Eating for Life

On 10th Feb 2008 Sycamore Hall day centre
and tenants enjoyed a presentation on healthy eating
given by Angela Kershaw and ably assisted by NYCC
and Housing 21 staff.

The tables were groaning with goodies
and it seemed like there was everything healthy
imaginable on display.

Earlier in the day we had been given a questionnaire
to fill in about our current diets and to see how much
and what type of fats we were eating.
(Interesting!)

The audience were shown how to prepare healthy,
fast food, what nutrients they contained and what role they played
in the defence of out immune systems.

We learned what we should be eating to maintain
a healthy heart, bladder, kidneys, arteries and brain.

We learned about the exciting battles of the antioxidants
against the free radicals and how we could
join in the battle.

We had recipes made while we watched
as the chopping, stirring, blending etc went on.
One tenant commented “we prefer Angela to Jamie Oliver,
she doesn’t swear”.

The five a day was a doddle.
Several dishes were quickly made up that contained
three or more of the five needed.

The power drinks appeared with amazing speed
and were delicious.

We learned about oily fish and omega 3 (good and bad)
incredibly good for you but that there is a limit
to the amount of oily fish you should be eating in a week
due to pollution by (PCBs) in the sea.
(Food Standards Agency recommendations)

We then moved on to HYDROGENATED FATS very bad!!
The only thing they were good for was the manufacturing industry
and creating longer shelf life for products
but our bodies can’t stomach them.

Then it was FIBRES turn WOW! Great stuff,
soluble and insoluble, can’t do without it.
Porridge is a happy fibre with protein. Good for slimming,
stabilizes blood sugar levels, gives energy,
and helps the brain to produce serotonin which keeps our spirits up
and our appetites down especially during the winter months.
Porridge can also reduce our blood cholesterol. Put simply
think of rolled oats as little sponges in your body that mop up cholesterol.

Finally we were reminded about the importance of drinking plenty of water
each day in pursuit of healthy intestines.

When all the demonstrations were finished we saw that a buffet had appeared in front of us
where the demonstrations had taken place. It was a feast fit for a King.

After the tea we were then given the chance to buy anything we wanted
from the bountiful display at cost, which also helped to
offset the costs of the presentation.

As we left we were given handouts to help us in our quest
for healthy, quick and tasty eating.

We intend to continue with health promotion here at Sycamore
and have other activities in the pipeline including
fitness activities,and mental activities to keep us healthy, active, happy, and hopefully out of the Drs surgeries.

We also intend to turn our recipes into a booklet which we will print and sell. This should help our ammenity fund and perhaps provide inspiration to others in a similar sitiuation to ourselves to have a go.

Some of the recipes we tried

• Home baked whole meal bread with mashed bananas.
• Power drinks – blueberry/apple/melon/ bananas with low fat yogurt,
  and Carrot/lemon/orange/bananas with low fat yoghurt
• Prune tea bread
• Dark chocolate and prune mousse with orange and brandy
• Homemade celery, red onion, lentil and butter bean soup
• Tomato pasta salad
• Parsnip and potato bake
• Raspberry 3 fruit jelly
• Fresh Fruit salad
• Savoury rice and mackerel salad
• Ryevitas with cottage cheese and pickle.
• Tuna all in one salad meal – easy to eat
• Oatmeal biscuits made with olive oil
• Pilchard fingers