Lanarkshire primary kids embrace healthy eating in national campaign

Staff and pupils at an East Kilbride primary school have been taking part in a campaign that sees them try to eat their five-a-day.

Greenhills Primary School are embracing the current ‘Eat Them To Defeat Them’ campaign being run nationally by Veg Power and ITV.

Since starting on May 17, there has been a focus on a different vegetable each week including carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, sweetcorn, peas and peppers.

The campaign has been endorsed by celebrity chef Prue Leith who is quoted as saying: “School cooks and chefs have an absolutely vital role to play. They could be the change agent that improves the diet for hundreds of children, for life”.

Pupils and staff at the school have gone all out to embrace trying the different vegetables on offer in the school canteen.

Fiona Westwater is the cook in charge at Greenhills, and she said: “It is amazing to see the enthusiasm of the children to try the different vegetables each week. The canteen looks fabulous with all the drawings the children have created.”

Parents are invited to look at the ‘Eat Them To Defeat Them’ website to check out the latest news, tips and recipes. There are also puzzles and activities to help keep the children entertained over the holidays.

One of the highlights throughout the campaign has been pupils and staff getting into character and dressing up as a chosen vegetable!

Ryan from Primary six dressed up in a pea costume and school janitor, Mr Henry visited the children dressed as a corn on the cob.

Ryan dressed up as a pea in a pod (Handout)

Class teacher Mrs Nimmo who coordinated ‘Eat Them To Defeat Them’ within the school, praised the efforts of pupils, staff and families in supporting the healthy eating initiative.

She said: “The children have been very excited to learn which vegetable they will be tasting each week and learning about where our food comes from. It is so important to introduce healthy eating habits early on in life”.

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