At the moment, there is a great deal of talk about wellness, general health and food content.
I have discussed this myself in recent blogs.
The world is slowly waking up to the fact, that our obsession with the easy and fast routes to everything through technology has included how we deal with food.
With a wider range of food choices than ever before, certain influences have made us start to look more closely at what we eat.
When food choices were fewer, and expectations and cooking experimentation were less, food was cooked in a basic way, with few alterations and additions.
That is still the case in many parts of the world.
In the west, food started to take on more of a commercial feel, with people wanting something which tasted good, was easy to purchase, and could be eaten on the go if required.
This change started in the late 50s in USA and moved across to the UK in the 60s, and became known as "fast food", with specific restaurants springing up in main cities, providing a new style of eating out for a reasonable price.
Part of its attraction was the addition of enhancements in the form of sauces and chemical flavourings, which gave the food a more addictive taste. The main body of the dish, may also have been processed by breaking down meat for example, and adding other substances.
Typical carb laden take away.
Similarly, take away meals have boomed in popularity, and depending on which type of meal, can either be made from fresh ingredients or smothered in sauce and additives.
Fast food delivery has rocketed, as it caters to a market which wants food with the minimum of effort on the part of the customer.
Due to the workforce not having a great deal of time to cook meals from scratch, another labour saving option came along in the form of ready meals.
These promised tasty filling meals with little or no preparation, and only required heating in oven or microwave.
The down side is that these types of food have been so processed with chemical additives, salt, trans fats, and sugar, that the body, and particularly the immune system, find it difficult to cope with such an intrusion by unknown guests.
THE SUGAR ENEMY!
High sugar content coloured jelly confections
Alongside this, there has been a huge spike in the amount of sugar which has been consumed, normally found in drinks, commercial baking, TV snacks, confectionary and often hidden in processed food.
A generation has grown up with many having only experienced this type of eating.
THE OBESITY RESULT:
However, there have been some alarm bells ringing. There has been a huge increase in obesity, which includes children, together with health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes.
This has been compounded by the lack of general exercise and the reduction of manual work.
Current studies also point to possible links to some cancers, mental health problems including dementia, anxiety and depression, together with allergies and skin conditions resulting from immune system dysfunction.
Many people are starting to question our eating habits.
Some are looking into the issues mentioned above, and the importance of unadulterated basic ingredients which are free from chemicals.
Others view it from an environmental stance, with specific areas and types of food such as in the agricultural world where much of our basic food comes from.
Cost of food is particularly relevant at the moment, as households are having to budget more carefully due to a raised cost of living.
The general consensus is that we should be aiming at food which is wholesome, nutritious and helps to build and repair the body as required and keep it in a healthy condition.
We should know where the food comes from, and as a country produce as much as possible ourselves. An alarming number of children have no idea how and where many daily staples originate.
A cereal crop
WORLD HEALTH:
In world ranking of health and well being, the UK has fallen far down the list in recent years.
Many countries such a Japan, rank highly, with an excellent health care system, a healthy largely plant based diet, appropriate housing and general good quality of life.
There are some parts of the world, known as "Blue Zones", that for no obvious explanation, the inhabitants live long healthy lives, an example being some islanders from Sardinia.
Seniors still active
Research has gone into this, but the results have been non conclusive.
Although the diet is healthy and organic, there doesn`t seem to be a definite single common denominator food element between the zones, but there do seem to be genetic, environmental and social reasons which contribute to an overall long life expectancy and well being.
The Sardinian diet has a high vegetable content with grains, fruit, fish, limited meat, dairy (goat / sheep), and olive oil being staple ingredients, along with regular consumption of red wine.
Exercise is key and continues into later life. Stress levels are low and family, social, and community interaction are important.
Many of the diseases which are so common in the western world, are practically non existent in these areas until a western type diet is introduced.
It seems obvious that there is a link between our frenetic lifestyle with a highly processed diet and the health issues which plague our modern society.
Fast pace living
STRESS:
We constantly chase material gain, and in its pursuit, we neglect some fundamental values.
Individuals find they are under a huge amount of pressure and stress leading such a lifestyle, which can manifest itself in anxiety and depression requiring mental health support which is not always available.
It often results in medication being the sticking plaster solution.
Young children also have less parental input as the nursery system has filled a gap which is an expense in itself unless earnings are high.
Many mothers in particular, wish they could spend longer with their young children before returning to the work place, but in order to meet high monthly financial outgoings, feel pressured into working.
Old age loneliness
Our elderly population seem to have nowhere to go when they can no longer look after themselves, as the social care system is broken, and fewer children are able to look after their parents.
We are living longer, but there seems no plan in place to cope with this, so many elderly are feeling unwanted, neglected and vulnerable.
Householders may not know their neighbours, so many are isolated, lonely and lacking social interaction.
In many smaller towns and villages, community spirit is alive and well, as is demonstrated when there is a local crisis.
During Covid, it was the unpaid local volunteers who often organized services to the vulnerable, and when flooding or loss of electricity happens, it is members of the community who rally round to help.
CHANGES REQUIRED:
We cannot turn the clock back, or indeed want to, but it seems common sense to heed some of the messages which our lifestyles are trying to tell us.
There has been a significant shift of families and individuals who are recognising this, and making some radical changes.
The more adventurous are moving to smaller areas and adopting a life of more self sufficiency, by being in charge of their food supply and day to day lives.
Others are being more creative in order to have more family time, by cutting down on often pointless ventures just to be seen to have it all.
The one thing that we all can do is make small alterations to our lives and starting with the food we eat.
It should be good quality and include plenty of vegetables, fruit and protein with limited carbohydrates and fats and minimizing sugar.
There are plenty of natural flavouring in the form of herbs and spices which can transform a meal,
We should be drinking plenty of water to keep our organs and skin hydrated.
Exercise is important no matter which age group. It needn`t be strenuous, but important to keep joints moving and circulation flowing.
The Blue Zone areas include strong community and family bonds.
Communication
Unfortunately many families get split up for a variety of reasons, so it is not always easy for them to interact together, but with improved technology, it is possible to have good links even from a distance.
Friendships and social interaction is beneficial for mental health.
It needn`t be expensive holidays or activities, but quality time doing things with friends and family which bring happiness and laughter.
Friendship
It is really the small things that make a difference, so expense needn`t be a factor.
Simplifying life can have huge benefits to mental and physical health. By taking the fastest route to do things, we often create more problems for ourselves, when perhaps the more simple, well tested route will be easier in the long run and pay dividends.
Let`s ditch the fast food, and take a leaf out of the Blue Zone Sardinian`s book, by enjoying cooking wholesome food as a creative and therapeutic way of looking after ourselves and our families, whilst also improving our general quality of life.
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