Wellbeing Wednesday - National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month, which is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This year is it's 50th anniversary! During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthy eating and physical activity habits.

This year's theme is "Fuel for the Future." Eating with sustainability in mind is a tasty way to nourish ourselves during every phase of life and protect the environment, something we will be exploring further during our Eating Well campaign in April.

Disclaimer: Whilst this blog discusses the ketogenic diet, it does not promote it, we are simply being curious about the different lifestyle choices people make. Before you undertake any major changes to your diet please speak to your GP and understand the risks as well as the benefits beforehand.

Sam Ward, HRBP from Unipart Logistics for the NHS Supply Chain joined us to talk about her experience in changing her diet and the reasons why.

“Following the steroids I took during chemotherapy in 2019, the early onset of menopause due to chemo and having an underactive thyroid, I was looking to lose weight. I did some research and explored the ketogenic diet.

The aim of the diet is to send the body into a state of ‘ketosis’ by using a very strict low-carb diet.

Foods that are generally allowed include high-fat meats, fish, oils, nuts, high-fat dairy such as cheese, and low-carb vegetables such as leafy greens.

Unsurprisingly, reducing carb levels means cutting out bread, pasta, rice, and most conventional baked goods. However, achieving such low levels of carbs also means skipping legumes, root vegetables, most fruits and starchy veggies, such as potatoes.

I’ve lost the weight I gained during my first lot of cancer treatment and have been able to commence this second course of cancer treatment with consistent energy levels, feeling fitter and more positive, meaning I’ve been able to enter into chemotherapy this time round with the right mindset.

It’s not a quick fix and actually whilst I’ve lost weight, it’s become a change to my lifestyle. It has encouraged me to cook all meals from scratch, as I have to prepare what I am going to eat in advance, I can’t just nip into M&S and grab a sandwich at lunchtime. Eating socially and going on holiday can be awkward as there isn’t always a lot I can eat from any given menu but the benefits I get from it far outweigh the negatives as far as I am concerned.

It can be more expensive buying specialist alternatives to things such as pasta but overall I now spend less on my weekly shop."

The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.

Most of us are not eating enough fruit and vegetables, only 28% of adults are getting 5 a day according to the Health Survey England 2018, with the 16-24 age group being least likely to achieve that.

Aim to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day. Choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced. They should make up just over a third of the food we eat each day. You do not need to achieve this balance with every meal, but try to get the balance right over a day or even a week.

Remember that fruit juice and smoothies should be limited to no more than a combined total of 150ml a day. Fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Download the guide below to learn more.

Unipart will be running an Eating Well campaign during April and May. As part of this we have arranged for our Wellbeing partner, Everymind at Work to deliver a webinar focused on developing a healthy relationship with food.

To get the most out of life, feeling physically and mentally healthy, it is important to take time to understand what foods are helpful, and which might be a hindrance to living life to its fullest.

The webinar covers:

• How food affects mood
• Information on food groups/importance of nutritional food
• How mealtimes are an opportunity for connection
• Easy changes that can be implemented for healthier food choices

It's taking place on Wednesday 17 May at 1pm. You can join the session by using this link: meet.google.com/kcg-awud-tmw

There is always someone you can talk to. For a confidential conversation with a caring colleague you can reach out to a Mental Health First Aider (see here for who they are) or you can call Lifeworks on 0800 169 1920 to speak in confidence with a counsellor.

If you are worried about someone's relationship with food and you want to learn about eating problems, including possible causes, symptoms and how to access treatment and support, then please visit the Mind website here.