Well, I’m back, back in the UK
that is. The rain and wind, and a slightly colder start to the mornings have been
invigorating. Kenya was absolutely wonderful, but when all is said and done,
there is nothing like your own bed to snuggle into. Last Friday, I only had one
work meeting, so I thought I would reacquaint myself with our beach. I was fortunate
to enjoy some very ‘emotional’ weather. It’s that combination of wind, rain,
and brilliant, brilliant sunshine all in one walk. It makes me feel good.
My walk eventually took me to my favourite
people-watching bar, The Shipwreck. Glass of red poured, I was
joined by a group of regulars, average age 65 (at least) and all women. They were
a hoot! All had an opinion about both world affairs, as much as they had an
opinion about local services, neighbours, their last doctor’s appointment, whether
they had been over charged last week at the bar and everything else in-between.
Usually, when visiting The
Shipwreck, I would have a bowl of cheesy chips with my glass of wine,
but recently I have lost much of my appetite. So last Friday, I didn’t. I think
I manage my health very well, for a man that is. However, I also know when I
need to seek help and I have a forthcoming GP appointment to start that discussion.
I’m from the generation that still has faith in medical knowledge and the power
of good science to keep us healthy.
Other generations, however, appear
to choose other ways to keep healthy. Last week I read about those folk in the TikTok
generation, who seem to have developed a blind faith in vitamin patches. These
patches are said to provide an energy boost, improve one’s mood and where used
in sport, are able to boost performance. Absolute bunkum of course! These so
called ‘wellness’ or ‘supplement’ patches can only contain minute
amounts of vitamins and/or other substances. More importantly, perhaps, is that
there are very few medicines that can be delivered via patches (for example, nicotine
patches to aid smoking cessation, or hormone replacement therapies). Our skin acts
as an effective barrier to prevent water, bacteria, and most modern medications
from entering our blood stream.
As an almost lifetime vegetarian,
I would suggest that having a balanced diet full of fresh vegetables is likely
to keep you a lot healthier than a few stick-on patches. The exception might be,
for example, pregnant women, who might need temporarily, additional vitamin D
and folic acid supplements. You would be better spending your money on fruit
and vegetables, as you will definitely feel much greater benefits. Fruit and vegetables
also provide necessary fibres for a healthy gut, and many contain antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory properties too.
Your shopping basket might start
to look different, but unless you only eat fresh ingredients, the cost of your
weekly shop shouldn’t increase. All my meals while in Kenya were created with
these ingredients, and every meal was freshly prepared in front of me, both in
the Maasai Mara game lodge, as well as the Nairobi hotel. The exception was Emirates,
who kept on serving me completely vegan meals despite my ordering of vegetarian
meals. I do like a bit of cheese, and to be frank, a non-dairy cheese board simply
doesn’t appeal.
Finally, I came across another
exception to the rule last week. It was the 107-year-old Owen Filer, who lives
in Cwmbran, Wales. He put his longevity down to living a simple life, working
and not over eating – oh, and a diet of fish and chips. Maybe a little of what
you fancy really does do you some good?
I enjoyed this post, particularly the point about cooking being a satisfying and fulfilling activity in its own right. There’s something almost ritualistic about preparing a meal: selecting ingredients, chopping, stirring, tasting, and turning something ordinary into something that is both nourishing and pleasurable. It brings a bit of structure to the day and a tangible sense of achievement.
ReplyDeleteThere is, though, a paradox here. Cooking can be therapeutic, but it can also become another demand on finite time, energy and money. Eating healthily is not always as economical as it sounds, particularly when cooking for one. Batch cooking helps, of course, but fresh ingredients can go to waste, and the time and effort involved are not cost-free. For example, The Food Foundation’s Broken Plate 2026 report found that healthier foods cost nearly twice as much per calorie as less healthy alternatives. The poorest fifth of UK households would need to spend around 49% of their disposable income on food to afford the government-recommended healthy diet; for the poorest households with children, the figure rises to 85%. It is difficult to argue that healthy eating is simply a matter of making better choices when the choices themselves are so unequally affordable.
It also got me thinking about the aesthetics of food, and the slightly uncomfortable relationship between pleasure and morality. I enjoy a predominantly vegetable-based diet, but I also like fish, cheese and the occasional bit of meat. As the old joke goes: Meat may be murder, but it is tasty, tasty murder! The fact that something gives us pleasure does not necessarily make it morally defensible, but acknowledging its moral implications does not magically make the pleasure disappear either. I guess it is somewhere between appetite and conscience that we have to work out where we stand.
Perhaps that is another reason cooking can be so satisfying. It connects us with food as something we actively make and appreciate, rather than simply consume. But even that pleasure depends on having the time, resources and inclination to participate in it.
So I agree that eating well is about more than counting portions or sticking vitamin patches on your arm. It is also about the everyday rituals through which we care for ourselves. The challenge, perhaps, is to encourage those rituals without overlooking the circumstances that make them easier for some people than others.