We are delighted to introduce you to our Founder, Abi Begho.  In the video below Abi tells us a bit about herself, our work and what inspired her to start The Lake Foundation.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle is hard and one of the biggest hurdles many of us face when attempting to turn to a healthy diet is…sugar (cane sugar). We love sugar, we put it in and on almost everything and of course there is hidden sugar, the sugar that has been unnecessarily added to many processed foods.

After years of being conditioned to depend on sugar many of us are addicted and this sugar addiction has created a number of health challenges with our love of sugar being linked to type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) and obesity.

Reducing our sugar consumption is tough and many of us have tried various strategies. These have included switching from white sugar to brown sugar because we mistakenly think it is healthier but white sugar and brown sugar are very similar, i.e. they provide no nutritional benefit, consist of sucrose and fructose and provide us with quick energy. White sugar is slightly more processed because it is bleached to achieve its colour and brown sugar contains molassess but the bottom line is that high consumption of both brown and white sugar is bad for our health and should be avoided.

Other strategies many employ to reduce their sugar intake include switching to other sweeteners like honey and synthetic sweeteners but again these are not ideal.  Honey is better than cane sugar in that it contains small amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B, calcium and iron (I stress SMALL amounts), it has a lower glycaemic (50 versus 64-68 for brown/white sugar) and so it doesn’t raise our blood glucose levels as fast as cane sugar and research has suggested it is good for our immune system . But, honey is 70-80% sugar and contains more calories than cane sugar so it has to be consumed in moderation. The advice from many nutritionists is that if you don’t have any underlying health issues (diabetes or any issues with your metabolism) then having honey occasionally is ok.

Synthetic sweeteners are also used by many as they have no calories and don’t adversely affect blood glucose levels. Whilst most synthetic sweeteners have been deemed safe by food regulators there are mixed feelings about these products. Early studies linked some sweeteners to cancer and other health conditions but these studies have been refuted with organisations like the National Cancer Institute and the Cancer Research UK stating that they pose no danger to our health. With this in mind use of these products is down to personal preference and how confident an individual feels about the long-term effects of synthetic sweeteners. It is a good option from the point of view of blood sugar levels and calories but if you’d  prefer to stay away from highly processed products then this is not a good option.

There are some newish natural alternatives such as agave nectar and stevia. Agave nectar  has a much lower glycaemic  index (GI is 15) than both white and brown sugar (GI ranges from 65-68) as well as honey (GI is 50), but there are concerns over its high fructose levels which can lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Therefore there are questions over whether the benefits of its low glycaemic index are cancelled out by its high fructose content (70-90%) so it’s probably best to avoid agave nectar altogether because as Dr Johnny Bowden has said “Agave syrup is basically high-fructose corn syrup masquerading as health food”

Stevia-based sweeteners are made from the stevia plant and contain no calories. Their sweetness comes from the presence of glycosides which are not stored in our body and are rapidly excreted.  Stevia-based sweeteners have a glycaemic index of zero and hence have no negative effectives on our blood sugar or insulin nor does it contribute to obesity and cardiovascular disease with researchers  writing in The Open Obesity Journal  that “Stevia leaf extract and their constituent phytonutrients promote caloric balance and can be beneficial components of a  healthy dietary lifestyle”

The main components of stevia-based sweeteners are stevia glycosides and safety tests have shown that they pose no harm to our health. There have been concerns over the long-term effects of whole-leaf and crude extracts of stevia, the misrepresentation of stevia-like products which are not stevia but highly refined stevia preparations and the additives that are included in some stevia products.  The recommendation is: if you are going to try stevia  do your research and opt for a high quality product.  A high quality stevia-based product appears to be one of the healthiest alternatives to sugar.

Finally, we’d like to talk about coconut palm sugar which we were recently introduced to at a health and wellbeing day by Mother Nature. Coconut palm sugar is made from the sap of the coconut. It is healthier than cane sugar due to its significantly lower glycaemic index (GI is 35 versus 64-68 for white/brown sugar). It also contains small amounts of fibre, zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, short chain fatty acids, phytonutrients and antioxidants, but it does contain fairly high levels of fructose (35-45%). As mentioned previously high levels of fructose have been linked to diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity and metabolic syndrome. The levels of fructose in coconut palm sugar are lower than white sugar (50%) and agave nectar (70-90%) so in this respect it is also better than white sugar and agave nectar. If you need a sweetener and you’d like to have it from a source that is unprocessed then this is a better and  healthier alternative than white cane sugar, but should be consumed moderately due to its fructose content.

The take home message is we should really be avoiding sugar no matter what form it comes in due to its negative effect on our health. If we do need to sweeten the food we eat then a healthy option is using high quality stevia. Alternatively, if you have no underlying blood sugar problem you could occasionally opt for a good quality honey or coconut palm sugar.

Friday 20^th March is International Day of Happiness, a day that focuses on getting everyone to consider what we need to do to be genuinely happy and thus improve our mental wellbeing and live a fulfilling life.

The Lake Foundation believes this is an extremely important day which should be a time to reflect on the positive in a very negative climate.  We need to make it a priority to improve our mental wellbeing by finding a way and a reason to be happy. Research has shown that happiness and health are connected with happiness having a positive effect on our health. Additionally people with a positive (happy) outlook on life have a better outcome when  ill. So, there are health benefits to being happy.

What can we do to live a happier life? Based on research, Action for Happiness has put together ten things we can all do to live a happier and more fulfilling life and this is summarised in the diagram below.

This International Day of Happiness let’s commit to living a happy life by attempting follow these ten tips. A great way to start this is by getting involved in the #GlobalHappyParty. The UN Foundation and Pharrell Williams are inviting everyone to their Happy Party. We’ve taken part and you can too!  Let’s get the whole world dancing for a happy planet!

We are absolutely delighted to be featured in the debut edition of AFRO RETRO  magazine, which was officially published on 14th March 2015.

AFRO RETRO magazine aims to celebrate Afro-Caribbean and African culture with a view to enlightening future generations about the richness of African culture and history.  The magazine focuses primarily on showcasing black history, Afrocentric businesses and African writers, fashion designers and chefs.

We are honoured to be featured in the first edition of this excellent magazine and would like to thank the editors for giving us this opportunity to raise awareness of our work.

You can read the first edition of below.

On Saturday, we attended the Croydon Tabernacle Women’s Breakfast to deliver presentations on both breast cancer and fibroids.  This was a lovely event that brought together the women of Croydon Tabernacle to discuss important health issues over a delicious breakfast.

We were given a one hour slot to discuss two important health conditions. We started with breast cancer and gave attendees some background discussing what is cancer, what happens in breast cancer, the different types of breast cancer, stages, diagnosis, treatment, risk factors and current statistics.  Once we had set the scene with a bit of background we then provided attendees with information on what they can do to prevent breast cancer or ensure an early diagnosis. Here we focused on three areas, understanding the signs and symptoms, taking part in breast cancer screening and adopting a healthy lifestyle.  We finished the breast cancer session with a lively Q&A and then moved on to fibroids.

Wonderful programme. Very educational, informative and interesting. I learnt a lot – Bosola

For our fibroids session we covered what are fibroids, the types of fibroids, causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, facts and figures and prevention. It was stressed that fibroids are not usually life-threatening but can be very painful and affect fertility. We discussed the importance of understanding the risk factors and symptoms and that if they have symptoms they should visit their doctor. Information was also given on the lifestyle changes that women can make to reduce their risk of developing fibroids – being more active and eating a healthy diet.  Furthermore we noted that fibroids are more common in black women and when black women develop fibroids they tend to be more aggressive, bigger, multiple and develop at a younger age than their white counterparts.

We finished off our presentation by stressing that if women are diagnosed with fibroids they should ensure they have enough information to make an informed decision about how they’d like to manage and treat their fibroids. Women were advised to speak to a gynaecologist who specialises in fibroids to get the best possible advice.

After our session, Pastor Yinka Ayeni gave an excellent, inspiring presentation on self-esteem.

We thoroughly enjoyed this event and would like to thank Croydon Tabernacle for inviting us to attend and for their very warm welcome.

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in the UK giving us the perfect opportunity to focus some attention on a disease that gets very little attention. In this week’s blog we would like to share the key things that you need to know about ovarian cancer.

Ovarian Cancer is the 5^th most common cancer in the UK with 7,000 new cases diagnosed each year.  Unfortunately it is the biggest gynaecological killer with just under 4,300 women dying from ovarian cancer each year. Survival rates are pretty poor with only 43% of women surviving  beyond 5 years of their diagnosis compared to 85% of breast cancer patients.  There are many reasons why survival rates are so much lower than breast cancer.  It is a complex cancer which is extremely hard to diagnosis because the symptoms are vague and non-specific with over 50% of patients in the UK being diagnosed at a late stage making treatment challenging.

We can improve these bleak statistics by empowering women with the information that they need to take quick action. Increased awareness leads to early diagnosis and early diagnosis saves lives; over 90% of women diagnosed early will survive beyond 5 years compared to only 4-19% diagnosed at a late stage.

Being aware of the symptoms and acting quickly if you think you have them is thus very important.

There are four main symptoms of ovarian cancer and they are
· Persistent pelvic/tummy pain
· Persistent bloating
· Difficulty eating
· Needing to urinate more frequently

If you have any of these symptoms for more than 12 days per month, then visit your GP. It’s a good idea to make a diary of your symptoms in the days and weeks leading up to your appointment so you can have a really good discussion with your GP. The charity Ovarian Cancer Action provides an easy to use symptoms diary. Download this, complete it and take it with you to your appointment.

It’s also important to be aware of what increases your risk of developing ovarian cancer.  The two main factors that increase a person’s risk of developing ovarian cancer are: age and family history.

Age: As we get older our risk of developing ovarian cancer increases. The majority of ovarian cancers (80%) occur in women who are aged 50 and over. If you are in this age group it’s important that you are aware of the symptoms and visit your doctor promptly if you have any concerns.

Family History/Genetics:  10-20% of ovarian cancers are hereditary. If you have two or more family members who have been affected by breast and/or ovarian cancer then you might be at a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.

If you have a family history of ovarian cancer, visit your doctor to discuss your risk and for more information about hereditary cancer please read our recent blog post.

Wednesday was our last session of AfroFit for the season. We had a great six sessions and now it’s off to evaluate it and see how we can make it bigger and better for, hopefully, the summer season.

Wednesday’s session was great fun and our instructor Eunice focused mainly on muscle toning. After  our warm-up Eunice brought out some resistance bands which we made use of for a series of strength training exercises. Resistance bands are not something that I have used before when exercising and it was a great addition to the workout. This very simple piece of equipment was very versatile and allowed us to perform a variety of exercises that worked our entire body. They are in effect a simple and cheap way to strength train without going to the gym or using weights

Our series of exercises included band squats, band lunges, leg lifts, biceps curls and much much more. This was a painful yet effective workout.

After the core part of the workout we cooled down and then went on to my favourite part, relaxation. Lovely!

We’ll be back with AfroFit later in the year and would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended and a very big thank you to Eunice Adu-Appiah for leading a great set of sessions.

See you next time!

On Saturday 21^st February we continued with our work to raise awareness of prostate cancer amongst black men in Croydon by organising an Understanding Prostate Cancer session at the Pneuma Christian Centre.

Like our previous sessions at Trinity Baptist Church and Croydon Tabernacle this was a collaboration between The Lake Foundation, Prostate Cancer UK and Eunice Adu-Appiah as part of our drive to reach as many black men as possible with the key messages about prostate cancer and prostate conditions.

Our prostate cancer awareness session formed part of the Pneuma Christian Centre’s  Men’s Week Conference with the theme being: Empowerment for a Healthy Life based on the bible scripture Isaiah 40:28-3.1

The workshop began with a welcome and introduction by Abi Begho of The Lake Foundation followed by an excellent, informative presentation by Georgina Graham from Prostate Cancer UK.  Georgina’s presentation covered what every man should know about prostate cancer and prostate conditions. She explained the three main prostate conditions that affect men, which are an enlarged prostate, prostatitis and prostate cancer and that all of these conditions have similar symptoms such as:

It was stressed that if men experience any of these symptoms they shouldn’t panic as it could be due prostatitis or enlarged prostate, but they must visit their doctor to rule out prostate cancer.

Georgina also covered the risk factors for prostate cancer which are: age (prostate cancer is more common in men who are over the age of 50); ethnicity (black men are twice as likely as white men to develop prostate cancer); and family history (men with father or a brother with prostate cancer are 2.5 times more likely to develop prostate cancer compared to men who don’t have a family history).

Georgina finished off her presentation by letting attendees know that they have the right to have a PSA test if they are 50 or over and that it is particularly important for black men to be more vigilant and visit their GP if they have any concerns whatsoever.

Georgina’s presentation was followed by a Q&A where we discussed prostate cancer treatments, the digital rectal examination,  how often the PSA test should be conducted and what causes prostate cancer.

After a quick refreshment break we heard from Eunice Adu-Appiah who spoke about exercise, diet and prostate cancer prevention.

Eunice explained that several research studies have shown that men who regularly exercise were at a lower risk of developing prostate cancer and hence men can take some control over their health and reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer and other diseases by simply being more active. We learnt that regular exercise means taking part in 150 minutes of exercise a week and that this should be both cardiovascular and muscle strengthening exercises. Eunice explained that whilst 150 minutes of exercise may sound like a lot this can easily be achieved by breaking these up into 10-15 minute slots throughout the day. For example we could do a few lunges and squats in the morning whilst brushing our teeth and preparing breakfast, then we could walk part of the way to work, take the stairs instead of the lift and go for a walk at lunch time. Before you know it we would have easily met the minimum requirement of 150 minutes of exercise per week.

Eunice then spoke about diet recommending that we avoid saturated fat, trans fat and red meat. Eunice ended by explaining that we don’t have to make drastic changes but changes to our lifestyle should be gradual with the ultimate goal being to adopt a healthy lifestyle where we are active, we eat a well-balanced diet and we factor in some time for relaxation too.

This was a really useful event with a lively, friendly and attentive audience. We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended, to Georgina Graham and Eunice Adu-Appiah for delivering really informative presentations and to Deacon Dele Ogunlaru and the leadership of the Pneuma Christian Centre for inviting us to host this session.

You can listen to an excerpt from Georgina’s presentation below.

On Wednesday we were back at Christ Church Methodist for another fun AfroFit session. We might have been low on numbers but we were high on energy and motivation being joined by a lovely 15 year old who kept us on our toes!

We started the session once again with a African style warm up and then moved on to circuits where we had to take part in a selection of intense exercises for 30 seconds each. These included lunges, squats, ab wheel rolls outs (double ouch!), plank, push ups and skipping. After doing two rounds of these we were well and truly tired and were so glad to move on to our cool down and relaxation – whoopee!

This was another great session by Eunice, our instructor, who is so upbeat and  really keeps us motivated.

We’ll be back next Wednesday at 7pm. Please do join us. We’d love to see you. For more information and to book a place please email us

On Saturday 7^th February, we attended an excellent and very moving book talk and reading by the author of Let’s Talk About Love (and pain). This was a very honest conversation with an extremely talented and fearless writer which really got us thinking about the effectiveness of writing as therapy.

Author, KLove, has written two books of poetry – Let’s Talk About Love (and pain) and Let’s Talk About Love (and pain 2). These are two books inspired by the author’s childhood challenges, battles with eating disorders and the difficulties of managing complex relationships. KLove describes not having an outlet to express her feelings and being quite insular and introverted meaning that she bottled every emotion and feeling up. Then she discovered writing. KLove described writing as her therapy, an excellent opportunity to explore her feelings without judgement and to personally address her past, present and future in a way that worked for her. Mainstream counselling proved to be unhelpful, but writing seemed to be the liberating, healing therapy that she needed.

This really got us thinking about writing as a way to heal our community. From our experience the African Caribbean community shies away from mainstream therapy which usually involves talk therapy and for more serious conditions drug treatment. We know that there are many people who are going through very difficult life challenges on their own.  Our culture has conditioned us to almost ignore our problems and just soldier on, be tough and keep going. This means many people go through life with unresolved issues and  not dealing with these issues is a problem that can have serious consequences on our mental health.

It’s important for the healing process to address the events that affect our emotions and not ignore them. This is particularly important when we encounter death, serious illnesses, heartbreak, abuse, job loss, etc. Dealing constructively with each problem we face strengthens us, heals us and teaches us. It releases us from the negativity and speeds up the healing process.  Using writing to delve into some of the emotions we are experiencing can be an effective form of therapy helping us analyse a situation and come to terms with it.

Dr Adrian Furnham a professor of psychology at University College London has said the following about writing as therapy:

“Over the past few decades the therapeutic power of writing has been discovered.  The task can require serious, introspection: an attempt to make sense of the past. To examine it from various angles rather than simply try to shift blame onto others. This is much more than simply trying to write pretty sentences. It is about singling out experiences, events and people that contributed to one’s life. Seeing cause and effect, understanding psychological processes can significantly increase self-understanding. Suddenly things become apparent: patterns observed, explanations obvious. Writing is also often redemptive. And it helps because nearly always it involves some commitment to change. Clearly writing does not work for all. But it’s amazingly cheap and effective”

The Mental Health Foundation has found that in the UK  black and minority groups are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition; are more likely to experience a poor outcome following mainstream treatment; and sadly are more likely to disengage from mainstream mental health services, leading to social exclusion and a deterioration in their mental health.  With this in mind we need to find therapies that are effective for our community and writing therapy may be a good option that allows us to deal with our emotions before they deteriorate.

An article, Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing  written by Karen Baikie and Kay Wilhelm states that:

“Writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events has been found to result in improvements in both physical and psychological health.  In the expressive writing paradigm, participants are asked to write about such events for 15–20 minutes on 3–5 occasions. Those who do so generally have significantly better physical and psychological outcomes compared with those who write about neutral topics.”

The authors describe some of the theories as to why writing as therapy is effective: it is a  process of emotional catharsis or venting of negative emotions; it allows people to acknowledge emotions that they are actively suppressing. Suppressing emotions requires effort and acknowledging these emotions reduces the physiological work of suppressing emotions and gradually lowers the overall stress of the body; writing allows a coherent narrative of an event to be developed. This means that over time people can logically process an event by organising and structuring the memory, how they feel about it and learn how to manage their feelings; and repeated exposure to the negative emotional experience, through writing, may slowly cause those negative emotions to diminish.

Writing can be a powerful form of therapy and is worth exploring if you need an outlet for the emotions that you may be experiencing either from the day-to-day challenges of life or more serious traumatic experiences.  Try it and please do let us know what you think.

And, to find out more about KLove’s books you can visit Amazon