Having been awarded a £1,500 grant from the Barking Riverside Limited Community Fund, the Nourish Barking project aimed to provide individuals with valuable knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating. The goal of the sessions was to empower attendees to make informed choices about their diet, leading to improved health outcomes and overall well-being.
During the four-week project, we engaged in 1-hour weekly sessions filled with interactive discussions, evidence-based information, and allowed for plenty of opportunities for attendees to participate and ask questions.
In the first session we looked at our own personal health journeys and the government’s Eatwell Guide to understand what healthy eating actually looks like. In addition, we discussed portion sizes and how we could be more in-tune with our body’s hunger cues.
In the second session we looked at how individuals could eat healthy, whilst still remaining on a budget. We discussed ways to do this such as buying supermarket brands over premium brands, as these were generally more nutritious and cheaper, using local markets to buy fruit and veg and buying cheaper cuts of meat, etc.
In the third session we focused on shopping smarter, cooking better and meal planning. Attendees were informed on ways to shop better such as looking at traffic light labels on the front of food packaging and going for “more greens”, as usually these were the healthier option. In addition to this, we also discussed the best cooking methods to retain nutrients such as steaming instead of boiling.
In the final session, we looked at busting some of the most common nutrition myths. For example, some attendees believed that juice fasts/detoxes helped to rid the body of excess toxins. But the truth is that our liver, kidneys and lungs are already really effective at detoxing the body and do so regularly!
Attendees shared their learning and the positive impact the sessions had on them: “I feel I have been stuck in a rut and this class has honestly got me fired up and motivated. I have learned new healthy recipes and tomorrow I’m going to try to bake sourdough bread by myself for the first time.”
My goal was to leave people feeling empowered to make informed decisions to steer towards healthier lifestyles and I’m proud that the sessions did just that.
By Ramatu Nguru
Local resident
