Co-Designing Recipe Resources to Support Healthy Eating in African-Caribbeans in the United Kingdom: An Academic and Community Partnership Approach

Introduction

The wealth of free food-based resources available to UK consumers on healthy eating and nutrition provides very limited illustrations of ethnic foods including African-Caribbean cuisines. This inequality in available resources limits the ability of African-Caribbean communities to effectively manage their health and reduces the cultural competence of health professionals.

Objective

The aim was to co-design healthier versions of several traditional African-Caribbean recipe resources by working in partnership with academics, a community-based Third Sector organisation, and their service-users.

Methods

Nutritional analysis software was used to theoretically modify the nutritional composition of popular traditional African-Caribbean recipes using recently produced analytical food composition data. Twelve recipes were theoretically modified to reduce the content of key nutrients and ingredients of concern (i.e., salt/sodium, free sugars), or increase those nutrients known to be at risk of lower than adequate intakes (i.e., iron, folate) within the UK African-Caribbean communities. Recipes were then prepared by community service-users (n = 12) of African-Caribbean ethnicity living in Leeds (UK) in the community service setting. The feasibility and acceptability of the recipes were evaluated by obtaining verbal feedback from service-users, following which recipes were further refined as appropriate.

Results

Modification resulted in a reduction in the overall energy (in the range of 23–188 kcal), fat (in the range of 0.1–13.7 g), saturated fatty acid (in the range of 0.1–2.9 g) and sugar (in the range of 0.2–8.3 g), provided by 100 g of the standard recipes. Similarly, modification resulted in the reduction in salt from about 63 to 0.01 g per 100 g edible portion of the standard recipe.

Conclusion

It is feasible to modify African-Caribbean recipes to be healthier and acceptable to consumers. Combined with improving access to food environments that make available healthy foods, the recipes are intended to support healthier eating with African-Caribbean foods.