The educational program "We eat he althily, grow he althily" has been supporting employees of nurseries and kindergartens and parents in shaping correct eating habits in children to prevent overweight and obesity for 3 years. 170 nutrition educators from the program have already reached 2,638 establishments throughout Poland and conducted workshops for over 13,000 of their employees. To continue the campaign, the educators founded their own association called "Zdrowo eat, we grow he althy".
Nutritional educators of the "We eat he althily, grow he althily" program operate in 15 provinces. So far, they have conducted workshops for 13,214 employees of nurseries and kindergartens, completed 23,818 hours of training (which is 2 years and 262 days) and analyzed 19,800 menus. As a result, 93 percent. nurseries and kindergartens that joined the program declared that they would introduce changes to their menu beneficial for children's he alth. In each of the visited establishments, we managed to reduce the amount of sugar and s alt in the children's diet.
- The participants of the program, seeing how the children accept the new products introduced to the menu, believed that it really works! Until today, most of my facilities fully apply the recommendations offered to them during the program. One of them became so involved in he alth promotion and nutritional education that it joined the Silesian Network of Kindergartens and Schools Promoting He alth. As of today, Kindergarten No. 50 in Sosnowiec is the only kindergarten in the country that applies for a national certificate - says Agnieszka Gruszka, one of the nutrition educators.
Nutritionists involved in the program emphasize that thanks to it they had a chance for free training, and that they could also translate theoretical knowledge from their studies into practice.
Bożena Moćko, one of the educators, sums up: - Thanks to the program "We eat he althy, grow he althily", I focus on quality and moderation, but also on continuous development. I know how important it is to plan your purchases, but that's only half the battle. It is equally important to co-create meals with the children. I was able to create a project of practical classes for primary school children, thanks to which we include them in cooking ”. The program inspired Agnieszka Gruszka to create a place for children and parents where they can develop their passions togetherculinary. This is how "Zakątek Inicjatyw" in Sosnowiec was created. There are many more such projects started by educators.
Despite many educational campaigns on proper nutrition, the number of overweight and obese children in our country is growing in the first years of life. The work of nutrition educators is therefore still needed. Therefore, the Association of Nutritional Educators "We eat he althily, grow he althily" was established, which brings together professional nutritionists specializing in children's nutrition. The Association's specialists work with parents and grandparents, children and the staff of nursery and kindergarten institutions.
- Our educators analyze menus, propose changes, teach how to prepare he althy meals, how to adjust the diet to the needs and situations, and how to take care of yourself. They run culinary and educational workshops and prepare educational materials. They also work with orphanages, toddler clubs, community centers and community centers. We are everywhere where nutritional education is needed - says Sylwia Lenartowicz from the Association's board.
Thanks to the program "We eat he althily, grow he althily", 121,000 Polish children eat he althier, and thus - grow he althier. This number will increase from year to year - thanks to the activities of the Association. In March 2022, the Association also obtained funds for the development of an innovative Project of certification of nurseries and kindergartens in the field of nutrition in Poland.