Cook it!

Cook it!

Cook it! Is a nutrition programme specially developed for use in local communities in Northern Ireland. It’s for supporting people who want to enhance their cooking skills and who are interested in healthier eating, particularly where cost is a consideration. Cook it! Promotes locally sourced, seasonal produce, which is much cheaper to buy than processed and imported foods.

The Cook It! Programme is quality assured, as it is delivered only by tutors who have been trained by registered dieticians and environmental health officers. They have a good working knowledge of healthy eating and essential food hygiene.

About the Cook it! Programme

The Cook It! Programme is intended to be delivered in six sessions and is practical in nature to encourage group participation. It includes group discussion and quizzes as well as the opportunity for hands on cooking experience and the chance to sample the completed dishes. Each session examines a different topic.

• Session 1 (introductory session)

The first session lays the foundation for the rest of the Cook it! programme and introduces the idea of healthy eating through the use of the Eatwell Guide, a practical tool that helps people understand and enjoy healthy eating and which is recommended for use across the United Kingdom. This session also includes essential information on good hygiene.

• Sessions 2-5

Each of these sessions focuses on one of the following food groups:

• Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates;

• Fruit and vegetables;

• Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins;

• Dairy and alternatives.

• Session 6

This session examines the fifth main food group 'Oils and spreads' and it provides an opportunity to discuss issues such as foods high in fat, salt and sugars that are not included in the guide that should be eaten less often and in small amounts. Other relevant information such as nutritional labelling will also be covered in this session.