Healthyeating was on the menu at today’s Let’s Get Physical! event in Monmouthshire.Visitors had the opportunity to sample a range of healthy food at the event,which took place at Waitrose Abergavenny; meanwhile the mobile health centreoffered health checks to visitors and there was a physical fitness expert onhand to provide advice on becoming more active.
Cheryl Pope, a Carer inMonmouthshire, says: “Talking about healthy food is important and willhelp me and my family to consider what we eat on a daily basis.
“Healthy food doesn’tneed to be expensive or bland. I have been having great fun looking in recipebooks to find new ways of using good value for money ingredients in differentways. Next on my agenda is to be more physical. Thank you Hafal forhighlighting these issues.”
Junaid Iqbal, a member of the Service User and CarerPanel leading the campaign, said: “It’s not about living on salads.It’s about eating a range of foods to make sure our bodies arereceiving all the energy and nutrients they need. There’s a lot offinger-wagging when it comes to dieting and healthy eating and we are avoidingthat. The important message it that the occasional cream cake or bacon roll isfine as long as it’s balanced with plenty of fruit and veg as part of asensible diet.”
Peter Martin, Hafal’s Head ofPublic Affairs, said: “Healthy eating – like exercise – can be importantfor people with a serious mental illness because of the side-effects ofmedication. Some antipsychotic medications, for example, may contribute toobesity or leave the patient feeling sedate. The campaign will provide key tipson how to counter this.”
Let’sGet Physical! sets a challenge – both toservice users and carers, and to service providers and policy makers – toradically improve the physical health of people with a mental illness and theircarers. The campaign is supported by mental health charities Hafal, Bipolar UKand the Mental Health Foundation; Diverse Cymru will help to ensure thecampaign reaches out to minority and disadvantaged communities. The campaignwas launched by Health Minister Mark Drakeford AM in May and will include 22county events covering all the counties of Wales.
Furtherinformation and advice on healthy eating can be found here:
Eat Healthy NHS information and advice on a healthy diet
Healthy Eating Advice Information abouta healthy diet from the Food Standards Agency
Health ChallengeWales Advice on improving your diet
Health Goals Advice on the physical health goals you can include inyour Care and Treatment Plan