Lifestyle S U P P L E M E N T
December 23 - January 5, 2011
CookBook THE VOICE
West African cookbook special
2 r e t s Clu
> RECIPES >SOUTH LONDON ON OBESITY WATCH >ULISSES CELEBRITY TRAINER VOWS TO GET PECKHAM PUMPING
...At risk
SOUTHWARK CHANGE4LIFE NEW YEAR’S WELL ❄ MOVE MORE ❄ LIVE LONGER MoreMESSAGE: likely to rent theirEAT home in the
32 | THE VOICE December 23 - January 5, 2011
CookBook
Supplement Editor Jacqueline Asafu-Adjaye
SOUTHWARK CHANGE4LIFE
Lifestyle Supplement
Obesity highest
amongst West Africans in Southwark
C
hange4Life is a national scheme for all from the Department of Health and the NHS. The campaign is a growing ‘movement’ that aims to turn the tidie on obesity, and pushes for the improvement for healthy lifestyles. One year on, the campaign has had a positive effect on the wellbeing of so many people. The Public Health Team at NHS Southwark has been delivering various Change4Life programmes with key partners in Southwark schools and community settings. Families seem to be making positive changes and according to recent national data, levels of obesity have been gradually dropping for Southwark children aged 10-11. Although still fourth highest in the country. However, Southwark has the highest percentage of obese children aged 4-5 showing there is much more to be done to support parents and children from an earlier age. Local West African community leaders have come together to back the Government’s Change4Life movement, which gets families eating well, moving more and living longer. Women’s group
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What if we said: € drop 3 trouser sizes down and keep that hot figure not for just ten minutes but for life take on the Southwark Change4life challenge?
leaders and representatives from local community centres have joined nursery and faith school teachers to learn more about the growing obesity problem in Southwark, which is putting local people at increased risk of developing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers and heart disease. If current trends continue, 9 out of 10 children will be overweight or obese by 2050. Change4Life is working with communities to encourage them to adopt eight top tips, which help families make the small changes that add up to big health benefits. The West African community represents 14 per cent of the population in Lambeth and Southwark. Health statistics indicate that t h i s
community is more likely than the national average to suffer from type 2 diabetes, and are also deemed to be amongst the communities at risk of obesity. Last year’s Change4Life Conference included interactive demonstrations and question and answer sessions guiding delegates through Change4Life’s eight diet and physical activity
tips. Consultant nutritionist, registered dietician and best-selling author, Azmina Govindji, and community nutritionist Angela Tella have demonstrated easy to follow steps to a healthier diet, giving traditional West African dishes a healthier twist and showing the audience a range of ‘sneaky swaps’ to incorporate the recommended 5-A-Day into their diets. Speaking about the Change4life campaign, Angela Telle, said “It is great to be involved in such a positive initiative that takes these key health messages into the heart of the community. “The key is to raise understanding, by using healthier alternatives you can still enjoy the traditional dishes without loosing any of the incredible taste. These small, easy to adapt steps can go a long way to improving people’s long term health.” Physical activity expert, Sarah Samuel, on quick and easy ways of building in more physical activity in to a daily routine said: “Keeping healthy doesn’t have to be a difficult task. What I’m doing is showing people light and easy to follow methods of exercising and types of exercise they can incorporate into their daily routine and can even do in their homes.”
December 23 - January 5, 2011 THE VOICE | 33
Lifestyle Supplement
SOUTHWARK CHANGE4LIFE
CookBook
Pounded Yam with Egusi
Ingredients
•
• •
Yam.
Photo Credit: Rough Diamonds Creative Agency
• •
• • • • • • •
¾ cup pumpkin seeds 1 and a ½ pounds cubed beef stew ½ cup peanut oil 2 large tomatoes, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 2 red chilli peppers, scotch bonnet, seeded and minced 18 ounces tomato sauce 1½ cups of water 2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and de-veined 1 pound fresh spinach, washed and chopped 1 medium yellow yam or powdered yam
Method
Place pumpkin seeds into blender and blend until mixture is a powdery paste. Wash beef and cube. Season, in large pot and heat over a medium to high heat for 4 to 5 min. Add beef and sauté for 3 to 5 min until brown but not cooked through. Place tomatoes, onions, and pepper into a blender and blend for about 30 seconds or until smooth. Add tomato mixture to meat, reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 40 to 50 min or until meat is tender. Add tomato sauce, water, and shrimp and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach and ground pumpkin seeds and continue to simmer 10 minutes more.
Pounded Yam • •
Bring 1 plus 3/4 cups water to a boil on high heat Turn the heat to medium and stir in the pounded yam flour.
Keep stirring until it is smooth and soft. If it is really thick, add some hot water. It will have a similar texture to polenta or fufu.
This delicious root vegetable gives any type of stew or soup an instant African and Caribbean twist. Described as milk of trees, yam’s white creamy woody texture with its nutty, sweet distinctive flavour, is a treat to savour. Surprisingly, despite it’s popularity with lovers of African Caribbean cuisine, it tends to make a rare appearance on restaurant or take-away menus. Unlike sweet potatoes, yam is an undiscovered star, with many mainstream supermarkets yet to stock the vegetable in any great numbers. Yam is the Voice Cookbook Christmas chosen Super food. This root vegetable is packed with a good supply of vitamin B6, a vitamin that helps to reduce heart disease. Potassium rich, yam contains the vital mineral that assists with the controlling of blood pressure. The biggest best-kept secret lies in its blood sugar and weight controlling properties. Due to yam being a complex carbohydrate and fibre rich, it delivers a slow release of sugar. Its high concentration of fibre lends to weight control, as yams fill you up with you putting on the additional pounds around the waist and hips. So remember that means you don’t need to eat lots of it, because it is high in energy content! A portion size is the size of your fist or a child’s fist for children’s portions. In addition, the other edible gem they contain is manganese, which is important for maintaining energy production and building antioxidant defences.
34 | THE VOICE December 23 - January 5, 2011
CookBook
SOUTHWARK CHANGE4LIFE
Lifestyle Supplement
We caught up with Ulisses: Trophy hunter, New York fitness i-candy, Super Body World champion and A-list celebrity trainer in his state of the art gym in north east London, to see if he was up for the change4life challenge - getting Southwark fit for life.
T
Ulisses celebrity trainer
Ulisses pledges to get
Peckham pumping
here is no in-between reaction to meeting Ulisses, aka Lion of Africa in the flesh. A formidable US Celebrity trainer, stars such as Melinda Messenger, Harry Connick Jr. Russell Brand, Sex in the City star, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brazilian supermodel Gisele and Kelis are but a few who have dared to surrender themselves to Ulisses World, where fitness like religion is a way of life. The son of a West African family and raised in Miami, Ulisses either evokes butterflies in the stomach combined with in-voluntary blushing or an inborn primitive ‘fight or flight’ response. Surprisingly softly spoken, Ulisses’ passion for fitness is infectious, as he purrs through the interview like a tightly tuned 3.6 liter V8 Ferrari 360 engine, which powers from 0 - 62mph in just 4.3 seconds. He doesn’t miss a trick and suggests I release my tummy muscles, having self -consciously sucked it in throughout the entire interview – I’m turning purple. With much relief I let it all hang out and eye up the bench press intently. The only bling in sight in Ulisses World is the glare of numerous gold and silver plated trophies and ribbons loaded with medals, stacked up high in neat rows and piles above the gym registration counter, providing strong competition for his dazzling smile, as he chats about his unshakable drive to be the best: “In 2004, I won the Super Body Professional Championship in Miami Beach and ranked third in the California World Championship. Today, having earned a great deal of experience as a fitness expert and gym manager, I am finally established my own private studio for fitness and training in the north east. “I began training at the age of 19, West African food is deliciously naughty, especially the way my mum cooks it and seriously addictive-fufu especially, but you can have your plantain, mashed cassava, Egusi Stew and eat it-
guilt free. Only, If you cook it right and hit the gym that day or do some form of exercise that causes you to sweat, that could be a long brisk walk with the family in the park.”
4.3 seconds interview with Ulisses Do you reckon there is a set diet or quick fix to being overweight? “ Anyone who enters my gym Ulisses World, immediately knows my philosophy to fitness- there are no short cuts. Being fit requires sheer will power in the beginning and is definitely a state of mind before anything else. How do you handle your own daily fitness regime? With my own workout discipline, I aspire to continue growing my body naturally over the years. I’m now taking the opportunity, to promote both the benefits of training and a proper diet through setting a personal example. I train five days a week with the goal of developing a symmetrical physique. What happens when you need to pump up for a competition? Three to four weeks prior to a contest, I maintain a dietary regime and engage in cardio exercise to actively pace my heart. My daily diet is replete with carbohydrates and protein, but it is also balanced and covers a wide variety of foods. How do you expect to get people to workout if they are not gym freaks? There are three things I
preach to anyone aspiring to keep a good and healthy physique:
• The first is eating
habits that avoid excess, cover diverse foods and keep to measured portions.
• The second is cross
training and various forms of exercise that involve not only weightlifting, but also cardio activity and calisthenics for toning. Walking is an excellent way to get started.
• And the third is to be
patient, dedicated, and determined. Sticking to your goals, keeping focused and allowing your physique to develop are all critical.
My ultimate Change4life vision is to inspire and motivate people in Peckham to engage in fitness and not view it as a chore, but rather embrace it as a lifestyle. I do it by practicing what I preach, and by molding personalized fitness disciplines for my clients that become part of what they enjoy doing as individuals, in a similar way they would relate to a hobby.
“My ultimate Change4life vision is to inspire and motivate people in Peckham to engage in fitness and not view it as a chore.”
Ulisses will be coming to Peckham’s local gym to sign T-Shirts, give away prizes along with tips and hints on reaching your ideal weight. To win a free One2One with Ulisses and receive further details about this exciting event and Southwark’s X-factor style summer health challenge, all you need is to live in Southwark and email: Southwarkchange4life@gvmedia.co.uk