HEALTH-CONSCIOUS MELBURNIANS LOSE OUT

Food culture is something that defines a city, but are the health and wellbeing enthused residents struggling to find their place in a city that is not able to accomodate?

We all have those days where gorging on something that is not considered acceptable to have within our staple everyday diet is all we want. On those days, it wouldn’t take one long to be able to walk through the multi-cultural city of Melbourne and notice that it is filled with a large variety of cafes and food stalls. Unfortunately though, for the Melburnians not blessed with washboard abs without a clean diet and those wanting to pass the doctors review of their overall health, it is best if a healthier staple diet is embraced. 

For a city that is known for its diversity in both food and culture, it would be safe to assume that this would mean that the acceptance of the health and wellbeing crazes that exist on social media are evident everywhere. A statement that Dr Thornton, a senior lecture for Deakin University, would be quick to agree with, with his belief that we live in a lucky city where “delicious fresh produce is never too far away”. Is this simply ignorance to the truth though and is healthy living not as accepted and supported for residents who live in the outer suburbs of Melbourne.

The facts don’t lie. Living a healthy lifestyle is just not most peoples priority. Two thirds of Australians are classified as obese, according to a study conducted in 2014-2015 by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. With the University of Sydney also conducting a research which shows that young people are gaining more weight each year than those who are older. Melbourne is of course not exempt from the growing obesity epidemic with VicHealth releasing the hard facts that one in two Victorian adults and one in four children between 2 and 17 years old are obese or overweight. Emphasising the importance that this issue is something that needs to be addressed. 

Action is required, and it is required now.

With lack of nutrition and exercise being the most medically defined reason behind why someone would be going through the struggle of weight gain, nutritionist and naturopaths are on the rise. Maureen McNamee, practice manager of the nutrition/naturopath specialised practice Perfectly Natural, is a firm believer in the importance of seeking help when it comes to our health. Urging for people to understand that “prevention is better than treatment”. Driven by her excitement for life, it is clear that Maureen is a woman infused with positivity and has a true heart for seeing clients get well. It is through her time spent at the practice, that she has been able to see the struggles that many of the clients who walk through the door are dealing with, from eating disorders, weight struggles, hormones, infertility to food allergies.

Walking through these journeys with clients allows Maureen to be able see the benefits behind seeking help through a nutritionist or naturopath firsthand. She is also aware that, despite a wide variety of food options being available in supermarkets, “processed foods are reasonably inexpensive and readily available and an easy option for those who are not well informed”. With this in mind, this isn’t just another company for Maureen. It is a practice that speaks of the desire to want to simply educate people “on how to lead the healthiest life possible”.

Whilst seeking help from a nutritionist or a naturopath is one sure way of increasing your education on what you should be eating, can we say that this is truly sustainable enough when you are left to your own device. It is no lie that nobody is forced to shove a sugar-coated, jam-filled donut down their throat. Nor is anyone hijacked and forced by gunpoint to order themselves a McDonald’s burger complete with shake and fries. It all comes down to personal choice. No one is forcing you to eat unhealthy. But what happens when you are driving through the outer suburbs, your stomach is rumbling and on every corner is a fast food outlet. You cave. What would be the harm of one unhealthy meal. You repeat to yourself once. Then twice. Before long, that exact sentence has become the most used sentence within your vocabulary for a month straight. The real discussion of obesity then becomes a bit blurred. Whilst everyone is responsible for their own wellbeing, what is Melbourne really doing when it comes to providing healthy options.

The search online begins. I type in “Healthy cafe’s in Melbourne”. The variety of options is outstanding, and enough to make the final verdict that the healthy options are there but people are just not interested in them. That is until you start crossing off how many of those are actually located within the inner suburbs, compared to the outer suburbs. Whilst the inner suburbs have an array of healthy cafe options, the outer suburbs don’t fair so well. In addition to this, using the Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Heart Foundation discovered that inner Melbourne occupies the state’s leanest residents, with less than 14 per cent being obese. Leaving it to be said that the residents are greatly effected by where they are located, and that there is a real need for action to be undertaken in the outer suburbs.

Trying to beat the odds of what is stereotypically available within the suburbs, is the bright and lively NU Healthy Cafe. Seeing that there was “nothing around where you could really go out and eat healthy”, Micky Ahuja decided the suburb of Epping was in desperate need of a healthy change. Tucked away between a group of shops in Epping Hub, the place is brimming with enthusiasm and lively beats upon entering. It is clear from one look at the fresh menu with the specific breakdowns of carbs, macros, and fats within each dish, that this place is definitely on a mission to cater for the health and wellbeing enthusiasts and fitness fanatics. 

With the combination of passion for healthy living and a mind for business, Micky is direct and confident in his cafe’s goals to create “healthy people and healthy community”. With the cafe being part of a franchise that stretches across most states in Australia, the Epping cafe is the first in Melbourne. With the company deeming itself a true health food franchise, 60% of the NU business is actually in their pre-packaged meals. Allowing the goals of the cafe to continue to stretch Australia-wide. For as Micky is determined in clarifying, there are “two wars in life, one is within yourself and one is with the outside world”. Therefore, if healthy eating balance can be obtained, then you are one step closer to feeling better in yourself and winning one of those wars. Clearly a proud advocate for the cafe, he makes his way around the cafe to engage in friendly exchanges with customers, before bringing myself an almond latte that he classifies as being “the new thing”. Healthy eating, the new thing. We can only hope so.

With there only being a sporadic number of cafes within the outer suburbs with the same zest and passion for plant-based living, it was not by chance that Power Plant Cafe appeared in Templestowe. With the area consisting predominately of heavy meat-based restaurants, Johanna Maguire decided it was up to her to make the healthy change that the place needed and “provide more options for people when they go out”. What we do and don’t eat has a lot to do with how we live and our value of life, is one of the main reasons that she is so passionate about the cafe and its place in the suburbs. Seeing the change that a healthy, meat-less, plant-based diet can have in herself and others, Johanna is passionate about helping customers interested in a positive change, but who “just don’t know how to do it”. 

With a strong enthusiasm bouncing out of her, and a direct approach in what she believes, she is not naive in recognising that society has a long way to go and that “there are new places out there but not that many”. Despite knowing that not everyone who hears of the cafe is a willing participant, Johanna is a firm believer that her cafe is able to change their mind. With there being many cases of people leaving telling of how satisfied and amazed that healthy eating, focused around vegetables and fruit, can taste so fulfilling and feel so rewarding. It goes to say “keep it simple, and keep it real”, the motto for Johanna’s cafe, is definitely the education the outer suburbs need. A message that Power Plant Cafe is not only wanting their customers and their 8000 Instagram followers to realise, but rather everyone who has ever wondered if healthy eating truly is an obtainable way of life.

With the north and east of Melbourne being covered by NU Healthy Cafe and Power Plant Cafe, the south and west are lucky enough to have Matcha Mylk Barin St Kilda and Hunter Harvest in Seddon. Matcha Mylk Bar has a menu bursting with options from almond butter cacao lattes to an array of smoothie bowls to gluten free pancakes complete with raw cacao sauce for any health-obsessed residents wanting to indulge. Escaping the quirkiness, for anyone who just wants the basics of wholefoods, is Hunter Harvest. The cafe lets their food speak for itself. Settled in a white, clean-spaced environment it is clear to see that the wholesome salad bowls and smoothies bring colour and life to the cafe. In turn, bringing a bit more colour and life to the outer suburbs.

With the struggle of finding cafes that cater for more direct healthy lifestyles being the reason for these cafes opening their doors to the public, what is the state of Victoria doing about it. Advertising a 3 year priority scheme to have more people choosing water over soft drinks and having the access of healthier food options, VicHealth is a world-first promotion foundation that is urging for changes to be made. With them openly admitting that a healthy, balanced diet “is impacted by factors in our environment”, they have partnered with organisations such as the Heart Foundation, Etihad Stadium, Deakin University, La Trobe University, Champions IGA and Vicsport. These partnerships have allowed them to raise awareness on a range of issues from salt reduction, healthier food stalls in retail outlets and sporting events, higher water consumption and more education in supermarkets through the addition of health star-ratings.

Whilst these changes are going to hopefully benefit the state and grow awareness about the way we should be treating our bodies, it has become clear that there is a desperate need within the outer suburbs for cafes to adapt to healthier menus. With more online exposure, and the determination of these small independent cafes that exist, we can only hope that prevention of sickness and obesity minimises within the coming years. Allowing residents who are more health-conscious to be able to go out without feeling like a plain salad with no dressing is their only option. 

So for all the health and wellbeing enthused people coming from different states and wanting to escape to Melbourne to experience a life of coffee and brunching, you may just leave unable to find what you looked for. That, or you spent way too many hours driving around in order to find a place that accommodated for your health goals and dietary restrictions. Melbourne, a city of food and culture would be correct. But Melbourne a city that caters for their outer suburbs, the same just can’t be said.