All-Ireland winner Michael Fennelly wants nutrition knowledge taught in schools
The Kilkenny forward, a nutriton and fitness coach, also believes that the subject of physical education in schools needs greater priority.
He is a lecturer at LIT /Setanta College which is hosting a conference, Developing & Maximising Youth Potential, at the Sportslab at the LIT campus in Thurles on Saturday and Sunday week next.
The six-times All-Ireland winner picked up a third All-Star award last week.
He said yesterday: “Nutrition is so important and, to a point, it is almost difficult to believe it is not a compulsory subject in schools.
“In my view it should be a compulsory part of the PE programme at schools and every student, in turn, should be taking PE, without exception.
“There was a report last year that suggested that just 10% of secondary school pupils had PE classes for at least two hours per week and this is not enough.”
The 2011 Texaco Hurler of the Year said: “We will have some of the best-known coaches in the world attending the Thurles conference, the weekend after next, to discuss how to maximise youth potential. Nutrition is at the heart of this discussion.
“It should equally be at the heart of physical education in schools.”
The seminar in Thurles is targeted at young athletes who wish to maximise their own sporting potential.
The Ballyhale ace emphasised: “Nutrition plays a vital part in sport but it also plays a major role in life.
“Kids who don’t practise healthy nutrition at a young age may end up fighting an uphill battle in terms of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high-blood pressure, and other related health issues.
“Children need to be taught what’s good to eat and what’s not because our diet will determine what kind of a life we fulfill – a healthy one or a one of prolonged health problems.
“We are going to pay dearly in terms of health issues in the years ahead if we don’t tackle it properly and education is a key way of doing that.”
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