METMUNCH DISHES UP GOOD MOOD FOOD

The GROW Café in the Manchester Met Business School encourages students to think more consciously about the food they eat, and to consider issues of sustainability and plant-based eating when choosing what to have for their lunch.

A collaboration between the University Catering Team and MetMUnch, GROW offers a meat-free, nutritious alternative diet that is more sustainable and low carbon, as well as serving up a space to share ideas and collaborate.

MetMUnch was founded by senior lecturer Haleh Moravej in 2011 as a student-led enterprise and it has gone on to win many awards and become known around the world as pioneers of nutrition, sustainability and wellness. Haleh and the MetMUnch team know their food serves two purposes – to fuel the body and educate the mind.

“Gut bacteria is super important as it makes up around 2.5kg of our gut,” says Haleh. “Our energy for everyday activities actually comes from the gut and acts as the puppetmaster for our brain.” She adds, “A highly-processed diet will destroy the good gut bacteria as it is accumulated throughout your life and therefore we are heavily dependent on a good diet. Healthy gut bacteria can take up to six years to rebuild.”

Haleh explains a balanced diet is needed to boost your mood and therefore you should avoid anything which gives you a high sugar rush. So we asked Haleh and the MetMUnch team to serve up top five good mood food tips to help boost wellbeing and give you energy. Here they are!

1. FRUIT & VEGETABLES

Containing a range of antioxidants, researchers suggest that you should have 30 different-coloured fruit and vegetables a week. When eating vegetables, you will feel a positive mood improvement as they are providing good bacteria for your gut as well as boosting your immune system.

2. FERMENTED FOODS

Fermented foods are a great way to include probiotics in your diet. Kimchi (Korean fermented vegetables) and Kombucha (fermented black tea) are both great examples of fermented foods which can be included in your diet. Additionally, sauerkraut is a fermented cabbage condiment, loaded with vitamin C and K as well as iron and fibre, rich in probiotics which contain healthy gut bacteria.

3. HEALTHY FATS

Healthy fats are very important for your mood as your brain is made out of 65% essential fats. They are called ‘essential fats’ as our bodies don’t produce them. Therefore, we need to get them externally. You get essential fats from oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines which are full of omega 3 and are good for your brain. If you are vegan or vegetarian you have to get omega 3 from nuts and seeds such as walnuts, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds and chia seeds. Avocados are another fantastic food for mood but are not as sustainable as other fruits or vegetables. However, they are a fantastic source of vitamin C, E, K, and vitamin B6: all of these are good for stress management.

4. EGGS

Eggs are a good source of amino acids which are the base of protein. They are cheap, affordable, and provide energy directly to the brain. Make sure you know how the eggs have been farmed if you are concerned about the various methods.

5. DARK CHOCOLATE

Dark chocolate with a 95% high cocoa content is good for the brain and will help with a boost of energy Some nutritionists even recommend 25g a day.

ByRuby Qaimkhani

When the cold weather sets in, our motivation to brave the great outdoors can take a hit. But studies like Connect Health’s ‘The benefits of winter walking’ have shown that walking and fresh air can kick the immune system into high gear and enhance your body’s ability to fight infections.

Awareness of the health benefits of getting outdoors led Haroon Mota, a marathon runner from Coventry, to found a new hiking group called the Muslim Hikers. They take aim to tackle health inequalities and the underrepresentation of Muslim and South Asian communities in green spaces, while enjoying the great outdoors.

Haroon Mota says: “If we’re not accessing the outdoors, we’re depriving ourselves of the wellbeing benefits. Muslim communities tend to be the ones affected by the greatest health inequalities, especially the South Asian community.

“We make up a large proportion of the British Muslim community, particularly people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If we’re the ones affected by these inequalities, we need to do something about our lifestyles. It’s not surprising we’re also the same communities that have the lowest levels of physical activity.”

The under-representation of the South Asian communities in numbers of visitors seeking exercise outdoors plays a big role in this too, Haroon explains: “Government statistics show that less than 1% of visitors to the UK national parks come from ethnic minorities and that is quite shocking.”

For some, it can be tough to find a hiking group that shares a love for the outdoors while making them feel accepted. One fan of the Muslim Hikers group is Zeni Aslam from Rochdale, who says: “I’m always looking for activities with diverse groups that offer a positive influence.”

The Muslim Hikers’ events are advertised on Eventbrite and sell out quickly. Their first two events of 2023, walks in the Peak District, sold out in under 12 hours. “I’m on the waiting list for their February event; a weekend’s walking through the Hope Valley,” says Zeni. “However due to the high demand I doubt I’ll get a ticket.”

Another group serving this demand and aiming to get Muslims out into the country to enjoy its health benefits is the South Manchester Muslims Walking Group (SMMWG).

SMMWG was set up in 2018 by GP Dr Amir Hannan, Amna Choudry, who works in psychological therapies and mental health, and IT consultant Riz Qureshi.

Data is collected to show regular and new participants what could be improved and what they collectively enjoyed the most.

Results from the latest walk showed that four out of five attendees selected benefits which related to health, mood and a sense of connection. Less priority was given to body image and keeping their weight in check, which was a common trend among the past five survey results.

One regular attendee of the SMMWG sessions is Khadiza Jahan who first joined the walking group as she loves nature walks. After attending ten sessions with the group, she had the opportunity to create and lead her own route from Didsbury Mosque to Ivy Green.

When asked what keeps her coming back to the group, Khadiza says: “I love meeting new people and the walks are on weekends which works best for me. Ultimately, I do it for my own satisfaction.”