FOR THE second consecutive year, a project on nutrition, entitled Sopalândia (Soup Land), has been launched at schools in Loulé, in an effort to promote the consumption of fresh vegetables among schoolchildren.
For the official launch, a ceremony was held at Loulé secondary school, during which students were invited to sign a ‘health contract’, promising to eat soup everyday in school and at home with their families.
The project’s main objectives are to promote healthy eating habits among young people and raise awareness of the importance of soup as part of their daily diet. It also aims to bring back the family tradition of making soup at home and to encourage it to be served as a starter at lunch and dinner.
Over the coming weeks, children of varying ages, from nursery to secondary school age, within the Loulé borough, will be taking part in a series of initiatives in the classroom to alert them to the importance of eating soup.
Recently, a panel of specialists from the World Health Organisation (WHO) defined that 400g is the recommended quantity of fruit and vegetables to be consumed on a daily basis. The WHO also points out that fresh fruit and vegetables play a very important part in the prevention of chronic illness. Soup is rich in water, fibre, vitamins (C and folic acid) and minerals, is easy to prepare and has long been part of the Algarvean culture.
