On 3rd September 2025, 15 participants gathered at Lungomare Poetto, Cagliari, for the Healthy Menu for Me & Environment workshop, an active outdoor event designed to combine sports activities with reflections on healthy, sustainable nutrition.
Objectives:
- Encourage participants to reflect on the relationship between sports, health, and sustainable nutrition.
- Discuss what constitutes healthy food and what choices are more respectful to the environment, thereby promoting critical thinking and sustainable solutions.
- Integrate physical activities with important contextual elements, including correct nutrition.
Desired Outcomes:
- Invite participants to bring what they consider a correct snack for a day of sports activities, discuss their choices, and reflect on nutritional implications and broader environmental impacts.
- Provide tips on required nutritional values alongside healthy, local, and low-impact alternatives that maintain a balanced menu while reducing environmental footprints.
Description and Implementation:
Participants were invited to a sports morning by the beach and asked to bring a snack they felt was ideal for a day of physical movement and fun. Following the morning sports activities, the group sat down together for a shared snack break. Each participant presented what they brought, explained why they chose it, and engaged in a discussion about nutrition facts while busting common myths. An extra layer was introduced by examining how food impacts both the body and the environment. Participants were then split into groups to design a balanced, environmentally sustainable lunch menu. The session concluded with a discussion about personal habits and the reasons behind their daily choices.
Feedback:
- Participants were happy to take part, though many naturally preferred the more active first half of the session over the static second half due to their young age.
- While they found the activity interesting, they struggled to see its direct relevance, indicating that the topic needs a better initial introduction in future sessions.
Results and Outcomes – Trainers/Facilitators:
The trainers learned the importance of better understanding the needs and interests of participants in advance to tailor the session effectively. They also noted that facilitators bringing their own chosen snacks and explaining the reasoning behind them would be a helpful approach. There were no particularly unexpected results, though the experience highlighted a strong motivation to explore the topic further due to participants’ limited existing knowledge. (Note: Expectations regarding outcomes were largely met, continuing the momentum of the project).
Conclusion and Recommendations:
To benefit the wider STELLA project and future activities, the following recommendations are suggested:
- Have additional snacks available for any participants who might not have managed to bring their own.