Supermarkets can be bad for your health, warns Stoke Newington pharmacist
Pharmacist Dilip Chauhan at Benjamin Chemist in Stoke Newington. Photograph: Antonio Curcetti
Stoke Newington has one of the biggest ratios in the country of small independent businesses to chain stores.
One of the great things about living and working in Hackney is the varied backgrounds of the inhabitants of the borough.
To complement this, local traders are able to provide for local requirements. And they often have something alternative, equivalent or superior for less money.
So how does health fit in with you and your local independent retailers? Very simply: you are what you eat.
Your independent retailer will supply you produce that they have got to know over the generations. Be it Asian, Afro-Caribbean, Mediterranean or other, they will have fresh produce and dry goods that are ready for use now.
Without even getting in to the argument of whether products are organic, or costly or value for money, you need to bear in mind that when you buy food you are investing in your health.
We should all consider eating fewer processed foods, less fully-cooked and more raw vegetables, better quality cuts of meat (which are lower in fat), and more oily fish such as mackerel.
Fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables are ready to eat now, not stored or processed for up to several months in nitrogen-controlled containers or warehouses. Have you ever wondered how fruit, vegetables and meat have lasted so long when transported from far away?
Your local fresh produce has not been stabilised for a longer shelf life by adding extra fat, sugar and salt. Your body simply does not need these stabilising additives.
So do your health a favour and visit your local shops.
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