April 8, 2016
If you heard "you are what you eat," as you were growing up, it may have seemed like just another thing parents say. But in the past decade, it has become the basis for political movements, health initiatives, and significant changes in our education system.
Consider public schools removing soda and juice drinks laden with high-fructose corn syrup from their vending machines, school lunches increasingly featuring not just more vegetables but more local foods, and the
students getting involved in how that food gets to their
cafeteria.
Smart Cooks Make Better Food, Choices
In high school, professional cooking classes, and even local restaurants and wineries, culinary arts educational programs are growing in popularity. A heightened interest in health and well-being - and frequent news about food science and safety - has brought pressure on school systems and other educational programs to be able to certify their equipment, as well as their ingredients, are high-quality. All of the
culinary equipment Worthington sells is tested and
approved by NSF, to the same standards specified by health departments and restaurant buyers.
Health & Science: Students Getting it Together
Some school systems pair their culinary programs and science education curriculum on joint projects.
Hydroponics systems are one of the most useful additions to schools that are interested in combining lessons in nutrition and biology for food science studies.
Preschool Pie Makers & Let's-Do-Lunch Library Programs
While educational institutions have clearly realized a need for more culinary arts course offerings, so have other community organizations. Certainly, Montessori schools have long involved their students in meal and snack preparations, but now many mainstream and public preschools have found activities featuring food prep not only capture kids' interest, but also make parents happy as the youngsters become more willing to eat vegetables and even "strange" foods when they have had a hand in its preparation.
When your school is preparing to offer more culinary arts education,
contact us at Worthington to find out how our NSF-approved equipment can fit into your plans and help your students discover how true it is that "you are what you eat."
