Shropshire Magazine

Will that be with large fries? . . .

When it comes to public health pronouncements, Vanessa Lloyd-Thomas doesn’t object to the lecture so much as to the lecturer

Vanessa Lloyd Thomas.

So cafes, pubs and restaurants are going to start putting calorie counts on menus to help us make healthier choices. Hands up all ladies who feel that is going to make a big difference to their eating habits?

The simple fact is that almost all women in the UK have been on a diet at some time in their lives and we all know darn well that a Krispy Kreme doughnut has more calories than an apple, and a full-cream-milk cappuccino will do our waistlines more harm than a cal-free espresso – but sometimes women need the cake and frothy coffee, whatever the number beside it. 

I’ve yet to meet a member of the fairer sex who doesn’t know the approximate calorific value of everything on her plate. As with French O-level and golf, we are absolutely fine with the theory, but sometimes the practical lets us down.

Men, on the other hand, will probably benefit greatly from the new information. Maybe it’s just the chap in my life who thinks a starter, steak, pud, cheeseboard and bottle of wine can be ‘worked off tomorrow’ with 15 minutes on the exercise bike and a 20-minute steam in the sauna? 

Menu calorie counts are being trumpeted by Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo as another way to help improve the health of the nation. “We know that people want to be able to see how many calories are in the food and drink they order when they eat out,” she confidently announced. We obviously move in different circles.

While the Government’s attempts to guide us towards everlasting health are undoubtedly laudable, and no one can doubt the cost to the Health Service of so-called self-inflicted conditions, you do have to giggle at some of Gordon’s gang’s ideas. 

Being a very shallow gal, I feel happier when health gurus preach to me from a position of strength. Their body is a temple, and it looks good because of bananas, Botox, ballroom dancing or whatever – but at least they look good. 

I can’t think of a single member of Gordon’s gang who could be a pin-up for eating five portions of fruit and veg a day and exercising until breathless for 30 minutes four times a week. Then again, if they are out getting breathless instead of appearing on Sky News maybe I’ve simply missed them. 

Children’s Minister Delyth Morgan has also been in the news of late, urging parents to help prevent their children becoming obese through joining the Change4Life Campaign which advocates, among other things, cutting fats and sugars, serving child-size portions at regular meal-times and ensuring kids get at least 60 minutes of exercise every day. 

Children across Shropshire certainly got the opportunity for plenty of fresh air during the Easter Holidays, thanks to some glorious weather that saw everyone scurrying outside to make the most of the warmth.

It was a sheer delight to see local landmarks swarming with families and people of all ages, enjoying the stunning scenery on our doorsteps and picnicking in the warm sunshine. 

We visited Haughmond Hill, Powis Castle and the Long Mynd on different days and each was busy. A return to simple, more affordable pleasures prompted by the R-word, or just people making the most of the beautiful weather? Who knows for sure, but maybe a ray of hope for the local tourism industry in these troubled times. 

One thing is for certain, the toddlers on trikes, boys on bikes, mums and dads with baby slings, older couples holding hands or walking dogs, were all out exercising because of the sunshine and not directives from Downing Street. 

Maybe that’s where Gordon and his gang are going wrong – if they could just find a way to tow the UK closer to Florida we might all adopt healthier lifestyles overnight. 

Hands up who wants to be Minister for Sunshine.