July 27th 2009, for immediate release

New website gives the green light to curries

Whilst curries might be one of the UK’s most popular dishes, they certainly aren’t the healthiest. For example, an average serving of lamb biryani which has almost half a women’s daily calorie and fat needs -  a whopping 828 kcalories and contains around 44g of fat. However, a new website should help decipher the good from the bad, as well as give guidance to healthier alternatives.

Created by the Aga Khan Health Board for the United Kingdom and TheIsmaili.org - the official website of the global Ismaili Muslim community, the groundbreaking online nutrition centre (www.TheIsmaili.org/nutrition) will give the green light to a host of tasty South Asian dishes. Nutritional expertise has been provided by Azmina Govindji, a member of the British Dietetic Association.

All dishes are coded to the Food Standards Agency’s traffic light system to offer clear direction on what’s nutritious - and what’s not - and the calorie values in the Food Facts can help people manage weight, choose lower calorie dishes and control portion sizes.

The unique online resource will also in future allow people to submit their own recipes; the healthier ones will be added to the site and, in time, advice on alternatives offered for unhealthy dishes. The Nutrition Centre features a library of recipes annotated with nutritional information and healthy eating tips, as well as Eating for Health, a regular column written by dietitians to help us all eat more healthily. The recipes originate from within the South Asian community, and draws on expert in-depth knowledge of traditional cooking methods and cultural practices.

Speaking on behalf of the British Dietetic Association, Azmina Govindji said: “Eating well is as much about the different balance of foods on your plate as it is about the individual foods. Dishes like curry, dhal, roti and rice can be healthy, but if the portion sizes are on the large side then the balance will be wrong. Even if one recipe is healthier than another, it doesn’t mean you can eat it in unlimited quantities and still be healthy!”

Mubeen Bhutta, Policy Manager from the British Heart Foundation added: “Access to culturally appropriate healthy recipes with traffic light colour coded nutritional information should help people from South Asian communities to eat well and reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The Nutrition Centre will also be a valuable resource for healthcare professionals and others.”

As well as the BDA, the site has also been reviewed and supported by a number of organisations in the UK, including the World Cancer Research Fund and Diabetes UK.
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Media enquiries to the British Dietetic Association should be directed to our media hotline on 0870 850 2517 or pr@bda.uk.com.

  1. The British Dietetic Association founded in 1936 is the professional association for registered dietitians in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the nation’s largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals with nearly 6000 members. About two-thirds of members are employed in the National Health Service. The remaining members work in education, industry, research, sport settings or freelance.
  2. Registered dietitians hold the only legally-recognisable graduate qualification in nutrition and dietetics. They are experts in interpreting and translating the science of nutrition into practical ways of promoting nutritional well-being, disease treatment and the risk reduction of nutrition-related problems. Their advice is sound and based on current scientific evidence. Registration, awarded by the Health Professions Council, is an indication that a dietitian is fit to practice, and is working within an agreed statement of conduct. For further details about the British Dietetic Association, please visit our website: www.bda.uk.com.
  3. The Aga Khan Health Board for the United Kingdom is made up entirely of volunteers with a mandate to devise and implement strategies for improving the access to health services and information on healthy lifestyles for the Ismaili Muslim community. The Board seeks to forge partnerships with other organisations not only to help with their mandate but also to contribute to the wider society in which the community lives. The publication of the data and the launch of this website as an online resource to all is an example of this.
  4. TheIsmaili.org website is the official website of the Ismaili Muslim community. Belonging to the Shia branch of Islam, the Ismailis live in over 25 different countries, mainly in Central and South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as in Europe, North America and Australia. In common with other Shia Muslims, the Ismailis affirm that after the Prophet's death, Hazrat Ali, the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, became the first Imam – the spiritual leader – of the Muslim community and that this spiritual leadership (known as Imamat) continues thereafter by hereditary succession through Ali and his wife Fatima, the Prophet's daughter. The 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims is His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, who is also the Chairman and Founder of the Aga Khan Development Network.

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