Why are we such an under nourished nation?
I read recently how only 1% of the UK population are achieving the NHS recommended Eatwell guidelines...in a population of 67.5m, that’s a mere 670K people (1). And around 1 in 4 adults (2) are managing to reach the NHS recommended 5 a day…cue my brain imploding.
No wonder as a population we have so much chronic disease. Over two thirds of our population are overweight or obese (3) and over a third of children are overweight or obese by the time they leave school. 4.9 million have diabetes (Diabetes UK predicts this number to hit 5.5million by 2030) (3) and 1 in 2 people born in the UK will be diagnosed with with some form of cancer during their lifetime (4).
I believe we have a serious situation with our health and nutritional intake. As a nutritional therapist, when these things pop up I often get asked why?
Here’s my hypothesise. These are based on my observations of life, from work in my private practice and also the work I do as part of an NHS service, aimed at supporting overweight people who are at risk of chronic disease to make lifestyle changes.
Image Credit: Sarah Agnew
Income and cost
Did you know there’s a correlation between lower socio-economic groups and obesity rates? (5)
Fast-food outlets account for 26% of Englands’ eateries, and worryingly, our poorest areas have 5 times more of these outlets than other wealthier areas (6). I live in one of the poorest boroughs in London and I can throw a stone and hit multiple fast food shops, all of which do cheap promo deals.
We also have more people visiting food banks than ever before, and food banks don’t deal in fresh produce (rightly so for food safety reasons), but that means more people relying on tinned/packaged foods and very little, if any, vegetables.
People who have to worry everyday where their next meal is coming don’t have much choice in what they can eat, it’s about getting what they can. Often this means skipping fruit and vegetables entirely as they are seen as too expensive or perishable.
Food education
I agree in principle that vegetables can be expensive, but food planning and batch cooking can help to make vegetables go a long way. Frozen veg is also more affordable and still nutritious, it’s just that many people don’t have that knowledge, don’t know how to cook (or even where to start) or don’t understand what they should and shouldn’t be eating for their health (7).
Photo Credit: Johnny McClung
I come across numerous examples where people have never been introduced to basic food concepts and cooking skills. For example, Several of my NHS clients have asked how to cook frozen vegetables. What’s causing this I’m not sure. I was lucky enough to be taught the basics by my mum and dad, and I have vivid memories of cooking with them when I was young, so for me I had a privileged journey. This isn’t the case for so many people and how we solve that is the big question.
Changing tastes
How we taste our foods is influenced heavily by our taste buds. Smell and sight also play a part but I’m going to focus on taste buds for now. Our sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami receptors communicate with our brain and, to simplify a process, tells us what we’re eating and whether we like it.
How we experience taste changes with what we’re eating. Ever eaten something bitter straight after something sweet? You experience the bitterness way more than if you hadn’t had that sweet thing. So, the more we consume food which stimulates one taste bud over another the more “used to” that taste we become and the more pronounced the others suddenly seem.
Now translate that to a child. Children in the UK are eating a years worth of sugar in just 6-months (8)…pancakes and syrup, jam on toast, sugary cereals for breakfast are becoming more common place.
Now throw a vegetable in front of that same child, is it a surprise they don’t like it? The taste is so foreign, and most importantly so unsweetened they just can’t bear it. That child potentially grows up eating less vegetables than they need which means fewer nutrients to support their health and development….what happens as an adult could go several ways. a) Their minds open to a broader set of food and taste buds develop, or b) they stick to what they know, experiencing a much narrower food base, reducing access to nutrients they really need….
The great news is, it takes just 2-weeks for our taste buds to adjust, so adaptation doesn’t take long. Next time you try something you don’t like but know it’s good for you, try it again, and again, and again. Consider being a bit more inventive with how you cook it, what you eat it with or when you have it and at some point you might find a version of it you enjoy.
Photo Credit: Karen Z
Food industry
The industry has grown massively. The advent of more upmarket fast food joints, street food markets, mobile stalls, gastropub dining, remote working and (until this recession) people with more disposable income, has meant we eat out more.
I think back to just 10 years ago, eating from a mobile food van was reserved for truckers and long road travel. Now it’s a chance to try tasty stuff like Calamari and Chips, Afghan cuisine and Bao Buns.
I’ve not eaten meat now for most of those 10-years and I have seen the increase of vegan and vegetarian options, but when you really look at it, many are now based around fast-food meals or fake meat replacements. Where I’m going with this is, we have an amazing array of eating options out there, promoted to us all the time. So if you can afford it, why not? But, most options won’t get you on your way to hitting your 5-a day.
Food Marketing
Supermarket promotional offers are primarily on foods that aren’t as good for us. Particularly this time of year, as one client of mine said “It’s so hard to buy something healthy when you see 2-4-1 on mince pies, and I love mince pies”.
You may read that and think, ‘They have a choice to put the mince pies back’, but in reality that choice is a really tough one to make. The odds are stacked against them. Sugar addiction is real, marketing is effective and psychology complex. Not giving in to that promo is often going against the patterns and habits they have relied on for years (sometimes forever). Shopping has become a navigational nightmare for many and we’re bombarded with food adverts everywhere we turn…Most of which don’t contain a vegetable.
Photo Credit: Adli Wahid
So, let’s revisit the ‘why’ again. I don’t believe any of these hypotheses sit in isolation, for many it’ll be a combo effect which is leading us to eat more meat, refined carbs and sugar, and less vegetables than ever before. And, as the demands of modern day life are requiring more work from our body, we as a society need to be helping people to up the nutrient intake not reduce them.
So, I’m asking the next question to you. What can you do to help improve this worrying situation, to invest in your own wellbeing and the future health of those around you?
Search local food banks by postcode
Do you have a differing view or something else to add? Get in touch, I’d love to hear it
References
https://www.nutrition.org.uk/news/2021/adherence-to-government-s-eatwell-guide-key-to-more-sustainable-diets/
http://healthsurvey.hscic.gov.uk/data-visualisation/data-visualisation/explore-the-trends/fruit-vegetables.aspx
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/professionals/position-statements-reports/statistics
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics-for-the-uk#heading-Three
https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/news/health-inequalities-and-obesity
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/englands-poorest-areas-are-fast-food-hotspots
https://www.nutrition.org.uk/news/2022/chicken-and-cheese-in-your-5-a-day-british-nutrition-foundation-survey-reveals-widespread-confusion-about-healthy-eating/
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/children-consume-more-than-a-years-worth-of-sugar-in-6-months