Change4Life was launched in 2008 to encourage us all to eat healthy, be more active and improve our lifestyles. It claims you can prepare a healthy meal for you and your family for under £5 with easy to prepare recipes. But just how easy is it to switch to Change4Life?
Over the next week RACHAEL WEST will live as Change4Life recommends, try out the recipes and show you what life is like once you make the change…
First of all I should point out that while I have had good intentions in the past to eat right and stay healthy, I have no will power. I love chocolate, adore cakes and I’m guilty of serial snacking. But that doesn’t mean I’m not health conscious.
I have tried several times over the years to eat healthier food and I succeed for maybe a week each time I try. It’s not that I don’t want to do it; it’s simply my lack of ideas for healthy recipes beyond salads and the occasional banana or yoghurt.
I’m someone who enjoys everything about food from cooking it to eating it. In the past my healthy alternatives have often been boring and this probably why I fail to stick at it. Food should be exciting as well as delicious. I’m sure many of us have been prone to raiding the fridge for a dessert if we’ve been left feeling unsatisfied by a bland salad.
Then there’s the issue of price. There have been many occasions where I’ve bravely filled my shopping trolley with fresh vegetables, reduced fat and salt options, only to be given a heart attack when I see the end price at the check out.
Change4Life was launched in 2008 as part of a Government strategy to improve the health of children and their families and could be the first healthy diet I can stick to.
When I first heard about Change4Life and its promise of fresh and healthy recipes all for under £5, you can imagine my curiosity. My past experiences and diminished bank balance made me wonder could you really prepare a meal for four people for under £5? Would Change4Life have new and exciting recipes to try? How was this different to what I had tried before?
Turns out it’s very different.
The main problem I’ve faced in my quest to healthier eating was my lack of ides for alternative meals. I knew what I liked to eat, but what I liked wasn’t the healthier choice.
After immersing myself in the Change4Life website, my eyes were opened to a colourful array of dishes to try from chilli and curries, soups, noodle dishes, stews, oriental dishes, roasts, the list goes on. I suddenly found myself no longer without ideas; in fact I now had no idea where to start. Healthy food suddenly didn’t seem so boring.
The first step on my new quest to a healthier lifestyle began with a questionnaire for adults from the Change4Life homepage. I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say, my results could have been better.
It revealed that whilst my current diet is on the right track it could be improved. It also showed that I drastically need to improve my activity levels, swap what I snack on and have better breakfasts. No surprises there then.
So over the next week I’ll be living my life Change4Life style with healthier meals, no more snacking and attempts to get off my backside more.
You can keep up to date with my progress here as I find out how easy the recipes are and if they do in fact only cost £5, what improvements I see and how easy I find it to stick to the change.
I’ll chart my ups and my downs honestly so that you can get an insight into Change4Life to see how it can benefit you and your family.
