The Healthy Food Made Easy programme delivers nutrition and cookery courses that help people to have a healthier diet, plan meals on a budget and make meals that are quick, easy to cook and nutritious.
The course content is based on evidence based healthy eating guidelines from the HSE and the Department of Health.
The aims of the course are:
- To encourage healthy eating
- To help people improve their nutrition knowledge and eating behaviour
- To show people how to make healthy, nutritious and economical food choices for themselves and their families
- To reduce diet-related illness from preventable diseases
We deliver two principal types of courses, the healthy food made easy (HFME) courses is suitable for adults and teens 15 years and over.
Our Cool Dude course is aimed at children ages 10 to 14 years. We deliver these courses through youth organisations and schools.
We have also delivered courses for specific groups of people with funding from Safefood and and the Healthy Ireland fund. Examples include: “healthy food for 0 to 5 year olds” this course allows parents to learn about nutrients needed for their children and correct
portion sizes, “cooking for one” these courses are aimed at older people living alone. The emphasis all our courses is on group learning rather than formal teaching. Methods used include group discussions, handouts, quizzes and problem-solving games. People who have completed the courses have enjoyed the experience of preparing, cooking and tasting fun healthy recipes.
The Healthy Ireland fund is supported by the Dept. of Health, the Dept. of Children and Youth Affairs and the Dept. of Rural and Community Development
What can I expect from taking part in a course?
You can expect to:
- Get an understanding of the different nutrients in food and how to incorporate them into a balanced diet
- Understand portion sizes using the food pyramid
- Understand how to read food labels
- Plan to shop on a budget
- Learn how to cook simple, delicious meals
- Get a handbook with the information and recipes used on the course
How do I take part in a course ?
- If you are a community group and would like to run a course for 8 to 10 people we can arrange a time and location to meet your needs.
- If you are an individual you can put your name on our list for the next available course.
You can sign up to take part in a course or organise a course for your community group by contacting Mailyn Bass at healthyfood@wicklowpartnership.ie or 087 1500 234