Let’s put health back on the menu
The statistics on obesity, diabetes and other diet-related diseases are there for all of us to see - now it’s time for action. It’s time for all of us to rattle the pots and pans and make a difference in our own homes.
A growing body of research is linking an impoverished diet to behavioural problems in unruly children, uncontrollable and aggressive teenagers, and, indeed, adults. It sounds simplistic to suggest that changing one’s diet can have such a dramatic effect. Well, why not try it?
Let’s throw out all the junk - packets, cans, processed food and sugary breakfast cereals - and start from scratch.
Porridge is, unquestionably, the best and most nutritious breakfast cereal. I regularly tuck into a large bowl, with dark brown sugar and Jersey milk. It’s a brilliant glycaemic index food which keeps you buzzing along until lunchtime.
If porridge seems a little heavy in May, why not start the day with a bowl of nut and grain muesli or crunchy granola topped with slices of organic banana? There’s even a better feelgood factor if it’s also fair trade.
How about getting a discussion going at home about obesity and how much depends on the food we eat?
Get the whole family involved, and let’s have some suggestions: so we need to review our eating habits, do we even want to bother? Is it worth the effort? Are we piling on the pounds, feeling ratty, constipated, suffering from indigestion, low sex-drive, low energy?
Do we have unexplained lumps, bumps or rashes, regular headaches, heartburn? Could it be that we need to review that diet after all?
Problem is, we’re all too busy. We rush out to work, grab a breakfast, like perhaps a Danish and a can of diet soda to give us our sugar fix. Then there are several snacks and cups of coffee between breakfast and lunch, which will often be a sandwich made with sliced bread, processed meat and cheese, maybe some coleslaw where the cabbage and carrots have been sterilised in Milton before being combined in the salad.
In the evening, we’re whacked after a hard day’s work, with the minimum of nutrients to sustain the body, so we plump for the easy option - grab a burger, pizza, or tuck into a feed of steak and chips. Or maybe stick a TV dinner into the microwave and have a few glasses of wine or a beer to help us relax. We have no energy to go for a walk, we flop into bed and the vicious circle continues.
If this sounds at all familiar, it’s definitely time for reappraisal. But hang on, who is going to do all the work?
Many mothers have full-time jobs and they have responsibility for the housework, so despite the their talents of being able to keep a million balls in the air, help is needed and, corny as it may sound, cooking is actually fun.
In fact, it can be terrifically relaxing and rewarding if everyone, children included, gets involved in planning the menus, sharing the shopping and peeling, chopping, mixing, baking and then, most importantly of all, sitting down together around the kitchen table to enjoy the fruits of your labour - that’s what memories are made of.
Most importantly, if you haven’t been able to get involved in the shopping and preparation, and you are fortunate enough to come home to a delicious meal, don’t forget to hug the cook and offer to help with the washing-up.
For far too many, it’s a thankless task - so no wonder they opt for a ready meal.
Remember, cooking tasty food is fun. Try it - you’ll be blown away.
