6 in 10 children don't know how to boil an egg

 

Laziest in Europe: The average boy or girl wasting the equivalent of half a year slumped in front of a TV or computer screen between the ages of seven and 16

 

 

 

They may be whizzes at setting the video and playing computer games but many can't carry out even the most basic of tasks in the kitchen.

Boiling an egg or peeling a potato is beyond the know-how of many British children.

Research shows that almost six in ten would struggle to boil an egg or use a vegetable peeler and just three in ten would be happy tending a frying pan.

In contrast, the majority of eight to 15-year-olds surveyed knew both how to heat up a ready meal in the oven and how to work a microwave.

And 99 per cent are happy operating a DVD player, the British Heart Foundation poll (BHF) showed.

The charity said its survey painted a worrying picture of a generation of technological whizz-kids who have little or no experience in the kitchen.

It follows research released last week which revealed the UK's children consume almost five litres of cooking oil a year as a result of their pack-a-day crisp habits.

The shocking figures come as Britain struggles to stem a rising tide of obesity, with 28 per cent of under-tens being classified as either overweight or obese.

Their junk food-rich diet is not the only problem, with many being loathe to exercise.

Figures show British children are among the laziest in the world, with the average boy or girl wasting the equivalent of half a year slumped in front of a TV or computer screen between the ages of seven and 16.

If youngsters continue to eat the wrong foods and shun exercise, rates of cancer, heart disease and diabetes will soar.

Maura Gillespie, BHF head of policy, said: "These results are deeply concerning because they demonstrate we are rearing a generation of children whose cooking skills stretch only as far as popping a fatty, processed ready-meal in the microwave.

"We are at serious risk of completely losing touch with where our food comes from and how it is made.

"This sort of knowledge is crucial to being able to make healthy choices and living a healthy lifestyle."

She added that possible solutions included introducing compulsory cooking lessons is schools and banning the TV advertising of junk food before the 9pm watershed. Television watchdog Ofcom is currently considering introducing such a ban.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said both parents and schools had a part to play in improving children's health.

She said: "Changing children's behaviour now is an investment in their future health.

"Government is committed to halting the rise of childhood obesity but we cannot do it on our own.

"We are working with the food manufacturers and retailers to reduce fat, salt and sugar in their foods and to provide clear labelling on packaged food that will make it simpler for people to make healthy eating choices at a glance.

"We can't force healthy living but we can encourage both adults and children to eat healthily and exercise."

paha.....I guess even 6 in 10 children don't even know what a potatoe is....or what chips are made of...

paha.....I guess even 6 in 10 children don't even know what a potatoe is....or what chips are made of...

 

Does that include the ones in your Kaff??:rolleyes:

hhee...NO DEFINTELY NOT!!!

 

Because those are the few one who still know it...

hhee...NO DEFINTELY NOT!!!

 

Because those are the few one who still know it...

 

Is that because in your Kaff it's like "mediaeval times" and children are put to work cooking every day?:P

No....but they grow up in a natural world....the is much nature around us....most of the time the parents try to bring the children up at least a bit how their parents brought them up......food like fresh vegetables is just normal here.....but not in the cities...

No....but they grow up in a natural world....the is much nature around us....most of the time the parents try to bring the children up at least a bit how their parents brought them up......food like fresh vegetables is just normal here.....but not in the cities...

 

Aha! So it is a little bit like "damals"!!:P

So Jamie Oliver isn't needed in your village!!:D

No I don#t think so....that just reminds me of this autumn.....there are so man fruits at our trees that we don't even know what to do with them anymore...

No I don#t think so....that just reminds me of this autumn.....there are so man fruits at our trees that we don't even know what to do with them anymore...

 

"Man" fruits?? Men grow on trees in your Kaff?? Now that is weird!!:shocked2::P