It’s unfortunate but true, we have come to rely on the pseudo-scientific instructions of marketeers for our dietary needs. Out of the window has gone our precious food culture and knowledge on how to cook and eat. And in are unhealthy foods marketed as healthy food. Kellogg’s is such an example. Rejoice they will remove Ricicles from the shelves, but they have left Frosties. Kellogg’s now classify it as an adult breakfast. That’s to keep the sugar-saturated bestselling product falling foul of the child obesity sugar rules. ‘They’re’ not so great with 30% less sugar. A total contrast to John Harvey Kellogg’s position. The sanctimonious Seventh-day Adventist thought food should be bland. But America has not just influenced breakfast. Our diet is 100% American led and bad for us. And here are seven ‘healthy foods’ to avoid along with all carbonated sugar drinks.
Healthy Food To Avoid
Multi-Grain Bread
O how I fell for this one. A well-known supermarket sells a tasty loaf. But when I made enquiries I found that bakers make ‘multigrain’ bread from refined grain. So, I might as well be eating the crusty white stuff. The real healthy food alternative is wholemeal.
Bagels
Hands up, I bought into bagels being brain food big time. Did I do my homework? No, I heard it, not through the grapevine that would have been healthy, and fell for the bagel.
The dense dough with cinnamon and raisins, toasted is tasty. But it’s made with refined flours. And the density usually translates to one bagel being the equivalent of five slices of bread. About that wholemeal sandwich.
Pre Packed Sandwiches
Aaargh run for the hills. I know how tasty and tempting pre-packed sandwiches can seem. And inexpensive. But in addition to being packed with refined sugars, fat and salt, the ingredients are cheap. Given the average sandwich has approximately 400 calories the healthy food alternative is to make your own. Naturally with wholemeal bread.
Protein Bars
I know they say or promote protein, but they are just masquerading as healthy. That is not to deny the high protein content. It’s the other stuff besides protein that is worrying. Like sugar! And fat. Instead, grab a hand full of nuts and seeds and throw them in a natural yoghurt.
Microwave Popcorn
My super healthy late nephew got me into eating popcorn. It’s the healthy food alternative to crisps. Anyway, it turns out that although popcorn is healthy, it’s the fibre content. Not so the microwave stuff. The flavourings contain some very unhealthy chemicals which affect the immune system, fertility and cholesterol levels to name a few.
Go ‘old skool’ make it in a pan and sprinkle with a little butter and salt, though plain is best. I know I said a little butter because it is way better than margarine.
Margarine
Whatever the marketeers say, margarine is not a healthy alternative to butter. It is full of trans fat. And they are known to increase the risk of coronary artery disease. Brexit has made butter painfully expensive. But with its richer taste, less is needed. So, opt for butter instead of marg and where possible replace butter with virgin olive oil.
Coleslaw
There is nothing quite like the crunch of the cabbage, carrots and veg in coleslaw. But it’s doused in mayonnaise, and Caribbean folk like to blend that with salad cream of the 57 variety. The average portion size is a whopping 240 calories. The saturated fat is a killer. And some have sugar too. Give up the coleslaw and go for a salad. Same ingredients more variety and much lighter dressings.
Oh Life
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Roz
I don’t agree about ‘wholemeal’. Store- bought is not the same thing as organic whole grain such as sold in good health food shops or made at home, preferably from freshly slow- ground grains.
Re: the rest: MICROWAVES take nutrition out of everything. They have also been linked to cataracts and other health issues. COLESLAW is best avoided. Best to brew your own KIMCHI and/or SAUERKRAUT: easy to do and takes very little time . These brews create beneficial live bacteria in the gut and protect/prevent the source of many illnesses.
While you are at it, why not also make live yogurt? I do, twice a week, using freeze- dried starter imported from bulgaria (ebay). It takes me 15 minutes to make and is better than store bought live yoghurt- even tastes as good as Plaw Hatch Farm live yoghurt (and here I state an interest- I own shares in Plaw Hatch and Tablehurst Community Farm}.
Hi Eric,
I actually thought about you and your valuable contribution about whole grain when we discussed bread. I must remember to include organic wholemeal when I next visit the subject. I don’t own a microwave and it often has people bemused. As for Kimchi and Sauerkraut, I can say I am most partial, especially to kimchi.
I am going to look into the yoghurt making so except an email from me.
Roz.
ROZ
It is good news that you don’t own a microwave. I was about to post my controversial opinion that the best thing to do if you have a microwave oven is to unplug it, smash it up with a hammer so that no one else can use it, and cut off the mains lead close to the unit. Then trash it into the nearest rubbish bin. I have lost count of the number of times I have recommended this.
On the subject of kimchi I have come to the conclusion that I don’t like the spicy Korean recipes- though I love Indian food including very hot dishes- and have a large international cookery library, including my favourites of traditional Balti and- especially- Moghlai. I also love Asian art from the Mughlai empire period, and have a delightful miniature that I framed in a Persian fancy handmade frame- these Persian frames are in themselves works of wondrous art. They move with shifts in position.
My latest discovery is the considerable health benefit of fermenting beetroot. I mix this with other veg, and add some garlic, onion, usually ginger and (especially) burdock root and some organic seaweed (Burdock root nutrition facts, medicinal uses and health benefits
https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/burdock-root.html
1.
“Burdock root or gobo root is an excellent source of many valuable photo-nutrients known to have antioxidant, disease preventing, and health promoting properties. … Burdock root is especially containing proper amounts of electrolyte potassium (308 mg or 6.5% of daily required levels per 100 root) and low in sodium).”
My latest experiments are that this mix is very tasty, indeed. But you must use salt with the mix, and ensure that it stays under water always. I use a huge beer mug for this, weighed down with a carafe bottle. The problem with traditionally fermented veg on sale in farmer’s markets is that they usually do not ferment long enough to reap the benefits of enough bacteria. The best commercial one I have come across is PAMA. I know the owner, and have tried to convince him of the merits of much longer fermentation. I usually ferment a minimum of 6 weeks in warm weather and up to several months in cold.
I imported a 5L Schmidt crock from Germany and also a large German mandolin to rapidly slice cabbage by hand. Works a treat, but you must purchase cut -proof gloves for safety reasons. These are easily purchased from China from the superb http://www.aliexpress.com at very low prices- usually including free postage. Quality of various products is is often exceptionally good from this source.
I would encourage you to purchase a hand operated grain mill. This will not only give you the opportunity to benefit from freshly, slowly ground grains but also get some good mild arm and shoulder exercise in the process. With care, such mills last for centuries.
You mention that you are interested in yoghourt making. I hope that you will not mind my giving myself a ‘plug’ here. As you may know, I am a philosopher who writes philosophy books. My books take an usually wide view of what philosophy should be, and so I include all sorts of things not usually associated with the subject.
The case in point is that I would refer you to one of my books:
MORE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHTS.
If you go to Thought #1796 you will read a more detailed discussion of yoghourt, generally, including health benefits and ‘how to’ make a home –made, inexpensive and very effective yoghurt maker and purchase the necessary ancillaries.
My book is available in hardback and also as an ebook. If you Google ‘ERIC STUBBES’ (don’t leave out the ‘E’ in Stubbes, otherwise you will not get me)! you will see that it is sold all over the world.
I can tell you that since I constructed this method I have not had a single failure in yoghourt making: 100% success.
Thank you for your patience with this long post and for your interest in one of my many passions.
ERIC
Hi Eric,
I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of your work. It might have been a draft, but I certainly have a pdf version. It makes for interesting reading. Unfortunately, my e-reader decided rejected pdf.
I am quite partial to Korean fare. So, I am not a stranger to New Malden where there is a significant Korean community. I am also partial to dandelion and burdock, but it’s not an easy item to find.
You have given me lots to think about.
Thank you.
Roz
Hi Roz,
You got me remembering many home cooked dinners, desserts, cakes and sweets. We didn’t worry about healthy eating back then; but some how as we have gotten older, we have forgotten the basics and relied on some else telling us what to eat, and how to eat it.
I understand choice is a good thing, but if we practice proper portion control over the what we eat; then a bit of what you fancy, can’t be bad.
Thanks for the info, as I have eaten all those things and now days only eat a selection of things, sometimes after investigating it myself or it has not agreed with me.
Thank you for commenting.
You appear to refer to the pdf I sent to you. This is NOT the book that contains Thought No.1796 about yoghourt and my methods to make it.
The relevant book is an earlier one: MORE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHTS.
Burdock root is available from Brixton Wholefoods. Brixton also stock a variety of organic whole grains- excellent for home grinding. The larger (5K) amounts have to be ordered specially in advance. Tony (the proprietor) is always pleased to do this- either in person or over the phone (020 7737 2210). Its best to ask for Tony if you want a bulk 5K order.
I do not own shares in Brixton Wholefoods, but have been a satisfied customer for decades. Prices are always lower than any other health food shop in London that I know of. For other health food items that he does not stock I frequently use a lady named ‘JAINE’ (spelled correctly) who runs a superb online service: rawmiller.co.uk.
Eric