WE ARE WHAT WE EAT

[Stanley]

The whole subject of artificial sweeteners has always puzzled me. I think the bottom line is that I have never been addicted to sugar, perhaps a result of war rationing when we couldn't over indulge. Do we have to have a war to wean people off sweetness?
(If we have a campaign against sweeteners should we include salt?)

[Stanley]

I've been banging on about the possibility of food shortages because in a world where food production is being stressed we import almost 50% of our food. I have just heard a man from the Welcome Foundation giving the same warnings with particular reference to the heat in Southern Europe and the effects on health.
Question, are we doing enough to maximise home grown food?

[Tizer]

Another reason for food shortages is that Putin has just blown up a grain storage depot containing 60,000 tons of grain intended for export. And from today's Guardian Russia says all ships travelling to Ukrainian ports on Black Sea to be considered carriers of military equipment from Thursday. Russia’s defence ministry said it would “flag countries of such ships … considered parties to the Ukrainian conflict”. The ministry did not say what actions it might take.

[Stanley]

Peter.... Putin and Ukraine are only a small part of the forces that were reducing the amount of food available long before he invaded Ukraine. The heat storm in Southern Europe at the moment is a good example. We will see the consequences of that in our supermarkets later in the year......

[Tizer]

India is now threatening to ban exports of some rice varieties.

[Stanley]

Indeed. I saw that report. They are only allowing some Basmati out of the country for the 'high end' trade.
This is evidence of the pressure many countries are under at the moment and it can only get worse. This is part of what drives Sunak's pet hate, the boats. Trying to stop such flows of people is like brushing water uphill!

[Big Kev]

A vegan 'influencer' has died of starvation

Vegan influencer Zhanna Samsonova 'dies from starvation and exhaustion' after switching to diet of tropical fruit

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/zhanna-samso ... tarvation/

[Stanley]

It's not going to happen to us Kev! Ironic isn't it, half the world is hungry and people like this starve by choice. Nothing more than they deserve....

[Stanley]

I was watching a TV programme last night and there was a young lady on it in a wheelchair. She was in her 20s and had been struck down by a genetic disease which damages joints and dislocates them. No cure for it and it triggered the thought that some of us (and I think I am one of them) get nothing but good from our genes and others are condemned to a very different life. It's so unfair but part of the human condition.
I went on to think about my diet, which I think is pretty good. All natural ingredients, home cooked and no highly processed elements. I also manage my life so that I have three small hot meals a day at regular times. How much does that affect my health and longevity? I don't have any firm answers but am not about to change anything as whatever the answer my lifestyle seems to be suiting me. Perhaps the title of this thread is right, we are what we eat......

[plaques]

Many of us have diets that appear to be OK when we were young but then as aging sets in what was considered normal be comes excessive. Alcohol and caffeine are the two obvious ones. Unfortunately a quick trip to Google will offer up thousands of supplements of dubious value that will cure every ailment known to man. Its always a good plan to review your diet but wise to introduce any changes slowly and see if there are any benefits.

[Stanley]

I'd say that was good advice Ken. Everyone is different and you need to do your own research. I remember that at one point I was conversing with a bona fide expert nutritionist and he congratulated me on the extent of my reading.... He thought I was on the right lines and my GP seems to think so as well.
One thing I would say is that our bodies can change as we age and what was good may not necessarily remain so. A classic example is bread, I loved it and baked my own but then my body told me it was time to give up.....

[Stanley]

I came across some cans that were reduced in the Co-op yesterday. 400gm tins of Napolina Spiced bean salad marked down from £1.10 to 77p. I was intrigued by beans that cost so much but in my experience all Napolina products are good so I filled my boots. I looked it up on the web and the price varies from 70p to £1.20 a tinso the Co-op have it about right. I have never seen them before but look forwards to trying it for a treat. Carbs are 11.7g per 100g so it's not bad.....

[Tripps]

Make of this what you will. . .
I bought a packet of walnuts in Aldi yesterday. Not had any for a long time - and considered them a bit expensive. Anyway when you've stopped buying fruitcake and biscuits - £2.09 doesn't seem to much so in we go.

I had a handful with some raisins when I got home and enjoyed it. It got to about 7.30 pm and I realised I hadn't eaten my tea - but oddlly I wasn't at all hungry. Then I vaguely recalled that I'd read a long time ago, that walnuts are reputed to be an appetite supressant. A quick google shows there is some evidence of that.

I think it may be true.

Good luck with the beans - but from experience - take care.

PS - I watched an ordinary farmer's youtube channel recently in which he said his oil seed rape crop this year was the worst he'd ever had. Then I see in Aldi that the price of bottle of cold pressed is now almost £3, which is double what it was.

[Stanley]

I think you could be right David. My problem was I used to eat them after my meal!
I shall be OK with the spiced beans I think.
As for the rising prices, yes, again you're right, but that nice Mr Sunak says that inflation down to 6.8% is wonderful news! (Trouble is of course, food inflation is nearer 15%.... )
What is more important is that reports that all harvest crops are down this year, we could see empty shelves in a month or so.... But what the hell do I know about it.....?

[Stanley]

See THIS article in the Daily Mirror.....
Experts are warning that so-called healthy foods could put you at risk of several silent killer diseases. Brown bread, low-fat yoghurt and protein bars were singled out in the study, carried out by Australian scientists. Despite being seen as the healthier option, these foods can actually increase your risk of a number of deadly illnesses like heart attacks and high blood pressure. She warned that British women could be particularly at risk because their diet typically contains 57 per cent of these foods. This is a third more than the highest intake in the study. Previous research has linked ultra-processed foods with obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: “It should not be possible for companies to claim these are ‘healthy’.” In separate research presented at the conference, Chinese scientists found a clear link between ultra-processed foods and heart disease.

This is a timely warning but price pressures may prevent many people from heeding the warnings.
My own belief is that much food processing is actually bad for us. The processors would of course dispute this.....

[Stanley]

I listened to a report on 'Farming Today' on the 2023 harvest. Cereals are not going well and are having to have expensive fuel spent on drying them. The position with field crops is unclear but it's already known that a lot of salad crops in glasshouses weren't planted because it wasn't clear buyers would pay an economic price for them.
The odds are that we are going to see some gaps in supply this Autumn and certainly higher prices.
When asked about this earlier this year by the President of the NFU Therese Coffey denied there was a problem. We shall see shortly who was right.....

[Tizer]

An interesting detailed article...
`The Halloween peppermints that poisoned Bradford' LINK

And on a lighter note, `Unclaimed Babies' were invented not far from Barlick!...
`Sweet success: Unravelling the Jelly Baby's dark past' LINK

[Stanley]

Much has been written about the adulteration of food as urban life stimulated the food trades and the search for profit. That was the main reason for the advent of the Cooperative movement, to achieve pure food at a reasonable price.
Victory V in Nelson was a very successful confectioner and you can find a reference to them if you look at the early life of Johnny Pickles who got a job there when he went out in the world as a Journeyman engineer after he had completed his apprenticeship. Their mainstay was the cough lozenges.
Their most famous advert was the man with the exploding head but the funny thing is I can't find it anywhere on the web.... Are we too squeamish for that these days?

[Stanley]

A general comment ..... I am getting the impression that more and more commentators on this subject are realising that the biggest culprit in bringing about the deterioration in Western Diets (and fostering the 'Western Diseases') is quite possibly the high levels of processing employed by the food industry. This high level is not predicated by the needs or desires of the customers but as a way of enhancing profits by using cheaper ingredients and cutting down waste by enhancing shelf life.....
They could be on the right track here and when they have sorted that one I suggest they look at micro levels of minerals and nutrients in the soil which are enhanced by good old fashioned mixed farming (now called 'regenerative farming') and destroyed by over-processing.

[Stanley]

See THISnews item that appeared yesterday.
It's worth a read and it supports my long held belief that over-processing foods is bad for us.