The BBC are highlighting this problem tonight at 8:00pm in Panorama. Bravo!

There are two simple rules to follow in your cooking.

1. If it contains an ingredient you haven't heard of then it's ultra processed.
2. If you only have to heat it in an oven/microwave it's ready-to-eat then it's ultra processed.

Cook from scratch as often as possible. You will be healthier & happier and you will save tonnes and tonnes of money.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m ... ill-health

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:38 pm

Cook from scratch as often as possible. You will be healthier & happier and you will save tonnes and tonnes of money.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m ... ill-health

Absolutely not correct, it often costs more and therefore rests a major issue.

Alas, today there are more Idiots crying about shrink wrapped mince. This time at Co-Op. People really are thick as f... when it comes to cooking.

Generally I don't bother explaining things to people these days because despite their best intentions, those who can't cook generally won't even bother to try.

Awayfromburnley wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:44 pm

Absolutely not correct, it often costs more and therefore rests a major issue.

Not at all. This is a myth that needs challenging.

If you know how to cook and how to plan meals then cooking from scratch is considerably cheaper.

Awayfromburnley wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:44 pm

Absolutely not correct, it often costs more and therefore rests a major issue.

Here's a great resource that helps dispell this damaging myth - the BBC's £1 meal page.

It's a fantastic resource. Every family should be trying these recipes out.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/1_dinners

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:50 pm

Not at all. This is a myth that needs challenging.

If you know how to cook and how to plan meals then cooking from scratch is considerably cheaper.

100% correct. Use the cheaper cuts of meat, fill the dish with inexpensive veg, use a slow cooker to reduce energy consumption. Cheaper and considerably healthier for you. I make a chicken dhansak curry. Use thighs which are less than £3 per kg, remove the skin and the single thigh bone then dice. 2 onions, garlic and ginger paste which you can buy frozen in cubes, less than £1 per bag which will make 20 or so meals, tin of lentils and tin of chopped tomatoes, less than £1 for both. Juice of a lemon, 30p and a tablespoon of sugar, curry spices which if you buy from an Indian shop are about 20% of supermarket prices, so say 50p for my recipe and optional coriander to garnish. I estimate the cost to be less than £6 and it will serve 5, 4 if you have a healthy appetite. £1.20 a portion plus rice, so less than £1.50 a portion. Way nicer than any ready meal, in my opinion nicer than a takeaway and way cheaper

Very true cooking from scratch saves us a fortune every week, it tastes better and is much better for you.

Can see this thread getting heated, and I don't mean via the microwave or slow cooker

This is very interesting:

https://twitter.com/lijukic/status/1664694534771560469

It would be even more interesting to compare this map and its data to rates of obesity, heart attack, type II diabetes etc.

I'd also like to see figures on how often families sit down together at the table to enjoy a meal.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:17 pm

This is very interesting:

https://twitter.com/lijukic/status/1664694534771560469

It would be even more interesting to compare this map and its data to rates of obesity, heart attack, type II diabetes etc.

I'd also like to see figures on how often families sit down together at the table to enjoy a meal.

The issue is less about money but time. They were afterall called 'convenience foods'.

If there are ultra processed foods, what are 'processed foods'?

I can understand a pot noodle or crisps being ultra processed but ham, traditional cheese?

Hipper wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:20 pm

The issue is less about money but time. They were afterall called 'convenience foods'.

If there are ultra processed foods, what are 'processed foods'?

I can understand a pot noodle or crisps being ultra processed but ham, traditional cheese?

There's certainly a bit of hyperbole in the name of "ultra" high processed foods but I don't think that should disminish how we view the problem.

As for the issue of time, it's all about what we prioritise.

If we, as a country, want to stay fat, unfit, unhealthy, sickly, lonely, depressed and mentally ill then we can carry on prioritising sitting on the sofa, watching TV and shovelling nasty processed food down our gullets.

If we want to prioritise our happiness, our physical health, our pursestrings, eating properly with our families and also our mental welbeing then we ought to prioritise cooking from scratch with fresh food packed full of goodness.

Yep - it's all about time

When you're stuck commuting for a ridiculous amount of time, work lunch is 30 minutes tops then what other choice do you really have?

No coincidence that places on the continent that value leisure & health more than the hustle and bustle have a better quality of life - including things like consuming more fresh foods

I’m concerned about the use of plastics in packaging and especially for fresh vegetables.

However, I read a major supermarket’s report that stated 40% of shoppers haven’t washed their hands having visited the toilet. And up to 6 people handle each loose piece of fruit or vegetable before buying.

I agree that re-teaching the country how to cook properly should be a top priority, and would contribute to reducing many public health and socioeconomic problems. But I think it's about catching people at the right time. Many people feel they are doing the best they can with what they've got and need something else to give way before you can see significant change.

For anyone really interested in the subject there are several popular health behaviour models out there that try to break down the ins and outs of what leads to behaviour change. Time and money are of course important but certainly not the be all and end all.

How would one class the meal I've just prepared for my Son & Daughter-in-law's tea ?

Tuna & Pasta bake ... cooked dried pasta in salt water, chopped a fresh courgette, tomatoes, pepper, red onion & mushrooms and pan fried in a mix of butter and extra virgin olive, seasoned with mixed herbs etc. Added a tin of tuna, 3 sausages in chunks and a can of cream of mushroom soup ... a right mix of dried, fresh, tinned etc ...

LoveCurryPies wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:37 pm

However, I read a major supermarket’s report that stated 40% of shoppers haven’t washed their hands having visited the toilet.

How would they know? Cameras in the toilets!

LoveCurryPies wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:37 pm

I’m concerned about the use of plastics in packaging and especially for fresh vegetables.

However, I read a major supermarket’s report that stated 40% of shoppers haven’t washed their hands having visited the toilet. And up to 6 people handle each loose piece of fruit or vegetable before buying.

Do you make all you Curry Pies from scratch?

Chapeau Rowls.

Get you away from jungle economics and you post some good stuff

Clarets4me wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:04 pm

How would one class the meal I've just prepared for my Son & Daughter-in-law's tea ?

Tuna & Pasta bake ... cooked dried pasta in salt water, chopped a fresh courgette, tomatoes, pepper, red onion & mushrooms and pan fried in a mix of butter and extra virgin olive, seasoned with mixed herbs etc. Added a tin of tuna, 3 sausages in chunks and a can of cream of mushroom soup ... a right mix of dried, fresh, tinned etc ...

Sounds delightful. And certainly a class above the burgers and sausages that I'm about to BBQ

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:27 pm

Yep - it's all about time

When you're stuck commuting for a ridiculous amount of time, work lunch is 30 minutes tops then what other choice do you really have?

No coincidence that places on the continent that value leisure & health more than the hustle and bustle have a better quality of life - including things like consuming more fresh foods

Get a better job

that map is very enlightening and rather depressing.

the fact that we eat nearly five times as much processed food as the portugese is truly alarming.

i agree that home economics should be taken more seriously within the education system.

btw i've just done a whole medium chicken in a pressure cooker and that will last me about four or five days in various meals. (6 minutes per pound and let the pressure naturally release in case anyone was wondering).

fatboy47 wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:22 pm

Chapeau Rowls.

Get you away from jungle economics and you post some good stuff

"Jungle Economics" all from the BBC, fatboy

We quite often have a roast chicken on a sunday ... Legs and wings for the Sunday dinner with usual veggies etc ... the breast makes another couple of meals (Coronation chicken for one meal and possibly a Chicken salad sandwich each for another) the Lamb Shoulder we had yesterday as a roast will make a Shepherds pie later this week ...

Can't beat cooking your own ... sod buying processed meals

4midable wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:24 pm

Get a better job

The response was about people’s situation in general

Newsflash - not everyone can have ideal circumstances with employment, especially when we have poor employment laws relative to those on the continent.

These sort of responses are really ‘race to the bottom’ sort of crap that gets society absolutely nowhere

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:50 pm

The response was about people’s situation in general

Newsflash - not everyone can have ideal circumstances with employment, especially when we have poor employment laws relative to those on the continent.

These sort of responses are really ‘race to the bottom’ sort of crap that gets society absolutely nowhere

haven't you realised yet that that lad is a cretin?

yTib wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:51 pm

haven't you realised yet that that lad is a cretin?

🫨

yTib wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:51 pm

haven't you realised yet that that lad is a cretin?

I have now!

Can't beat a bit of irony on a Monday evening!

LoveCurryPies wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:37 pm

I’m concerned about the use of plastics in packaging and especially for fresh vegetables.

However, I read a major supermarket’s report that stated 40% of shoppers haven’t washed their hands having visited the toilet. And up to 6 people handle each loose piece of fruit or vegetable before buying.

At the turn of the year, I've started assiduously trying to recycle soft plastics, such as crisp packets, bread bags, parcel bags, fruit & veg wrapping. You can bag the and drop off at most Tesco stores. I've been amazed how much there has been, and they are collecting the weight of a Ford Fiesta every week nationwide. Apparently, 80% is recyclable, usually for Tesco own brand cheeses and the rest is incinerated for energy ... much better than going to landfill !

clarets12 wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:05 pm

Can't beat a bit of irony on a Monday evening!

muchacho is now a byword.

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:27 pm

Yep - it's all about time

When you're stuck commuting for a ridiculous amount of time, work lunch is 30 minutes tops then what other choice do you really have?

No coincidence that places on the continent that value leisure & health more than the hustle and bustle have a better quality of life - including things like consuming more fresh foods

Spot on, I work shifts on the railways and the amount of shite people eat "because they don't have time" I can see there point but alot is down to laziness.
I usual get in around midnight and do dinner for the next day or 2, so that I don't have to rush around the next day.

Well this escalated quickly.

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:50 pm

The response was about people’s situation in general

Newsflash - not everyone can have ideal circumstances with employment, especially when we have poor employment laws relative to those on the continent.

These sort of responses are really ‘race to the bottom’ sort of crap that gets society absolutely nowhere

Health over any job any day of the week

clarets12 wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:11 pm

You're just a bit of a bell who messes with kids. Not my cup of tea.

Crikey!

I was going to make a point that we really shouldn't be celebrating a recipe book for £1 meals in a G7 nation but I suspect this thread won't last long so I don't see the point

If you want to be super healthy, then halve your meat content and use a lot more beans and lentils - still delicious and so much better for you and the enviroment

Oh, and I eat pea protein burgers these days, which are surprisingly tasty

Lancasterclaret wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:20 pm

... we really shouldn't be celebrating a recipe book for £1 meals in a G7 nation

Go on, why shouldn't we be happy to eat healthily and frugally?

LoveCurryPies wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:37 pm

However, I read a major supermarket’s report that stated 40% of shoppers haven’t washed their hands having visited the toilet. And up to 6 people handle each loose piece of fruit or vegetable before buying.

Many people shopping in supermarkets still use the hand sanitizers and gels on offer if they don’t carry their own.

One thing is for certain and that's middle class people moralising won't change anything.

welsbyswife wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:44 pm

One thing is for certain and that's middle class people moralising won't change anything.

that's the spirit!

optimism!

Strip burger, 4 wings, chips and a Rubicon please.

welsbyswife wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:44 pm

One thing is for certain and that's middle class people moralising won't change anything.

It might be a bit irritating but promoting and advocating for ideas can change how people view the world and what they think and do.

See, for example, the suffragettes, the gay rights movement, the chartists, the modern green movement... etc etc.

Cooking from scratch isn't "middle class". Cooking from scractch with fresh ingredients is for everybody. There are massive benefits for everybody in cooking more from scratch and having healthy eating habits. We will all be happier and healthier by adopting these habits.

i didn't even know burnley had a middle class.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:30 pm

Go on, why shouldn't we be happy to eat healthily and frugally?

Ah, if only that is what I actually said

welsbyswife wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:44 pm

One thing is for certain and that's middle class people moralising won't change anything.

What does that even mean?

One thing Rowls is spot on about is the need for people to eat healthily, and it doesn't matter what class you are (well, whatever class can afford a cook probably doesn't have this issue!)

What he's wrong about is that time is the issue, and not everyone has it, for a whole variety of reasons

Maybe instead of splashing money out on gimmicks to make us all blame refugees the government could just give loads of people cooking lessons (which I know that loads of charities are doing, but that surely is the job of a responsible government)

Lancasterclaret wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:57 pm

Ah, if only that is what I actually said

I have to be honest, I was wary of seeming to reply with a "So what you're saying is..." kind of post but I'm struggling to understand what you're opposed to here.

Go ahead and post your thoughts in your own words.

Lancasterclaret wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 7:01 pm

What he's wrong about is that time is the issue, and not everyone has it, for a whole variety of reasons

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:27 pm

As for the issue of time, it's all about what we prioritise.

I’ll be honest I’m 69 years of age (male) and don’t know how to cook. My wife is often having a go at me for not making an effort to learn, she’s happy to teach me but I’ve really no interest. If I was suddenly on my own I know I’d end up eating junk. I’ll also add I did think last autumn about enrolling on an evening course but I’m a bit embarrassed that I can’t even cook an egg. Is there any hope for me?

LoveCurryPies wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:37 pm

I’m concerned about the use of plastics in packaging and especially for fresh vegetables.

However, I read a major supermarket’s report that stated 40% of shoppers haven’t washed their hands having visited the toilet. And up to 6 people handle each loose piece of fruit or vegetable before buying.

Might be why Lancasterclarets Pee Burgers are so tasty

Rowls wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 7:01 pm

I have to be honest, I was wary of seeming to reply with a "So what you're saying is..." kind of post but I'm struggling to understand what you're opposed to here.

Go ahead and post your thoughts in your own words.

I'm not opposed to the cook book at all, its a great idea, but its an idea that has come about because of the cost of living crisis, which isn't something that a G7 nation like ours should be having

beddie wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 7:04 pm

I’ll be honest I’m 69 years of age (male) and don’t know how to cook. My wife is often having a go at me for not making an effort to learn, she’s happy to teach me but I’ve really no interest. If I was suddenly on my own I know I’d end up eating junk. I’ll also add I did think last autumn about enrolling on an evening course but I’m a bit embarrassed that I can’t even cook an egg. Is there any hope for me?

surely you're never too old to learn to cook an egg.

tip: don't keep eggs in the fridge.