# Healthy Eating anyone?



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

This came up on a group I belong to -

https://www.theguardian.com/food/20...alt-steak-swedish-study-science-health-advice

I must admit that we have always subscribed to the "everything in moderation" way of eating. Well, that is the Royal we because Chris has very little self control. As I do most of the food shopping I can moderate what comes into the house. I don't buy sugary foods, we make our own wholemeal bread and haven't added salt to anything in years. I rarely buy processed meat products. That's not to say if we eat out we don't have junk food but not on a regular basis. Chris's mum was a type 2 diabetic and would have a pile of chocolate bars and sweets beside her chair when we visited. Chris has the same genes but as I live here I can influence his intake of naughty stuff!0


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

I have changed in the last 30 years and now eat (under the supervision of my wife) what I consider a pretty healthy diet. 

I was brought up on a healthy diet too. There was a period though when I'm afraid anything went. Lunch was often a packet of crisps and a Mars bar. I wouldn't go into my non dietary excesses but they were legion


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

The warnings and recommendations change with the wind.

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

We're lazy here with food, and do like a biccy with our morning coffee, we used to have some sort of after in the evening but rarely now just as a treat, we try not to eat cake as often as we used to do when we have a coffee out and now we taste it before adding sugar as we both have a bit of a sweet tooth, we can all do better, but I am certain we will get posts from the perfect police.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes, we like to think we eat healthily much of the time but chips once a week and sugar in tea probably messes up the perfect score. 
But there does come a time in life when I wonder is it worth being in prime condition when you die?

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Yes, it would be heartbreaking to send a new car to the scrapyard.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

There are continual new “don’t eat this, or eat more of that” items in the news 

We try to eat a low carb, high fibre diet, no sugary drinks etc, it works for both of us.

Amidst all the changes announced, it is worth being aware the the Official Government dietary advice has not changed since 1994………. when the “Eatwell Plate” was first published , this was upgraded to the “Eatwell Guide” in 2016. The content dates to long before 1994……. Nothing has changed from the 5 portions of fibre, low salt, low sugar etc..


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

We have largely cut sugar out of our diet apart from the odd "cheer us up" cake. If I, now, eat a really sugary treat I feel really ill and out of sorts  Any cheering cake now has to be selected carefully to be more of a "bun" than a cake.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I used to have sugar on my Weetabix each morning it took a while to get used to the lack of it.


Liz bakes sometimes and makes a banana cake which I love, it has no sugar but is still sweet enough.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)




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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Did it work Kev?

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Not tried it.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Shall we do some randomised, double blind, trials?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

My eyesight is bad enough.

Liz has just grown a load of peppers acherly.


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## mackre (Nov 15, 2021)

I must say, I don't follow any diet, but with the age, I'm thinking before I eat something unhealthy. At least, I'm trying to avoid junk food.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Just having a nice banana on Hovis wholemeal bread VER nice.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Quiche with salad for us. Well, Chris is off fibre of any sort so just Quiche for him.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Noodles chips and curry sauce for me, liz had casserole.


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

We have made several changes to our diet over the years preferring to make these as lifestyle changes rather than going on a diet (which never really works in the longer term). Mrs GMJ takes a lot of medication and unfortunately one of her meds has the side effect of making her put on weight. As a result I pay closer attention to calories now than I have before (i.e. never!).

We eat/drink skimmed milk; wholemeal bread; zero fat yoghurt; low fat spread. I see these as easy, cheap swaps which have zero impact on the quality of the food we consume. As I do the cooking I have been working hard on reducing portion sizes as well. When I cook mince based meals I also use 50% Quorn now alongside 50% minced beef. To further reduce the meat, I also bulk out mince meals and curries with mushrooms. We also try and avoid carbs in our evening meal. We always aim to have chicken twice a week if we can too.

Mrs GMJ eats dried fruit and yoghurt for breakfast (I don't eat breakfast). Typically then we would have a sandwich for lunch; then a cooked meal for tea.

The biggest weight gainer for me is beer...and dry roasted peanuts alongside the beer as my salted snack of choice! Since I recovered from covid I have re-defined my relationship with beer so instead of having it every night or every weekend, I now only have it maybe once a week. This has not only helped the bank balance but also helped me to keep my weight off. 

We then tend to let our hair down a bit when away in the MH. We are not averse to a takeaway when away, as we can't get anything delivered where we live (which is a good thing). I took up Indian cookery when we moved here 3 years ago and I cook curries for scratch now which are much healthier and (we think) taste nicer too.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

We used to follow the "low fat, low sugar" etc rule but read somewhere that in order to make low fat palatable they put sugar in, and sugar in food is substituted with sweeteners which are suspect for our health. We gradually changed back to full fat everything but keeping it as natural as possible. I try to think "has it come from the earth" or "has it had a natural life". We are not fanatical about it though! Over time we have cut out adding sugar completely to anything we eat or drink. I have found, now, that I feel slightly nauseous if I have a high sugar treat. Makes me think that it is not natural for our bodies. This switch back has had very little effect on our waistline. Wine is our big indulgence but even that is off the menu at the moment. A recent nurse visit showed I had lost a kilo since last weight check 

Read an article yesterday aimed at the new "no meat" movement. It said that we need to be aware of all the pesticides on our fruit and veg! We did flirt with buying organic, after hearing that iceberg lettuce is sprayed at every layer, but have slipped back to the cheaper option lately.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

There must come a point, time or age when I wonder what I am saving this healthy body for.?
Doing without or eating things you don't find palatable is wearing thin with me. I'm sure the restaurant we are going to today doesn't worry too much about healthy but focuses on tasty.
Plus my weakness for one sugar in tea and a few biscuits now and again is the trade off for finding broccoli at dinner.

Ray.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

What is unhealthy eating?


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Anything you like Jan.

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

You could give up everything which is bad for you, you may not live longer but it'll seem like it.


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

I agree. We always joke that when I get to my FiL's age I'll have a doner kebab every night for my tea!


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

I’ve never even had a Donna kebab, I once had a Big Mac, haven’t had fish and chips for 7 years, I don’t think the things I eat are unhealthy just too much of everything :grin2:


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

I used to go to school with a girl called Donna Kebab...or was it Jones? I cant remember now...


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

When we are away in the MH, if we can get a delivery we will have some food delivered. If we are away for a week, maybe twice. We are partial to a Chinese meal once in a while but tend to keep away from Indian food as I cook it, as mentioned.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Too many Chinese gives you too much MSG.

Ray.


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

We don't have it that often plus I think MSG is now generally thought not to be unsafe IIRC.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

GMJ said:


> We don't have it that often plus I think MSG is now generally thought not to be unsafe IIRC.


https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-... (MSG) is a,but its use remains controversial.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

I don't necessarily want to live longer just not to be made ill by what I eat. That is why I eat butter and not margarine, real meat and fish rather than processed, full fat milk etc. If possible I will choose organic. If not the animal should have grazed on real grass before being milked or sent to slaughter. Lamb is a good option because sheep live a fairly natural existence unlike most chickens, pigs and cows


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