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Taking Off for a Healthy Life with the Nutrition Pilot License

Children participating in the Düsseldorf initiative “SMS. Sei schlau. Mach mit. Sei fit.” (in English: Be smart. Join in. Be fit.) earn their “nutrition pilot license” under the guidance of dietary assistants from the Educational Center of the Kaiserswerther Diakonie. The SMS initiative is headed by the DZD scientist Professor Karsten Müssig

At the beginning of February the primary school children participating in the initiative "SMS. Be smart. Join in. Be fit." earn their “nutrition pilot license”. Under the guidance of dietary assistants from the Educational Center of the Kaiserswerther Diakonie the children prepare small meals by themselves and learn how to handle food and kitchen equipment. The children are supported by Andreas Huber, chef de partie in the Courtyard by Marriott Düsseldorf Seestern and a patron of the SMS initiative. "As a former Italian national ice hockey player, I know how important a balanced diet is for reaching one’s full potential. I would like to pass on this experience to the children," he said. Project leader Professor Karsten Müssig added: “In primary school the course is set for a healthy life, and therefore we want to teach the children early on what all this involves.”
 
The initiative "SMS. Be smart. Join in. Be fit." shall make children in Düsseldorf primary schools more aware of the benefits of a healthy diet and more exercise. The participating children receive extra lessons on nutrition in cooperation with the Educational Center for Dietary Assistants of the Kaiserswerther Diakonie and take part in the exercise program for primary schools “Fitness for Kids” developed by sports scientist Dr. Kerstin Ketelhut. The two health insurance companies IKK classic and KKH, the organization diabetesDE - German Diabetes Aid, renowned partners and prominent people in Düsseldorf support the project. The patron is Thomas Geisel, mayor of the state capital of Düsseldorf. Furthermore, the partners of the SMS initiative – the Swimming Pools Association of Düsseldorf, Borussia Düsseldorf, the Hotel Courtyard by Marriott Seestern, the Dietrich Grönemeyer Foundation, the Düsseldorf EG, the Artisan Bakers’ Association of Düsseldorf, Fortuna Düsseldorf, the Sports Department of Düsseldorf, Sportwerk Düsseldorf, the Sterntaler Foundation, the sports club TuRU Düsseldorf 1880 and the Weber School Düsseldorf – provide the children with very attractive venues for learning outside of school.
 
More information about the initiative can be found at: www.sms-mach-mit.de (German only)