Food for Thought

It is somewhat scandalous that some 4 million children in the UK, according to a study by the Food Foundation, live in households too poor to buy the foods specified on the Public Health England's 'Eatwell Guide' for a healthy diet (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/05/four-million-uk-children-too-poor-to-have-a-healthy-diet-study-finds)! As developing children are particularly likely to develop health problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, it is not unreasonable to focus on them. It might also be worth pointing out, however, that there must be considerable numbers of lone adults who cannot pay the circa £35 per week needed to buy healthy food (cooking it also costs money). This is all without taking into account other issues (e.g. rents; travel costs;  interest payments; pressures to purchase TV packages; holidays et cetera) that make it less likely that, even people who could afford a healthy, balanced diet, will allocate enough of their income to buy the ingredients.

It's a Heart Ache

The reported claim that one can find the current 'age' of one's heart by answering 16 questions on an app has intrigued many people (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/04/how-do-i-find-out-my-heart-age). It was newsworthy that many respondents reportedly had heart ages considerably older than their chronological age. As the questions concern items relating to ethnicity, postcode; height/weight and whether the individual smokes, one has to take the app estimations with a pinch of salt. As they used to say in the early days of computing "garbage in: garbage out". People are not very good about answering any such questions honestly or accurately. The actual situation vis-a-vis heart health of the UK population is likely to be (much?) worse.

One Step at a Time!

It seems worth reiterating that the apparently simple claim that you need to complete 10,000 steps per day to have an active healthy life-style is completely arbitrary (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/sep/03/watch-your-step-why-the-10000-daily-goal-is-built-on-bad-science). The figure is essentially a comparatively ancient number plucked out for marketing purposes by developers of Japanese technology. As is pointed out in the article, even subsequent 'scientific' studies fail to look at categories of subjects with a range of daily numbers (they do things like assess weight loss in people completing 10k steps and those doing considerably less) as well as failing to consider that the optimal number of steps may depend on the subject's age and health status.

Democracy and Fracking

I must admit that I share many of the reservations expressed by John Ashton (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/03/fracking-england-tories-lancashire-council-government) about the imposition of fracking on areas of England (Scotland and Wales have declined the technology) against the expressed wishes of the local populations. I personally cannot see fracking as any kind of answer to the problem of climate change and find it extraordinary that local democratic mechanisms are being dismantled to facilitate its take-up.

Parking the Problem?

A report has suggested that the parks, historically created in London and other major UK cities (often by benefactors), are currently undergoing an insidious change in their use (https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/aug/31/londons-parks-accused-of-creeping-privatisation-of-public-spaces). The parks were originally a source of civic pride and were viewed as locations where the general population could freely seek calm and relaxation. It appears now that the financial pressures being felt throughout local government, has resulted in councils dramatically increasing their hiring out of such locations to music festivals and other activities. This, of course, results in the local population being excluded from the parks whilst the event in underway (as well as exposing them to increases in light and noise pollution, along with littering). One could add (although not considered in the report) that many of the animals that live in the parks are also subject to disturbance and some might well be driven from the area. It is understood that councils feel compelled to maximise the revenue that 'their' parks generate but it does change the entire relationship of parks to people.

Better Fed on the Med?

It has been reported that it is not too late to switch to a Mediterranean diet, even for old fogeys (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/aug/31/mediterranean-diet-old-age-longer-life-study). Trading up, as a mature adult, to a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruit along with fish and olive oil as a cooking agent, reportedly results in people living longer (but, pretty obviously, going easy on the alcohol and certainly not smoking). Perhaps, in some geographical areas nearer the poles, you would still have to supplement vitamin D?

Seeing the Changes 1368

First day of Autumn. Lots of fungi about with Wrinkled crust (Phlebia radiata) and a dead wood-based growth in Loughor. Slippery Jack (Suillus luteus) was now all over Bynea where Water mint (Mentha aquatica) was also in bloom. There were lots of Small white (Artogeia rapae) RTA's on Loughor Bridge but these were the only butterflies in numbers in this area.