Last week was World Obesity Day and to mark the occasion researchers released global estimates of childhood and adolescent obesity levels. The publication of this data aimed to give a flavour of where we are with the health of children throughout the world and initiate action on tackling childhood obesity. The study pulled together data from 2,416 sources and this covered information on the height and weight of 128.9 million people aged 5 and over from 1975 to 2016.

Overall the data showed that globally the number of obese children increased by a factor of 10 from 1975 to 2016. If we put that into numbers the number of obese girls (aged 5 to 19) rose from 5 million in 1975 to 50 million in 2016, whilst the number of obese boys increased from 6 million to 74 million.

Interestingly, when we look at specific regions across the world, we see that Polynesia and Micronesia have the highest childhood obesity levels and the lowest levels are seen in south Asia and east Africa.

It was also noted that whilst there are high levels of obesity amongst children worldwide a significant number of children are moderately or severely underweight – 75 million girls and 117 million boys. The majority of these children are in South Asia, specifically India.

What’s happening in the Caribbean?

The Caribbean is also included in this study with 18 countries explored. This included Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia,  St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname.

When all the data for the Caribbean was pooled together, the data was somewhat promising in 5-9 year olds with the average BMI (Body Mass Index) for Caribbean boys and girls being on the lower end when compared to other countries. For example, the average BMI for girls aged 5-9 in the Caribbean was found to be about 16kg/m². This was the 6^th lowest out of 21 countries. The highest being about 20 kg/m² in Polynesia and Micronesia, the lowest being 14.5kg/m² in East Africa and South Asia.

When looking at the older age group of 10-19 year olds, the data is not so promising with Caribbean children being on the higher end of the scale. For example, the average BMI for Caribbean boys aged 10-19 was about 21.5 kg/m², the 6^th highest out of 21 countries. The highest being almost 24 kg/m² in Polynesia and Micronesia, the lowest being 18 kg/m2 in South Asia

As well as looking at the average BMI, the researchers explored the prevalence of obesity in different countries and again some countries in the Caribbean are ranked amongst the highest with countries like Bermuda and Puerto Rico having an obesity prevalence in girls of over 20%.

Conclusion

This work confirms what is widely known in the Caribbean and other countries, childhood obesity is a problem and needs to be tackled with some urgency. On paper the solution is easy: get children active and improve their diet, but in reality due to a number of factors such as culture, income, motivation and opportunity the solution is difficult and complex.

We all need to work together to determine how best we can address this problem by encouraging the Caribbean to see the benefits of their traditional way of life before Western culture and food were embraced. We have to make physical activity a part of life and turn back to home-grown, unrefined, home-made food.

The Lake Foundation aims to improve the health and well-being of the black community and to achieve this general aim a core part of our work is to get the black community more active.

Exercise can be very intimidating for many people and thus we sought to explore various options on how we could get people active in a way that could be incorporated into everyday life and would ultimately be fun.

Cycling is an interesting option as it is very practical and can be introduced into a person’s life as a method of transport (commuting to work), as a leisure activity (exploring the local area) and as a form of structured exercise.

We began our work by teaming up with the Cycling Instructor in 2014 to run a short-term initiative of bike-ability sessions aimed at the black community to teach basic cycling techniques and improve confidence. We worked with the Cycling Instructor for two summers and this proved very popular with us having to extend the sessions beyond their initial four-week period. With this in mind, we decided to build on the popularity of these sessions and we ran a cycling club, with funding from Sport England, from February 2016 to April 2017.

The need for our project

5.3% of the UK’s black population has type two diabetes (versus 1.7% of the white population), 33% suffer from high blood pressure, (compared to 16% of white adults), black African women have been found to have the highest prevalence of obesity, the black community is twice as likely to suffer from a stroke, is twice as likely to develop prostate cancer, is 2-3 times more likely to develop fibroids and as a result of their increased risk of diabetes are at increased risk of developing heart disease. One of the key lifestyle factors that tie these conditions together is physical activity.

Research has shown that the risk of developing these conditions can be reduced significantly by being more physically active, but unfortunately, studies have shown that over half of people from black and minority ethnic  (BME) groups do not take part in sports nor do they do any physical activity.

By increasing the number of BME people taking part in a sporting activity we can begin to address some of the health challenges that plague the black community, but we need to create better opportunities for the black community to take part in sports. To successfully achieve this we need to present the community with fun, engaging, practical and easily accessible sporting activities; cycling can do this.

According to TFL “BME groups, women, people from more deprived neighbourhoods, those with disabilities and older people are typically under-represented in cycling” and “the typical London cyclist is white, under 40 and male with a medium to high household income”. This means that there is a huge inequality in cycling but this creates a huge opportunity to introduce BME communities to cycling.

Through the bike-ability courses, we were able to show that if cycling is presented to members of the BME community without any barriers (bikes and helmets provided) they will happily take up this activity and easily meet the government’s recommended amount of physical activity.

To ensure that our BME community kept cycling beyond the short bike-ability sessions we needed a sustainable long-term opportunity for them to cycle and our cycling club provided this.

Overview of the Cycling Club Project

Aims and Objectives

The aims of our cycling club project were to:

• Increase the number of people from a BME background who cycle regularly
• Improve attendees’ confidence in cycling
• Provide opportunities for members to develop in cycling
• Introduce the BME community to a fun and easy way to achieve the recommended amount of physical activity

We achieved the above by:

• Running two-hour cycling sessions every 2^nd and 4^th Saturday of the month
• Providing direction from experienced instructors and encouraging  members to take part in national and local cycling events
• Making each session engaging and encouraging members to develop good friendships within the group. Each cycling session involved fun routes that allowed members to discover the beauty of their local area but also challenged members. We had socials to encourage relationships to be built that centred around cycling
• Ensuring that each session was definitely two hours so that members participated in a significant amount of physical activity.

Outcomes

Our project progressed well, the targeted number of participants for our project was 18 and we had 23 participants join our club over the 14-month period.

Outcome 1: Improved confidence in cycling

We hired trained experienced instructors from the organisation Cycling Instructor to lead sessions and provide participants with training on cycling techniques. This included cycling in traffic, hand signals, making sure bikes are road-worthy, cycling off-road and on-road and cycling uphill. This meant that members were given a good foundation when it comes to proper cycling technique and this has helped improve their confidence.  Members completed feedback forms and before joining the club 10% felt not confident at all, 30% felt a little confident, 20% felt confident and 20% felt very confident with cycling. A year after joining our club only 9% of members felt a little confident whilst 45% of members felt confident and 36% felt very confident,  with one member saying:

“I’m not a regular cyclist but it [the club] gives me confidence, particularly, on the roads”

Outcome 2: Provided opportunities for members to develop in cycling

Having sessions with experienced instructors helped develop the cycling skills of our club members and we also challenged members through extended 4-hour rides to Chislehurst Caves and the Olympic Stadium, and also several uphill routes. Additionally, we encouraged members to take part in local and national cycling events such as the Croydon Interfaith Cycle Ride, the Crystal Palace Road to Rio Ride and others. One member of our group took part in the London to Brighton ride, which was the first time she had participated in such an event, she said:

“I barely could cycle very far but after a few months of cycling with the club I was able to cycle 20-23 miles” – Sam, Cycling Club Member

We asked members how much they feel their cycling technique has improved since joining the club and 45% said their technique had improved a lot, 36% said their technique improved somewhat, 9% said it improved a little and 9% said they didn’t know.

Outcome 3:  Introduced the BME community to cycling

The majority of people that attended our cycling club were from a BME background – 20 out of 23 were from a BME background, some of whom didn’t cycle regularly before joining our group. Before joining the group 18% had never cycled, 18% cycled once or twice a year, 27% cycled monthly, 27% cycled weekly and 9% cycled more than 5 days in a week. Through our club we have introduced cycling to some (18%) and the club ensured that the others engaged more regularly in cycling.

Some keys to success

Our project worked well due to the excellent freelance cycling instructors we hired who were very experienced and made each session very enjoyable. They found interesting routes each time, and the sessions were informative with members learning about cycling techniques, so it was a good balance of fun, exercise and instruction.

Additionally, we recruited a cycling coordinator who was very warm, friendly and encouraging this provided a really good atmosphere at each session. She ensured everything ran smoothly, being the point of contact for members and instructors and she worked well with the instructors to plan each route. She also organised socials for members which were well-attended and this gave members the opportunity to get to know each other. Importantly our coordinator was a member of the BME community and a keen cyclist.

Conclusion

Similar to the short bike-ability courses we have been able to show that if cycling is presented to members of the BME community without any barriers (bikes and helmets provided) they will happily take up this activity and easily meet the government’s recommended amount of physical activity.

One important point to note is that the social aspect of the club was very important. We found that many club members didn’t cycle in-between sessions nor did they cycle when sessions were cancelled. When we probed further we found that members liked cycling as a group activity and valued the time spent with others. It would appear that our group of BME cyclists looked at cycling as more of a leisure activity rather than a method of transport or structured exercise. This suggests that to encourage more people from a BME background to cycle, projects that promote cycling for leisure rather than for commuting and exercise are more likely to appeal to the BME community; and these projects would need to be group activities that promote social interaction.

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We are very grateful to Sport England for funding this project and Cycling Instructor for their advice and support.

In this week’s blog, our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah explores the health of our finances and gives us all a few  points to consider if we’re aiming to improve our financial health

Welcome back to The Lake Foundation! On this platform you can expect a plethora of articles relating to your physical health and mental health. This week we’re going to do things a bit differently and look at financial health but more specifically, habits concerning your finances. Now for those of you that are still not sold as to why your financial habits are important let me tell you this: according to the Mental Health Foundation being in debt can trigger anxiety or depression, which can open the door to a whole host of other mental and physical illnesses.

In my own experience crafting healthy habits when it comes to finances is about more than having the right systems in place – you need to have will power! And that was not something I had much of. I remember a time when I had saved enough money to clear a credit card. After speaking to my mother, who had managed to clear all her debts off early on in life, I knew that I had to cancel this card. So I called my bank ready to cancel this card, ready to break free, but of course after a 45-minute phone call instead of cancelling the card as my mother instructed, I ended up upgrading the credit account and in a few days I received a shiny new piece of plastic. Suffice to say that some people find it easier to break free from debt but I’m certainly not one of them.

For those of you that are certain that you’re above such behaviour here are a few habits from Sarah Coles, a personal finance analyst, that might have become so ingrained in the way that you handle your finances that you can’t even see past them.

Casually dipping into debt

The odd few times of dipping into your overdraft doesn’t seem bad at first but it does make it easier for you to keep on going back. Sarah notes that the key to this habit is drawing up a household budget and identifying the regular costs that you can cut. This may mean being far more selective when it comes to shopping for groceries, expensive media packages and gym memberships. And for all of the students out there just know that when you’re done with your degree that ‘student’ over draft will be even harder to get rid of because employers unfortunately, won’t be lining up to pay you a six figure salary!

Only paying the minimum amount back on your borrowing

Surviving by just paying the minimum amount each month is how so many of us are lulled into a false sense of security. By paying off the debt at such a slow pace we are indeed just racking up more interest. If you have a significant balance it may be worth switching in in order to cut interest rated for the time being. However, if you choose to do this it’s important that you realise that the switch was simply a mechanism for debt repayment.

 Forgetting about your savings

Forgetting about your savings is an expensive habit to form as rates on such accounts are likely to become less competitive. The best way to avoid such a mistake is to regularly check what you are earning on your savings and if the rate is no longer competitive then it’s times for you to make a switch.

 Putting plans off

 When dealing with your finances it’s so easy to think that your debts are a problem for the future and not for the present. The ugly truth is that soon enough the future you had once envisioned will one day soon become your present, and as you never put a physical plan in place for paying off your debts, they will continue to follow you around like an unsightly rash.

Do you have healthy financial habits? Or, do you think you need help in that area?

Comment down below, we would love to hear from you!

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Stacey Mensah is not a financial advisor nor does she claim to be. Before changing the way, you handle your finances it’s important to seek the help of a professional.

In this week’s blog our guest blogger, freelance journalist, Stacey Mensah, asks the question: ‘Are you getting enough exercise?’ and explores the barriers to exercise.

A poll has estimated that Britons spend twice as long on the toilet every week as they do exercising. With adults clocking up an average of three hours and nine minutes on their loos every week. This is serious business! Now to some this isn’t really going to mean anything and others frankly would not want to know. However, the reason why we’re making this comparison is to show the stark differences between the two activities and why we should be doing one of them for a lot longer. With the NHS recommending we perform 150 minutes’ worth of exercise each week, it makes me wonder what could be the possible barriers towards reaching this goal and if it in fact is enough.

Having lived in a cosmopolitan city for the majority of my years I can say with ease that exercising for 30 minutes a day is more than probable. And just remember that this is coming from a person who would choose the escalator over the stairs every single time! When the NHS is talking about moderate exercise this includes brisk walking – can I get a hallelujah! That sprint to catch the train, the light jog to the meeting and even the walk to pub for after work drinks’ count. But here is the dose of reality – the office treats, the regular intake of alcohol and your hate for vegetables isn’t doing you any favours. For those of us that like to indulge in the naughtier items on the menu we should also be willing to increase our doses of daily exercise.

But let’s be real that doesn’t always happen! UKactive has found that one of the biggest barriers to exercise were busy working lives which was followed by family commitments. At certain phases in my life I have found myself several days into my week without having worked out or done any significant bouts of exercise. When the delivery driver, waitress or restaurant manager knows me by name and order the I know it’s time to switch a few things up.

According to the organisation, a lack of exercise claims over 30,000 lives each year and costs the UK £20 billion. I know to some working professionals working out in groups or having someone to be accountable to helps them to stick to their goals. A personal trainer, a nutritionist or even just an active Instagram feed bulging with fitness pictures is enough for some. And it seems as though 41%* of 18 to 24-year-olds prefer using social media as a source of motivation, as it encourages them to head down to the gym.

Although there has been much attention in regards to young people and exercise, chief knowledge officer to the NHS, professor Sir Muir Gray offers a sentiment that we all need to be reminded of: “People often think exercise is only for young people, but older adults are the people who stand to gain most from the mental, social and physical benefits of being active”.

How many hours of exercise do you get every week? What challenges do you face? We would love to hear from you…

We recently moved to St Kitts (more about this later!) and were warmly welcomed to the Caribbean by two very intense hurricanes, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.  In the lead up to the hurricanes the media headlines were, as you would expect, attention grabbing ( “super storm”, “the beast”, “deadly” , “catastrophic”)  creating a lot of anxiety for those of us about to be faced with two of the strongest hurricanes of the season.  As I reflect on my experience of these hurricanes it got me thinking: ‘how can we get through not just physical weather-based storms, but the storms of life with our mental well-being intact?’

What my experience of being faced with “the beast” (Hurricane Irma) and “another deadly storm” (Hurricane Maria) has taught me is that whilst the world around you may feed your fear, create confusion and leave you mentally exhausted, you are not powerless, you can take certain steps to ensure you get through the storm without being mentally battered so that you can effectively deal with the run-up, the storm itself and then its aftermath.

 What the hurricanes taught me can be summarised with four p’s:

•           Planning and Preparation
•           Perspectives
•           Perseverance
•           Perfecting

Planning and Preparation

Atlantic hurricanes are interesting, we see the storms coming. Like many other storms, they don’t just appear out of nowhere. They  start weeks in advance on the west coast of Africa as tiny little weather systems that seem insignificant, but if we take a closer look we see the tell-tale signs that something  is brewing.  When we look at the storms of life, many of them do appear out of nowhere but a significant number are like hurricanes, they don’t just materialise out of nowhere, if we look at the signs we can tell something is wrong.

This means we can plan and prepare for many storms. We can take some time to understand what is approaching us. We can go deep, go beyond the headlines of “deadly” and “the beast” and come up with a prediction of what this hurricane is going to do, where is it likely to go and then plan and prepare – am I going to evacuate and avoid the situation or am I going to ride it out and confront it head on?

Evacuation is, at times, the best option. The storm is so deadly that really there is nothing else you can do but carry out a risk assessment and say: ‘Well, I need to get out of the way.’ You avoid getting hurt personally, but those nearest and dearest may get caught in the storm and its aftermath and you’ll have to help them pick up the pieces.

Riding it out and confronting the storm head on is a hard one as you have to make a judgement as to which storms to confront, but this option gives you the best opportunity for personal growth and strengthening your character. For success with this option you can’t just hope for the best, you have to plan and this starts with deep understanding. Do you understand the storm and how it got here? Do you know all the possible paths the storm could take and all the possible outcomes? What might the aftermath look like? Who will get hit by the storm? Who are the vulnerable people?  Once you have an understanding then the planning and preparation starts. With hurricanes, there are clear preparation procedures to help the public get through the storm, for example: stock up on enough  drinking water and non-perishable foods to last 1-2 weeks;  have enough additional water for personal hygiene matters; if you’re on medication have enough medication for about a month; make sure your house has good hurricane protection features (hurricane shutters) etc.

We too have to come up with a plan for whatever problem we face, this involves putting our emotions aside and being very logical, asking some key questions and coming up with the right plan to deal with our personal storm.

The benefit of planning is that it takes away the fear and anxiety of the unknown. We’re not swayed by what everyone says, we’ve done our analysis and we know what needs to be done. We have some peace of mind.

Perspectives

Another lesson that Hurricanes Irma and Maria taught me was the power of speaking to people who have been through a few storms of their own and come through victoriously.  Sometimes we forget that we are not the first to weather the storm and we certainly won’t be the last. What’s their secret? How do they navigate storms so well? – planning and preparation.

As we tried to prepare for the hurricanes, it was the little tips from those who had been there before that really helped:

The neighbour who said: “fill up the bath with water, this way you have lots of water to flush the toilet, brush your teeth, wash up dishes and have a wash – the water company may have to turn off the water for days .” – very practical tip

The real estate agent who said: “don’t panic, these storms are not as bad as they say, you’ll be fine” – very reassuring

The insurance broker: “fill up the car with gas, fill up the washing machine with water (you can never have enough water) and pray, God will take you through” – very practical and a reminder that God is in control.

The family friend: “make sure all your devices are charged and your phone is topped up with enough money so you can make contact should you need help” – another practical tip

When we’re faced with a storm, getting different perspectives from trusted people who have been through a few storms is invaluable.

Perseverance

Hurricanes are long! It feels like they’ll never end. From the time the weather starts to deteriorate to the end of the storm takes about 24 hours. It feels like a lifetime! Imagine 24 hours of extremely strong winds and rain. It’s scary and it’s tough mentally.

How do you get through the actual storm? You have to persevere.  Persevering through a hurricane means: taking care of yourself (you have to eat, sleep and relax); keeping occupied so the storm doesn’t consume you, taking stock (Is our plan working? Do we have everything we need? Is everyone in my household ok?); making good use of the calm periods and appreciating the moment (strange as it may seem, some parts of the storm can be enjoyable or can provide time for personal reflection)

Perfecting

After the hurricane, there is plenty of time to evaluate what worked well and what didn’t and you can use this information to perfect your approach to the next storm.  Don’t ride the storm in vain; let it be a learning experience so that it makes you stronger next time.

Hurricane Lee is just around the corner and we pray that it by-passes the Caribbean, but if it doesn’t we now feel equipped to ride it out, although it’ll be very draining after two hurricanes in two weeks!

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Message from The Lake Foundation:

The Lake Foundation recognises that St Kitts was spared the full force of Hurricanes Irma and Maria whilst other islands were directly hit. Our thoughts and prayers are with those islands who have sadly lost so much and we have donated supplies to the Salvation Army to help with the relief effort. This article doesn’t aim to trivialise the experience of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria but aims to encourage reflection on life’s emotional storms.

We encourage everyone to make a donation to the Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria relief efforts particularly to efforts being made to rebuild the British Virgin Islands, Barbuda, Dominica and St Martin who were hit directly by the hurricanes and sustained significant damage.

Hey folks, Stacey Mensah, our guest blogger, is back and this week she reflects on the need for a bit of ‘me time’

Thinking of yourself isn’t selfish – it’s necessary. In a world where different mediums are competing for our attention as soon as we wake up, it’s important to take the time to refuel. And unfortunately, I had to learn this the hard way. I recently worked for a company that required me to work extensive hours and at first, I didn’t have a problem with that. It’s only when I began to blur the line between the social and professional that I realized how taxing this was on my health. And by that, I mean every single night I was taking the work home.

Now for all of the journalists out there, I agree this is a by-product of the path we’ve chosen to take, but something has got to give. When it’s 4 in the morning and all you can think about is your rundown – knowing full well that all of the members of your team are fast asleep that’s when you know you have to re-prioritize a few things. Couple this with the fact that I was on first name basis with a couple of UberEats delivery drivers who practically became family, that’s when I knew that I needed to go back to basics.

So, what exactly are the basics? We’re talking about trying to avoid the complicated ways of doing things. One of the major ways I like to do this is by writing to do lists. They are my way of getting down everything that needs to be done and I’m usually always able to schedule in some ‘me time’ as writing the list allows me to be efficient with my time during the day. ‘Me time’ could be something as simple as taking a 5-minute walk, a period of reflection at the end of the day or even getting in some quality rest and relaxation. Some people find the idea of ‘me time’ as an alien concept, but to others, it’s the only way they are able to give their best at work. In case my story hasn’t compelled you enough to take some time out of your busy schedule, just know that if you factor in eating unhealthily and sleeping poorly, to say that you would not be doing yourself any favours is an understatement. Is this really practical in this day and age? For those who live in London or a big city, you may feel as though it is so cut throat that the only option you have is to dedicate every waking hour working towards that next big objective, but sooner or later it hits us all.

Ultimately, not prioritizing ‘me time’ means losing yourself in the long run – you lose that vavavoom, that je ne sais quoi! And, your health and well-being takes a big hit. Treat yourself as a vessel. There is no way you can pour into others if you’re running on empty. So take some time to refuel because life is hard enough when you’re running on a full tank.

Do you take time for yourself? Do you think it’s necessary? Comment down below…

In this blog we hear from the creators of a new tool to improve the wellbeing of children and adults.

Being ‘switched on’ 24/7 to all kinds of connected technology and social media such as Snapchat and Instagram, is now the norm especially for young adults and many children. It seems almost as vital as breathing. But with the increasing publicity showing the huge rise in anxiety and stress levels in these same groups, maybe it’s time to look at some alternative ways of connecting well, that can help to reduce some of this excess stress and anxiety.

More and more studies are showing that getting into the habit of taking ‘down time’ for yourself each day can lead to some unexpected ‘connections’ especially when combined with a few simple effective daily practices, among them: daily gratitude and random acts of kindness. These have been found to:

• nurture positive qualities,
• improve your emotional intelligence which can improve relationships,
• improve performance,
• reduce excess stress and so help to
• support emotional well-being.

These daily practices are used by thousands of people worldwide every day from top sports personalities, business professionals, senior citizens to children.

‘My Time to S.U.R.B.* A Journal to Nurture Balance’ is a guided daily journal created to introduce older children and young adults, to these same simple, effective practices to make connections in unexpected ways not only with others but with themselves too. It combines these practices with inspirational quotes and also captures the benefits that studies have found come from daily journal writing – memory improvement, self- discipline, learning to focus on goals and some aspects of mindfulness.

“My Time to S.U.R.B” has been piloted by children and adults over the last couple of months and the feedback has been very positive:

“My daughter took part in the pilot of this journal and having read through it I decided to follow along as well. We found that it helped us to connect with each other more also when my daughter chose to share some of her thoughts from her pages, I understood much better the pressures she has been feeling from the need to perform well in school exams, sports and at home”– Di, South London.

“I think the booklet would be a very useful tool for adolescents and older children in primary schools. It would help them focus on something positive and recognise strengths and qualities that they can nurture while being more inclusive and respectful of others (and let’s face it this society needs a bit of that at the moment).” – Luisa, Lead School Counsellor, North London.

“It has helped me to try to listen more to my mum and sometimes think what I can do to help someone else” – Kai, London.

“After using the journal for just the first couple of weeks I find myself giving more thought to the kind of person I want to become and how I can help myself to become that person. I also love the feature of quotes throughout the journal” – Katy, Essex

We hope the journal will encourage older children and young people to help create balance in their lives through using simple, effective practices.

For further information please contact Nina at: johnsm2643@gmail.com or telephone: 07900 215 914. Alternatively you can visit their website here

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Sources: The Observe (Guardian) ; University of Toronto; Harvard Health Publications

We’re delighted to have our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, back for more musings on healthy living. This week Stacey asks the question: ‘Should we really be eating meat?’

Should we really be eating meat? A question that I have personally battled with, time and time again. I first became interested in vegetarianism a few years ago when I was simply trying to shed a few extra pounds. My logic was that if I cut out all of these meat products then that would automatically mean that I would lose weight. I was wrong. I chose to replace those foods with unhealthy substitutes as well as stocking up on carbs but that’s a different blog post entirely. I then visited veganism a few months ago as I began watching documentaries and reading up on the composition and nutrition of particular food groups. Surprisingly till this day I still eat meat. However, I have seen a great decline in my consumption and I would go as far as to label myself a pescatarian. I would not be surprised if I became a vegan in the next 2 years or even the next six months.

Many groups have stipulated that the rise in veganism, especially in teenagers is due to Instagram and social media. Now as a millennial I see that as incredibly reductionist and also quite lazy. It’s so simple to hold social media responsible especially if it is feeding into the already negative rhetoric around the millennial and the obsession around social media. Instagram does play a role but so does YouTube, documentaries and books. Various platforms have played different roles for different people.

A 2015 World Health Organisation study found that red meat was classified as Group 2A and could probably be carcinogenic; meaning that red meat has the potential to cause cancer. The classification however is based on limited evidence. Processed meat however, i.e. bacon, salami, hot dogs etc has been classified as Group 1. This means that there is sufficient evidence that highlights the connection between processed meat and cancer.  This disease is really one of many that has been linked to eating meat and animal products. One of the major risks associated with the consumption of meat is the fact that they carry diseases and that factory farmed animals may contain toxic chemicals.

I’m sure we all managed to hear about the Dutch egg scandal that saw over 500,000 eggs contaminationed with the insecticide called Fipronil. With scandals like this in the media every so often many have decided to take their health into their own hands because for the most part you don’t know what you’re putting into your own body. With constant streams of information like this coming to light, people are asking themselves the question: Is it worth it ? And of course, many have decided against it.

For those that have continued to eat meat this could be for a variety of reasons including taste, lifestyle, training, the list is endless. Choosing to not eat meat is a largely health conscious decision but for others it could possibly be cultural, medical or simply all that they have ever known. This debate is definitely not black and white. With some groups confessing that meat eaters are happier and the other group advocating the rights of animals, just like any other important debate you should educate yourself. The controversy around eating meat requires the very same. No one is going to hold a gun to your head because you decided to opt for the steak but you should at least be aware of what consuming meat products is doing to your system.

In this week’s blog post Stacey Mensah discusses the misleading marketing strategies that influence our decisions about the food we eat using milk as an example.

I’m sure that we can all agree that knowledge is power. I would like to take it one step further however, and suggest that applied knowledge is power, especially when dealing with the various amounts of marketing strategies that tell you what you should be feeding your family and why. Now as this is a safe space so let me share something with you all. I don’t know why but for some reason my millennial brain is attracted to the most outrageous marketing gimmicks. I’ve spent ludicrous amounts on various types of water and that was only because one was in a can, the other was in a box and the last one was black. I mean really, Stacey? Four years of university education and this is what you’re contemplating. But thankfully over the years I’ve grown a lot smarter, and I think society has in general. We are more aware now than ever of what we are putting in our bodies.

An example of a misleading marketing strategy would be that of dairy. Growing up my mum would constantly rattle on about drinking more milk so that I could have strong bones when I grow up. Every child in the playground would be sipping on their milk cartons, or perhaps two, if they had managed to barter with a fellow classmate, everyone was quite blissfully unaware. Fast forward a couple of years and the consumption of milk has dramatically declined. This can be seen in the sale of milk as sales have declined by £240 million. There are now dairy alternatives that many more of us are now opting for. When looking back I realise the power of advertising because I now recall the children’s adverts promoting milk as the key to calcium to the point where many of us, with myself include,  thought that you could only get calcium from milk and boy was I wrong! Did you know that there is more calcium in Kale than there is in milk ? Now that’s something…

As a society I believe we are getting more educated about what we are putting in our bodies. The rise of alternative lifestyles including the vegan diet and the paleo diet shows that people are no longer willing to consume so much processed foods due to the way it makes them feel afterwards and because of ethical reasons. I, myself, can no longer consume dairy as I have a hard time breathing once it has been consumed. It’s all well when you say I’m going to have a cheat day but if you consistently keep eating what doesn’t agree with you, sooner or later you will pay the price. Now this is such a hypocritical statement coming from me as I’m known to be quite indulgent – but let’s roll with it. In ‘theory’ this is what we all should be doing.

A recent documentary called, ‘What The Health’, has got everyone talking and has even converted a few people to veganism. This is a documentary in which they lay bare the secrets of the food industry. This is a must watch for anyone who cares about  what they are putting into their body. I personally found it incredibly insightful and wouldn’t rule the vegan lifestyle out completely. Since watching the documentary I have seen a reduction in my consumption of meat which has been quite surprising to be honest.

With something as complex as diet there is no singular answer. My one piece of advice is this: read, watch, listen. Read articles and studies on the affects of animal products or any foods you want to consume. Just make sure that it’s contributing to your inner health and not simply satisfying a temporary craving. Watch – YouTube is your best friend when it comes to this. You have people across the world who are sharing their stories with you. They are doing the hard work so you don’t have too. And finally, listen to professionals and always seek more than one opinion.

Feel free to comment down below and let us know what you think about the documentary we mentioned…

On 9^th July, we had a great time at the third annual Croydon Inter-Faith Bike Ride organised by  Faiths Together in Croydon. This is the only bike ride of its kind that brings different faiths and cultures together.

This was a well-attended event which attracted a diversity of people – old, young, different ethnicities and of course people from various religious backgrounds.

 We started the ride at Croydon Arena where about 20 of us set off for the Box Park in central Croydon where we were met by 15 more riders, and were treated to a free drink and snack (yay!).

Whilst at the Box Park we were welcomed by the Leader of the Council, Tony Newman, and Councillor Hamida Ali who spoke about the importance of this event in bringing people together to create a more positive atmosphere to combat some of the negative events of the past few months.

After our little break at the Box Park we cycled to the Croydon Gurdwara where we received a very friendly welcome and were invited inside for refreshments and a short interesting talk about the Sikh faith. We then carried on with our ride cycling through Addiscombe and made our next stop at the Croydon Synagogue. Here we were once again warmly welcomed with refreshments and then were delighted to hear from the synagogue’s rabbi who told us about the history of the Jewish community in Croydon, provided an overview of the Jewish faith and took questions.

The ride ended with the group making their way from the synagogue to Park Hill for a picnic. Sadly we missed the picnic, but have since heard a great time was had by all who attended with more people joining the group including the Mayor of Croydon.

We really enjoyed the interfaith bike ride. This was a perfect opportunity for the community to get active, come together and learn about each other’s faith and culture. We’d like to say a big thank you to Faiths Together in Croydon and Croydon Council for organising this event. We’d also like to say a big thank you to the Croydon Gurdwara and Croydon Synagogue for their warm welcome.

Look out for next year’s event on the Faiths Together in Croydon’s website. We may see you next time!