Today’s fast-paced lifestyle lies as one reason behind people’s preference for convenience and instant gratification. Individuals and families prefer eating food that can be quickly prepared or served with the need to cook at all. More often than not, this implies the consumption of fast, processed, and less healthy food options. Eating patterns which has led to an obesity trend that is far from desirable. According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, 1 in 5 children in America are obese.
This problem led to the development of YSCooks, a technology platform focused on educating, engaging and rewarding students for making healthier food choices. The nutrition education platform targets educating students in grades 1-12. YSCooks has also quickly gained popularity with students because the subscription-based technology creatively integrates a reward system into activities on the platform — a system that gives students incentives every time they explore healthier food choices.
The self-paced education experience offered by YSCooks can either supplement a child’s school curriculum or an afterschool enrichment program. At YSCooks, every effort is in line with the mission of helping students appreciate the importance of good food choices for overall wellbeing, and make informed decisions about what they eat each day.
According to Ms. Brown, a mother of 3 whose children participated in YSCooks pilot “ My kids absolutely love YSCooks. The challenge was really engaging. They will finish breakfast and immediately go into the fridge looking for something nourishing to prepare for lunch”.
Apart from parents, community leaders who collaborated with YSCooks to provide their young patrons access to the platform also appreciate the much needed innovation. “Our library has a strong commitment to providing high-quality health and wellness programming, so we were delighted to be able to provide our young patrons and their families with a fun and engaging way to learn about nutrition, all from the safety and comfort of their own homes. YSCooks was easy to work with and their interactive platform helped our local children learn about leading healthier lives and validated the healthy choices they are already making.” Suzanne Klein explained.
With expertly curated content, and a curriculum carefully prepared by a scientist, students are in for an exceptional learning experience. As YSCooks fulfill its goal of lending young people a hand in discovering the joy and pleasure of creating nourishing meals while developing an appreciation for the importance of food, it is setting a pace for the use of robust technology for nutrition education.
According to Dr. Julia Olayanju the innovator behind YSCooks: “ It is important to create an engaging educational tool that will make it easy for the next generation to learn about food and its importance to their overall well-being. Employing expertly prepared video instructions, peer support, competitions and prizes we are helping the next generation make informed healthier dining choices.”
In the coming months, YSCooks plans to expand its provision of nutrition education to schools. Providing support to educators in enriching students’ knowledge of and experiences with food. It also aims to strengthen and refine its inherent competitive advantages to ensure that students learn, have fun while creating lasting memories with their families through nourishing dining experiences. To bring YSCooks to your school or to subscribe visit its website.
