The Truth About Food

Jaxjacky

Notagranyet even in Françe consumption of UPF is increasing, a recent survey showed 31% of daily nutrition was provided by UPF, it’s similar in other European countries.

Yes, I've heard, sad. It's to do with ease of buying these products I suppose but alarming to think of the damage they are doing to the unaware.
Hopefully not in French schools yet!
thegoodlifefrance.com/how-come-french-kids-eat-everything/

Notagranyet even in Françe consumption of UPF is increasing, a recent survey showed 31% of daily nutrition was provided by UPF, it’s similar in other European countries.

petra

Farzanah
You’re a tad behind the times with that thinking.
Why do you think the major drinks manufacturers are selling more and more non alcoholic drinks. It’s because more and more people are choosing them.

I'm certainly glad to see more non-alcoholic substitute drinks around these days and am gradually working my way through trying them out.

It was pretty clear that alcohol was at fault for Lockdown weight gain in my case. I'm a pretty moderate drinker - but just prior to Lockdown had got back down from around 10.5 stones to 9 stones 5 lb and my figure looked reasonably presentable again (got my flat stomach back and cheekbones re-emerging). I was on my way back down to my normal 8 stone 7lbs (which I'd not been for some time). But when I realised they'd not meant it all when they said Lockdown would be for 2 weeks (yep...I was literally counting the days and it clicked they'd lied when it was 2 weeks, 5 days later and they hadn't announced it was over yet) then I decided to drown my sorrows basically until they darn well did make that announcement. They never did in the event - and it's clear they never will and I must be back up to that original weight and I want to be vanity size 10-12 (ie to match "my" size of size 14) and not vanity size 16-18.

So - darn nearly teetotal it is then....

Gwyllt

As growstuff said these lectures are aimed at 11 to 17 year olds. If these folk can be educated in the importance of eating proper food and realising what some edible items ( I hesitate to call it food ) are made from. Then possible the next generation stands a chance The consumption of UPF in this country is one of the highest in Europe, over 50 % compared to France which is in the region of15%. Figures are approx and from memory

Of course in France, food is considered not just fuel/fodder, but something to care about and enjoy, to buy fresh and to cook thoughtfully.
The children get served wonderful school meals, I believe most schools still have a cook and kitchens. The children get three courses and are expected to eat with a knife and fork.
In France, the restaurants are always jammed at lunchtime and the noise of constant talking and laughing fills the air. You see only a few phones on the table.
One of my daughters had a holiday job at a hostel where there was a large group of French people. She was amused to relate that they spent an entire day going back and forwards to the kitchen discussing the meal they were going to have that night - what it would consist of, how it would be cooked, who would do the cooking and so on. A bit different to ordering up pizzas!

As growstuff said these lectures are aimed at 11 to 17 year olds. If these folk can be educated in the importance of eating proper food and realising what some edible items ( I hesitate to call it food ) are made from. Then possible the next generation stands a chance The consumption of UPF in this country is one of the highest in Europe, over 50 % compared to France which is in the region of15%. Figures are approx and from memory

petra You are absolutely right in the younger demographic but according to stats (Institute of Alcohol Studies) 55 - 74 yr olds drink 30% more than 16 - 24 yr olds. Age specific deaths wholly attributable to alcohol, were 8,274 in 2023 (latest figures) an increase of a huge 42.2% since 2019. ASDs were highest in 60yr olds. So we have a way to go yet!

Ironically areas of U.K. which had high smoking rates have seen rates decline but alcohol consumption increased!

Perhaps as we oldies die out the problem will resolve 🙂

Farzanah
You’re a tad behind the times with that thinking.
Why do you think the major drinks manufacturers are selling more and more non alcoholic drinks. It’s because more and more people are choosing them.

The importance of the biome and the damage UPFs do to our health is all new science. It was not in the public domain 5 years ago, or not noticably.

Farzanah

Alcohol is undoubtedly a risk for many cancers notably breast, mouth and throat, colon, rectum and liver. A new beverage with a similar risk profile and social toll would definitely carry a warning, or may possibly be banned. Cigarettes cause cancer and display a warning, and smoking has declined markedly. A warning on the bottle may not stop established drinkers, but may deter some from starting in the first place.

The problem is that alcohol is so well established in our social fabric and much social life revolves around it that it is anti social to be a non drinker.

I haven't drunk alcohol for 7 years and I don't think anybody thinks I'm anti-social. Most people I know are used to my ordering a fizzy water in social situations and nobody has ever commented. Alcohol drinking is declining amongst young people.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Plus tax on alcohol raises an awful lot of revenue for the Treasury I dare say.

Alcohol consumption has increased a lot in recents years amongst the middle aged ( younger generations smoke drugs) and is damaging our health not just diseases but obesity due to calories in drink. Some countries do not allow alcohol to be sold in foods shops, garage etc, which makes it harder to buy, instead of giving in to temptation a separate trip to an off licence has to be made. That should be changed in the UK

growstuff

CariadAgain

Sounds like they've been re-running old ground (ie well-covered before) to me.

What I think would be useful would be a programme on how to spot "food fakes" - ie most honey sold in Britain, much olive oil, etc. I feel like I've had to learn bit by bit what the signs are as to what constitutes "food as described on the label v. a fake" and it's a bit painstaking.

BTW - does anyone know if that thing about a lot of Chinese white rice isn't actually rice - ie it's a fake made of plastic - is true? I've done enough checking round the Net that I've just thrown out the last of a packet of noodles from China just-in-case....and I'm certainly suspicious that it may well be true....

The hoax about Chinese rice being made of plastic is about as true as the stories about GM being used to grow strawberries crossed with fish to produce fruit which would withstand cold. Cariad it's absolute nonsense!

If the rice was made of plastic it wouldn't soften and swell when cooked.
And the tiny pellets would go straight through your gut (one would hope).

I must say that's a new one in me! It would probably be more expensive to make than producing rice anyway!

I haven't seen these programmes but will look out for them on iPlayer.

Chris van Tullikan is an engaging lecturer, the programmes are informative and the audience clearly enjoyed them. Well worth watching by anyone wanting to know more about the subject.

Plus tax on alcohol raises an awful lot of revenue for the Treasury I dare say.

Alcohol is undoubtedly a risk for many cancers notably breast, mouth and throat, colon, rectum and liver. A new beverage with a similar risk profile and social toll would definitely carry a warning, or may possibly be banned. Cigarettes cause cancer and display a warning, and smoking has declined markedly. A warning on the bottle may not stop established drinkers, but may deter some from starting in the first place.

The problem is that alcohol is so well established in our social fabric and much social life revolves around it that it is anti social to be a non drinker.

RosiesMaw2

^It keeps people in jobs, it makes loadsa money for people (the twin docs, Michael Moseley, etc) but there really is little new stuff^

I really think some people have ritither completely missed the point or want to remain in blissful.ignofance.
NOTHING in these lectures was aimed at making "loadsamoney" for anybody.
Understanding the science - both the biology and chemistry behind our digestive systems and our relationship with food was both fascinating and useful.

Well said. Not only that, but the Christmas Lectures are aimed at 11-17 year olds, not people who have spent years finding out about food and nutrition.

PS. I was fascinated by the demonstration of cooked tendon.

It keeps people in jobs, it makes loadsa money for people (the twin docs, Michael Moseley, etc) but there really is little new stuff

I really think some people have ritither completely missed the point or want to remain in blissful.ignofance.
NOTHING in these lectures was aimed at making "loadsamoney" for anybody.
Understanding the science - both the biology and chemistry behind our digestive systems and our relationship with food was both fascinating and useful.

Glad I’m doing ‘Dry January’ MayBee! 😁

I watched ep.3 of this fascinating series this afternoon. The strawberry ice cream and the can of fizzy ‘orange’ pop brought home to me our ‘disconnect’ with real food. I was hugely entertained by the experiments and the visual explanations were right up my street. I found ep.2 a bit too intellectual for me (the kids seemed to understand it though!). I enjoyed 1 & 3 better.

When our girls were little (early 80’s) my late mum bought a book called ‘Pure White and Deadly’. I’ve always remembered it as it was a revelation how harmful sugar in excess poses to our diet.

Well done mum - ahead of the curve!

I think that is daft, if anyone doesn't know about the dangers of alcohol, then I cannot see that a warning on a bottle will help.

It is not like cigarettes where, for a long time smoking was almost seen as 'healthy'. The dangers and evils of drink have been known as long as it has been drunk, which is probably only around 10,000 years.

David49

M0nica

I also informed them that although the individual 'ingredients night have been tested and declared 'safe' they had not been tested in combination with others. There are so many 'non food ingredients' that replicate real foods with real flavours, textures and so on that our bodies can't cope with hence the rise in allergies and other food related conditions. (Loopylyn2)

I completely agree. The book ^E is for Additives* came out in the mid 1980s and contributed to my journey towards, what I would call thoughtful eating, where possible, eating food produced locally, using traditional methods and with respect for animal welfare and steering clearly of additives, and over-processed foods.

This is scaremongering, most shoppers don’t have the luxury of buying local produce direct from the grower they buy what they can afford from the local supermarket.

There is no nation health emergency connected to ingredients added to food in the UK, most of them are there to improve shelf life and stability of the product. The health issues revolve around obesity caused by eating too many calories, lives are being shortened by over eating. Calorie content of ingredients, meals even takeaways is displayed on every pack or menu and it’s ignored buy most.

The other major contribution to diet is alcohol, vast quantities are sold alongside food in supermarkets the calories in that is rarely added to food nutrition

I caught something on the news yesterday about an American doctor who is saying people need to be more aware of the dangers of alcohol and there should be warning labels on alcoholic drinks.

I have now watched all three episodes, and I think they are brilliant. I already know a fair amount of anatomy, physiology, and nutrition and had already read Chris's book "Ultra-Processed People". Yet my learning was reinforced by the visual material and the practical demonstrations and experiments. To those who say there is nothing new here, I would say that it is new for the intended audience, i.e. children. In the shots of the audience, you can clearly see their fascination. If only the science lessons I had at school had been as good as this, I might have started to appreciate science sooner.

"there really is little new stuff." Researchers tend to disagree with this. DNA sequencing has advanced research in many fields including the analysis of the gut biome.

"The study of gut microbiota is a rapidly moving field of research, and the impact of gut microbial communities on human health is widely perceived as one of the most exciting advancements in biomedicine in recent years. The gut microbiota plays a key role in digestion, metabolism and immune function, and has widespread impact beyond the gastrointestinal tract. Changes in the biodiversity of the gut microbiota are associated with far reaching consequences on host health and development. Further understanding of the importance of developing and maintaining gut microbiota diversity may lead to targeted interventions for health promotion, disease prevention and management. Diet, functional foods and gut microbiota transplantation are areas that have yielded some therapeutic success in modulating the gut microbiota, and warrant further investigation of their effects on various disease states."
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4040776/

I’ve watched more of this type of programme than I’ve had hot (healthy) dinners!

It keeps people in jobs, it makes loadsa money for people (the twin docs, Michael Moseley, etc) but there really is little new stuff.

My Mum was a great one for clipping warnings out of magazines and newspapers about foods that were bad for you, super foods, foods to avoid for certain conditions. Don’t know why she bothered as my Dad grew all our veg, salad and fruit and she was a trained cook and always cooked from scratch. She had bowel cancer twice though (different strains).

My SIL died at 66 and she was a vegetarian, all their food came from their allotment and the veggie meals she cooked were amazing.

I go along with those who say “eat what you like in moderation”. I am not watching any more of those programmes.

foxie48

There's increasing evidence that UHP foods are often high in calories but low in fibre so they don't give a feeling of saiety they also frequently have poor nutritional value being high in bad fats, high in salt and low in protein. There's also growing evidence that these foods affect the gut biome adversely which can affect the way the body works particularly with regard to inflammation. My rule is if I don't recognise the ingredient in a food as food, I don't eat it, seems to work for me.

Quite

If you ever have the opportunity to take your grandchildren to see the man with the python, he is fascinating and pulls all sorts of creatures from the back of his car. He’s very knowledgeable and my grandchildren were entranced last summer.

There's increasing evidence that UHP foods are often high in calories but low in fibre so they don't give a feeling of saiety they also frequently have poor nutritional value being high in bad fats, high in salt and low in protein. There's also growing evidence that these foods affect the gut biome adversely which can affect the way the body works particularly with regard to inflammation. My rule is if I don't recognise the ingredient in a food as food, I don't eat it, seems to work for me.