CEO Says - Being your brother’s keeper

By Shola Oladipo, Food for Purpose CEO 

Hello friends and supporters!

This edition is a summer combo of July and August rolled into one… And as ever, it is fabulous, even if I say so myself.  

Now I know it’s a very British thing to discuss the weather as ‘small talk’, but in this unusual blast of heat I don’t think there is anything small or mundane here! It’s the hottest Summer on record, and I would like to ask us all a favour.

In this unusually hot weather, can we be our brother’s keeper? Let’s keep a close check on the most vulnerable in our communities, such as older people who are most at risk of heat exhaustion. 

Heat exhaustion can happen quickly, as the body gets hotter, blood vessels open up. This leads to lower blood pressure and makes the heart work harder to push the blood around the body.

This in turn can cause mild symptoms such as an itchy heat rash or swollen feet as blood vessels become leaky. At the same time, sweating leads to the loss of fluids and salt and, crucially, the balance between them in the body changes.

These changes can lead hypotension and heat exhaustion. Look out for signs such as dizziness, slurred speech, uncontrollable sweating and clammy skin, overall tiredness, loss of appetite, tummy cramps, excess thirst, and fast pulse or fast breathing. The signs are similar in children too.

The most important thing is to help people cool down by initially flannelling with ice cold water. Then encourage cool fluids to drink and loosen any clothing. Always seek help by calling for help via 111 or 999 if you feel it is warranted.

Let’s be safe out there and look out for each other 😊

Blessings!

 Featured this Month

• CEO says

• News

• Recipe of the Month - Spin on Azifa Salad

• Student’s Corner - Abenaa

• A-Z of Soul Food - C for Cho-Cho

• Physical Activity & Sleep

• Special Guest Contributor - Tolulope Mike-Bamiloye, Dietitian in Nigeria

• Miss Tea's Blog

 Food for Purpose News

• We are running HCI in Lambeth and Bedfordshire - If you are a pastor interested in the HCI for your church, please contact us admin@foodforpurpose.org

• African cooking classes in Thamesmead - Report is now available to view

• Watch out for the launch of our online shop – where you will be able to download and purchase FFP resources …. There will be freebies too!

• National days / weeks in July

  • 18th – Black Leaders Awareness Day

  • 29th – 5th – Love Parks Week

  • 30th – World Friendship Day

• National days / weeks in August

  • 5th – Cycle to Work Day

  • 12th – International Youth Day

  • 31st – International Day For People of African Descent

 Spin on *Azifa Salad

*An Ethiopian lentil salad

Salads are a great dish for Summer: light, refreshing and often easy prepare. African salads are less known, so here is a brilliant spin on the popular Azifa – an Ethiopian lentil salad. It is a healthy alternative to add to your Summer menu!

It is based on green lentils, with finely chopped tomatoes, and onions. It can be seasoned with a little salt, pepper, and lemon juice and mustard.

Azifa is traditionally served chilled and is consumed as an accompaniment to various meat or fish dishes.

Ingredients

• 150g cooked green lentils

• 3 medium chopped tomatoes

• 2 medium red onions finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped / minced seeded jalapenos (or use black pepper)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon ‘Senafitch’ (Ethiopian mustard seed), or brown mustard seeds 

• Generous squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

1.  Add your cooked and cooled lentils to a bowl and simply add all ingredients.

2.  Mix well with a spoon or a fork.

3.  Once all ingredients are well combined, refrigerate and serve alone as a tasty snack or have as a side with lean meat or fish.

Tips:

• You can garnish it with chopped olives or a tablespoon of flaked toasted almonds

• You can add chopped coriander to your azifa

• This dish can be eaten hot too - the lentils may be a bit more mashed

 Student’s Corner

Our latest student was the lovely Abenaa Ababio from London Metropolitan University. Here is her placement experience. We are once again delighted to support Dietetic undergraduate / postgraduate students with culturally relevant placements.

 A-Z of Soul Food

This feature will educate your mind, and titillate your taste buds as we tour the alphabet according to African and Caribbean foods. We will focus on the amazingly diverse range of foods grown in our beautiful countries – with emphasis on fruit and vegetables.

We’re continuing on with C for Cho Cho

Cho Cho

Chou chou also known as Cayote, mirliton squash, vegetable pear, or choko is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family. It is native to central America and Mexico, with many varieties of the fruit all over the world. In the eastern Caribbean, United Kingdom and Ireland it is known as Christophene, while it is known as cho cho in Jamaica. It is a pear / oval-shaped plant. It is mostly eaten as a vegetable; it is generally lightly cooked to retain a crispy consistency.

Raw chou chou can be added to salads most often marinated with lemon or lime juice. Whether raw or cooked it is high in fibre and vitamin C.

Other parts of the plant such as its root, stem, seeds, and leaves are also edible. The tubers of the plant are eaten like potatoes and other root vegetables, while its shoots and leaves can be used in salads and stir fries especially in Asia.

Cho cho (chou chou) is a very popular squash that is a staple in Jamaica, it is used in curries, soups and stews.

Cho cho is readily available in ethnic market stalls and in some supermarkets.

Enjoy!

 Physical Activity & Sleep

By Precious Oladipo, FFP Director & Fitness Lead

It’s hard to make time for exercise when you’re constantly tired...but did you know that regular exercise does wonders for your sleep quality? 

Being active and partaking in exercise helps reduce the time it takes for you to fall asleep. Research has not pinpointed the exact process in which exercise improves sleep quality but together being active helps to reduce our daytime sleepiness. 

It can also help indirectly too! We know that exercise helps with excessive weight gain and will therefore reduce the likelihood of experiencing symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea. Exercise is also great for stress and anxiety, which can keep you awake and tossing and turning at night too. 

We get caught up in the vicious cycle of being too tired to be active and then being tired as we are not exercising properly. Breaking the cycle means being more disciplined and making sure we take time out of the day to be more active. Set small and realistic goals and work your way up from there. Remember that even a quick burst of 10 minutes is better than nothing! 

Your sleep hygiene also has a role to play in your sleep quality too, but we will save that for next month…watch this space.

 Special Guest Contributor

Tolulope Mike-Bamiloye, Dietitian in Nigeria

My interest in nutrition and dietetics started at a young age when I noticed my passion for matters pertaining to diet and human health. This inspired me to study nutrition and dietetics at the undergraduate level in Nigeria and continue on into further research at Master’s level in the UK. After this, I became a registered dietitian in Nigeria.

To qualify to write exams to become a registered dietitian in Nigeria, it is required to undergo a one-year dietetics internship training at a Nigerian teaching hospital, after the completion of a degree in nutrition and dietetics.

As a dietitian working in Nigeria, I get to do what I love, I assess, diagnose and treat nutrition-related problems of individuals or a target group, I develop nutrition care plans to support patient’s health. I educate and counsel about nutrition to promote health. I have the opportunity to work alongside other healthcare professionals, which has really facilitated continuous learning and growth. However, some of the challenges are: a lot of people think nutrition and dietetics are all about cooking, so I find myself constantly trying to enlighten them. Also, a lot of Nigerians do not value the advice of a dietitian on healthy eating until they’re diagnosed with a health challenge. 

Overall, being a Dietitian in Nigeria is a beautiful experience, the challenges make for a series of interesting stories and lessons that motivate me to learn more and be better at my profession.

Tolulope Mike-Bamiloye, Dietitian & Nutritionist

 Miss Tea's Blog

Goody Bag

Hello there PY fans! Has another month gone by already? 😳 They say that time flies when you’re having fun, so I must be having a whole lot of fun these days as time is whizzing by 😂

It’s been super hot lately so I’ve made you a downloadable tip sheet for how to keep 🆒 - you’ll find it at the end of the column 😎

I was scratching my head wondering what on earth to discuss this month then suddenly an idea popped into my mind! This edition is going to be dedicated to some of my favourite sayings and I will try to explain why they have become so important to me.

Here goes………😊