Since the start of the Health Awareness Project in 2008 it has grown year by year and continued its success becoming one of Sangat’s key projects. People from the local community have participated in numerous activities including Cook and Eat sessions, walking trips, seated exercises, breast feeding awareness and smoking cessation.
Our Healthy Eating project is a major part of our Health Awareness campaign. We hope to educate the local community about the value of eating healthy foods for them and their families. We aim to ensure that parents are aware of the national nutrition standards and that their children are provided with a healthy and balanced diet. We use a variety of activities to help people understand first hand what a healthy diet needs to contain. We hold regular cook and eat sessions as described on the previous page and also regular shopping trips to local supermarkets for clients to understand which foods are suitable. Areas we cover are discussing food labels to understand what different ingredients and nutritional value each product contains. These projects are designed to also help clients learn how to combine a healthy diet with a small budget so they can provide for their families on minimal money.
Three recent shopping trips were made with 40 people participating. Before the start of the activity 12 people said they did not understand food labelling and the information they contained. However following the guidance from Sangat Centre they now feel confident buying foods which are suitable for their dietary needs such as vegetarian options and understanding nutritional information. Similarly, 22 people were unsure of how to best buy in bulk on a lower budget but since have found this much easier since the shopping trips took place. Â
In order to try and encourage both the Asian community and others in the surrounding area to try new foods, in particular fruit, we hold tasting session at the centre. This is particularly aimed at mothers and children who we feel once shown the great variety of flavours and benefits will take these back to their families and learn to adapt their diets for a healthier future.