Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition

Last Friday, our Cooking Leaders were guided through the Eat Well Plate (pictured below) with Steffie, a public health nutritionist working for the NHS. Referring to food groups (rather than nutrients), we discussed the importance of balancing our menus with all types of food and talked about how to tailor the Eat Well Plate to be compatible to those on a specific diet, such as dairy-free, or with particular health issues, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. I didn’t realise that white fish wasn’t as oily as tuna, sardines and mackerel or that soya milk has natural oestrogen in it.


We also talked about portion sizes, and it was really interesting to learn that the faster you eat, the less you are aware of the fact that perhaps you’re getting rather full! Our training session also taught us about the Model Of Change, which is the process by which we can alter a habit. It's a wheel that shows the decision-making stages you go through to make a change and relates to almost everything that we do in life: thinking about a change, preparing for it, taking action, making it permanent or lapsing back into old habits. All manner of factors can cause a lapse, and it's perfectly normal; what's important is getting back on track and recognising your potential.

The Cooking Leaders also now know about all the free NHS courses, resources and services that are available to the public and we have phone numbers for health trainers and support groups should we need them. Fascinating. I’d no idea so much was available!

Adele