Sports stars have helped relaunch the Scottish Government’s Eat Better Feel Better campaign – telling primary school children about their favourite snacks and the benefits of healthy eating. Continue reading Eat Better, Feel Better: Aileen and Yogi relaunch healthy eating campaign
January will see the revamp of the ‘Eat Better Feel Better’ website, which offers practical advice with the aim of increasing fruit and veg consumption, and cutting unhealthy snacking and sugary drink consumption in children. The site has tips and tools for families to help them make simple, quick and cheap changes to how they shop, cook and eat. Continue reading Eat green in 2018: Scots urged to eat more fruit and veg
Granton Primary School launched a new cooking club last week as part of the Food for Thought programme. Children made their own bread and butter and made their very own delicious minestrone soup! Continue reading Granton Primary School: from plot to plate!
A major charity initiative between Diabetes UK, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Tesco has discovered that snacking habits in Scotland are risking families’ long term health.
A survey commissioned by the National Charity Partnership, a partnership between the three organisations, found that nearly half of all adults in Scotland (45 percent) worry about the extra calories their families consume through unhealthy snacks, yet almost three in ten (29 percent) never actively choose nibbles that are low in fat and sugar. In fact, despite nearly half of those surveyed worrying about snacking habits, more than one-third of Scottish parents are still regularly offering crisps (37 percent) and 45 percent say they offer biscuits as snacks for their children either alongside or in between meals.
Katherine Hale, Prevention Programme Manager for the National Charity Partnership, said: “Eating foods high in fat and sugar on a regular basis can contribute to increased calorie consumption – which can then increase the likelihood of being overweight. It’s particularly concerning that crisps and biscuits are still popular snacks for children because the food habits we learn at a young age can become ingrained and stay with us into adulthood.
“By developing unhealthy habits, you may be risking your family’s health. Regularly consuming ‘empty calories’ from snacks that contain lots of calories but little to no nutrients heightens your risk of obesity and the long-term conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease associated with this.“
As the summer holidays come to an end and a new school year begins, the National Charity Partnership is launching its Snack Goals Challenge to help UK families start the new term right by making some healthy snack swaps to curb those junk food cravings and improve their long-term health.
The partnership is encouraging people to set a goal to ‘eat healthy snacks’ using its online Eight Week Challenge. To support the challenge, the partnership has developed a series of articles to provide affordable and tasty recipe inspiration at https://lets-dothis.org.uk/tips/topics/snack-well/. Ideas include swapping crisps and biscuits for air-popped popcorn with cinnamon or spicy chilli.
Ms. Hale said: “Snacks are usually small and can seem insignificant. However the reality is that the calories they provide can really add up, especially for children. By making a change now and taking our Snack Goals Challenge, to swap to healthier snacks it will help you stay on track and kick those bad snacking habits. For even more motivation, take the challenge with the whole family or friends for that extra element of competition.”
The most common reason why people in Scotland shun snacks low in fat, sugar or salt is that it costs too much money (24 percent). Almost one in five people in Scotland (18 percent) said that healthier snacks lack variety and 16 percent of those surveyed claimed their family prefers the taste of snacks like crisps and chocolate. The survey also found that adults in Scotland have a sweet tooth when it comes to snacking choices, with mid-afternoon the most popular time to snack. Four of the top five regularly consumed snacks for adults are sweet and include biscuits (37 percent) and chocolate bars (28 percent).
The National Charity Partnership between Diabetes UK, the BHF and Tesco is working to help millions of people look after their bodies and reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease by moving more and eating healthily.
To get involved set your goal at www.lets-dothis.org.uk/challenge and upload your healthy snack ideas on social media using the #snackgoalschallenge.
Health Minister Aileen Campbell visits Pilton Community Health Project
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell visited Pilton Community Health Project today ahead of the Scottish Government’s consultation on the diet and obesity strategy. She joined a mum and dad’s cooking class which aims to get parents and children to cook together, increase their confidence and cooking skills and promote healthy eating on a budget. Continue reading Helping people make healthy choices
Pilton Community Health Project has launched its new Everyone Can Cook recipe book. Last week’s celebrations marked the culmination of months of work from the Cooking Club who meet every Wednesday at the Project (writes Joe Jones).
The book showcases some of the group’s favourite recipes which participants have brought from all over Pilton and the world. All the recipes are easy to cook and budget friendly. Over the past few months, the group have tried and tested every recipe before voting on their favourites to be included in the book.
The friendly cooking club gives residents the chance to share recipes and get together for a chat over lunch. The group is very diverse and reflects the population of the area. Because the group is so welcoming they embrace the opportunity to taste new ingredients they may not have been familiar with. The recipes are easy to cook so everyone can join in.
Penny Donnelly, lead volunteer and photographer for the cooking club, said: “I think the people are amazing and it’s such an honour to work with the group. It’s been great fun putting the book together and really helped boost our confidence and self-esteem. It’s amazing being a part of this group”.
Copies of EVERYONE CAN COOK are now available from Pilton Community Health Project and on-line at http://pchp.org.uk/resources
For more information about the Cooking club or other support that Pilton Community Health Project can offer, call 0131 551 1671, see our website pchp.org.uk or go to our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PiltonCommunityHealthProject
Pilton Community Health Project’s Wednesday cooking club have created a new recipe book – and they’re launching it tomorrowI
PCHP Community Development Worker (Food) Joe Jones said: “We are launching our new recipe book Everyone Can Cook! at PCHP on Wednesday (10 May). Similar to the Cook & Taste recipe book that Memes put together a few years back with Muirhouse community shop, it’s a collection of favourite recipes from local participants at our Wednesday cooking club. The recipes are healthy, budget friendly and easy to make for and with the family.”
The launch takes place from 12 – 2pm.
Communities urged to take advantage of new legislation
Community groups in Scotland’s towns and cities are being encouraged to take advantage of powers allowing them to create new places for growing fruit and vegetables. Allotments provided by local authorities are in high demand and the Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham, says land reform powers could help reduce waiting lists by providing more land to grow food. Continue reading Grow your own!
Meal Makers is a charity that helps isolated older people enjoy the benefits of a home-cooked meal provided by a neighbour.
It connects volunteers of any age who have a passion for cooking and want to be active in their communities (“cooks”), with older neighbours over the age of 55 (“diners”) who would appreciate a home cooked meal. Once a cook and diner have been matched, the cook will prepare an extra meal in their own home and deliver it to their diner at a time agreed by both parties. Meal shares can occur as often as the cook and diner would like, so it might be weekly, fortnightly or just now and again. It helps improve nutrition, reduce isolation and build community links that so often have been lost. There is no cost attached to the meals, as they are a voluntary donation of food between members.
The only cost is a £5 fee for the diner to join Meal Makers for the year. Contact Robert Peacock 07710 703528 or email robert@mealmakers.org.uk
https://youtu.be/PI3iYBXD2ZU
Broccoli and cauliflower are back on the menu
A campaign to help Scottish parents get greens on plates launched this week as new research revealed almost a third (29 per cent) of parents surveyed have at some point given up trying to feed their children vegetables. Continue reading ‘Yuck … I’m not eating THAT!’
