Objective 3:

Pre-test

Post-test Pre-test Post-test

Test #

1 b a b b

2 c b d c

3 a X c X

4 a c d c

5 b b c b

6 a a b b

7 a a d d

8 c c d d

9 a d a d

10 X X X X

Fruit Vegetables

Key:

a = 1 fruit

b = 2-3 fruits

c = 3+ fruits d = none

Key:

a = 1-2 veg.

b = 3-4 veg.

c= 4+ veg.

Post-test 0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Bean burger Veggie taco Macaroni and Cheese Baked Apples Veggie pizza Chicken nuggets