Food with a healthy twist

Aug 7 2007 by Laura Davis, Liverpool Daily Post

As Liverpool gears up for its 800th birthday celebrations, a nutritional therapist tells Laura Davis that party food can be healthy and fun

TRIANGULAR jam sandwiches, iced fairy cakes, pink wafers, rabbit-shaped orange jelly, sausages on sticks, trifle topped with hundreds and thousands . . .

What street party would be worth its salt, E numbers, artificial flavourings and refined sugar without these staple trestle table fillers?

As fatty snacks and sugary treats are the usual fayre at celebratory gatherings, it is tricky to reconcile the appeal of traditional party food with the importance of healthy eating.

Yet this is one issue the Liverpool Culture Company had to tackle when encouraging residents to organise street parties to mark the city’s 800th birthday later this month.

Enter Helen Turner, a nutritional therapist with practices in Allerton and Crosby, who was brought in to advise on how to put on a good spread without relying on any of the guilty regulars.

She believes it is entirely possible to create a healthy menu that those celebrating Liverpool’s anniversary will enjoy just as much as jelly and ice cream.

“I think you can serve delicious food at a party without indulging in unhealthy foods. I also think that if you’re trying to introduce people to healthy eating, a party’s a good place to do it because they’re in a good mood and they’ll try something new,” she explains.

“I’m a big believer in sprouting seeds and live foods, and parties are a great opportunity to introduce them to people by putting them in your salads.”

Helen, 34, who worked in catering and hospitality at the Everyman Bistro, Hope Street Hotel, and 3345 Parr Street before training in nutritional therapy, was invited by the Culture Company to run a number of sessions with street party organisers to teach them how to find alternatives to the traditional unhealthy options.

“The Creative Health and Wellbeing team within the Culture Company saw an opportunity within this part of the 800th birthday parties to get the message across that you can have fun and look after yourself at the same time and that corresponds to my philosophy in terms of health,” she says.

“I think it is about being dynamic and vibrant and ultimately happy.”

The two-hour sessions of about 30 people each, held at Childwall and Toxteth libraries, were attended by people from across the city, including nursing home workers, community group leaders and members of the public who are planning events in their own streets and homes.

“It’s about using alternatives to refined sugar, which is an absolute nightmare, and alternatives to seasoning with salt, such as herbs and spices.

“We’ve been looking at how to eat with the eyes rather than the mouth and the importance of presentation,” explains Helen. “You can also make old party classics with a healthy twist.”

The prevalence of food allergies and intolerances, such as to wheat, nuts or dairy products, is also something party organisers now have to consider. ”I make a chocolate mousse that is quite radical because you make it without dairy products or sugar. You make it with dates and toffee and really good cocoa powder. It’s fantastic,” reveals Helen.

“Instead of couscous, which is usually made with wheat, you can use quinoa (an edible grain dating back to the Incas). And you can make your own salsas which are very easy.

“A lot of people buy dips from supermarkets but they’re very easy to prepare at home and really cheap as well.”

Helen, who has worked as a consultant for Derbyshire County Cricket Club and Sahir House, in Wirral, is in discussions with Liverpool Culture Company about expanding her role into 2008, advising people on events and parties as part of the city’s Capital of Culture year.

Her involvement in 2007 comes under the organisation’s Creative Heath banner, which aims to use arts and culture innovatively to improve people's health and well-being. This covers healthcare settings such as hospitals, GPs’ surgeries or mental health resource centres, as well as the wider community.

Helen believes health is an important element of Liverpool’s celebrations.

“It’s of paramount importance, it really is. If you don’t eat properly, you set yourself up for disease. By eating well, by eating what grows around you and making sure your hydration is top notch, you’re going to be doing yourself a lot of favours and saving yourself a lot of hassle in the long run,” says Helen, who lives in the Georgian Quarter of the city centre.

“I think there is a tendency for people to think that to be healthy you have to sacrifice everything you enjoy. But, while you have to make a few sacrifices, the end result is well worth it.“

FOR more information on the Creative Health Network, call Julie Hanna, creative health and wellbeing manager at the Liverpool Culture Company, on 0151 233 6393.

CONTACT Helen Turner at helen@htntherapy.co.uk

lauradavis@dailypost.co.uk

Street party tips

* SWAP fizzy drinks for smoothies and fruit juices to reduce the amount of sugar and artificial colours and flavourings;

* Serve bowls of fruit or fruit kebabs;

* Use low fat mayonnaise on bread when making sandwiches instead of butter;

* Grill or oven cook food rather than frying it;

* Serve home-made dips and salsas instead of buying them from the supermarket;

* Offer dairy and wheat free alternatives.