Is the Pasty Fit for Purpose?
The warming aroma of a freshly baked pasty, its crusty texture and its heritage all have a special place in my heart forming wonderful childhood memories. Yet, with a prevalent obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) epidemic in the UK I am left wondering if the pasty is still fit for purpose. Let’s retrace the pasty’s steps to see where we might be going wrong in the present day…
The pasty was designed for Miners to take into the dark and wet depths of the mine shaft for a long day of very physical work. Half the pasty was filled with a savoury section of beef skirt, potato, onion and swede. The other half was filled with stewed apple or rhubarb. I am not going to call the dessert half the ‘sweet’ half because we enjoyed bitter foods back then and it is possible that the apples would have been sour, not sweet. Thanks to our UK heritage seed banks it is still possible to source bitter fruit varieties, although our desire for bitter foods has reduced and sweet foods increased. The high sugar intake is a key factor in obesity and T2D.
It’s highly likely the Miners would have walked several miles to work that morning, increasing their energy output. By the time they took their lunch break they would have expended a huge amount of energy. Meaning that their Physical Activity Level (PAL) would potentially indicate the requirement for increased calorie input and nutrient intake. The pasty, high in saturated fat and carbohydrates would have provided the Miners with a useful fuel source to replenish their stores. Fat can be used as a more efficient fuel source than carbs if consumed correctly in the right forms (at the right time!). The beef skirt provided the Miners with a source of protein for replenishing muscle (amongst many other functions).
The Miners held onto the crust while eating, as not to contaminate the pasty with the chemicals found in the mine, then threw it into the sea below once finished. This prevented them from poisoning themselves and is also thought to be food offered to the Cornish Knockers or ‘piskies’ that played tricks on the Miners. By offering the Knockers the crust the Miners hoped to protect themselves from pranks played on them by the piskies.
Pranks or not the Miners PAL would have been at 1.9 representing a high Physical Activity Level. In contrast, a large proportion of people in the UK today have a very low PAL of 1.4 due to a sedentary lifestyle, office or home working, increased screen usage and low time spent moving or exercising.
So, the next time you decide to choose the pasty as your lunch of choice I encourage you to ask yourself:
Has my Physical Activity Level been low today/this week?
Is my PAL generally low all of the time?
Am I generally sedentary in my lifestyle?
Am I overweight, pre-diabetic with a raised BMI?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then perhaps the pasty is not fit for YOUR purpose.
If this post has resonated with you and your current health status then now is the time to start considering other food options and showing kindness to your body by what you put in it. Embarking on dietary change is not easy and personalised professional guidance is the key to making it sustainable.
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