Food Glorious Food...

Its a minefield out there. Different tastes being affected by culture, faith, medical restrictions and personal likes and dislikes even fads that come and go.

There is so much written about food. Programmes on television and radio. Articles in newspapers, magazines, books and online.

And yet all we seem to hear about is the lack of knowledge of how to prepare, cook and present food. How the health of population is poor and we're all heading for obesity and medical problems.

Allowing for all the things that I mention in my opening paragraph that a diet is governed by very few rules. Its simple. Eat less, eat well, everything in moderation and if possible a little exercise. Its not an exact science but you learn what is right for you.

I do believe where possible it helps prevent and keep many ailments from happening or will at least stop them getting worse. But I appreciate that things can still go wrong.

I hear "Experts" say that children are no longer being taught or joining Mum in the Kitchen(or today I suppose we have to say both parents)and learning in a fun way or by observation how to cook. Making a cake and scooping out what remained in the bowl or seeing vegetables being peeled and prepared etc...

That parents who are working, come home and get a frozen meal out of the freezer and warm it up in the microwave or whatever, say that they haven't the time.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Many believe that using frozen vegetables isn't healthy, its not true. A packet of frozen veg can go a long way and how easy is it to cook? About 3-5minutes in a pan of boiling water. New potatoes after a quick rinse in water, the same...into a pan and approx 20 minutes later, all ready. As long as you make certain that you top the water up and check a couple of times all is well, there's nothing to do. Fish and chicken can usually be cooked within 25-60 minutes depending on what it is and how big the item is. Most things you can tell are cooked with only a few simple tests but most items come with simple instructions so you can't get it wrong.
If you want to cheat do so. I'm not against anyone taking a simple prepared item of processed food but putting it next to other ingredients.

An example is illustrated above. That was all ready within 20 minutes. How much does the above meal cost? I would estimate £1.10 but as you are taking a portion out of a packet of vegetables there is still plenty of stuff left to make a good number of meals over the coming weeks. The follow up might be say Strawberries and Ice Cream(again, there will be plenty remaining for other meals or combinations)and I reckon a portion comes in around 21p and I suppose if you want still another course you could have cheese and biscuits which comes in around 25p so that totals out at £1.56(I suppose I should include the cost of energy but what's it cost to have a meal delivered?)Or hop into a car and go to the takeaway? What does a takeaway cost these days? Sometimes, when I watch the advertisements and see what a burger can cost, my meal comes out quite well priced.

Other meals can be simple, something like beans on toast. What will that cost or how long to get ready? You can easily reach for a piece of fruit. And no, you do not have to cut out those little treats that you enjoy.

What you have to remember(and I don't sit there with pen and paper and calculator working it out)is that a Mars Bar has 400 calories for arguments sake and you look at the size and then look at another item such as the meal above or something like a banana. The meal will fill you, but calorie wise it will be less than that Mars Bar. Or if you want a snack or put off, that banana is again lower in calorific value.

Then again, in most cases there is no reason to avoid that chocolate bar, its if you are sitting there and working your way through a selection of such items and eating more calories than your body can burn off.

Your body will burn it off but if you keep doing this day after day it will take longer, if you are taking more in than you use.

I think that some fast food comes in for bad press which it does not deserve and in some cases its acceptable to partake but not every day. And some of it is popular because its a social event.

You are out for a day's shopping and as a family you pop out for a meal or its tagged onto a visit to the cinema or theatre. I remember that film Supersize Me which I have not seen but have heard discussed in depth, well of course if you eat nothing else and eat massive portions every day, you'll put on weight and harm yourself. I saw a film on television showing someone over indulging with all the food many associate with Christmas and thanks to a camera inside his body you should've seen what is classed as good food can do in both damage, added weight and straining of the body's functions.

Perhaps, that social aspect was(allowing for the fact that takeaways)and convenience food is still a relatively new thing the meals at the table with family and friends in the home were once so important. It was also a bonding thing. And yet, it is suggested that rather than frozen meals, the latest popular trend is to go for more chilled meals which in general means that they are probably more healthy, have less preservatives etc...and again many meals and treats are now having yet another ingredient removed because the so called ill informed public has asked for its removal...Hydrogenated Fat.

So is the public as ignorant as we are led to believe and is the media and Government spin actually making matters seem worse than it really is? Did we really need Jamie Oliver and his campaign, it was media driven and certainly tied in with his television career. I have a feeling things would've changed with the general feeling of the population at this time. If anything it just speeded it up.

This is not a lecture BTW just my general take on the food situation and very much prompted by entries on other blogs that I have read recently.