Gretchen Scalpi, RDN

Last week there was an article in the New York Times about reviving home economics programs in the public school system.  The idea is that teaching students to produce and cook nutritious food is important and could help in the fight against fighting obesity and chronic disease.

I couldn’t agree with this premise more!  I have to admit that I am biased on this topic, because my very favorite class in high school was home economics.  In fact, it was my interest in home economics that eventually led me to follow a career path in nutrition and dietetics.

Home economics classes focused on general home management and food preparation as subjects that should be studied.   Classes provided information about the food groups essential for health,  basic cooking techniques, hand washing and maintaining a clean kitchen , among other lessons.

Back when home economics was still a routine part of the high school curriculum, some students remember a class where they baked cookies or killed time until the next period.  I was fortunate to have a teacher who made the classes fun and interesting.  I remember how we prepared “theme” meals every week, based on  what we learned about another country’s culture and foods.  While we were studying what other people eat, we were learning a very valuable life skill…how to cook.

Teaching kids to cook, with a focus on nutrition, I believe, is the very essence of how our nation begins to tackle the problem of obesity and chronic disease that plagues our young people.  So many clients I encounter (young and older alike) have no idea how to prepare even the simplest of healthy meals.  No one cooks anymore!  The result?  A lifetime of eating convenience food or fast food, and very little of the foods that keep us healthy.

Somewhere along the line, the home economics program went by the wayside in many schools.  With discussions about helping our children prevent a lifetime of obesity, the idea of teaching cooking in the public schools may warrant another look.  I know the lessons I learned in those classes many years ago were valuable and ones that I have used every day of  my healthy life!

Tags: cooking at home, eating at home