Weblog Entry - 04/30/2003: "More meat, less green stuff"

04/30/2003 Entry: "More meat, less green stuff"

Despite all the effort that's been put into food education over the last few years, the British diet continues to get worse. (Source: The Independent)

Government figures released recently show that consumption of meat products and processed potatoes has increased, whereas fresh fruit, vegetables and fish continue to decline. The amount of calories in the British diet coming from fat has also continued to increase. How does this make any sense? In part, the explanation must be the confusing messages which food manufacturers continue to send out. One example is the recent promotional campaign by Cadbury UK which has tokens printed on chocolate wrappers that schools can collect and swap for sports equipment. Get your children fit by persuading them to eat as much chocolate as possible. Nice one.

One newspaper calculated that under the scheme, one set of posts and nets for volleyball would require tokens from 5,440 bars. The Food Commission pointed out this would entail children spending more than Ł2,000 on chocolate and wolfing their way through 1.25 million calories. Source: BBC

Meanwhile, arguments continue about the resourcing of the NHS, and everyone's expectations of it continue to rise. What does it take to persuade people that health is not something you buy, but it is at least in large measure something for which you have to take responsibility? The food industry must bear some of the blame for British eating habits, but there is no escaping the fact that every adult is responsible for what they munch. Equally, parents have a responsibility to see that their children eat sensibly. It might not be what they want -- but they don't know what's best.

Bah!

Replies:

Would it offend any sensitivities if I suggested that I strongly suspect that dietary habits in the US are even worse than in Britain?

Wouldn't offend me. Cooking has become a lost art -- and with it, a society shoving all sorts of fried, hydrogonized crud into their faces.

Posted by Mean Dean @ 05/02/2003 03:00 PM CST

In my state, McDonalds sponsors some schools. Very mixed messages are being sent.Shalom, Jan

Posted by Jan @ 05/02/2003 04:14 AM CST

I absolutuely agree with your last point Dean. For the record, I don't know anyone who would fry aubergine ;o) in lard.

Would it offend any sensitivities if I suggested that I strongly suspect that dietary habits in the US are even worse than in Britain?

Posted by Richard @ 05/01/2003 03:23 PM CST

Richard, how do I say this without making it sound like an obligatory crack at Brittish cooking? That is, perhaps part of the eduction shouldn't just be "what to eat" but "how to prepare it ..."

For example, the eggplant. One can certainly slice it and fry it in lard, but then you introduce all that oil/fat into one's diet.

Instead, like sautee it in a base of onions, garlic lightly browned in a very minimal amount of olive oil, then adding some fresh tomatoes with a dash of red wine. Then after it's all been talking to each other, bring in the eggplant and perhaps some zucchini. All of which conspire to make a delightful sauce for a pasta, or over a chicken breast with some wild rice on the side.

Or take the same eggplant, slice it, bake it with a variety of spices adhered with a misting of olive oil. Then puree it with some garlic, a minimal amount of olive oil, some lime and some other spices to make a babaganoush to serve with a beef or lamb shiskabob?

The point is, if you don't make it interesting to eat the fruits and veggies -- then you're only teaching half the course and leaving one completely hungry.

Posted by Mean Dean @ 05/01/2003 02:35 PM CST

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