Ruddy Cheese

jeni

Yoghurt in coffee?

Chilli, annobel? It can have that effect on me.

Well butty, I think the current "wisdom" is that there's less fat in them therefore they are healthier, or rather they come into the healthier food bracket. I just don't agree that less fat in food necessarily means healthier. It depends on the rest of your diet, for instance, where you live, and other things. Think of the usual ranges of the eskimo peoples and what's available to them and the fact that they love blubber, with good reason, and the fact that they survived in that unpromising environment because of their high fat diet, not in spite of it.

Also, the low fat stuff has been preached for quite a while now and yet the diseases a low fat diet is supposed to help don't seem to be going away. The death rate from heart disease is fallng, as I understand, but that's largely because of improved treatment rather than a fall in the rate of disease incidence. However, I do wonder if the fat content of the diets of people who avoid animal fats is really lower than, say, mine (I don't avoid animal fats) or if they've just replaced the animal fats with vegetable fats.

Do yogurt and creme fraiche often have sugar in them too? I don't eat much of either, though am happy to if they are put in front of me. Cream doesn't have sugar, as such, in it, though of course we do break down some of the fat into sugars. I don't eat much cream either, as it happens, but I don't avoid it and if I use some in a recipe and there's some left, then I use it up in my coffee or something else. Likewise with yogurt or creme fraiche, but if a recipe specifies cream, then I'll use cream and not a substitute.

There must be something in some Indian dishes that makes me sick. I thought it was a dodgy prawn that had me running fast to the ladies to return my meal, but I felt the same symptoms at an Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam. That time I managed to keep it to myself. I don't know what the ingredient was, so have more or less avoided Eastern cuisine since then.

I have the same difficulty with peppers...I am very allergic to peppers and am very careful when eating out. Yesterday we went to a garden centre where we've eaten before. The meal we chose came with Parmentier potatoes ( little cubes of fried potato) and when the meal arrived the potatoes had peppers in amongst them. Of course I then had to ask for another meal without potato!

I have met this problem so many times that I now do not eat out. There are many foods that give me a problem, so many more than when I was younger. The last occasion I tried I carefully told the waiter that I wanted plain mashed potato as I would be unwell if any of the usual ingredients were added. It arrived at the table yellow with butter. At least he agreed it was chef's mistake and did not charge for the meal.

I'm sorry to hear that granny23. I'll certainly be more aware in future about this.

I'm intrigued by your comment bagitha, about yogurt and creme fraiche not being healthier. I'd be interested in hearing why you think that 'cause you seem to have a handle on this sort of thing. I am going to look into it.

However, on Christmas Day we had some mashed potatoes (don't ask why), and my son, who considers himself a bit 'cheffie' suggested we add creme fraiche instead of milk to the mash, and it was gorgeous! (yum emoticon)

granny23 sympathy! I have the same problems but with egg yolks. I find that many chefs slip them into sauces such as thermidor, wh
E none of my many recipe books even put it in as an option!

Poor you, granny23! I think the problem is this false notion that creme fraiche and yogurt are "healthier" than proper cream. Not for a person with your allergy, they're not! I don't believe they are for the rest of us either, but that's another issue. I think joan in OZ agrees with me but she hasn't been around for a bit. Hope she's OK.