Teaching Kids Healthy Eating Habits

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Third graders are learning about nutrition and food safety by making personal pepperoni pizzas with educators from New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service. Anna María Pérez-Wright reports.

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Third graders at Sunrise Elementary School in Las Cruces lived out their food fantasies by making their own pizzas in a restaurant kitchen. The kids participated in a six-week food and nutrition class sponsored by New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service. Youth coordinator Tom Angell with Doña Ana County Extension's nutrition program says the weekly, one-hour class covers lessons about the food guide pyramid, food safety, key nutrients and manners.

"The goal of our program is to raise awareness particularly about food safety in addition to the importance of having balanced diets so that the children are getting the amounts of nutrients in the proportions that are necessary."

When the lessons are over, the students participate in a graduation ceremony at Pizzeria Uno's where owner Dan Masters hosts more than 1,000 elementary school students each year. The food class graduates make chef hats, then cook and eat a pizza before receiving certificates of completion from Angell. April Fielder says the food safety lessons are the most important.

"When Mr. Angell would come to our school I would learn that you need to wash your food before you eat it so you won't get sick."

The children take home a food guide pyramid magnet to remind them about healthy eating and a coloring cookbook that helps them create healthful meals. For N-M-S-U's College of Agriculture and Home Economics, I'm Anna María Pérez-Wright.