wellbeing

Kindness & Co.

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How very refreshing. I ventured into Cheltenham’s newest café today and had the pleasure of sampling some of their healthy delights. That’s right, we Cheltonians now have our very own health food café in town, and it puts a smile on my face just knowing that it’s there. I have to say that there aren’t many establishments that have such an impressive ethos, nor that leave you feeling that your body and soul has been refreshed and revived.

flat white at Kindness & co

I haven’t followed the ‘clean eating’ trend over the last couple of years but I have to use the word here; everything is so fresh, zingy and simply ‘clean’ on the palate. It’s a revelation.. we’re seeing a food revolution. 

I usually get a little overexcited when eating out as it doesn’t happy very often; I opt for the most colossal daddy offering on the menu, which has me waddling out of the door with regret, irrespective of how well it’s executed.

This however, is something else. I feel virtuous on a number of levels. Even the cutlery is compostable ‘vegware’. Kindness & Co know that diet and nutrition are key to optimum well-being and they’re committed to helping you live a longer, healthier and ultimately happier life.

This is no Holland & Barrett with a coffee machine. Their focus is on creating stunning dishes from natural, unprocessed, unrefined, fresh ingredients (and they also make a mean Flat White too. Turmeric Latte? No problem).

salads and fishcake

One of my favourite features at Kindness & Co is that they don’t have a separate ‘kids menu’. It’s a particular bugbear of mine; lovely gastropubs, cafés and restaurants letting themselves down with the ubiquitous and pathetic sausage chips and beans/fish fingers chips and beans blah blah vomit. Kindness & Co are taking a stand and playing their part in the fight to change the status quo. Little people are like sponges, constantly influenced by everything around them, so it’s important to expose them to what adults eat, just in smaller portions.

choosing salads at Kindness & Co Cheltenham

Yeah, the space may be small, but this is a little gemstone in the heart of Cheltenham that I see as a game-changer. It’s well worth discovering for yourself.

Mrs FoodFitForFelix 

http://www.kindness-and-co.com/

38 Clarence Street, Cheltenham, 01242 697 211

Must. Try. Harder.

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Well, it’s finally out there. I know I should be jumping for joy to see it, but alas, although I haven’t even read it yet, the public reaction tells me that the UK Government’s Childhood Obesity Strategy doesn’t hit the mark.

govt_strategy

 

I’ve had an opportunity to pore over it now, and here’s what I think.

Reading the introduction inspires me to go out for a run; this is serious stuff that we can’t ignore. More needs to be done to get the facts into the public domain and reinforce the severity in the minds of those not inclined to read Government strategy papers.

There’s absolute sense in what they state about long-term, sustainable change only being achievable through the active engagement of schools, communities, families and individuals. This is the core objective for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. It follows the basic principles of change, as we must raise awareness, create the desire, and help people to understand what they can do to make a difference.

The sugar tax is a positive step, but is it enough? If I were a food manufacturer, I don’t think I’d be too worried about any of this..

I see a lot of wishy-washy wording that leaves plenty of room for localised interpretation. I would have liked to have seen some more decisive moves rather than merely ‘encouraging’ change with a limp carrot.

The plans around sport for schoolchildren are great, but I’m concerned that the mindset will become “I do lots of physical activity, so I can get away with eating whatever I want”. The balance is paramount, and if those affected don’t have a clear understanding, then what hope do they have?

In conclusion, I’m glad that we have this, but we had a real opportunity for transformational change, and I can’t help but feel terribly disappointed that we didn’t grab it with both hands and really capitalise on it.

As stated, the launch of this plan represents the start of a conversation, rather than the final word. I for one will be making sure that I’m involved in that conversation, will you?

 

YOU

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Here’s the latest offering from Jamie Oliver – a neat social media app called ‘YOU-app’.

Its USP?  Mindfulness.

The concept is an application that provides you with ‘micro-actions’ to complete each day.  They’re straightforward and easy to complete, and above all, make you feel better about yourself.  They may be small, but the effects are cumulative and empowering; guaranteed to leave you feeling virtuous.  It’s all backed up with science!

You app image

Pinterest, 2 Facebook pages, Twitter, WordPress blog… I can’t even find the time to open an Instagram account.  Am I really going to post more pictures on yet another platform?  Initially I was thinking “I’d really like to hope so, but I’ll take some convincing”…  it’s been a week, and now I’m all over it.  I write a diary every day, and I can assure you that taking a snap, adding a sentence and posting it, is far quicker.

As a technologist, futurology tells me that my list of ‘daily technologies’ is only going to grow – so I wonder which of these will be the first MySpace, and cease to exist?  I predict mergers and takeovers as the public decide with their feet and the big players become increasingly ubiquitous.

Anyway.

Everyone requires a little encouragement, and the social aspect of this app genuinely motivates.  Imagine Pinterest, but with everyone posting under a common theme, sharing beautiful images, ideas and thoughts.

In summary, do I like it?  Yes.  Has it got legs?  It has, but I suspect that mass-uptake might be slow.  Did it need to be its own standalone application?  Maybe not..  I think I’d have been on-board simply subscribing to a Facebook page, but of course, not everyone uses Facebook (yet).  If anything, it’s a shame it’s limited to mobile platforms.

Give it a go and see how you feel (remembering that change rarely just happens overnight).  The overhead on your daily life is certainly worth the gamble.

Check out you-app.com.   The application is currently available for iOS, with an Android version due for release.