Celebrating National Nutrition Week 2024 at MindChamps: Nourishing Our Bodies and Connections
At MindChamps, we believe that food is not just fuel for our bodies—it’s a way to connect, bond, and share experiences. This year’s theme for National Nutrition Week, inspiring a Connected and Nourished Australia, fits perfectly with this philosophy. One of the beautiful ways that we bring people together at MindChamps is through cooking and sharing delicious meals with one another, especially with children.
Connecting Through Food
When we prepare meals and share these, we create moments of connection—whether through conversation, learning about new cultures through traditional recipes, or simply enjoying each other’s company. At MindChamps, our mealtimes are opportunities to teach children about the importance of healthy eating, where we encourage everyone to be involved in food preparation, from the garden to the table, making the experience both educational and fun.
How National Nutrition Week is Celebrated at MindChamps
This year at MindChamps, we embraced National Nutrition Week with our Champs in the kitchen for a special Gourmet Moment learning activity. Our Champs connected over food by making veggie-loaded Mini Sweet Potato Pizzas—a fun and interactive way to explore the joy of nourishing meals together.
Our Champs loved getting creative with their pizzas, decorating them with their favourite vegetables. Some children made funny faces using different vegetable shapes, while others bravely tried new veggies they hadn’t tasted before! As children prepared their pizzas, they discussed the vibrant colours, unique shapes, and interesting textures and aromas of the ingredients. This hands-on approach made this mealtime more engaging and helped children discover how delicious and fun nutritious foods—especially veggies—can be.
Once their pizzas came out of the oven, our Champs moved outside to a special space in their centre veggie garden to enjoy their creations for afternoon tea. Being surrounded by growing produce in the garden, some of which were ingredients on their pizzas, gave our Champs a deeper connection to the concept of “farm to table.” It was the perfect opportunity to teach our Champs about how food grows and how it nurtures and nourishes us.
As Champs took their first bites, they were proud of their efforts, sparking smiles and conversations about their pizzas—what ingredients they could taste and the colours they could see. Sharing this meal fostered a sense of community, encouraging meaningful discussions about healthy foods. This simple act of coming together to share a meal nourished both their bodies and their social-emotional well-being, reinforcing the importance of positive food experiences during National Nutrition Week.
After savouring their veggie pizzas, our Champs then helped return any leftover scraps to the compost, bringing the cycle of nourishment full circle. This mindful practice of connecting with nature, through both food and sustainability, truly captured the spirit of National Nutrition Week.
Throughout National Nutrition Week, our centres will be hosting nutrition and food activities to inspire children to enjoy healthy eating together. From caretaking crops in the garden, to hands-on cooking and sharing meals together, we’re all about fostering a love for nutritious foods while forming meaningful connections as we share these together.
Nourishing Australia, One Meal at a Time
This National Nutrition Week let’s come together and celebrate the power of food to nourish not only our bodies but also our relationships. Whether it’s involving children in the kitchen at home, watering a seed in the garden, or sharing a meal with someone in need, let’s embrace the joy of cooking and sharing food together, to nourish ourselves and our connections.
Keep the Nutrition Week Celebration going at home by trying our latest Champ-favourite Mini MindChamps Sweet Potato Pizza recipe.
The MindChamps Nutrition Team
