Gaelscoil pupils getting a taste of veg power!

GAELSCOIL Na gCrann pupils are taking part in an ‘Eat Them To Defeat Them’ initiative to encourage kids at the Omagh school to start consuming more vegetables.

The plan is to get the children to embark on a life of healthier eating, steering them away from the bumpy road of sugary drinks and fatty foods, and onto the stable path of fruit and veg. Only a handful of schools have been chosen as part of this year’s ‘Eat Them to Defeat Them’ campaign, and principal, Deirdre Ni Coinnaith, is over the moon that the tight-knit school has been selected.

“I was shocked by the statistics that have underpinned the drive for this campaign,” said Deirdre.

“Apparently 60 per-cent of children don’t eat enough veg, a third eat less than one piece per day, and some 50 per-cent of parents have given up even bothering to try get their kids to eat veg,” she added with alarm.

Whether these statistics ring true in local homes, we will never be sure. But Deirdre believes that anything that gives fresh impetus to healthy eating among her pupils is welcome.

“Lots of children are averse to vegetables – not because they don’t like the taste of them, but because they don’t like the thought of them. So that’s what we are trying to overcome.”

In an attempt to surmount the deep-rooted fear of veg among some pupils, the ‘Eat Them to Defeat Them’ campaign makes kids the heroes in an epic battle against the forces of evil veg.

“It kind of uses kids’ disliking for veg as a means of getting them to eat it,” continued Deirdre. “Instead of being scared to eat it, it’s imperative they eat it,” she laughs.

“But it’s a bit of fun and it is has been surprisingly effective so far. We have come up with scheme in which kids get a sticker for each portion of veg they eat, and at the end of the campaign the kids who have X amount of stickers will get a certificate. Most of them are looking on course for a certificate.”

Deirdre concluded, “It’s only been going a week but so far so good. The pupils are getting over their fear of veg, thus eating healthier, and having a bit of fun in the process.”