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Crunching for a healthy cause

“Well everyone was very excited and everyone crunched together, it was really a big crunch."
bigcrunchlandonbrady
Brady Couvrette (right) and Landon Boulet (left) take a big bite of an apple as part of the Big Crunch. Photo by Yamin Aqbal.

It was a loud crunch made by a group of more than 140 students that echoed through the gymnasium at E.W. Norman Elementary school on Thursday afternoon. 

It’s called simply the “Big Crunch,” an initiative led by the North Bay-Parry Sound District Health Unit, which is taking place across the region in celebration of Nutrition Month.  

“It's when you have an apple and your principal or any staff member in the school counts down like (3,2,1) and then all the people bite the apple,” said 10-year-old Landon Boulet about the big, loud bite.  

“Well everyone was very excited and everyone crunched together, it was really a big crunch,” said Jodie Nychuk, E.W. Norman’s Principal.   

Brady Couvrette says the event is more than just making a loud crunching sound with your schoolmates.  

“It's supposed to be something healthy, so today is the day about eating healthy and staying healthy and it’s about not eating junk food everyday of your life,” he said. 

The event is actually teamwork between the schools, the local health unit and the Community Living of North Bay’s Nutrition Program. 

“The Nutrition Program does an incredible job promoting out breakfast club, and our breakfast program is awesome,” added Nychuk.  

Prior to the Big Crunch students watched a video about healthy eating.  

Big Crunch events take place across Canada with some programs using carrots instead of apples for the healthy program.

Quick Facts

  • The only apple native to North America is the crab apple.
  • On average, each Canadian eats 86 apples per year.
  • It takes four apples to make a glass of pure apple juice!

Chris Dawson

About the Author: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson has been with BayToday.ca since 2004. He has provided up-to-the-minute sports coverage and has become a key member of the BayToday news team.
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