Obesity linked to poverty

varian

Children don't eat vegetables if their mother suggests that they won't like them.

If that mother had tried giving a lightly cooked or even raw broccoli floret or carrot stick to a teething baby she might have been very surprised how much they liked them.

She's not one of mine, btw, although I am very fond of her. Her family all seem very slim and fit.

dizzyblonde
Poverty is not just a lack of money, it can be a lack of education, of opportunities, control from partners and many more. If you have been bought up in a dysfunctional family where it was the norm to go hungry, not to even attend school, then how are you going to learn to cook, shop and to budget? The cycle goes on
Excellent post, you are so right. Your Mum sounds lovely.

Oatly is great!

I watched the 1948 film "The Miracle of the Bells". One scene contained was a small crowd in a mining town in the US ans supposed to represent poor hard working people. Interesting that many of the women among the film extras were elderly or middle aged , and many were fatish.

Continuing the oats conversation ?

They are low gi, as far as I am aware they help my blood sugar, cholesterol and digestive system. I only eat a small portion.

But I do get the point. Not ideal for losing weight.

I ordered some gf muesli, probably not ideal either but I'll check the label before I try it.

annep1

Continuing the oats conversation ?

They are low gi, as far as I am aware they help my blood sugar, cholesterol and digestive system. I only eat a small portion.

But I do get the point. Not ideal for losing weight.

I go through phases of measuring my plasma glucose (finger prick) every couple of hours and I'm afraid I just can't eat oats. They send my blood sugar into the stratosphere, even if I eat them with milk, which should bring down the GI.

Callistemon Muesli does the same to me, but if you're not diabetic, you might be OK. Check the label. Most muesli is high in calories and sugar.

For breakfast, I eat Greek yoghurt (full fat) or a boiled egg with half a slice of black bread as a "soldier", which is the only bread I ever eat.

Things sometimes affect people in different ways. But I am going to do some fingerpricking and compare.

annep1

Things sometimes affect people in different ways. But I am going to do some fingerpricking and compare.

It would be interesting to find out how you get on. I know porridge is often recommended as a healthy breakfast, but I really don't tolerate it. It's a shame because I do like it and it's cheap. It's nothing to do with the gluten, but all refined grains are a disaster for me. It makes life quite difficult because so may foods contain refined grains - not just snacks and fast foods.

ZOE, the people at KCL who developed the Covid-19 app, have done loads of research about the way food affects people differently. They're bringing out a testing kit in 2021, so that people can find out how food affects them. I have no idea how much it will cost or what it's all about, but I've signed up for updates and I follow their blog and podcasts.

As I was in the kitchen yesterday making cheese biscuits.
? Butter, cheese and flour, 75cals/biscuits, totally delicious.

Woman’s hour was featuring health and how food can affect so many things. Kimberly Wilson was the interviewee. It was very interesting. Worth a listen .

Miss Adventure, I was replying to Mibs, feeding a family if four, instead of buying highly sugared or fat treats in shop bought ones, do your own, or just not have them. Varuna, a lot of children don't like vegetables, but you can incorporate them into most meals it without them knowing. It's all about balance. Bad eating habits have to be changed, as a society fast food outlets are everywhere! Most of them loaded with sugars and fat. In the end it's up to you, what eating habits do you want to instil into your family. I wanted my children fit and healthy, but on very little money, as did a lot of people I knew.

Mibs didn't say that she feeds her family sugar or fat laden food, though.

She pointed out some of the issues she faces such as not having a shop near her, being a non driver, and having a very, very limited budget.

Most ordinary people want their children fit and healthy.

I tried to get on the site for the 50.00 voucher for bike repairs last night, as the government are issuing these, but hey ho the site had crashed. A bit like this plan to get the nation fit , healthy and down to an acceptable weight.!!!!

travelsafar too late for us we’ve already done ours.

I’ll have a bowl of confidence though when they dole that out!

PamelaJ1

As I was in the kitchen yesterday making cheese biscuits.
? Butter, cheese and flour, 75cals/biscuits, totally delicious.

Woman’s hour was featuring health and how food can affect so many things. Kimberly Wilson was the interviewee. It was very interesting. Worth a listen .

Nice as a treat, but butter, cheese and flour = saturated fat + refined carbs, which is not good nutrition.

MissAdventure

Mibs didn't say that she feeds her family sugar or fat laden food, though.

She pointed out some of the issues she faces such as not having a shop near her, being a non driver, and having a very, very limited budget.

Most ordinary people want their children fit and healthy.

Exactly! I've noticed people are very quick to adopt the "too much fast food" argument. I wonder if they've ever looked at the goods available (and prices) in the average corner shop. It's a real issue, which is being ignored.

Some are unable to put themselves in other people’s shoes, and sadly can be quite prescriptive, and yes, judgemental.

Some families are living in poor and difficult circumstances and I would be very surprised if they want their children to live unhealthy lives, dogged by illness with an early death.

I just think there are other and better ways of supporting them than telling them what healthy food to eat.

growstuff
I would like to shout yes I ate them all at once as a reply to your comment. Maybe stamp my feet in a petulant way??????
I have to admit though that we had one each after dinner. No pudding!

PamelaJ1

growstuff
I would like to shout yes I ate them all at once as a reply to your comment. Maybe stamp my feet in a petulant way??????
I have to admit though that we had one each after dinner. No pudding!

Yes, but could I stop at one if they were that delicious?
??

PamelaJ1

growstuff
I would like to shout yes I ate them all at once as a reply to your comment. Maybe stamp my feet in a petulant way??????
I have to admit though that we had one each after dinner. No pudding!

If weight is a problem, don't have pudding anyway! You don't need an alternative, especially one which is just empty calories.

Sorry, I know I sound critical and there's nothing wrong with them, but it just bemuses me that you think they're a healthy alternative.

Home cooked food isn't always healthier if it's full of fat and sugar and the portions are large.

Greeneyedgirl

Some are unable to put themselves in other people’s shoes, and sadly can be quite prescriptive, and yes, judgemental.

Some families are living in poor and difficult circumstances and I would be very surprised if they want their children to live unhealthy lives, dogged by illness with an early death.

I just think there are other and better ways of supporting them than telling them what healthy food to eat.

I agree. There are just so many issues which aren't being addressed. The government (and people generally) latch on to a couple of soundbites which make good headlines.

Water melon. That was my key.

I had put on a couple of stone after the birth of my third.

When I discovered I needed to buy size 12s I knew I had to take matters into my own hands.

So I ate plenty of water melon and baked beans. Not together I hasten to add.Baked beans, kidney beans and salad.

Lost the weight in a couple of months and it stayed off

However it's not as easy to keep weight off as we age. My poor Mother ate like a bird but seemed to maintain her slightly overweight weight. Possible she wasn't eating enough.

As for butter and full fat milk. Far better those than the spreads and half fat milk. It's becoming realised the advice from the 70s(?) is incorrect.

But a water melon a day worked a treat. Expect to spend more time in the WC though!

growstuff

where did I say they were a healthy alternative?

If you want to lose weight, try this as an experiment ...

1 Work out your calorie needs. This is one calculator, but there are others:

www.checkyourhealth.org/eat-healthy/cal_calculator.php

This will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.

My personal calorie requirement is about 1550, but I'm very tall, so most females need less, unless they're super active. It's surprising how easy it is to reach 1550 calories.

2 Keep an honest diary of what you eat in a week. Work out how many calories you've eaten and compare. Many people eat too much.

3 If you're eating too many, aim to reduce the number of calories. Rather than reducing at random, avoid the "empty" calories (ie those which are mainly sugar and/or saturated fat), make sure you're not hungry and include a couple of things to stop you feeling that you're being deprived. Even reducing portion sizes by 10% can make a difference in the long term.

4 Don't spend loads of money on diet plans!

It needs to be sustained, so quick fix diets aren't usually recommended and weight loss will be gradual.

Packets and labels assume a calorie requirement of 2000, which is too much for an average woman who's not very active.

Personally, I don't count calories because I've just got used to what's right for me.