Mood, Meals and Mindset: Supporting Teen Wellbeing Through Cooking

We've been delivering an incredibly important project over the last year and would love everyone to know all about it!

The Mindful Ministry of Food pilot was created to explore a simple but powerful idea: what young people eat can have a real impact on how they feel and their mental wellbeing now and long into the future.

HOW IT CAME ABOUT

Research shows that anxiety and depression are rising among young people, particularly in the North East, while studies also show that healthier diets rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fish can help support better mental wellbeing. A project concept was designed and consulted on with young people with the plan to help young people build cooking confidence early, improving both their food habits and their relationship with food that could have a direct impact on their mental health and mood.

The concept and programme led by The Foundation for Young People's Mental Health brought together ourselves at Nourish as the lead delivery partner along with the guys over at Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food HQ and evaluation partners at the Univeristy of Reading to bring an innovative approach to improving wellbeing for our future generation.

WHAT WE DID

Funded by Gateshead Council, the 8-week programme adapted the Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food course for teenagers, combining practical cooking skills with learning about food, mood and mental health .

The results were incredibly positive: 95% of participants said their mood improved, 100% enjoyed the course, and 100% said they would continue using the skills they had learned . Cooking confidence increased, fruit and vegetable intake improved, and unhealthy snacking reduced significantly.

Most importantly, young people left feeling more confident, more independent, and more aware of how food can support their mental wellbeing—showing that cooking skills can create lasting change far beyond the kitchen.

Take a look at the full impact report here

Mindful_MoF_Teens_Impact_Report_v2-3.pdf

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