These days, kids are more likely to have access to computers and video games than a kitchen. With so many unhealthy eating habits being propagated in fast food advertisements, it is important that kids learn how to cook healthy meals at school. If you are a parent who wants your child to grow up with the skills they need to make their own healthy meals, you should consider advocating for school-based cooking classes. These lessons can positively impact students by teaching them practical life skills they will use well into adulthood. Here are five reasons why cooking should be taught in schools.

Helps Learn Healthy Eating Habits

When kids are given hands-on experience in the kitchen, they start to realize that cooking is not something that just happens — it is a process that can be learned. They also get a better sense of how food works in the body. For example, while cooking, they could be taught that eating a baked potato causes a blood sugar spike while eating a baked sweet potato doesn’t have a similar effect. When kids are taught how to properly prepare food, they are more likely to get more curious about the food they eat and make healthy choices when they get older. This knowledge might also help them to avoid unhealthy eating habits that are common in adolescence such as binge eating, emotional eating, and disordered eating.

A Great Way To Develop Basic Life Skills

Cooking is a skill that requires practice. While you can read a book about how to play a sport or play a musical instrument, there is no way to practice cooking except to actually do it. The process of measuring, chopping, timing, and tasting, builds the skills that are necessary to learn cooking. When kids are given the time to practice cooking at school, they are more likely to succeed, because they will have the opportunity to learn early. Cooking is one of the few subjects that can’t be learned from a book alone — there is no substitute for doing the work. This hands-on experience can also help boost the confidence of kids so they excel in other aspects of life.

Help Prevent Development Of Chronic Diseases

As kids get older, their bodies are more susceptible to developing chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and certain cancers. It is important to teach kids healthy eating habits as early as possible to prevent or delay these diseases from developing. When kids are taught how different foods affect the body, they are more likely to make healthy choices. For example, when kids learn that cabbage and cucumber are filled with fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are good for the body, they are more likely to eat it.

It Can Develop Students’ Vocational Skills

Many people think that cooking is a hobby or a professional career that is not suitable for the classroom. However, there are many vocational skills that can be learned in the kitchen, such as measuring, time management, and critical thinking. When kids are given the opportunity to cook in school, they will be more likely to develop useful life skills that will be useful in their future careers. For example, students can learn how to work in a team, manage their time, and measure out ingredients for a recipe. This can help them when they enter the workforce and have to complete group projects.

A Skill They Can Use For The Rest Of Their Lives

There are many skills that kids learn in the classroom that they will likely never use again. Cooking is different, because it is a skill that people use every day. Whether they are at home or at work, they will have the opportunity to put their cooking skills to use. When kids learn to cook at school, they will have a skill they can use for the rest of their lives. They will be able to go home and make healthy meals for themselves and their families.

Although cooking is not an easy skill to develop, it can be quite an asset for students if they learn it at an early age. By learning how to cook, students can develop important life skills such as time management, budgeting, and nutrition.