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Takeaway culture in North
West putting families' health at risk
A major charity partnership dedicated
to preventing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease is urging people across the
North West to ditch unhealthy takeaways and opt for healthier, homemade 'fakeaways'
instead.
With 1 in 5 UK adults and children reportedly eating a takeaway at least once a
week, the National Charity Partnership between Diabetes UK, the British Heart
Foundation (BHF) and Tesco says such regular consumption of foods that are often
high in fat, salt and calories could increase people's risk of serious ill health.
The National Charity Partnership has developed a range of 'fakeaway takeaway'
recipes to encourage more people to cook at home from scratch and reduce their
risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease, two potentially
life threatening conditions.
A survey commissioned by the National Charity Partnership shows 28% of adults in
the North West prefer to order out rather than cook homemade versions of their
favourite takeaways. This is despite around 61% saying that homemade versions
cost less and taste just as good or better than takeaways (61% and 60%
respectively).
Alex Davis, Head of Prevention for the National Charity Partnership, said:-
"Millions of people already live with Type 2 diabetes and heart and
circulatory disease and millions more are at risk. We know a healthy diet can
reduce people's risk of developing them, but the serious amount of calories,
total and saturated fat, salt and larger portion sizes of many takeaway foods
means that even 1 or 2 a week can have a serious impact on our diets as a whole.
More people are living with either Type 2 diabetes or heart disease, which is
why we're urging people to look after their health and give homemade versions of
their favourite takeaways a try instead. By making your own recipes from scratch
you can ensure you still get tasty food, but with much more nutritional value
which will help to reduce your risk of developing long-term health problems."
According to the survey, the most popular takeaway in the UK is Chinese food
(28%) followed by Indian food (19%) and fish and chips (14%). The partnership's
new recipes have been developed to help people find healthy alternatives.
Research has found that a typical Chinese takeaway, consisting of a portion of
vegetable spring rolls and sweet and sour chicken with egg fried rice, provides
approximately 2,184 calories. This accounts for 109% of the recommended daily
calories for women and 87% for men in just 1 meal. Results also found portion
sizes to be much larger, often enough to feed 2 people, as well as high levels
of fat and salt throughout.
Ms. Davis added:- "Our results found Chinese cuisine to be the nation's
favourite so why not swap the shop bought options for our Prawn spring rolls and
Sweet and sour chicken. They can be as quick to make too, often as fast as
ordering a delivery."
The National Charity Partnership is also running:- 'Make, Move & Munch Clubs' in 6
areas of the UK to help families learn about healthy eating, have fun and meet
other local families. The clubs are specifically designed to provide families
with information, skills and support to help them reduce their risk of Type 2
diabetes and heart and circulatory disease.
The 'Make, Move and Munch Clubs', which are being funded as part of the National
Charity Partnership's:- 'Let's Do This' campaign, provide fun, free activities for
parents/carers and children, with a tasty meal included every time. Each session
has a different activity, which can include trying delicious new recipes through
food demonstrations and cooking or having a go at simple ways to get active.
For more information about Let's Do This, please visit the group's
website. |
