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Take Action!

By Shola Oladipo, Food for Purpose CEO

What an apt time in the FFP camp for reflection and gratefulness. It’s February 2022
already…It sounds so cliché, but time really does fly, and we have enjoyed flying at this exciting altitude. Our overall aim to see people eating, living and serving purposefully has grown from an idea to something that has touched and changed lives. Four years ago leaving my role as an NHS ‘middle manager’ was something I knew God had ordained, and often verbalised, but it required me to take action!

It was scary, exciting, lonely at times.... but oh, so purposeful!  Fast forward to now - I am grateful for the amazing people who support this vision: FFP directors, volunteers, advisors, and stakeholders; and the exciting future that lies ahead. Perhaps you too need to follow through with something purposeful? 

Big or small, take courage and take action...you are created to change your world!

What's New in FFP

We are delighted to report that:

• Advisory Group - We’ve successfully appointed a new Advisory Group to support our directors’ board – we trust that these great minds will enhance & bless our business

• Dietetic Student Training - We are officially a placement site for Dietetic students We are officially a placement site for Dietetic
  students. We now offer a unique 4-week community online placement for C
  placements. Our first two students Katy and Havana started in January and
  finish on 4.2.2022. Take a look at our socials for some of their ‘Chatty Friday posts’

• African Caribbean Cooking Classes - to promote healthy eating for Black
  Africans & Caribbeans will be commencing soon in the Thamesmead Mooring
  area in SE London. These cooking classes were requested by the local
  community and funded by Peabody. Watch out for booking info!

• Healthy Church Initiative coming to Bedfordshire - this exciting opportunity will benefit Black majority churches in the North Bedfordshire area. Funded by the local public health team, this six week church based health programme is
  unmissable - watch this space!

Health for Church Leaders

By Pastor Timothy Oladipo

The Bible says that “physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come - 1 Timothy 4:8”. It’s notable to realise that this passage is not majorly focusing on exercise, fitness levels and aerobics. The linchpin here is the kind of exercise that is both beneficial for this world and the next.

Still, one cannot overlook the subliminal importance of physical health (bodily exercise) mentioned. It clearly has value for us as living beings!  It’s needed to help us all to stay healthy - it has its place for our wellness! 

A friend posted a very interesting story of Robert Murray McCheyne, a young Scottish minister; it was reported that as he lay dying at the age of 29, he turned to a friend and said : 
 
“God gave me a message to deliver and a horse to ride. Alas, I have killed the horse and now I cannot deliver the message.”
 
This is a typical example of a minister dying before his time!  If we are to be honest, not all ‘encounters with death’ are of God... some of us are simply not applying wisdom in what we put into our bodies, and how well we look after the vehicle with which to ‘go ye’ into the world to preach the gospel.
 
The famous Scottish pastor, died at the age of twenty-nine, partly because he had weakened his constitution by overwork, excessive busyness, and chronic fatigue.

The apostle Paul told the elders of Ephesus, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy spirit has made you overseers” (Acts 20:28, NKJV). 
 
If we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t support the congregation which God has given us, or even our families and friends. 
 
We must be very intentional about our wellbeing, self care, and rest.  Let’s be secure about saying no sometimes, in order to prioritise health.  We are not the Messiah! 

Remember don’t kill the horse before delivering the message!

Being Busy or Being Active?

By Precious Oladipo

Nowadays in this busy world, it is so easy to get caught up in the same routine, isn’t it?  Work, eat, sleep, repeat.  There’s no doubt that we all work hard to provide and survive but the vicious cycle continues, and we miss out on a key component needed to live a healthy lifestyle…physical activity.

Now you might be saying to yourself, “I’m active, I’m always working!” and whilst that probably is true – it is not necessarily the same thing. Being hard working doesn’t always mean you are fit and healthy.

Making the conscious decision in 2022 to be active (e.g., taking breaks during our

workday to stretch our legs and move more) whilst working hard, is a recipe for

success and you will start to see benefits, like improved sleep and reduced stress.  

Who doesn’t want that?

Diabetes in the BAME Community

By Modupe Peters - FFP Director and Diabetes Specialist Dietitian

People from the BAME background are 2-4 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. They are also more likely to suffer long-term complications

Some of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes are:

• Age and ethnicity: people from Black African, African Caribbean and South Asian backgrounds are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes from the age of 25, a much younger age than the white population

• weight and waist line: carrying more weight around the middle increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

• Having a close family member, mum, dad, brother, sister with diabetes increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Reducing your risk:

All is not lost! There are some things you can do!

Making small, simple changes can go a long way in helping to manage or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

• Try making healthier food choices and gradually increasing your activity level.
  You can still enjoy your traditional and cultural foods with type 2 diabetes - for example;

  • add more peas when cooking rice and peas

  • don't just have rice and stew, add some vegetables to the meal

  • aim to have smaller portions of carbohydrates - this includes your portion of 'swallow' or 'solid' food

Watch out for our next edition - we will be discussing portion sizes. 

The Lowdown on Intermittent Fasting

Christina Evwierhoma

Many of you may be familiar with fasting and may have fasted through abstaining from something, usually food either individually, in groups with friends and family or corporately with your churches as a way of deepening your relationship with God.  

Fasting has become more popular over the years in the secular media and has been promoted as a way to help lose weight, control blood sugar levels and cholesterol to improve our health. In this article I will take a look at intermittent fasting and discuss whether or not it is really any good for our health.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a form of caloric restriction. There are two main types of intermittent fasting, alternative day fasting whereby a 24 hour fast is followed by a 24-hour eating period and time-restricted fasting.  Time-restricted fasts may involve fasting for 16 hours a day with an 8-hour feeding time or fasting for 20 hours a time with a 4-hour feeding time. The 5:2 diet is an example of an alternative day fast and involves eating a normal, healthy diet for 5 days and then fasting on the remaining 2 days of the week, usually consuming around 500-600 calories.  

Health Benefits of intermittent Fasting

• Weight loss

Evidence from some scientific studies has shown that intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss in the short-term. A systematic review of intermittent fasting studies found that intermittent fasting led to weight loss ranging from 0.8% to 13% of the baseline weight, body mass index (BMI) decreased on average by 4.3% and waist circumference decreased by between 3cm-8cm.  

• Heart Health

Lipid Profile

Observational studies have investigated the effect of intermittent fasting on the lipid profile.   A lipid profile measures the level of certain lipids (fats) in your blood which can help assess your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD).  Examples of lipids measured include triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol. Observational studies have found that intermittent fasting can lead to improvements in the lipid profiles of study participants which may be due to reducing body weight or reducing energy intake.  Randomised controlled trials (RCT) have found that intermittent fasting led to decreased LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and body weight and improved HDL-cholesterol which would help reduce the risk of CVD, however this is not a consistent finding in other RCTs.

Blood Pressure

Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can lead a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. High blood pressure can put extra strain on your heart and blood vessels damaging them and making them weaker which overtime can lead to health problems such as heart attacks, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease.  A reduction in blood pressure could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, researchers have observed that the blood pressure values return to the initial values after the period of intermittent fasting has been completed. 

Are there any risks to Intermittent Fasting?

Some people may experience negative side effects to intermittent fasting, especially when they begin the diet including dizziness, fatigue, nausea, migraines/headaches and falls. These negative side effects may be the result of consuming insufficient energy intake or dehydration.

If you have a chronic condition such as cancer, heart failure, unstable angina, asthma, chronic kidney disease, transient ischaemic attack or stroke you should seek advice from a dietitian or other healthcare professional as not enough is known about how people with chronic conditions will respond to fasting or how fasting may increase risks to their health. 

If you have diabetes and have been thinking about trying intermittent fasting you should also seek advice and guidance from a healthcare professional such as a dietitian or your GP. There is a risk of hypoglycaemia which is greater if you are taking antidiabetic medications associated with hypoglycaemia such as insulin and sulfonylureas e.g. gliclazide, glipizide and tolbutamide.  Other groups of people for who intermittent fasting would also pose risks include frail older adults, pregnant and lactating women and young children. People with an eating disorder or dementia should not try intermittent fasting as it may exacerbate challenges already faced surrounding food and nutrition. 

Summary

Fasting can play an important role in building and deepening our relationship and faith in God, our Father and Creator. The Bible tells us that our bodies are ‘the temple of the Holy Spirit’ who is in us so if you are wanting to trial intermittent fasting for your health, do so with wisdom and seek further advice. It is important not to rely on someone else’s experience with intermittent fasting – everyone reacts differently, so do get professional guidance which is tailored to you.

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