HEALTH authorities have been teaching cafés how to cook healthier food for visitors in the run-up to the Olympics.

Five outlets in Leyton and Leytonstone have been awarded for their involvement in the ‘Catering for Health’ project, which has seen them cut ingredients like sugar and fat while also offering fruit and vegetable options.

It comes after the NHS North East London and the City trust held a series of courses at the Langthorne Health Centre in Leytonstone earlier this year.

Dr Kay Eilbert, Acting Joint Director of Public Health, said: "We hear a lot in this area about fast food outlets.

“This was a great opportunity for local business to show that they care about the food they serve and could respond to the Games being on our doorstep and help customers eat more healthily.

“We dropped in some time after the course to check that customers were still enjoying the healthy changes and were delighted to find that these restaurants and cafés had all carried on offering healthy options and business was booming.”

Abdul Matin from the Shawarma Grill in Leyton High Road said: “We make our own Shawarma now.

“We take out all the fat, we use more olive oil now and we always offer vegetables and salad. We also do steak chips which are lower in fat.”

The other businesses involved are the Olympic Café and Orient Chicken in Leyton High Road, along with Oregano Pizza and Café 2000 in Leytonstone High Road.

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