Cooking Dinner at the Youth Center

The youth at the Inuvik youth Center are having delicious dinners at the center. one week, they had caribou vegetable soup. another time, it was vegetarian chilli. This week, it’s pita pizzas.

“Yummy!” said Cheyenne Ciboci, as she layered on tomato sauce, cheese and mushrooms on her whole wheat “pita pizza” base. The youth are first taken to the Northmart, where program co-ordinator Lyndsay Wood quizzes them. “Which is a healthier choice?” she said, holding up a package of ham and another of pepperoni in her hands.

This is all part of strong starts, the aboriginal Children Childhood Diabetes prevention program. “We’re basing it on the Canada food guide. so we’re talking about how many vegetables you should eat a day, how many grains you should eat a day. and how many meats and alternatives you should eat a day. The most attention was paid to how many sweets you’re allowed to eat a day. They all learnt that it should only be one or two a day, which for some of these kids, is not very much,” said Lyndsay.

“It’s all about making choices, I am never going to make these kids eat fantastically with this program, but I am going to help them make smart choices.”

When asked why they cannot eat more than two candies a day, the youth replied, “It’s got too much sugar!” From the look on their faces when they made fresh orange juice with the juicer, it definitely seems like they are getting the message.

How to make a pita-pizza: Buy whole wheat pitas, slather on tomato pasta sauce, put on cheese and topping on your choice, bake at 350 degrees in the oven. Enjoy!