How To Cook Foundation "For Food" In The Fight For A Balanced, Complete And Varied Diet For Children - Recipe

Many of you have heard of the Food Foundationand are aware of its objectives. More than once we have faced the problem of feeding our children in kindergartens and schools, and in fact for free breakfasts at school, you can write a whole book of recipes that we should not follow. Change must start with ourselves, we have heard this many times, but this is the truth we must admit to ourselves. First we are responsible for our children, and then the state. And we as parents must demand better and more complete food for our children. Fortunately, there are many brave mothers who do not let anyone else do the work for them, but engage in an unequal battle with the state to ensure proper nutrition, not only for their children but for the children of Bulgaria. Here's who's behind the Food Foundation (finalist in the competition Change of New TV). See also what the charming girls told us.

Introduce yourselves! Who is behind the Food Foundation? How did you start the foundation?

The Food Foundation (www.zahranata.org) was established on June 1, 2017. Members of the Board of the Foundation are Natalia Alexandrova, Business Development and Marketing Consultant in Energy, Ekaterina Yosifova, an entrepreneur with many years of professional experience in Bulgaria and abroad in the field of strategic marketing and healthy eating, and Stanka Stoyanova, culinary blogger, recipe author and photographer. Despite our different professional development, what unites us is that we are mothers of children of preschool and school age. Part of the strategic management of the foundation is an Advisory Board, which includes some of the best experts in nutrition and dietetics, nutrition.

Tell us more "About Food", what are your goals?

The mission of the foundation is for the children at home, in the kindergarten, the school and in the restaurant to receive complete and quality food. We are well aware that the topic of child nutrition depends on many factors, so we work in several areas - informing parents, grandparents, helping teachers with materials, introducing children to the topic of healthy eating, communication with the administration.

What exactly do you want to change in the way children eat in Bulgaria?

It is important that children's nutrition is complete and varied in order to develop physically and mentally. The diet must be balanced, complete and varied, in which all food groups are present: plant and animal. For us, this means MORE fruits and vegetables, legumes and grains, seeds and nuts. LESS pasta and confectionery, fried and refined foods. WITHOUT carbonated drinks and foods high in salt, preservatives, hydrogenated fats, artificial colors and flavors.

Currently, there are enough regulations governing the nutrition of children in Bulgaria, but they are either not updated, or, unfortunately, we see a lack of control. Very often in the foundation we receive signals for unauthorized packaged products in school shops or photos of snacks of unacceptable composition and quality. We want all those responsible for the nutrition of children, from their parents to the administrative staff, to take their responsibility and ensure a healthy future generation in Bulgaria.

You have high expectations for the diet provided by the state, but what do you think about the diet that parents adhere to? Do mothers and fathers manage to feed their children usefully?

In recent years, there has been a positive trend in parents' awareness of children's nutrition. More and more parents are approaching the food they offer their children responsibly. Of course, there are those, and not a small percentage, who neglect nutrition. Both yours and the children's. They do not understand and do not realize the importance of food for the health and development of a growing organism.

In part, the problem is due to the lack of sufficient information on the subject. There is almost no talk of baby food. Speaking, the recommendations are often outdated and do not correspond to the current trends of leading experts in the field of child nutrition.

What advice would you give to any parent who wants to improve their child's nutrition? Where to start?

According to studies, 40% of children eat pasta more than once a day, and over 30% consume foods and beverages that contain added sugar (juices, sodas, chocolate) several times a day.

The first step is to limit the supply of packaged foods with added sugar and salt. Foods that contain hydrogenated fats, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colors and enhancers. To provide the child with a varied, complete, environmentally friendly, home-cooked food. To include in his menu a sufficient amount and variety of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, quality plant and animal sources of protein. Carbohydrates in the menu should come mainly from whole grains. We should not forget the useful fats.

It is important to know that the change in children's nutrition must begin first with the parents themselves. Personal example is essential in fostering children's habits.

What connects you to Jamie Oliver's Revolution?

Each of us, volunteers at the foundation, has led our own personal revolution to provide our children with wholesome and wholesome food. Jamie Oliver's revolution inspired us. She united us in the name of our common cause - children in Bulgaria to eat well, varied and environmentally friendly. Every child has the right to be healthy.

In 2018, you made a large-scale project on healthy eating, which involved a number of bloggers and celebrities related to nutrition. What success do you report from the event?

Yes, in May 2018 for the second year in a row we organized and held the Day of the Nutrition Revolution. It is a kind of food festival in which thousands of children across the country cook together. In two days we organize free children's culinary workshops, during which we have fun with the children and cook various delicious and useful things. In this way, we encourage children and their parents to eat healthily.

The campaign was even bigger and more successful than last year. With the help of more than 350 volunteers, we organized 90 workshops in 23 cities across the country. More than 2,000 children took part in the event.

We have already started working on the preparation of this year's edition, which we plan to cover over 5,000 children across the country.

What's next for you?

In 2019 we will work in several directions:

•  Development of a digital resource center for parents, children and teachers.
• Food Club (digital network) of restaurants, farms and children's clubs to offer healthy children's menus
• Annual campaign "Day of the nutrition revolution" in May 2019

The Food Foundation is a finalist in the Change - a competition for social entrepreneurs in Bulgaria, organized by Reach for Change (an international non-governmental organization based in Sweden) and Nova Broadcasting Group. We are currently on the final straight - online voting, which will announce the winner. We need the support of all those who want children in Bulgaria to eat well and be healthy.

Do not forget to support the foundation in the Change competition by voting "For food" at the following link: https://nova.bg/promyanata/za-hranata