The wealth of free resources available to UK consumers on healthy eating and nutrition provides a very limited number which illustrate ethnic foods, including those commonly consumed in traditional African and Caribbean cuisines. This makes it difficult for health and nutrition professionals to support people from these minority ethnic groups to improve their health and diet. The aim of this project was to develop healthier versions of several traditional African Caribbean recipe resources, by working collaboratively with the Third Sector in Leeds and service-users from corresponding ethnic backgrounds. A new third-sector-academic collaborative partnership was formed in 2021 and funded by LeedsACTS! before researchers used software to theoretically analyse the nutritional composition of popular African Caribbean recipes using food composition data which was generated previously(Reference Apekey, Copeman and Kime1). Recipes were then prepared by the researchers alongside community service users (n = 10) of African Caribbean ethnicity living in Leeds in the community service setting. The feasibility and acceptability of the recipes was tested by obtaining verbal qualitative feedback from service-users following which recipes were further refined as appropriate. The study was approved by Leeds Beckett University Research Ethics Committee. A total of 12 recipes were theoretically analysed and modified to reduce the content of key nutrients of concern (i.e. energy, salt, saturated fat and free sugars) or increase those nutrients known to be at risk of lower than adequate intakes (i.e. iron, folate, fibre and calcium) within UK African Caribbean ethnic communities. Qualitative feedback from service-user cooks (1st and 2nd generation African Caribbean) found that recipes tasted and appeared acceptable (e.g. “for friends and family”; “it tastes the same as a standard recipe”), and were feasible to make. It is feasible to modify traditional recipes to be healthier and acceptable to those who are familiar with traditional African Caribbean foods. The outputs of the project, including healthier recipes, can now be shared with communities in Leeds and made available for use by UK nutrition and health practitioners.
Findings warrant future research extension to include a formal evaluation of the health-related impact of the resources, in combination with new multicultural food-based guidance, on the target communities.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank all volunteer researchers and the staff and service-users at the community Partner Feel Good Factor, Leeds, UK. For details see: https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/research-project/1/faculty-of-environment/1768/developing-healthy-eating-recipe-resources-for-african-caribbean-multicultural-communities-in-leeds
