Nutrition During Pregnancy Programme

 

The Mini Cooking Club will continue to offer educational cooking workshops to families, children and those with mental health concerns. Our future plan is to provide a similar service for pregnant women, so watch this space!

Last year, after discussion with parents and healthcare professionals, it became apparent that there was a lack of these workshops for pregnant women in many London areas. It is highly important that these women have optimum health and nutrition - not just during pregnancy, but afterwards too.

The Mini Cooking Club has therefore decided to offer educational cooking workshops to pregnant women as it is believed that this will not only offer women the opportunity to learn about the benefits of good nutrition for their own health, alongside that of their families.

We are still in the process of developing the 6-week Nutrition during Pregnancy programme, but here is a sneak preview for all the eager beavers:

• Healthy eating and pregnancy – based on the Eatwell plate in relation to the different stages of pregnancy, with a focus on vitamins and minerals.
• Foods to avoid (and foods to consume in moderation e.g. certain animal products, caffeine).
• Food safety and hygiene – preparation, storage, cooking and eating out.
• Specialist diets – cultural and religious (e.g. vegan, halal).
• Pregnancy and exercise – resolve any concerns and provide exercise advice
• Breastfeeding and weaning – healthy eating advice after the birth and weaning portion sizes.

In addition to the above, each session will also contain a cooking workshop. It is hoped that by educating women and providing them with the skills to cook food at home, there will be less reliance on unhealthy foods and an enjoyment of home cooking that will contribute to family growth and development.

Interview: Maggy on The Mini Cooking Club Running a Nutrition Workshop for Evolve

The Mini Cooking Club is a charity which runs sessions for children and adults with mentalhealth concerns, but also nutrition workshops for anyone who wants to learn more about healthy eating. In these workshops, Cecilia - the club’s founder - teaches things like the importance of the “Eat Well Plate”, understading food labelling and cooking nutritious food at home.

We just finished working with Evolve. Evolve is a free, confidential and friendly service for stimulant and cannabis users, and their families living in Southwark. It is run by a lovely woman called Maggy. She works hard with her team to provide fully-trained one-to-one support, facilitate groups and run regular drop-in sessions.

What is the relationship between nutrition and drugs use, and why did Evolve team up with The Mini Cooking Club? I went to see Maggy to ask her views on healthy eating, how it can empower lives, and how she found the Cecilia’s nutrition workshop.

Me:W hy did Evolve and The Mini Cooking Club team up?

Maggy: At Evolve, we realised the importance of understanding food, how it impacts your life and how it can play an empowering role in the recovery process. Since there is a lot of misinformation out there on nutrition, we decided it would be good for staff to have nutritional training so they could give the clients they were supporting the best advice on how to make a positive impact on their lives simply by changing their eating habits. We got in touch with the Copleston inviting Cecilia to provide nutrition workshops!

Me: So what is Evolves’ ethos?

Maggy: We focus on emotional well-being and psychological wellbeing. We look at the whole person. It’s about how we can support that person to make healthier choices in every aspect in their life. This means one of the things we are concerned with is whether those we help are eating a balanced diet.

Me: How did you think The Mini Cooking Club could support you in achieving this?

Maggy: We were looking for nutrition courses that we can refer clients to because clients are actually asking for it. They were aware their lifestyles were changing with what they ate. Their physical health was better – but many hadn’t had prior experience of knowing what a balanced diet was - or how to cook or prepare nutritious food on a budget – and were keen to gain insight on this.

Me: What did they learn, for example?

Maggy: They learned that someone’s mood might be affected because they eat food that is very processed and as a result their bodies aren’t supporting the release of dopamine or serotonin.

Me: And why would you say that is important?

Maggy: Because understanding the positive role of food can be a tool for individuals to change their lifestyles. The current recovery model that all treatment services advocate is recovery capital and supporting individuals coming into treatment – not just to reduce their drug use but to build up support networks and skills and knowledge that will help them go back into a new community. Being able to budget, cook well, see food in a social, joyous way as well as to understand what healthy eating is, is part of that recovery capital.

Me: Does learning help people to build part of a new identity?

Maggy: Definitely. If you take anybody who doesn’t come from a background of substance use and enrol them on a cookery course they invite their friends around as soon as possible. I would say it’s definitely one part of being able to see themselves in a different way and a more positive way. It’s also about people being able to nurture themselves – especially in taking time to budget for good food. A lot of people haven’t experienced what it is to be nurtured.

Me: I agree that food is a part of nurturing yourself. What do you think of The Mini Cooking Club, whose aim is to teach essential cooking skills to those who are underprivileged?

Maggy: I think the Mini Cooking Club is a wonderful charity. Learning to cook on a budget is important, and part of working in this area is to understand what else we can deliver to clients, and how we support those who have very little money.

Me: What did you think was important after the workshop with Cecilia?

Maggy: I think it is a really important idea to help clients plan their meals and budget.  I think clients don’t understand how many calories they might need in a day and what a healthy snack is. It’s about structuring. We do a lot of helping clients structure their days.

Me: What did you think of Cecilia and what did you like?

Maggy: Training was very good and she was very relaxed and approachable trainer. She brought fun to it. I found the information about how misleading food packages can be really interesting. Nutrition can be quite complex. I thought it was good learning about how much fat and sugar we should be aiming for in the day and understanding how we can be misled by food industry and packaging.

Me: That’s great!

All in all, Cecilia’s workshops sound invaluable, and Evolve is an important organisation steadily making a difference in individual’s lives. In this short interview, I learned a lot about how using substances can negatively impact one’s health, and how focusing on healthy eating can bring about immensely positive changes. Hopefully more and more people will be able to access this information to make a positive difference in their lives. I’ll be keen to attend a nutrition workshop myself!

By Jessica Heath

Food Waste across the Food Supply Chain (FSC)

Food waste is an expression most people are familiar with, whether you’ve heard it on the news or the radio, read it the paper, or had it mentioned in a chat with the neighbours. Today, food waste is one of the major issues Western economies are tackling (although it is also a problem in developing and transitional countries). The term food waste or food loss refers to food thrown away or lost food that could have been used for human consumption instead.
 

But, how is food waste produced? The results of research so far highlights that food waste occurs at most stages of the Food Supply Chain (FSC), even at the beginning of production. For example, crop losses can occur before harvest due to pest infestations, climate conditions, or as a result of the use of harvesters which may damage the crops. During the post-harvest stage, food losses can occur in storage, as a result of humid and high temperatures fostering the germination of insects, pests and microorganisms. Such unfavourable environmental conditions also have a negative impact on the quality of food, altering its nutritional and caloric values and making it unfit for human consumption. These food losses chiefly concern developing countries, owing to food production systems which lack in appropriate and effective technologies, storage, technical skills, knowledge and infrastructures.
 

In developed countries, considerable quantities of food are wasted in retail. Many retail stores discard foods because of passing their use-by and sell-by dates, even though it is still edible. Even packaging, which is generally helpful in both preserving food and keeping it from damages may contribute to food waste, contaminating food that could be used to feed animals instead.
 

 However, the most significant food waste actually occurs at the end of FSC – at home. According to the conclusions of some studies (Exodus 2006; Brook Lyndhurst 2007; WRAP 2008/2009) carried out in UK and US and focusing on the reasons why food is wasted by consumers, food waste can be divided into two “consumers’ wasteful behavior” categories: the first category is often referred to as “leftovers” and concerns waste  occurring because of cooking or the serving too much food. The second one was labeled as “(Food) not used in time”, which includes waste produced when food passes its “use by” date.

Estimates report that approximately one third of the West’s food production is annually lost or wasted, and “an estimated 8.3 million tons of household food waste is produced each year in the UK”, equivalent to a yearly cost of £10.2 billion - about £250 to £400 per household (WRAP 2008). In 2010, food waste decreased by 13% to 7.2 million tons, but still corresponded to around one third of all food bought in the UK each year – meaning it could have theoretically fed half UK population.
 

Such figures inevitably raise ethical concerns. It is vital that a significant decrease of food waste is achieved across the FSC – but how can that be done? With regards developing economies, a potential solution would be large-scale financial investments, aimed at improving their production, transport and distribution systems. Conversely, in developed countries, this would require a shift in consumer behavior. In 2000 the government-funded West Resources Action Program (WRAP), was created to deal with the problem and promote reduction of food waste.
 

It has been intensified further by the launch of “Love Food, Hate Waste” campaign in 2007, who have suggested useful strategies to prevent food waste. They encourage individuals to understand date labels, plan their meals and what they want to buy in advance, and use leftovers to prepare other meals. For example, if you have some pasta, rice or vegetables leftover in the saucepan, why not make a delicious Italian “frittata” with them? On Love Food, Hate Waste website you will find varying tips and advices in more details, as well as a section dedicated to a selection of tasty and healthy recipes to tickle your appetite, challenge your creativity in the kitchen, and improve your cooking repertoire. A possible contribution to avoid wasting food could be made by everyone – and what a difference that would make.

 

By Erica Romano & Jessica Heath

Elderly Nutrition

A London fashion magazine recently hailed being in your 80’s to be the new 20’s!  This year, a host of octogenarians have appeared on the catwalks of New York and as stylish cover girls.  Certainly, these days, no one gives you a passport to join the blue rinse brigade when you get your pension. 

But if you’re one of the 10 million people aged over 65 in the UK – or a carer or relative of an older person - listen up.  Research has found that a staggering 97 per cent of people aged 65 and over aren’t getting their recommended vitamin intake. 

So if you want to be fending off the paparazzi next year, or simply to stay in your prime for longer, here are the Mini Cooking Club’s top foodie tips for the older generation:

           

     1. Did you know the thirst mechanism declines as you get older?

This is the ability that tells you when to drink water and if you can’t feel thirsty, you probably won’t be getting enough liquids.  Dehydration can lead to falls and other complications in older people.  Make sure you’re getting 8 glasses of liquid a day, even if it does mean more annoying trips to the loo.

2. Did you know as you notch up another candle on your birthday cake, your bone density is reducing?

Another natural part of ageing means your bones become less dense.  So when an older person falls, a simple tumble might mean a trip to the hospital.  What can be done about it?  Eat more calcium – and this doesn’t just mean milk and cheese, but greens like broccoli and spinach or even brazil nuts.  Taking care of this tricky issue will stave off fractures in the future.

3. Did you know as you age, your immune system naturally declines?

Older people are more susceptible to infection and catching a nasty flu bug in winter.  But you can fight back.  Eating your five-a-day, and a good mix of protein, carbs and greens will stand you in good stead when those coughs and colds start flying around...

4. Did you know if you’re less active, your appetite will go down?

If you’re over 65, there’s probably no way that you’re getting the same exercise you got when you were 20 – no matter how many catwalk turns you get asked to do!  And eating like a mouse won’t get the right amount of nutrients into your diet, so stay active to keep your appetite up.  This will also help to keep you ‘regular’, another thorny problem common in older people.

5. Did you know if you’re not getting out as much, you’re not getting as much sunlight and vital Vitamin  D?

Older people are more likely to spend time indoors which means few get the Vitamin D they need to maintain bone and heart health.  So try to eat more oily fish, eggs and cereals or take a supplement to boost your intake of this key vitamin.

We think you’ll look better and feel better if you follow our foodie tips, whether you’re working that ‘silver fox’ look in Paris or in your local Tescos... Happy eating!

By Paula 

Illustrating Delights

We came across Alexandra Rolfe’s portfolio accidentally. What caught our eye was her scrumptious food illustrations. On her website www.alexandrarolfe.com, Rolfe displays an exquisite menu of desserts that jump out of the screen to entice you.

Based in Essex, Alexandra Rolfe has recently finished her Bachelors in Illustration from Middlesex University. We met Rolfe in central London to discuss her work and why she has decided to draw food.

Alexandra Rolfe was born and raised in Essex. As an only child she grew up in a creative household. Her parents run a carpentry business and her mother always had creative flair. Alexandra tells us that her mother has always loved to paint: she once painted her room with Alice in Wonderland as a backdrop.

Immersed in fantasy, Alexandra took her A-levels in Art and Design. She admits that living in a creative household and seeing her mother paint encouraged her to take this route. She decided to study illustration at University, a choice both her parents encouraged her to take.

Even though Alexandra admits to not being much of a cook, her food drawings create a visual escapade that not only tickles the eye, but also tickles your appetite. However, drawing sweet things is not just a coincidence. Rolfe openly confesses to having a sweet tooth - one of the main inspirations behind her sweet drawings.

Her food portfolio began with her most popular illustration entitled ‘Winter Warmers’. She started drawing these as she wanted to illustrate what she wanted to eat. She then went on to draw macaroons and did so because of their popularity.

People’s reactions to her food illustrations were that they were delicious stimulating their appetite. For Alexandra this was encouraging and this was the intention - she wants people to have a “bit of fun and a laugh” with her images.

Alexandra intends to start focusing more on food because she enjoys drawing it as a subject but she also finds it as an excuse to eat it.  She uses life models to draw all her illustrations, taking her three to four hours to finish. During that time, Alexandra always finds it hard not to eat the item before finishing the illustration.

Apart from finding it challenging to stop herself from eating her models, Rolfe admits that drawing food does have technical challenges. She explains that it can be challenging to get the colours right. She also explains that she takes a step-by-step approach to drawing in a way that is similar to cooking - you start one way and take methodical steps whilst instilling creativity in order to achieve a master piece.

Alexandra’s plans for the future are to continue developing her food and pet portfolio and also to expand her greeting card range. You can  purchase some of her work here:  www.alexandrarolfe.com

Follow on Twitter: @Alexandarolfe

By Yancy Jensen