Village transformed by sausage-shunning diet

A village butcher has told how sales of calorie-laden rashers and sausages have plummeted due to the influence of TV reality show Operation Transformation.

Jimmy Power, who runs a butcher shop in Castletownroche, Co Cork, said his customers have been inspired to improve their diets by local girl Grace Battersby, who is one of the five leaders in the RTÉ show.

The butcher said that while he is selling less black and white pudding than ever, he has had to stock up on extra fish, chicken and protein steaks to cater for the parish’s newly health-conscious population.

“The mindset of people definitely seems to have changed,” he said.

“Before the show started, we would have been selling a lot of rashers, sausages and puddings for fries, but a lot of customers have stopped buying those now. They’ll also purchase more chicken, white meat and leaner cuts of steak.

“Everyone in the town has become a lot more careful about what they eat and I’ve noticed in the past few weeks that I’ve been selling more fish and leaner cuts than I ever did, which means sales are up.

“The whole town has changed in that way. Grace’s achievements have not only put the town on the map, but changed the way a lot of people are living.

“They are eating more healthily and exercising more,” he says.

Local postmistress Grace, who weighed in at 13 stone 4.5lb at the start of the series, says she feels fitter than ever, having quit cigarettes, and embraced a healthier lifestyle, which includes running, swimming and mountain-biking.

The 32-year-old, who in last week’s episode achieved her target weight for the series when she tipped the scales at 11 stone 13Ib, has been followed in her fat-busting mission by 44 other villagers from Castletownroche, including family and friends.

The dieters, who have lost a collective 22 stone in just seven weeks, donate €1 when they weigh-in at the local exercising classes, such as kickboxing and circuit-training, which have been formed since the start of the show. The money is divided between the Tidy Towns Committee and the Community Council.

Grace will join other team leaders in Dublin today to film the final episode of Operation Transformation, which will be screened at 8pm on Wednesday on RTÉ1.