NUTRITIOUS FOOD STARTS AT HOME



www.theminicookingclub.org.uk

Friday 18 October 2013

The end of the road for meals on wheels?

It might come as a surprise that meals on wheels - the daily delivery of hot food to the nation’s pensioners - began life as an emergency wartime measure.

Launched in Welwyn Garden City in 1943, the Women’s Voluntary Service saw it as an essential way to get food to elderly people alienated by the disruption of war.

The idea obviously caught on: by 1962, four million meals were being dished out nationwide each year. Meals on wheels continues today, provided by charities, councils and local voluntary groups.

But it’s not what it was.

Numbers are down dramatically on their post-war peak. Leeds City Council, for example, says that it only serves daily meals to 500 of its 750,000 residents, less than a tenth of a percent.

The drop is partly due to supermarkets, undercutting meals on wheels by offering a bigger choice of ready meals for about half the cost of a delivered dinner. Partly, it’s the pinch on local authorities and voluntary groups alike, unable to subsidise as many services as before.

But there has also been a marked drop in meal quality. Meals on wheels were, until relatively recently, proper dinners, cooked from scratch in real kitchens. In the war, that meant British Restaurants, subsequently local authority or charity canteens - but almost always with fresh ingredients and using traditional, homely recipes.

Sadly the deep freeze and the microwave put a stop to that, and today the majority of meals are factory-produced, frozen, and reheated to the sound of a ping. And that means they tend to be very low in the nutrients so essential to older people.

So is it time to stop feeding this stuff to our pensioners?

Many say not. Meals on wheels, claim its supporters, are a sort of care visit, often the only contact that a lonely pensioner gets in a day.

But detractors point out that the quality of most meals on wheels is so low that they are at best depriving pensioners of a healthy, balanced diet and at worse, hastening their decline.

And there is another, inadvertent reason that meals on wheels might not be doing our pensioners any favours.

Most health professionals agree that older people benefit from being active for as long as possible; from getting out of the house on a regular basis; from maintaining their independence. And what better incentive to get out, to shop and to cook, than the daily need to eat?

Indeed, as the culture of social services moves away from paternal, dependent care towards empowering old people and promoting their dignity, what better way to restore a pensioner’s independence than to get them shopping and cooking for themselves once more?

Certainly if numbers continue to decline at their current rate, meals on wheels could well disappear of its own accord. But before we lament its loss - or rush to find a replacement - let us give some serious thought to how we want the future to look.

The choice is between a world where old people, isolated in their homes get one frozen meal a day; or one where pensioners get out, meet people, do some shopping and cooking, and generally look after themselves.

It’s a hard debate to have, because in criticising meals on wheels, we attack a service that is inherently kindly and charitable. But perhaps meals on wheels is a kindness too far, one that contributes, albeit inadvertently, to a culture of isolation and dependency. Perhaps this 70-year-old institution has indeed come to the end of the road.

By Daniel Ward

Image by Ambro, freedigitalphotos.net

Saturday 5 October 2013

Babywear Choices: South London Sling Library


South London Sling Library

Have you ever wondered about the best way to carry your baby? Most people would use a buggy or a pram but there could be a better alternative. A baby sling could be the perfect choice for you.

With the birth of the royal baby, proper infant care has been all over the news.  South London Sling Library offers a unique service to all new mothers.

Slings are not used as often in Western cultures but their numerous benefits are becoming more widely known. One obvious positive is how bulky baby buggies are, when you need your hands free to perform other important tasks, like opening doors! Slings enable this and much more.

Studies show that carrying your baby has a positive impact on their psychosocial development and is more calming for the baby.

Physical health benefits for babies include:
  • Promotes physical development
  • Less crying and fussing
  • Increased security

Other benefits include:
  • Doubles as exercise for you
  • Provides discreet nursing environment
  • More economical than buggies

However, you need to be careful of your back when carrying a baby sling and that is why Emily and Maggie are here to help.

They’ve got a huge collection of slings and carriers that are available to borrow for a small fee. It costs from just £5 (plus refundable deposit) to hire a baby carrier for 2 weeks so that you can really find out how it will work for you and your family.

Emily and Maggie are both fully qualified and experienced Babywearing Consultants who run Sling Library sessions from West Norwood and Blackheath respectively. They are also both tutors for the School of Babywearing and work with other national organisations to promote safe, comfortable babywearing.

Marie-Yianna has now been working with Emily at the West Norwood open sessions for several months, and is currently training to become a qualified Babywearing Consultant. She will be setting up Sling Library sessions in Croydon in the next few months.

South London Sling Library are open for drop-in sling and baby carrier advice, demos and hire every week in SE27. Session entry is £2 per adult for advice, fitting and trying carriers.

Send an email to info@southlondonslings.co.uk to find out more, and follow them on Twitter and Facebook for regular updates!

Click here to find out more about the benefits of wearing a sling.

By Catherine Heath