Category: Health promotion

Food poverty – sadly not a thing of the past
food · Health promotion · Healthy Eating · Policy

Food poverty – sadly not a thing of the past

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Food poverty is real. It is a reality for over 600,000 people in Greater Manchester. It is shameful.

Infographic: GMPA

Action needs to be taken and today saw the launch of the Greater Manchester Food Poverty Action Plan overseen by the Greater Manchester Poverty Alliance. For more information click here

Pledges have been made by councils, third sector organisations (such as Pledge and Fareshare) and businesses (such as Kelloggs) and the Alliance is asking for further pledges including financial ones to cover the costs of someone to oversee this vital work.

I also made a pledge:

As a Registered Nutritionist with a background in working in community development, I am happy to help in any way I can. Specifically I can help with:

1)     the development of resources for schools so they can achieve the following action: Schools should teach good food on a tight budget e.g. as part of the Curriculum for Life, and where possible offer food support and education to parents as well as pupils e.g. creating recipe cards for pupils to take home

2)     providing training and support to the network of food support providers on nutrition and help the development of minimum standards. Specifically looking at providing for the service users’ nutritional needs using the lowest cost ingredients.

As a business I also commit to ensure all surplus food from the work/events I run is put to good use and where possible local providers and businesses are used to provide the goods and services needed to run my business.

I am happy to work with other organisations to achieve the above. Do get in touch if you can help or would benefit from support.

This blog has a number of previous articles about living on a budget and key skills we can teach our children about food which support the work of this vital action plan. In the coming months, more resources will be developed. Watch this space.

Some of the organisations involved
Does healthy eating have to hurt the planet?
food · Health promotion · Healthy Eating · Policy

Does healthy eating have to hurt the planet?

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CSIRO_ScienceImage_3224_Pulses_and_legumes.jpg

Image: Commons Wikimedia -https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSIRO_ScienceImage_3224_Pulses_and_legumes.jpg

 

This is a very complicated question because there are so many factors involved, but it has been the subject of much debate over the last few years.

The latest headline comes from work by scientists at Harvard University in the USA. The proposed diet moves us all away from eating as much meat (particularly red meat) and encourages us to eat more fruit and veg, more nuts and pulses. The amounts below are averages so you might have 100g of red meat on one day and then no more for the rest of the week for example.

  1. Nuts – 50g a day
  2. Beans, chickpeas, lentils and other legumes – 75g a day
  3. Fish – 28g a day
  4. Eggs – 13g a day (so one and a bit a week)
  5. Meat – 14g a day of red meat and 29g a day of chicken
  6. Carbs – whole grains like bread and rice 232g a day and 50g a day of starchy vegetables
  7. Dairy – 250g – the equivalent of one glass of milk
  8. Vegetables -(300g) and fruit (200g)

The diet has room for 31g of sugar and about 50g worth of oils like olive oil. (Source BBC)

Full details of the diet can be found here.

This diet still encourages eating fish (one of which should be oily) for health reasons and red meat is also a great source of iron so an important part of the diet.

I think this diet is manageable. It is realistic and you can make some very tasty things with the variety of ingredients on offer. Unlike a full vegan diet, followed properly, it should give you enough iodine and B12.

But like any diet, it requires knowledge to be able to follow it and achieve the health outcomes the authors desire. Why not take some steps today and swap one of your processed food snacks for a handful of nuts (unless you are allergic of course), and take one of your meat based meals and swap it for a legume based meal. Here are 2 to try:

Lentil Bolognese (you can swap the mushrooms for carrots if you are not keen on mushrooms)

Bean Curry (you can use any type of bean, you could even try a tin of mixed beans for variety)

 

If you are interested in this topic, the British Dietetic Association has also done work in this field. See here for more information.

food · Health promotion · Healthy Eating

Should we even be selling food which can cause harm?

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This is a question to wrestle with. I am not going to give you the answer but share a few thoughts to start off your dinner time discussion!

With the latest cancer prevention report suggesting processed meat should, if possible, be avoided and the government consulting (finally) on a total ban of the sale of energy drinks to children based on the overwhelming body of evidence which says that the levels of caffeine in energy drinks are harmful to children, we need to ask ourselves whether products like these should even be allowed to be produced, let alone, sold legally?

We know that alcohol is harmful, we know that cigarettes are harmful and yet we continue to sell these (although there are restrictions of course), why, perhaps because of the taxes they bring in or perhaps because we are fortunate enough not to live in a dictatorship. We know that not wearing a seat belt can be harmful so there is legislation in place to ensure we wear one to protect ourselves. Where are the parameters for food?

There are clearly some foods which are banned. The EU has very strict testing for approving additives, whether natural or artificial, and there are very strict safety and hygiene standards for foods produced or sold in the EU (let’s hope it stays like this post Brexit, but that is a discussion for another day!). But beyond the safety and hygiene of a product, what about foods which might not kill us or make us ill in the short term but ones which might have an impact on the quality or overall length of our lives?

I am an advocate of choice. Restricting a product and it doesn’t necessarily have the desired effect. Look at the impact of taxing sugary drinks, yes manufacturers responded by reducing the sugar in their drinks but they did not necessarily reduce the sweetness of the drinks. The focus was on calories, and not on the quality of the food consumed. The focus on calories is not a great message for the public. Children do not need to focus on calories, the tragic stories of eating disorders or of young children hating their own bodies show us that. Pregnant women should not focus on calories, yes, they should not be eating for 2 in terms of energy but the focus has to be on the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) the calories contain.

Policy makers have a hard job trying to balance the market and consumer demands with the scientific evidence but at some point the weight of the evidence must prevail. It may take time, like it did to get the ban on smoking in public places put in, but it must be done. I hope the consultation on banning the sale of energy drinks to children will lead to legislation. The supermarkets have already put a ban in place so we are half way there. I wonder if there are other foods we should have similar restrictions on – processed meat perhaps? For the sake of children, especially those from low income households, this might be needed. BUT we must look at the unintended consequences, we must ensure the quality improves of the cheaper products without pricing the poorest even further out of a healthy diet.

What do you think?

Diet · Health promotion · Healthy Eating · Policy

Eating to reduce your risk of cancer

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Today sees the launch of the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. The report takes all the studies on cancer and brings them together to see what the evidence base is. It takes all the individual studies you see in the newspapers and many more and brings them together. The report is 2000 pages long!

What does the new report recommend? (directly copied from http://www.aicr.org/reduce-your-cancer-risk/recommendations-for-cancer-prevention/)

1Be a healthy weight
Keep your weight within the healthy range and avoid weight gain in adult life

2Be physically active
Be physically active as part of everyday life— walk more and sit less

3Eat a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans
Make whole grains, vegetables, fruits and pulses (legumes) such as beans and lentils a major part of your usual daily diet

4Limit consumption of “fast foods” and other processed foods high in fat, starches or sugars
Limiting these foods helps control calorie intake and maintain a healthy weight

5Limit consumption of red and processed meat
Eat no more than moderate amounts of red meat, such as beef, pork and lamb. Eat little, if any, processed meat

6Limit consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks
Drink mostly water and unsweetened drinks

7Limit alcohol consumption
For cancer prevention, it’s best not to drink alcohol

8Do not use supplements for cancer prevention
Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone

9For mothers: breastfeed your baby, if you can
Breastfeeding is good for both mother and baby

10After a cancer diagnosis: follow our Recommendations, if you can
Check with your health professional about what is right for you

Also: Not smoking and avoiding other exposure to tobacco and excess sun are also important in reducing cancer risk.
Following these Recommendations is likely to reduce intakes of salt, saturated and trans fats, which together will help prevent other non-communicable diseases.

 

If you need help changing your lifestyle, do get in touch. The key thing is to make sustainable changes.

Portion sizes for children
Health promotion · Healthy Eating · Parenting

Portion sizes for children

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All children are different and have different appetites. Here are 8 tips to help all those with responsibility for feeding children to know how much to give them.

  1. Know the child’s weight and get them weighed regularly (at least once a year for school-age children, more often for younger children). If they are tracking along their growth chart, they are probably getting the right amount of food (although not necessary the right type of food)
  2. Look at the balance of food across their day. Focus more on the variety and types of food, rather than just the amount. Focus on fresh, unprocessed foods. Focus on the nutrients rather than just the calories. From the age of 2, children’s diets should reflect the Eatwell Guide.
  3. Make sure your child is well hydrated. Children should have about 1-1.5l a day and more when it is hot. Water is the ideal drink. It is important to limit sugary drinks as well as limiting fruit juice to 150ml a day). For more specific amounts for different age groups click here
  4. Give your child a small amount of each food and let them ask for more. This will help them to regulate their own appetite
  5. Banish the rule which says you have to finish everything on your plate
  6. Encourage your child to have regular meals and not snack in between meals and your regular snack times
  7. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ or ‘you have had enough’.
  8. If in doubt, ask a health professional

 

Remember, food is not just about calories, it is amount nutrition, social activity, learning and new experiences. Get your child involved with every stage as they learn to love food.

 

Health promotion

Good mental wellbeing and nutrition

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The longer I work in the field of nutrition the more I am convinced that we need to tackle mental wellbeing and nutrition together. It can’t be a coincidence that we have epidemics of both obesity and mental illness. We have to look at people as a whole. I am not saying anything new but perhaps highlighting an area where there needs to be more of a conversation between health professionals.

We are familiar with the term eating disorders and the majority of people are fortunate enough not to have to live with these, but disordered eating on the other hand is becoming more common. We respond to triggers other than hunger to eat and often reach for the ‘wrong foods’.

In my research recently I have found a lack of information on stress management and food. Apart from mindfulness, there seems little which links mental wellbeing and food.

Food for thought, perhaps?

Health promotion

10 minutes

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There has been a lot in the headlines about 10 minutes of walking recently. 10 minutes brisk walking a day can have amazing health benefits. 10 minutes sounds like a short amount of time but for some of us it is more difficult to squeeze in that we would like to think. Here are some ideas for squeezing 10 minutes in. Remember you need to be slightly out of breath but still able to talk and your heart rate needs to have gone up for it to count in the 10 minutes.

  • Work out how far you can get in 10 minutes walking briskly – the shop, the bus stop, the far end of the car park… and then try and walk briskly every time you have to do that walk.
  • Park your car 10 minutes brisk walk away from work and you might even get 20 minutes in a day.
  • Park 10 minutes away from your child’s school and you can make it 40 minutes a day – plus, if your school is anything like ours you might even save yourself time because you can leave faster and don’t get stuck in the school gridlock!
  • Go for a 10 minute walk round the block before you get in in the evening. It is easier to do it before you get in than motivate yourself to go back out.
  • Ditch the car for journeys under a mile. Your car will be grateful too.

We are all busy but we probably spend at least 10 minutes on social media a day we could do without. Social media may teach us things which prolong life but a bit of walking will do us the world of good mentally and physically.

If 10 minutes is too much for you, start small and build it up.

Happy walking 🙂