ORATION QUARTER

Charter to Nutrition

ISSUE NO 1 | LONG QUARTER 2023

FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD! Pastry at its best, New Concept 'Frushi' tasting

by Charterhouse pastry chef Lisa

VITAMIN D Increase your intake

Let us know how we can help

NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT WITH JESS Understanding what you body needs

THE GUT MICROBIOME

CONTENTS 03

ONE QUARTER AT A TIME By our Director of Catering, Quinten Basson

04

LEARNING ABOUT NUTRITION

10

THE GUT MICROBIOME

The benefits of a healthy and balanced diet

05

SUGAR AWARENESS

12

VITAMIN D

13

OQ EVENTS

The main culprits for high added sugar

06

YOU SAID WE DID Pupil feedback

Capturing the events calendar

07

WORKING TOGETHER "To Display or not to Display"

09

NUTRTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES Information sessions index

14

LQ EVENTS

"ONE QUARTER AT A TIME"

QUINTEN BASSON

DIRECTOR OF CATERING

What a Quarter it has been!

There has been so much to celebrate during this period and to contend with: the rising costs of goods is only the tip of the iceberg. Challenges have not stopped and we see daily changes in the way we have to operate. From staffing, to menu design, each with its own difficulties and pressures. To achieve results has made us look at the business from a fresh perspective. The way of ordering has significantly changed and we are challenging suppliers surrounding pricing and sustainability. In this we are still focused on delivering exceptional quality and more so food that our students will enjoy.

“THE SECRET OF CHANGE IS TO FOCUS ALL OF YOUR ENERGY, NOT ON FIGHTING THE OLD, BUT ON BUILDING THE NEW”

This has been made easier with the arrival of our Charterhouse Nutritionist, Jess, who has gone above and beyond to visit all houses twice over the last quarter. This enabled us to gain a little more information each time so that we could improve our menus.

We went to our annual People Awards, to celebrate Grant Morris being shortlisted for the Culinary Excellence Award. Although not walking away with the main prize it is still exciting to have him nominated in such a tough category.

With this said, Jess is not just getting information but has connected to the sports department and supports them in student food presentations, which can be seen in some pictures further on in this edition.

The big surprise of the evening was that Charterhouse was nominated for a Special Recognition Award. This award has truly shown that the hard work from the team throughout the year has paid off. The team should be very proud of this achievement, especially with the challenges we face as a caterer.

One key area we focused on was Sugar Awareness Week and this was not only a student engagement piece but also the focus around your daily sugar intake. Even I was shocked by the amount of sugar in some items you would not have given a second thought to! Jess and the team will be focusing on sustainable diets in the new year and are already looking forward into how we can reduce our carbon footprint. We are excited to put on a sustainability workshop in Long Quarter.

This quarter has been by far the best, going through it without fault has proven if we keep our fingers on the pulse, we above our daily struggles and come stronger together.

and that rise out

It has been the time of change and the secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new. A special thank you to all the senior teams for supporting the vision, but more so for the rest of the catering team constantly delivering on our students expectations. Happy New Year!

BY

JESS GREAVES NUTRITIONIST Having a balanced energising breakfast, with plenty of hydration, is key to starting your day in a positive way. Scientists have found that having breakfast can impact how we will behave for the rest of that day, our ability to focus, and making it easier for us to make it through the workday without multiple energy crashes. Food should make you feel energised, not lethargic.

Using the governments template for a healthy balanced plate (The Eatwell Guide) research is conducted every year to report on trends in people’s dietary intake. This survey (the National Diet and Nutrition Survey) shows that we are consuming too much saturated fat, salt and sugar than is recommended, and not enough fibre, oily fish and vegetables.

Being one of the three main meals consumed per day, breakfast is not only essential for boosting energy levels, it also plays a role in providing essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, B vitamins and calcium when you choose the right options:

Saturated fat is high in pastry items, butter, cheese, processed meats and snack foods. A lot of these foods also contain high salt quantities. Sugar is high in breakfast cereals, confectionary, fruit juices and sugary/fizzy drinks. Fibre is found in whole fruit and vegetables and wholegrain carbohydrates. Oily fish varieties are salmon, trout, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herrings.

Calcium is contained in dairy or fortified dairy alternative milk, yogurt and dark green vegetables. Iron is contained in fortified breakfast cereals, beans, dried fruits and red meat. B vitamins are contained in vegetables and starchy carbohydrates and these facilitate producing energy in the body! Research repeatedly shows that inadequate nourishment can directly link to an increased number of days off, sickness, low mood and higher chances of injury in sports. Research also shows that diet improvements have provided people with: Improved mental health Improved sense of well-being Physical changes such as achieving a healthy weight Brighter complexion Improved long term health by maintaining bones, heart and the brain.

PAGE 4 • NUTRITION

LEARNING ABOUT NUTRITION

Awareness Week National Sugar Awareness week fell 14-18th November 2022. Jess used the opportunity to highlight the sugar content in relevant items such as breakfast items, soft drinks and confectionary.

Having a diet high in free sugars (that’s sugar that is added or not naturally occurring) can be harmful to health and is associated with dental decay. It is recommended for this age group (11-18yr olds) to consume no more than 30g of free sugars per day. Current nutrient intake data shows that on average this age group are eating ~55g of free sugars per day – almost double the maximum limit! The main items contributing to this are: -cereals and cereal products (31%) -sugar, preserves and confectionary (19%) -soft-drink beverages (29%) This shows we should be focusing on: -making better breakfast choices e.g eggs and wholemeal toast, plain yogurt with seeds and fruits or wholegrain cereal such as weetabix or porridge - filling up at mealtimes to reduce reaching for convenience foods and snacks later -choosing low-sugar drinks every time, such as water, milk, no/low sugar squash and carbonated drinks.

PAGE 5 • SUGAR AWARENESS

Sugar

PAGE 6 • STUDENT FEEDBACK

YOU SAID WE DID

Together

Sports Elective Nutrition

In November the first year Specialists got involved in a Sports nutrition education series which involved practical cooking sessions accompanied by our Nutritionist Jess, and our Sous Chef Alistair.

The series involved 3 weekly sessions: Week 1: Sports Nutrition 101 and high-energy snack ideas

Week 2: Competition Day Nutrition and Burrito making!

Week 3: Sports Supplements information where pupils made food-first protein shakes

PAGE 7 • WORKING TOGETHER

WORKING

Charterhouse Athlete Programme:

Both the removes and the fifths had Sports Nutrition sessions last term, learning about the importance of Nutrition to aid performance and in increasing the speed of recovery for athletes. The removes made a great snack to energise prematch, and the fifths cooked a great postmatch meal.

Together

PAGE 8 • WORKING TOGETHER

WORKING

NUTRITIONAL

Support Service HOUSE COOKING

SNACK RECIPE WORKSHOPS:

YOGHURT BAR

DIY POT NOODLES

PERSONALISE YOUR SMOOTHIE

SESSION

OUTLINE

SPORTS NUTRITION 101

Overview of Macronutrients, Quantities and timings

How to fuel and recover optimally + analyse your food diary

COMPETITION DAY NUTRITION TRAINING AND NUTRITION

RECOVERY

Sports

Including cooking practical - making up sports meals in personal portion

DAY sizes

SUPPLEMENT AWARENESS

Anti-doping, supplements to pay attention to, including making sports supplements in food form

PSHE

SESSION

OUTLINE

BALANCED HEALTHY MEALS

Nutrition 101: Overview of components needed for health

GUT HEALTH

Diversity breads diversity in gut microbes. Plenty of plant foods and avoiding gut symptoms

KEY NUTRIENTS

A deeper look into Vitamin D, Calcium, age-relevant Vitamins and Minerals

EXAM TIME NUTRITION

SESSION

How to support academic performance through food

OUTLINE

Wellbeing

BALANCED HEALTHY MEALS

Nutrition 101: Overview of components needed for health

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Key nutrients to support mental health and brain function

MENTALITY AROUND FOODS: MYTH BUSTING

Quashing faddy diets

HOLISTIC HEALTH

Mindfulness, Exercise, Nutrition and the pillars of a healthy balanced lifestyle

The gut microbiome

BY

JESS GREAVES

The New Science of Eating The gut microbiome is an organ of our bodies, which is formed of the collection of microbes living in our gut. Some microbes providing benefit to our health and some not so much. Cultivating a range of microbes in the gut is achieved through eating a diverse diet and including fermented foods and plant foods to create a healthy microbiome. The gut microbiome is proving to be pinnacle to health, demonstrated through the extensive research by Professor Tim Spector and his team. Tim is a professor in genetic epidemiology* and a food writer who has led a large cross-sectional study into the gut microbiome to gain evidence that supports a new way of eating to live our healthiest lives. “A VERY PLEASANT SURPRISE WAS THAT ITEMS I THOUGHT WERE NAUGHTY BUT THAT I ENJOYED IMMENSELY, LIKE STRONG COFFEE, DARK CHOCOLATE, NUTS, HIGH FAT YOGHURT, WINE AND CHEESE, ARE ACTUALLY LIKELY TO BE HEALTHY FOR ME AND MY MICROBES.”

TIM SPECTOR He describes the microbiome as a virtual pharmacy, converting foods we eat into lots of beneficial chemicals for the brain and body. When we give the microbiome the right input (food) we can reduce inflammation and produce biological feedback to keep our internal systems functioning optimally. Tim has launched the Zoe app which is a personalised nutrition model. This was developed following The PREDICT study, where ~1000 people were studied, mainly twins, for their biological response (blood, glucose and microbial) to eating identical meals over a 2 week period. This data was used to make algorithms to predict how people would respond to any foods, and then facilitated the launch of the Zoe app.

As it stands there are now 50,000 ZOE members which means 50,000 biological data responses. This vast following continually improves the accuracy of the data, and for the individual provides personalised nutrition advice. This is individual recommendations for eating habits that will support maintenance of a healthy weight and optimum health. Plant foods are essential for a healthy microbiome. The natural defence chemicals in plants, provide them with the ability to survive in their natural environment. When we eat them as part of our daily diet they provide our microbes with food to produce healthy chemicals for our bodies. Tim’s newest book, Food for life, reads as a glossary of food, detailing all the key main foods and talking about the role they play on our health. It covers the newly revealed world of the complex chemical compounds in the plants we consume and their interactions with our gut microbiome: the interaction between us, the food we eat and the organisms we host (our microbes). Until recent years feeding the microbiome has not been a priority for our daily diets, we focused on calories and/or nutrients individually, which are useful for achieving weight loss or weight related outcomes, however this approach has limited benefit to health.

The American Gut Project, a study of 11,000 people found that the sweet spot for maintaining a healthy microbiome is to eat 30 different plant foods a week, which includes coffee, seeds, nuts, herbs, spices as well as all of the fruits and vegetables we naturally think of. Plant foods provide healthy chemical compounds such as polyphenols that feed our microbiomes and produce feedback chemicals to power the brain and reduce inflammation. These polyphenols are antioxidants, which mop up extra unwanted bits of human metabolism and rebalance our internal systems to maintain overall health. Food high in polyphenols are: ·Seeds ·Nuts ·Bitter tasting foods ·Naturally bright coloured foods ·Berries ·Herbs ·Spices

Foods that feed the microbes are also fermented foods, such as natural yogurt, kefir, kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut. Take away tips: This week, try to add in 3 new plant foods, and next week focus on diversity e.g. keep changing the varieties of these plant foods that you choose. Add in fermented foods to your diet as a way to feed the healthy gut microbes and increase good bacteria. *Genetic epidemiology is the study of genetic factors and their interaction with the environment in the occurrence of disease in populations

PAGE 21 • THE GUT MICROBIOME

The gut microbiome

Vitamin D

THE BENEFITS OF

JESS GREAVES This essential vitamin is produced in the body via the help of sunlight. The vitamin is synthesised following skin exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is involved in essential functions in the body. It is important to maintain muscle mass, a strong immune response, the ability to fight off illness, required for healthy blood sugar control and it’s essential for bone health. It is also correlated to depression. Low levels of vitamin D could mean a higher susceptibility to the clinical moderate depression termed seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D).

PAGE 22 • VITAMIN D

BY

Current advice in the UK from the Government is that children over the age of four and all adults should take a 10 microgram supplement of vitamin D each day between October and April. This is because in the UK most people are not living the sorts of lifestyles that enable enough sunlight onto the skin which is exacerbated in the winter as sunlight is limited. Certain groups of people may need to take a vitamin D supplement all year, namely: • Dark-skinned people – the pigment (melanin) in dark skin doesn’t absorb as much UV radiation • People who must always have their skin covered • Those who don’t have diets rich in vitamin D In the teenage years it is particularly key to ensure optimum Vitamin D status is maintained. At this time the laying down of peak bone mass occurs, this dictates the strength of bones throughout your entire life, therefore impacting adult health outcomes. It is hard to get enough vitamin D from the diet alone but it is beneficial to consume vitamin rich foods. The main dietary sources of vitamin D in the UK are animal foods and fortified plant foods. These are oily fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines), egg yolks, and meat. Vitamin D is added to commonly consumed foods, these are fortified milk, margarine and certain cereals. Supplements are a minefield, the quality of them varies and it can be difficult to navigate the market. You should buy one from a reputable source such as a well-known supermarket or chemist, check the vitamin dose and ingredients list. The government recommended dose is 10 micrograms daily of D3. The ingredients list should contain Vitamin D as the first ingredient and not much else. As well as supplementation, aim to get outside for 30 minutes per day in the daylight hours.

4ths Welcome to Charterhouse CALENDAR EVENTS

KICKING OFF THE YEAR AT CHARTERHOUSE Our dining team delivering some exceptional events during OQ.

Keep your eyes peeled on events coming up during LQ.



Halloween Homebill

Christmas Brunch





PAGE 25 • CALENDAR EVENTS

LONG QUARTER Lunch-time Pop-up Supplier Stand: Produce Warriors This will feature savour snacks, smoothies and cakes using the seasonal fruits and vegetables from our supplier Produce Warriors.

PAGE 26 • CALENDAR EVENTS

Events Calendar

Chinese New Year HomeBill Celebrating the year of the rabbit on the 22nd January, we will be celebrating the Chinese New Year with a great Homebill at Charterhouse on Monday 23rd January.

Oak Pop-up @ Quarter A new product we are introducing for sale at Crown this term is Evolved snacks. On the 20th January we will run a promotional stand, with plenty of samples available and the chance to learn about the story behind the product.



LONG QUARTER

7TH FEBRUARY SHOWCASING FRUSHI POP-UP AT LUNCHTIME

21ST FEBRUARY PANCAKE DAY CREPES AT LUNCH

PAGE 27 • CALENDAR EVENTS

Events Calendar

23RD FEBRUARY WE WILL BE HAVING A GRILL NIGHT WITH AN ADDED EXTRA OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE CURLY FRIES

6TH MARCH CELEBRATING THE OREO COOKIE WITH AN AMAZING CHEESECAKE

25TH MARCH WILL BE CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WAFFLE DAY

17TH MARCH ST PATRICK'S DAY FIND THE POT OF GOLD

LONG QUARTER

13th - 19th March Nutrition and Hydration Week To raise awareness about the dangers and encourage good practices that can help combat malnutrition and dehydration.

PAGE 28 • AWARENESS

Creating Awareness

Preventing malnutrition and dehydration promotes health and well-being while also reducing pressure on health and social care systems in the treatment and assistance of persons who are malnourished or dehydrated.

14th - 20th March Salt Awareness Week Shining a light on the hidden salt in our favourite food products and encouraging those who don’t want their food, and their children’s food, laden with unnecessary salt to take action