Bang-up breakfasts, rainbow lunches and dinners you can dig all add up to a healthy eating program for kids. A series of classes this month in Loveland, Windsor and Fort Collins will include cooking instruction for these healthy meals, under the guidance of Sapna Von Reich, a Food for Life instructor from Fort Collins.

The Food for Life kids classes, for ages 6-12, focus on a plant-based diet, making children comfortable with trying new foods and learning cooking skills to carry them through adulthood. Kid-friendly recipes comprise a Power Plate that includes four food groups — whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.

 

Food for Life instructor Sapna Von Reich teaches a nutrition class for children last summer at the Chilson Recreation Center in Loveland. She will be teaching more classes for children this summer, including one June 10-13 at the Chilson. Special to the Reporter-Herald ( Picasa )

“We begin each class with colorful booklets that provide information. A lot of kids don’t know what colors they should eat for antioxidants or how important fiber is, for instance,” says Von Reich. “First, we learn together; then we cook together, eat together and talk about what we like.”

Kids are more apt to eat good foods when they’re involved in a start-to-finish process, she says. “If I just prepared and served the food, and told them why it’s healthy, I bet they wouldn’t eat it. But if they can prepare it, then they’re a part of it.”

The Food for Life approach is one of respect for children, who are encouraged to have an open mind about food. “We don’t like negative words — such as ‘I hate broccoli’ — in class,” she says. Read more…

Published in ‘Reporter Herald’ on June 01, 2013