Childhood obesity strategy "lite"

A sausage roll is a dreadful "meal substitute"! Hardly any nutrients. Just saturated fat of the worst kind and carbs. A miniscule amount of actual meat.

Give me the fruit juice and the raisins any day. (Vitamins and fibre)

A lot of the vitamins in a pork chop is in the fat.

Wonder what called her away so irresistibly.

Oh, unamended and unfinished!
Have to go anyway,


Unprocessed oils are good, processed oils are not good.
In a nutshell (nuts are good in moderation too!)

Some fats contain vitamin D, E, K and A (butter, for instance), Virgin rapeseed oil contains Vitamin E, K, Olive oil contains E, unsaturated oils contain omega 3 etc etc.

It is the processing into margarines etc that forms the

I don't understand what you mean by fats not containing vitamins, dd. If a vitamin is only obtainable in the food I eat that contains animal fats (e.g. meat, fish, dairy products), as far as I'm concerned the fats in which the vitamins are to be found in their fat-soluble state are the fats that contain the vitamins.

Could you explain a bit more what you meant perhaps?

@Jalima

There is an awful lot which is still not understood about nutrition. I developed Type 2 diabetes when I was in my early 30s, despite never having been obese. I am usually a healthy weight, although I struggle not to become overweight. When I was first diagnosed, I had consultant care at a specialist unit and I was part of all sorts of research trials, but nobody could tell me why I had developed diabetes. Thirty years later, I wish I still had that level of care, because research has progressed and maybe somebody could provide some answers. As it is, I've experimented with what works best for me regarding food. There's nothing I don't eat, but I find that restricting carbs to below 75 a day (as far as possible) and eating fats (mainly healthy ones) works best. I've fallen out with so many dieticians who have told me that I should be eating less fat and more starchy carbs. The link to artificial sweeteners is interesting, because I used to use them quite a lot.

Interestingly, medical researchers are beginning to say what I've been saying all along, namely that fat helps regulate blood glucose levels. (sigh) I obviously missed my vocation.

I know fats are healthy, but they don't actually contain vitamins, which are separate. Sorry, I was being nitpicky.

The Americans use more HFCS than the UK, which is possibly why they're fatter. The food manufacturing lobby is campaigning hard not to have it included as a sugar, because it claims that fructose, which HFCS contains, has a lower GI than glucose.

That is unethical, and endangering the orangutangs
www.ran.org/last_stand_of_the_orangutan_google_ad_a?gclid=CKTf9_7g1c4CFQIW0wodwRcD0Q

Endangering the orangutan and the health of our children!

I agree about the processed vegetable fats, jalima, and their being pushed as healthier than animal fats is what I meant when I referred to crap science. The other problem with palm oil is how natural forest is being cleared to grow it. Unethical as well as not a great food.

Some sweeteners are even thought to change hormonal activity, which can cause you to hold on to fat and lead to weight gain.
scientists ran several experiments on mice that yielded promising findings. First, they found that mice that drank water with the artificial sweeteners saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose developed glucose intolerance. Glucose intolerance is often a precursor to larger illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

Unsurprisingly, a group of mice fed just plain water didn't develop glucose intolerance, but neither did a group of mice fed water with regular sugar—strange, considering that high-sugar diets are at the root of many cases of type 2 diabetes.

And, as you say, they keep you unhungry for longer than mere carbohydrates because they take longer to break down into sugars.

Fish and Chips is supposed to be a very well balanced meal (although no veg or fruit, but you could always have some fruit later!).
Watching the little ones hurtling around this weekend just made me think - it's lack of exercise that is the biggest culprit in the march towards obesity.
And I would hazard a guess that it is the additives and manufactured additives in processed foods that are to blame to a large extent. High fructose corn syrup (glucose), palm oil, hydrogenated fats - all cheaper to use in processed foods but what are they doing to the nation's health.

Yes, sorry, meant B12.

Yes, but those particular fat soluble vitamins are only soluble in animal fats and don't occur in other foods. Vitamin E occurs in plant fats, such as wheatgerm and some seeds.

Fats are not just fats. They are part of a good diet. There's a reason why Eskimos love(d) raw whale blubber: it was good for them.

Anyway, we're digressing from the question of obesity. It annoys me when people get judgemental about toddlers eating a sausage roll, which as a meal substitute isn't that bad an option. However, the same people probably wouldn't bat an eyelid if they saw the same toddler drinking a carton of pure fruit juice and eating a small box of raisins, even though both will rot their teeth and could contain more calories.

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble; you can get them from other sources then fats and oils, but need the fat for your body to be able to absorb them.
I suppose sugar may have trace minerals, especially the unrefined kind.

dd perhaps I'll just try them as a breakfast cereal (DH won't try them, very set in his ways, muesli in the summer, porridge in the winter [sigh]).

PS. Did you mean Vitamin K12?

I never bother too much about vitamins and minerals, because I eat a wide range of foods, apart from restricting carbs. I was tested for Vitamin D deficiency, but I don't have a problem. It's the fact that fat makes me feel fuller for longer and helps regulate glucose spikes which are the big advantages to me.

Surely the vitamins are vitamins. It's just that those vitamins are fat soluble. Vitamin E is also fat soluble.

One can get synthesised versions of them, of course, but I prefer the real McCoy.

dd, animal fats are sources of vitamins, notably A, D, and K12. These are fat soluble vitamins. You cannot get these from plant sources. What we get from carrots is not vitamin A but beta-carotene which, depending on your metabolism, can be converted into vitamin A.

@Jalima

No idea! I used to mix Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies, which were going a bit soft, with melted chocolate, leave them to cool and then have little 'cakes', which have fewer calories than a fairy cake. I don't know whether it would work with Cheerios.

Just been looking at Gransnet food section. I think they should be good role models. There's a section on 'Baking with Gran'. How about 'Making fun salads with Gran'. I've also noticed that many of the recipes don't have nutrition details.

ps I have a nearly full packet of Cheerios left now - any ideas?
sitting next to the packet of Jordan's chunky nut cereal which I eat occasionally.
Better go and climb a tree

I don't understand your statement that fat contains more nutrients than sugar. It doesn't. It's fat, just as sugar is sugar - they're both nutrients, but play different roles.

I think the idea of knowing how many teaspoons of sugar something has is dumbed down public health. As I've written above, I don't like the traffic light labelling system, because the traffic lights don't tell you how many carbs something has.

As I'm sure you're aware, the big debate amongst nutritionists and doctors at the moment is about fat and carbs. The focus on demonising fat has meant that today most people eat more carbs than in the past and less fat, which many people think is what has fuelled current levels of obesity.

But no foods are inherently fattening, including cheerios
We had little visitors staying this weekend so I bought Cheerios, only one child wanted them and said that they normally had the chocolate or honey ones at home, not the plain . Served with full fat milk.
All the family are tall and skinny, the youngest members (all 8 and under) spent the weekend hurtling around, climbing trees and generally expending energy. I didn't see one of them on an ipad or other electronic device (although they do from time to time I'm sure).