Following on from yesterday’s post about the results of the Food Standards Agency’s National Diet and Nutritional Survey it would seem that there is still much to be done before we emerge a healthier nation.
Apparently we are eating less salt, sugar and saturated fat and more of us are eating our 5 portions a day but from reading between the lines it would seem that we are still relying too heavily on the use of processed foods and it is the labelling of these foods that is causing us to eat the wrong things without knowing it.
We are also eating out alot – a third of our food budget goes on buying meals in restaurants, bars and cafes – although I’m not altogether convinced of those figures given the present economic climate. But assuming this is correct, when we eat out we have no way of knowing what is going into our meals. Not many of us question the ingredients when ordering off the menu.
So, although it would seem that we are making better choices when cooking our own meals the problem lies when we put our choice in the hands of others.
What I can’t get my head around is why we would want to take our control over what goes on our plates and into our mouths and put it into the hands of other people. Ok, I get that eating out is a pleasurable experience and a nice thing to do every once in a while but it is not something that I would want to do on a regular basis. I also get that from time to time the idea of putting a pre-prepared meal in the oven is very appealing but are our lives really so busy that we have to do that everynight?? If they are then maybe what we are eating is the least of our troubles.
Whereas education was once the main focus in teaching people about healthy eating now the emphasis is shining on the food industry to help us make healthier choices. It is conceeded though that this will take quite some time to achieve and that food labelling is always going to be a confusing issue for most people. Whilst I think that is a good idea that the food industry takes their share of the responsibilty isn’t it better not to rely so heavily on their products in the first place. Isn’t it better to be educated and aware of the harm that too much salt, saturated fats and refined sugars can have on our health.
To my mind the responsibility with eating a healthy diet lies with the individual not with big manufacturers who are all about making a profit and not in the least bit concerned with my health. Why would they be??
Eating a healthy diet and exercising on a regular basis are two of the simplest things that we can do to look after ourselves. Preparing a healthy meal from scratch doesn’t have to be time consumming – 30 minutes should see you right which is about the same amount of time that cooking a pre-prepared meal would take and it is very often a cheaper option to buy all the basic ingredients as opposed to the finished product.
Obesity and other diet related illnesses are on the increase and we can’t keep passing the buck as to the cause. They are diet related and pretty much everyone has the choice as to what they put in their mouths – they just have to exercise it…….
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