11 minute read
Northern Notes
COPD and Nutrition
Good nutrition is essential in the management of COPD. It won’t cure COPD, but the right food can help you feel better, make your body stronger and help to fight infections. Keeping a healthy body weight supports your lungs as they work. Good nutrition gives your body the energy it needs do the work of breathing and staying active. Good nutrition can help you have a better quality of life. Food is the fuel your body needs in order to perform all activities, including breathing.
By choosing a wide variety of nourishing foods you are getting all of the building blocks or nutrients needed for health and wellbeing. There are no good or bad foods, but how you combine them together each day and each week is important.
• Vegetables, salad and fruit contain antioxidants, which fight harmful free radicals and can help support your immune system.
• Cereals, breads, potatoes, pasta and rice provide valuable energy to our bodies.
• Milk, yoghurt and cheese products contain calcium, which is essential for healthy bones. This is especially important if you take steroids as they increase bone loss.
• Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts contain protein which is important to build and maintain muscle. • Fats, spreads and oils are high in energy and provide vitamins, such as vitamin D which we need to absorb calcium. • Confectionary for example: cakes, crisps, fizzy drinks provide very little nutrition other than sugar, fat and empty calories.
Many people with COPD can experience a poor appetite. It is very common to feel full more quickly and you can be put off by certain foods. When you have COPD your body needs extra energy just to breathe and even more energy to fight an infection.
Tips which may help a poor appetite: Other issues which may affect your food and nutrition
• Dry mouth – due to oxygen usage, medications – sip water, suck ice cubes, avoid caffeine
• Bloating and trapped wind due to gulping air whilst eating – Take your time, smaller bites
• Reflux or Indigestion – common in people with COPD, eat slowly, eat small amounts, reduce alcohol
• Constipation - stay hydrated, eat well and include fibre in your diet
• Coughing whilst eating – eat slowly, eat softer foods, don’t talk and eat
• Eat little and often: choose smaller meals and snacks.
• Try to eat something, no matter how small, at every mealtime.
• Avoid drinking for a half hour before and during meals as this can make you feel fuller more quickly.
• Try to eat a protein food twice daily e.g. cheese, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, pulses or nuts.
• Add extra butter, cream or cheese to foods, this increases the calories but not portion size.
• Try to have a pint of full fat milk each day – or a white coffee, hot chocolate or other milky drink.
• Use ready meals, tinned and frozen foods which require no preparation time.
What can I do?
• Eating a variety of foods in the portions that suit you best is a good place to start.
• Ask your healthcare professional to refer you to a dietician or contact the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) which will has a list of registered dieticians in Ireland
www.indi.ie
• Contact the COPD adviceline at 1800 832146 or nurse@asthma.ie
• Download our COPD & Me Booklet on our website www.copd.ie A COPD diet is meant to be followed for a lifetime and following these diet guidelines consistently can help you manage symptoms along the way.
By Debbie Orme Notes
The new Elevation garden on the railway viaduct in Randalstown
Randalstown in bloom as railway viaduct garden opens
Move over New York – Northern Ireland has got its very own High Line as a former railway viaduct has been transformed into a community garden!
Spanning the River Maine in Randalstown, the project – the first of its kind across Ireland – is just one of four installations across the UK which have been designated a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Community Garden as part of National Gardening Week, which was held in May. Officially opening the garden, with hundreds of visitors descending upon the suspended garden – christened ‘Elevation’ – Councillor Billy Webb, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Council, was full of praise for the new garden.
‘Designed in conjunction with the local community, this popular recreational pathway will become a destination hot spot that is equal parts working garden and world-class attraction for locals and visitors alike,’ he said.
‘The repurposing of what was already an iconic heritage landmark into a picturesque restorative space will undoubtedly increase tourism footfall to such a beautiful part of Northern Ireland, which in turn helps to boost the economy. ‘We have all seen the important role that gardens and outdoor spaces have played over the past few years when it comes to our physical and mental wellbeing. With its beautiful walking routes, projects such as this will allow enhance the town even further and allow us to create a more vibrant future for all.’ The garden will offer a mix of sustainable pollinator-friendly planting, extended bee corridors, shelter for hibernating species, as well as seeds and berries for birds.
An intergenerational team will maintain the site, which has seating and areas for people to get together and facilitate workshops, according to community organisation Tidy Randalstown, who were the Northern Ireland recipients of the RHS Community Garden award.
Horticultural Officer, Dylan Freeburn, joined Mayor Karen Douglas at the launch of Translink in Bloom at Bangor Castle Walled Garden
Ards and North Down Borough Council has launched this year’s Translink Ulster In Bloom competition for 2022. The annual, green-fingered awards boost civic pride across Northern Ireland, encouraging cities, towns and villages to look their best with striking floral displays and seasonal plants which often represent the history, culture and unique features of each area.
The core competition criteria, ‘Horticultural, Environment and Community’ helps to instil local pride, create awareness of the environment and biodiversity, while also encouraging cross community participation and involvement from people of all ages in the Borough. The competition is judged July to early August. Volunteer judges travel in pairs and follow prepared itineraries so that every place is visited over the key summer period. Besides selecting the best entries, judges also select a few special awards and choose the entries most likely to represent Northern Ireland in the national RHS Britain in Bloom competition. ‘I am delighted to help launch the Translink Ulster In Bloom competition in Ards and North Down,’ said Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Karen Douglas.
‘The Translink In Bloom competition helps boost civic pride and encourages our residents to make the most of the beautiful outdoor spaces we have on offer here in Ards and North Down. Good luck to all those participating in this year’s competition – I look forward to seeing the beautiful displays you create.”
Ards and North Down Borough Council has also launched this year’s Ards and North Down In Bloom campaign and community competitions. There are several different categories that cater for people Anyone interested in participating in Translink Ulster In Bloom or entering this year’s Ards and North Down In Bloom community competition, should contact the Council’s Parks Service on
andparks@ardsnorthdown.gov.uk
DIGITAL SKILLS
For everyday living
Sign up for Active Retirement Ireland’s Hi Digital classes for older people and learn basic and essential online skills.
Active Retirement Ireland' s free, in-person Hi Digital classes for older people are available to book across the country.
Classes are open to any person aged 65+ who would like to develop their digital literacy and confidence with guidance and support from other older people in their community.
A first of its kind, five-year initiative, Hi Digital was developed by Vodafone Ireland Foundation alongside charity partners, Active Retirement Ireland and ALONE, to support older people who lack digital skills, through online and in-person training. The Hi Digital training course consists of bite-sized lessons organised around key digital themes including internet basics and how to use online devices, as well as digital apps and features such as social media or video calling that can enhance daily life and combat isolation. Topics covered include:
Sending emails Keeping in touch with friends and family through social media or video calling Online banking and government services online Looking up information for hobbies or travel Using the internet on your phone Using your phone to take and share pictures or videos Online safety and more.
Community-led training
Active Retirement Ireland’s comprehensive programme of in-person classroom learning is delivered through a network of community partners across the country. Classes are run for older people, by older people — trained ARI digital ambassadors who offer face to face training and guidance so older people can develop their skills in a relaxed and supportive environment.
To find out about Hi Digital classes in your county and book your place, call Active Retirement Ireland on 1800203030 or visit www.activeirl.ie/hidigital
Belfast’s rich cultural diversity celebrated
Belfast cultural cafe
Residents from different cultures in the city came together recently at a ‘Grand Culture Café’ event at 2 Royal Avenue, as part of Belfast City Council’s PEACE IV work.
Among those were representatives from the Indian, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Polish, Arabic, African and African-Caribbean communities. The Grand Culture Café on Friday 17 June was the finale event of a series from 2019 (in-person and online) which showcased and celebrated Belfast’s rich cultural diversity. Working closely with different communities, the events shared the traditions, life, food, cultural artefacts and language of diverse cultures that call Belfast their home.
At the special event, two publications entitled ‘Belonging to Belfast’ were also launched including one for children – featuring interviews and information on all the cultures that took part in the Culture Café series.
‘Our Culture Cafés shone a spotlight on a range of cultures here in the city,’ said Councillor Mal O’Hara, Deputy Chair of Belfast City Council’s Shared City Partnership. ‘They have been imaginative and interesting and generated lively conversations. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the series. ‘The Culture Cafés have also contributed to the aims of our Good Relations strategy by increasing knowledge of diverse cultures, identities and heritage, creating respect for diversity, fostering an increased sense of belonging and challenging racism and stereotypes too. ‘We believe good relations is everyone’s business – we all have a role to play to create a brighter and better future for Belfast. We all have differences and similarities and that is a beautiful thing to be celebrated.’
For more information on the programme, visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/PEACEIV
Looking forward to August Craft Month
Craft Month is Northern Ireland’s unique celebration of crafts.
Throughout the month of August, there will be opportunities to experience, participate in and learn about crafts. So, whether you’re thrilled by Abbie Dixon’s modern silver jewellery inspired by nature’s intricate detail, or intrigued by Brian McKee’s steam bending of timber to create contemporary, hand-made furniture, you’re sure to find something of interest. For more information, visit
craftni.org
Belfast UNESCO City of Music walking tour a main attraction
Take a leisurely walking tour to explore Belfast's rich music scene, taking in some off the beaten track venues before relaxing at the Oh Yeah Music Centre to enjoy a performance by a local musician just for the tour group. You will discover why Belfast is a UNESCO City of Music! From hip hop to classical and punk, pop to folk and jazz - plus everything in between - music plays a significant part in the fabric of Belfast, making it a vibrant city to live in or visit.
The tour ends with a visit to the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast’s own dedicated music hub. Here you will have time to browse the Oh Yeah’s Music Exhibition, before settling down to enjoy an exclusive 25-minute performance by talented local musicians.
The tour will take place from 1pm to 4pm on:
• Saturday 30 July 2022 • Friday 5 August 2022 • Saturday 20 August 2022 • Friday 23 September 2022 • Saturday 8 October 2022 • Saturday 22 October 2022 • Saturday 12 November 2022 • Saturday 19 November 2022 • Saturday 10 December 2022
