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Abstract:
Australia’s young adults are facing a grim future with reports showing that one in three people from Generation Y will develop type 2 diabetes during their lifetime and children as young as five years of age are now being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Lifelong healthy eating habits start at an early age. Poor nutrition, which includes low consumption of fruit and vegetables and high consumption of energy dense foods containing saturated fats and added sugar, significantly increases the risk of developing diabetes. Diabetes Queensland is passionate about curbing the rising rates of diabetes and as a result has developed an innovative, hands on cooking and nutrition program for adolescents, called Need For Feed. Evidence suggests that cooking and nutrition interventions targeted at school aged children can create behaviour change as well as positive nutrition knowledge gains and flow on effects to family leading to healthier meals being prepared in the home. The Need For Feed program teaches future generations the essential life skills of cooking and nutrition and helps them to nurture lifelong healthy eating behaviours by providing an opportunity to prepare foods, master cooking skills, taste new recipes, and enhance understanding and enjoyment of healthy foods.
