Learn More About Healthy Thanksgiving Dinners With Smash Your Food

Thanksgiving is very nearly upon us. What better way to keep the kids happy than by giving them the opportunity to smash up food, while also learning of the benefits of moderation? That's precisely what Smash Your Food offers all year round, and with a new Thanksgiving focused pack, too!

Working in collaboration with certified nutritionist, Marta DeWulf, the app lets kids mess around with their virtual food, in order to see how much sugar, salt and oil there is in their favorite foods. Alongside that, the app teaches them why they should eat tasty treats in moderation rather than to excess.

We had a word with Marta about exactly how she came up with the idea behind the educational app.

"While teaching nutrition in the classroom, I noticed that kids had a hard time grasping the concept of how much sugar are in common foods. When I asked 'How many cubes of sugar are in one can of cola?' They didn’t know. Then when I told them that there are eight, that didn’t seem like a lot to them. Once I was able to show them the actual amounts and compare it [to] their allowance for a day, they started to understand what is a lot and what … it means to them."

As she explained, by teaching them such things, "…their answers became more realisti I knew we needed to literally show kids what is in the foods they are eating. I was inspired to create games and tool that kids and families could use to help have a better understanding of their current food choices and learn alternatives of these high calories foods …[thereby] helping them live healthier lifestyle."

Don't worry, Thanksgiving fans, Marta did offer us some great tips on how to eat a little healthier this holiday season. Namely, to "use low fat cream" where possible, "cut the amount of sugar in half", when baking. Also, and this is the hardest one, try to portion your plate out and don't fall for the "eyes are bigger than your stomach" issue. Marta makes "a dish of roasted vegetables, pumpkin soup and peaches topped with a delicious chestnut puree," for her Thanksgiving meal which sounds pretty tasty to me!

For those looking to learn more, Smash Your Food is available now for free. It's pretty insightful, but make sure you still enjoy that tasty dinner this Thursday!