So just HOW should 'the government' tackle obesity etc...??

I agree with you absolutely, bellsisabelle. That's what I do. I know my target nutritional intake per day, read the boxes and eat loads of salad/veg. I wouldn't eat this way if I weren't on my own, because it would probably be too expensive, but it's not unhealthy.

I agree absolutely daphnedill. Not everyone actually enjoys eating for the sake of it, I know I have to eat to fuel my body but I'd be perfectly happy taking a daily pill!

And of course ready meals can be just as nutritious as 'cooked from scratch', as can frozen veg.

x posts or I wouldn't have put 'absolutely' in mine!

The Americans thicken food with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) - as you say, to keep the corn farmers happy. The trouble is that people just don't realise it's there and don't know how many calories they're adding to their food. There was also an initiative a few years ago to reduce the amount of potato served in school meals (I think Michelle Obama supported it), but the American potato farmers kicked up a stink, so it was abandoned. Many dieticians think demonising fat has been a bad idea, especially as many manufacturers (and home cooks) replace the fat with carbs.

Can't have too many 'absolutely's, ana.

I wonder what we have all eaten today. I've no idea how many calories I eat but here's today's list in the order of eating:

an apple
6 prunes
a flapjack (homemade and full of nuts and seeds as well as full of butter, sugar, oats and dried fruit)–millions of calories, I'm sure.
Slice of toast (thick homemade bread with added goodies: ground linseed) topped with:
half a small can of spaghetti hoops and one and a half sardines
glass of orange juice
3 rich tea biscuits
two pork sausages with steamed Brussels sprouts topped with melted cheese.

I'm sure the food police will think this mixture very improper though it looks quite balanced to me. The spaghetti hoops are actually quite rare in my diet, though I eat 'normal' pasta quite often. I found the sardines in the back of a cupboard.

Quantity-wise that's fairly typical for me. I weigh 52kg, same as I did when I was fifteen.

PS Masses of butter on the toast. And I have whole milk in my (weak) teas and coffees of which today I drank six mugs, or thereabouts.

Yes, proper butter and full-fat milk. I do drink quite a lot of that...

(the milk, that is)

I have eaten:

Brekker. Bowl porridge and piece Christmas cake.

Lunch.Full fat Wensleydale with blueberries in it, on toast. Plus several Marks and Sparks cocktail sausage.

Snack in cafe. Apple pie and custard.

Tea/dinner/supper. Sausage roll.Chutney. Bag crisps. More cheese with blueberries in it. Three chocolate biscuits.

#stuffed

Forgot the mince pie!

Very balanced. Protein, fruit and fibre and dairy products. Keep it up!

(Bloody hell, why do they have to start their fireworks so flaming early??? I keep being alarmed...)

Big one just went off here.

I might have forgotten a handful of Skittles with my second mug of coffee.

No fireworks here yet.

We had Tournados Rossini for our NYE supper. Very posh!

Can't afford slivers of truffle so I smeared the steaks with some truffle oil that my brother brought back from Croatia. I then left them to warm up to room temp.

About an hour later DH was convinced he could smell candlewax and made me check all over the place for a smouldering candle. I told him over and over again that the last time I lit a candle was Christmas Eve but he wouldn't have it.

We then found the culprit in the kitchen. Boy, that Croatian truffle oil is mighty strong!!

The steaks were delicious though

Oh dear. I didn't say ready meals were all bad nor am I a member of something called food police. I was trying to add something constructive to a discussion begun by the OP who asked what could be done by the government about obesity. Why bother posting if you just want to boast about what you ate? Waste of time.

I've had porridge for breakfast made with half almond milk and half water, topped with cinnamon and linseed, (this is my daily breakfast)
Lunch - two fried eggs on toast
Dinner - a huge portion of wholewheat spaghetti topped with tinned tuna and onion mixed and heated with chopped tomatos flavoured with garlic, chiili and basil, to which I added some dill and black pepper, served with grated cheese, and iceberg lettuce on the side, followed by stewed apples and blueberries with some 'Elmlea' single cream poured over it (which I had left over from Christmas when I used it on mince pies)
Thoughout the day I have also eated four tunnocks wafers! (Because I went into Poundland this week). I drink black coffee or green mint tea.
I would describe my diet as basically healthy with added treats, I am at the top end of a healthy BMI and my waist is slightly more than the recommended 80cm (I am 5'8"),
so I will be trying to cut down starting Monday. I have lost 2 stone in the last two years which I accumulated when I was working and stopped by M&S foodstore at the local garage for a microwave meal, on the way home - there was usually a special offer if you bought 2 or 3 so I had them for three consecutive days, they were mostly pasta based and a whopping 500+ calories each, without the inevitable creamy desert I bought to follow!

Don't take my posts personally, azie. I've still only read your last post so I've no idea what you've already said. When I referred to food police I had no-one in mind, only some general attitudes about food that are prevalent nowadays. Don't assume that posting a list of eats is boasting. It is telling, not boasting. I genuinely am interested in what people eat. If it bores you, that's okay. Happy New Year.

daphne Americans are now very aware of the effects of high-fructose corn syrup and in American supermarkets a lot of confectionery and baking products are labelled 'no HFCS'.
I think there is actually less awareness in this country, where shop-bought biscuits etc usually contain 'glucose syrup' or 'invert sugar'. These are essentially the same as HFCS.

That's good to hear, janeainsworth. I agree with you about awareness in the UK. I think awareness is the key. It annoys me when people talk about 'good' and 'bad' food, because there is no such thing. All food contain calories, which is energy. Energy is good, but needs to be balanced over time.

I also don't think there's a simple solution such as only eating freshly cooked food or only eating when sitting at a table. It depends what the food is. It doesn't matter whether it's freshly cooked or not and it doesn't really matter where it's eaten - it's still food. I'm sceptical about whether a sugar tax will help, when items such as fruit juice escape the tax.

I've explained how understanding more about food requirements worked for me, although I realise others would find it tedious. If people aren't overweight or need a special diet, there's no need to worry, but if they are, they maybe need to think about doing things differently. One of my relatives has been obese all her adult life and I've lost count of the excuses she makes. I love her dearly, but I find myself biting my tongue when she complains about her bad back and painful limbs, etc.

@starbird

Do you weigh the pasta and know how many calories are in it? I love pasta sauces and find them hard to resist, but have to be super strict with the amount of pasta I eat - a little goes a long way. I tried spiralised veg, but it just isn't the same. I know what you mean about the M & S pasta dishes - very tempting and easy to cook. I just have to walk past them, which isn't easy because they're opposite the entrance in my local M & S Express.

Shorter school days and no homework so that children aren't shattered from sitting and concentrating until the sun goes down (in winter) and have time for play and hobbies

Family friendly work contracts, a crack down on zero hour contracts where people have to take what they're given, so that people can have a work-life balance and have hobbies.

More allotments, A LOT more allotments. Ideally one for every family who doesn't have a garden.

Safer roads for cyclists.

Better prosecution rates for sexual assault. Women need to feel safe out and about in public, a lot of car journeys are because women don't feel safe walking alone.

"healthy work places" - hour long lunches and on site gyms in larger organisations.

That sounds good, notanan. More concern about well-being (a 'feel good factor') would also increase self-esteem and possibly lead to less comfort eating.

It's known that certain groups are more likely to be overweight or obese, so there's definitely a psychological element to over-eating.

Another factor maybe a big overhaul of missmanagement of chronic pain

A lot of people with chronic pain are over weight, they're also on a lot of ineffective pain relief with unhealthy side effects, because they type of pain relief they've been on for years has been proven to only be effective in the short term.

Again though, that's wellbeing . And more time to exercise/socialise/have hobbies in the first place could have prevented some long term pain conditions