Will a little of what you fancy do you some good?

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.  

Indeed, I read an article last week that suggested that the ‘five a day’ recommendations suggested by the NHS, should, instead, be replaced by eating 30 plants a week. Although on the face of it, 30 plants a week sounds remarkably like eating five portions of either fruit or vegetables a day, it’s not. The 30 plants a week approach is built around six main groups of food: Fruit, Vegetables, Whole grains, Legumes (beans and pulses), Nuts and seeds, and Herbs and spices. It is using these ingredients to create our everyday meals that is the key. Whilst it’s possible to include canned and frozen versions of these ingredients, fresh is better. Immediately that you start using these ingredients to create your daily meals, a number of benefits start to occur. You will stop eating ultra-processed foods as a major part of your diet; preparing a meal becomes a more satisfying and fulfilling thing to do; it’s easier to batch prepare meals, saving time and money, whilst reducing food waste.

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?