You Are What You Eat!
Bringing people together through food and conversation, MCenhancement, Men Only IOW, and Equals IW partnered with Isle of Wight Council Adult and Community Learning to run three Food and Mood workshops. Funded by the Council, the sessions were held at Rodger and Steve’s Warm Space/Safe Place in Ryde.
The third workshop took place on Tuesday 27 January 2026. Nine men joined Mark and Cece for an engaging session on food, culture, and mood. They explored how what we eat can support emotional wellbeing and mental health.
Participants took part in a Health Food Puzzle activity. Two men worked on their own, and four worked in pairs to complete the full puzzle. Others made good progress and completed half. One participant took a partly finished puzzle home to complete, and another chose to take an extra puzzle home.
Everyone contributed positively to group discussions while working on the activity. Participants learned that eating well and having a healthy lifestyle can help us feel better and support our long-term health. Some also shared ideas about how healthy eating can improve physical health, mood, emotions, and mental wellbeing.
After this the group joined Cece for a cooking session. They learned how to prepare a Korma curry with fresh vegetables, onion bhaji, chapati, and bala bala (Indonesian vegetable fritters), using spices and rice. Everyone worked together in small groups to prepare the ingredients, cook the food, and share the meal.
Eating together gave participants the chance to enjoy the social, emotional, and physical benefits of shared meals.
Together, the group learned about:
- The role of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats
- The importance of vitamins, minerals, and gut health
- How food choices affect mood, confidence, and overall wellbeing
The Health Food Puzzle and the Eatwell Guide fact sheets were useful resources that helped support learning and encouraged good group discussions.
The session also helped improve emotional wellbeing, self-confidence, and self-esteem. It gave participants the chance to relax, spend time with others in a safe and friendly environment, and meet new people outside their usual routine.
Green Time Cultural Food and Mood, is a fun, informal way of using food to enhance positive emotional wellbeing, self-confidence, self-esteem and mental health through the food we eat.
