Where are the healthy options?

This week, I’m kicking off the column this week with a bold statement... I’m not surprised that we are one of the fattest cities in the UK. There I said it. I used the F word... and I used it in relation to our city.

I’m always looking for the positives when it comes to health and fitness opportunities in Sunderland.

I’m constantly trying to encourage people to be more physically active, but the reality is that although moving more will have a positive impact on your health and fitness, it will only take you so far.

Exercise alone, sadly, isn’t the answer. In addition to moving your body more you have to pay attention to what, and how much you eat. That is a fact.

Changing your diet is super hard, of course it is, any form of change is challenging.

If you decide to swap your pizza and chips at teatime for a chicken stir fry, there is certainly more preparation involved, and I give a massive high five to everyone who is making the effort to cook healthier meals for themselves and their family.

But what happens when you’re trying to maintain making healthier choices and you step outside of the comfort of your own home and try to grab some decent food on the go? The answer... it’s mission impossible!

If on the other hand you want fried food, pasties, sausage rolls, chocolate or crisps, then you’re laughing, as the choice available in our city is second to none.

There simply isn’t a solution for those wanting to take care of their bodies and choose more nutritious meals that actually do them some good.

We are surrounded by fast food and beige stodge, so it really is no wonder we have appalling obesity stats.

Yes (I hear you cry) we don’t have to choose bad food when we are out and about and yes, we could take a lunch box with us every where we go, but the reality is life gets in the way sometimes.

We may forget to take with us the perfectly prepped packed lunch, we may have been held up in a meeting and not have the time to pop home to eat... I could go on with the scenarios, but I think you get the picture.

Essentially there needs to be more choice. Or maybe there is and we don’t know about it?

Maybe there are small businesses in Sunderland offering healthy options but they don’t have the marketing budget of Greggs, and as a result remain an untapped goldmine of health and nutrients... who knows!

We need more choice in this city and more solutions to support positive health changes.

So if you are offering healthy food options, then sing it from the roof tops.

There are literally thousands of people in this city who are crying out for a healthy option on the hop and there are even more people who need to be educated on food and shown that good food doesn’t have to be calorie dense and beige!

“So if you are offering healthy food options, then sing it from the roof tops”