Skip to main content

Community diet schemes win awards in Wales

More winners have been announced in the FSA Wales (UK) 'Awards for Food Action Locally' scheme, which recognises individual or team initiatives that have made a positive impact on diet or eating habits in the community.

Awards were given in five categories, for schemes that: inform or educate the community; promote or facilitate access and availability; manage overweight and obesity; demonstrate multi-agency working; or are innovative in their approach.

The award for 'initiatives that inform or educate the community' was won by the 4 Seazons Kitchen, in the Cwmbran Centre for Young People. The Kitchen tackles poor diets and eating habits among disadvantaged and disaffected young people in the Torfaen area through cooking classes, an allotment scheme and a cafe serving cheap and nutritious food.

The 'access and availability' category was won by the Marham Community House Sports and Leisure Project, which provides a lunch club and community cafe offering healthy balanced meals to people living and working in the locality. The project also includes an allotment scheme with produce used by community cafe and cooking courses for 5-11 year olds.

In the category covering 'initiatives to manage overweight and obesity', the winning project was the Heart Health Programme run by the Rhondda Cynon Taff Health Promotion Team, which targets 30-65 year olds identified as having modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease.

The fourth category, for 'initiatives that demonstrate multi-agency working', was won by the Funky Food Group run by Lynn Perry of Pembrokeshire Public Health Team. The Funky Food Group has raised the profile of nutrition in schools through co-operation between teachers, pupils and caterers. It has also been instrumental in ten schools establishing School Nutrition Action Groups that make policy decisions on fruit tuck shops, water bottles and healthy lunchboxes.

The final category, covering 'initiatives that are innovative in their approach', was won by the Domino Project run by West Glamorgan Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

To continue reading this article please go to The Food Standards Agency Website (UK)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Is too much soy bad for men?

While soy may be beneficial to women in a variety of ways, research in monkeys suggests that it could have an adverse effect on the behavior of men, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Reporting in the current issue of the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior, the researchers found that in male monkeys, "long-term consumption of a diet rich in soy isoflavones can have marked influences on patterns of aggression and social behavior." Isoflavones are a naturally occurring plant estrogen in soy protein. "Although considerable attention has been directed at the potentially beneficial effects of isoflavones in reducing the risk of various cancers, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and postmenopausal symptoms, less effort has been invested in characterizing neurobehavioral effects," according to the study.

Myths stop women breastfeeding their babies

A survey published today by The UK Department of Health for National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (9 - 15 May) shows that serious misunderstandings may be stopping women, particularly young women, from breastfeeding. (1) Although the benefits of breastfeeding are well known (2), the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. Almost a third of women (29%) in England and Wales (3) never try to breastfeed compared to 2% in Sweden.(4) Younger women in particular are less likely to breastfeed with over 40% of mothers under 24 never trying. (3) The new survey of 1000 women shows: Myth: Over a third (34%) of women believe that modern infant formula milks are very similar or the same as breast milk Fact: Infant formula milk does not contain the antibodies, living cells, enzymes or hormones present in breastmilk. Breastmilk is designed for each individual baby and changes over time whereas infant formula milk is designed for every baby. -- Myth: A fifth (20%) of young women ...

Highlights of June Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Too Fat, Too Thin: Weight-Control Behaviors among Girls and Boys The future health of our country's children may rest in the foods they choose and their physical activity patterns. Often children are not eating the recommended servings from the Food Guide Pyramid. Their intake of milk is declining, while soft drink intake and overall food portion sizes appear to be increasing. To examine links between healthful and unhealthful weigh-control behaviors, researchers from the University of Minnesota studied dietary intake patterns of 4,144 middle and high school students. Healthful weight-control behaviors were defined as increasing fruits and vegetables and decreasing foods high in fats and sugars in moderation. Unhealthful weight-control behaviors were defined as skipping meals, fasting, using food substitutes and smoking. Among other findings, the researchers discovered: Girls using unhealthful weight-control behaviors had poorer overall dietary intakes than girls reportin...