SUPERHERO vegetables, the hidden powers of healthy food and dragons (of the fruity kind) helped pupils at a Glasgow primary school learn all about nutrition recently.

Our Lady of the Missions Primary in Thornliebank teamed up with Nuffield Health Glasgow Hospital to run free healthy eating classes for its 120 primary four pupils.

Nutritionist Mary Cotter told the pupils about the health benefits of everything from the humble apple to exotic treats like dragon fruit and star fruit.

The pupils also created their own superhero fruit or vegetable characters, including Apple Man, Captain Carrot, The Amazing Aubergine and Dragon Man.

Mary said: “Fruit and vegetables are really important in a child’s diet and I wanted to make the classes informative in a surprising and fun way.

“It was also important to make the information relevant to everybody, so, for example, by explaining that green vegetables are an excellent source of energy for those who love to play sports and sunny, yellow and orange vegetables support the health of our eyes, hair, nails and immune systems.”

Our Lady of the Missions teacher Julie Neil is on the school’s Better Eating, Better Learning team, which aims to help children learn about food and health and the impact this has on their lives.

Julie said: “It’s important we help our children to learn about the benefits of healthy eating so they can make informed choices and the Nuffield Health Glasgow Hospital’s nutrition class was a great way of making the subject fun and engaging.”

The Evening Times has teamed up with the Scottish Government’s Eat Better Feel Better initiative to help families eat healthier at home.

Don’t miss the our Thursday column - as well as providing recipes for healthy, balanced dishes that can be made at home, we’ll be including tips on how to save money and get the kids involved in cooking. Discover more online at eatbetterfeelbetter.co.uk and eveningtimes.co.uk

Roasted vegetable cous cous

Ready in 45 mins

Serves 4, costs less than £3

Ingredients

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

1 Courgette (

10 Mushrooms, Medium sized (100g)

1 Red onion, Large sized

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil (20g)

1 Pack Couscous (320g)

¾ Pint Water (450ml)

1 Vegetable Stock Cube, Reduced salt (7g)

3 Tomatoes, Medium sized (255g)

1 Pinch Ground Black Pepper, to taste (1g)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan oven / 380°F / gas mark 6.

Peel the onion and deseed the peppers and then chop along with the courgette and mushrooms. Mix the vegetables with the oil in a roasting tin.

Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes.

Dissolve the stock cube in boiling water. Place the couscous into a heatproof bowl and add the hot stock, stirring to mix. Cover with a lid or plate and leave for 10 to 15 minutes then stir with a fork.

Chop the tomatoes into chunks, remove the vegetables from the oven and add the tomatoes and couscous to the tin, mix together and add pepper as required.

Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to heat through, then serve.

Cost Saver Tip: This dish could be made in bulk and enjoyed cold the following day.

Tips for Kids: Use their favourite vegetables and let them help with chopping and mixing.