The Ismaili Nutrition Centre was officially launched last summer in London by Geoff Dessent, Deputy Director of Health and Wellbeing in Health Improvement and Protection at the United Kingdom Department of Health. Since its debut, the site has grown in size and enjoyed wide recognition. New recipes and articles are added regularly, awareness of the site has spread, the site dietitian received a professional award for her work with the Nutrition Centre, and the team has expanded beyond the borders of the UK.

Site dietitian Azmina Govindji was acknowledged by the British Dietetic Association (BDA) 2009 Roll of Honour for her work on the Ismaili Nutrition Centre. Courtesy of Azmina Govindji

The Recipes

At its launch, the Nutrition Centre mainly hosted recipes from the South Asian Food Survey – a research project carried out by King's College London that investigated the nutrient content of foods commonly consumed by various South Asian groups living in the UK. The study was jointly funded by the Aga Khan Foundation (UK), the Department of Health and the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Since then, a multi-disciplinary team including doctors, dietitians, and culinary and creative thinkers, has expanded the range of recipes to include traditional dishes from East Africa, West Africa, Iran, Lebanon and Syria. These recipes are either collected from families who have conjured up a healthier slant to a family favourite, or are reproduced from A Taste of our Cooking, which is a collection of traditional home-cooked recipes from around the world.

Publishing a new recipe isn't as easy as it may seem! First, the steps are clearly written out, and the food is cooked precisely according to these instructions. The cooked dish is weighed (for the calculation of the traffic lights), tasted (those of poor flavour are rejected), nutritionally analysed, and photographed. A description and healthy hints are added, and the recipe is checked one last time for accuracy before finally going live.

Seventy-nine recipes have been added to the Nutrition Centre to-date, and a range of new recipes are in the works.

Publicity and recognition

Since its launch, the Ismaili Nutrition Centre has received ample publicity – particularly in professional newsletters. It has also featured in numerous presentations delivered to both expert and general audiences. (See the list in the box below.)

“The Ismaili Nutrition Centre is an excellent means to provide information on how much fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar is in South Asian family favourites, and how to make them healthier,” said Dr Louis Levy, Head of Nutrition Advice & Behaviour Change at the UK Food Standards Agency. “The website is user-friendly, informative, and provides practical ideas for helping people to improve the balance of their diet, whilst in keeping with traditional recipes.”

Site dietitian Azmina Govindji –already a well-recognised nutritionist and registered dietitian, broadcaster and best-selling author – was acknowledged by the British Dietetic Association (BDA) 2009 Roll of Honour for her work on the Ismaili Nutrition Centre. The Roll of Honour award pays tribute to those members of the Association who have personally contributed significant time and effort to the leadership of a defined piece of work over the year, and whose contribution goes above and beyond the norm. Govindji was nominated by her peers – other professional BDA dietitians – for this recognition.

The Nutrition Centre has drawn increasing attention from authorities outside the UK as well. Dr Tee E Siong, President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia commended the Ismaili Nutrition Centre “for providing information on various dishes from African, Mid and South Asian cuisines, including their nutritional content.”

The Ismaili Nutrition Centre has received ample publicity – particularly in professional newsletters. It has also featured in numerous presentations delivered to both expert and general audiences. Courtesy of Azmina Govindji

The Future

Much has been accomplished by the Ismaili Nutrition Centre, but there is still much more to do. The Nutrition Centre has recently been approached by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK. NICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health. The Ismaili Nutrition Centre will provide expert testimony in order to inform the NICE work on prevention of pre-diabetes.

An expanded international team with representation from the Aga Khan Health Boards of the UK, USA and Canada, as well as Jamati professionals from other countries recruited through the Time and Knowledge Nazrana, will add to the breadth and diversity of recipes and informative articles. The initiative aims to broaden the reach of the Nutrition Centre, and will include site launches around the world, and a global recipe competition that will expand the diversity of dishes. The site also aims to replicate the wide support and recognition received from 13 leading UK government supporting bodies and national civil society organisations, by seeking the support of national bodies in other countries.

The months ahead will be filled with tips and articles for university students, many of whom must learn to prepare their own meals for the first time. The site will encourage young people to make healthier choices and share their own ideas on how to eat tasty, quick and healthy meals. The site also looks forward to its regional launch event for healthcare professionals in Leicester, UK later this year.

One year on, the Ismaili Nutrition Centre has much to celebrate, but the journey is only beginning!

Healthy home cooking never tasted so good...