WHEN she gets home from her job as a carer at 9pm, the last thing mother-of-two Elaine wants to do is cook a meal.
Her shift started at 6.30am and tomorrow will be the same.
Nigel IskanderCath Pitman says there are too many tempting takeaway options in Ebbw Vale[/caption]
Cheap booze shops and takeaways have turned Blaenau Gwent in Wales into the UK obesity capital
So, unsurprisingly, instead of setting about rustling up a fancy, fresh-cooked, healthy dinner – which she knows she should – she scrolls through the long list of fast food restaurants and takeaways in her phone contacts and orders a delivery.
Tonight it’s a curry – her third of the week – but it could have been pizza, a Chinese or kebab.
Elaine’s nutritional choices have helped push her weight to a dangerously-high 17 stone and she sees no way of getting it under control.
She says: “I know I’m way overweight but what can I do? I love my job but it leaves no time to prepare and cook decent food. I barely have enough time to go shopping for groceries, even.
“I’m absolutely exhausted when I get in at night, but also starving hungry, so I order a takeaway delivery most nights. It’s usually a curry or a pizza or kebab. Some days I’ll have all three.
“I know it’s not a healthy way to live. I’m already being monitored by my GP at the moment for diabetes because I’m on the verge of getting it, I’ve been told.”
Obesity capital
Elaine is one of many in Ebbw Vale whose poor diet has helped propel the area to the top of the UK’s obesity league table.
Research by NHS prescription service Now Patient last week revealed the number one hotspot for tubby Brits is Blaenau Gwent, Wales, the local authority area in which Ebbw Vale is the largest town.
Four out of five people in the county borough are now classified as overweight or obese, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher. The percentage of those with a BMI of 25 or above now stands at 79.9.
Nigel IskanderMum of two Elaine works around the clock and struggles to find time for healthy meals[/caption]
Ebbw Vale is the largest town in the borough
The town was once an industrial powerhouse of the British Empire
The unwelcome achievement marks a sad landmark for the town that was once the industrial powerhouse of the British Empire, employing at one point 34,000 local men in its steel plants.
The town’s streets nowadays bear the hallmarks of its decline, with a plethora of fast food outlets and takeaway shops springing up in recent years.
A 2018 report revealed that Blaenau Gwent in fact had the highest proportion of fast food outlets in the UK. It showed a staggering 73 per cent of food outlets in the area were selling fast food – more than any other part of Britain. Of the 75 restaurants in Blaenau Gwent at the time, 55 were in that category.
Elaine says there is a “clear link” between the ready availability of cheap, junk meals and obesity.
“It’s convenience,” she says. “There’s so much choice in Ebbw Vale, but none of the options are any good for you.
“I know a lot of people who aren’t in work and they get takeaways because they’re easy and cheap.
“We need to encourage people to move away from this kind of food and have the skills to cook fresh food instead, which can actually be much cheaper.
“The problem in my case is time, but for many people it’s just a lack of know-how. Perhaps if they taught kids in school how to cook, that would be a big step in the right direction.
“For me, I just need to finish work earlier. I have the skills and the will but I just don’t have the time.”
Medic fears
Just five miles from Ebbw Vale, and also in the Blaenau Gwent administrative area, is Tredegar, birthplace of the National Health Service and its founder Aneurin Bevan.
NHS medical workers we spoke to admitted the obesity epidemic in the area is putting “intolerable” pressure on the service.
One said: “Looking ahead five to ten years, the number of young and middle aged people we’re seeing who are so overweight is going to put huge pressure on our health service.
“It is already intolerable, but it will only get worse. Much worse.
“The consequences of carrying too much weight are well-known and people need to find a way of living healthier lifestyles now, before it is too late.
Retired pharmaceutical store worker Kay, who has two daughters and four grandchildren, blames a lack of sports and recreational facilities in the area for the rising obesity levels.
NHS medical workers in the area say the obesity crisis is putting ‘intolerable’ pressure on the service
Nigel IskanderResident Kay says too many leisure facilities in the area have closed[/caption]
Kay, 75, was born in Ebbw Vale but now lives in Tredegar. She said: “It makes me so sad to walk around and see so many people overweight.
“What makes me sadder is that so many of them are young.
“They should be out doing sport, not gorging themselves on chips or a pizza in the street.
“The problem is that so many of the facilities where they could do activity have closed around here. There’s just nothing for them to do, other than buy cheap, fast food. All the youth clubs have closed and a trip to the gym costs a small fortune.
“When I was young, I was always out playing sport or doing some kind of healthy, recreational activity for free. Now there’s just nothing for them, I’m afraid.”
Lack of jobs
Nigel IskanderMandy says lack of jobs are hurting the town[/caption]
Mandy, 47, is quick to blame the obesity levels on a lack of job opportunities in the area.
She said: “You just don’t see so many fat people in towns and cities where there are plenty of good, well-paid jobs.
“That’s because the poorer you are, the less money you’ve got to spend on decent food. If you’re poor, you’re going to buy the cheapest food you can get your hands on, and usually that’s takeaway food.”
She believes schools should be doing more to tackle the crisis. “Children need more lessons in cooking good food and understanding why they need it. But, let’s face it, most schools can’t even set a good example by providing decent lunches.”
Mandy, who works at a local Asda store, says the Government should apply a “fat tax” to unhealthy food.
“Maybe then it won’t be so affordable and the businesses that are selling this junk will put more thought and care into what they sell people,” she says. “Usually, people won’t change their habits until it hits them in the pocket. That’s just human nature.”
Google MapsThe town was also found to be the UK’s takeaway capital[/caption]
Cath Pitman, 62, was buying cakes from Greggs for her mum when we caught up with her. She said: “I’m a sucker for cake, I’m afraid.
“The problem is there are just so many places in this town offering tempting food that isn’t necessarily good for you.
“It’s cheap and that makes it enticing.”
Leanne Davies, 30, agrees. She said: “I live nearby and when I come into town to do my shopping, I’ll often nip in to places that sell fast food because they’re good value for money and it’s a quick service.
“The fast food places are generally good value. I actually don’t know anywhere smart to eat around here.”
Nestled among the many fast food outlets on Ebbw Vale’s high street is Arlos Organics, set up by owner Lorraine, 51, almost three years ago.
“We’re in the middle of a cost of living so it isn’t surprising that people go for the cheapest food available, but I’ve always maintained that fresh, healthy food can be affordable too,” she says.
“I try and make sure everything I sell here is priced to suit every pocket. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to eat well. There’s a misconception that has built up that the only cheap food available is junk food.
“People need to think more about what is best for their bodies when they make their food decisions. My daughter works in the NHS and sees the problems that poor diet can cause.”