Promoting the beauties of African Food
Not a few around my part of the world know about the irony of fast food otherwise called junk food. The irony is that it’s become a status symbol for some such that it’s associated with affluence. Apparently, it’s a common misconception across developing countries. I watched Dr. Yemisi Bokini speak on the subject some time ago and she echoed the life threatening effects of this dangerous trend. What makes it more ironic is that the African continent is blessed with diverse food items with great nutritional values.
For parents around here, it could be something of a challenge to get kids to appreciate local delicacies especially if their peers are guzzling anything but local food. Children want what is cool so one creative way to encourage healthy eating habit with respect to our African heritage food is to provide contexts they can relate with. The foregoing provides a need to enlighten families about our rich African heritage food.
Enter the NativSol Food Series. The rest of this piece culled from the press release captures the project.
For National Nutrition Month, NativSol Kitchen partners with Genii Games to launch “NativSol Food Series” on March 4. NativSol Food Series will educate children and families on the nutritional benefits of African heritage food.
“With fast food spots seen as ‘social status’ symbols popping up in cities across Africa, we will see an increase in diet-related diseases like diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity namely in our children as income increases,” says Tambra Raye Stevenson, founder of NativSol Kitchen.
“African food is sometimes overlooked by parents and kids in favor of unhealthy alternatives that have become associated with status symbols,” says Adebayo Adegbembo, founder of Genii Games.
With the weekly #nativsolfoodseries, starting March 4, “Little WANDA,” a character and kid-sized champion of a newly formed initiative called Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics and Agriculture (WANDA), will introduce families to African heritage food with fun facts and health benefits as an article and complementing infographic posted by @nativsol on Twitter, Facebook and other online platforms.
The 8-week pilot series encourages African, Diasporan families and youth to appreciate their African heritage food across Africa.
“NativSol Kitchen is a foremost brand in promoting the beauties of African heritage food while Genii Games Limited works to make African heritage fun for kids. Hence, both brands saw a need to educate families and kids on the nutritional benefits of African food in fun ways.
