FAT - get over it

[LuvPeckham]

Today I heard on the news that we should eat grated cheese (not sliced) and drink skimmed milk as there is too much OTHER saturated fats in our diets and we need to cut down.

"What bunk" is all I can say, rather then restricting the natural products we eat that have been in the food chain for centuries the government needs to promote healthier eating by getting people to cook for themselves using fresh ingredients rather then buying ready meals, eating fast food or takeaways (more then the occasional treat) and not buying the junk peddled by most food manufacturers (think about the concept here - food that is not naturally grown but manufactured in some way, what on earth do they add to it??)

It is remarkable that Scientists at the Food Standards Agency are happy to hide behind the premise that we need to eat less saturated fat in our diet, and ask us to cut down on things like butter, milk, cheese and other products yet they don’t seem to be fully tackling the issue that we are eating more saturated fat now then 50 years ago due to the contents of products including ready meals, biscuits and so on, that are being peddled to us on a daily basis.

It is about time that consumers are educated into eating better, cooking for themselves and cutting out the fat that has been introduced into most people’s diets by the manufacturers. They claim that butter is bad for us, yet it has been proven that butter that is derived from grass fed cattle contains higher levels of Omega 3 and Lower Levels of Omega 6 (both of which are important for our wellbeing, in the right quantities) then butter derived from grain fed cattle (where the levels of Omega 6 are higher and omega 3 lower) or margarines (which are cheaper to produce in bulk)

Fat is an important part of our diet, assists our immune system but more importantly fat is a key element of the flavour of our food, remove it and we need to have other ‘artificial flavours’ added to food to enjoy what should be a natural product.

Equally since the drive in the 70’s to vilify fat, the rate of heart disease hasn’t proportionally diminished with the reduction of fat in our diet, however medical care has resulted in more people surviving heart disease so the statistics look better then they really are.

Is fat the real villain ?? I hope not as I like a marbled steak, fresh butter on my toast and the occasional meal cooked with cream (okay more then occasional) but I guess I am lucky as I like to cook everything from scratch, rarely eat takeaways and can’t remember the last time I bought (let alone ate) a ready meal.

In light of the message from the FSA today, I would whole heartedly recommend reading a book called FAT by Jennifer McLagan (A book about an appreciation of a misunderstood ingredient with Recipes) buy, beg, steral or borrowing a copy if you can as it opens your eyes to the positive benefits of fat in your diet, and also re-ignites wanting to cook again with fat whilst cutting down on ready meals and manufactured foods that one school of though believes is the real root cause of our problems.

(okay Rant over – Breathing again and off to make something nice to eat)

Luv

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Calm down LP. You don't have to do wot the Government suggests.

I recall Mediterannean diets (with olive oil rather than animal fats/lots of veg & fruit) produces less heart disease, despite the fact that a lot of Europeans smoke; and that Japanese diets equally without animal fats have low incidence of heart disease.

While some fats are essential, we probably do eat too much animal fat over here. Our lifestyle tends to be more sedentary than our grandparents' so they got away with it.

And btw, butter and cheese are processed foods!

Anyhow, everything (except wine & fags) in moderation.

[Applespider]

Agree LP. I used margarine or spread for years since we were discouraged by media to eat butter. I threw out more half-tubs than I finished since it tasted foul on except in baking or when cooking. I moved back to butter a few years back and it's so much better. I don't eat a huge amount of it - everything in moderation I guess but it gives so much more flavour - wasn't aware of the grain/grass fed debate though. Will go off and look into it.

I have a piece of lamb in the oven at the moment that I plan on serving alongside some new potatoes tossed in butter and some fresh broccoli and carrots. Yup, there's saturated fat in it (and probably more than I'll eat most other nights this week) but boy will it taste good. :)-D

[Michael Palaeologus]

I just ate half a crispy fried duck from M&S.

Was that excessive?

There was some cucumber, spring onion and plum (sauce) with it.

[KalamityKel]

MP twas only half a duck mind

[KoolBananas]

I'm not fat just big boned!

[HonaloochieB]

I've just heard we can eat all the eggs we want from now on. Some boffins have said it's OK.

Well done boffins say I.

Fried, boiled or scrambled. All three if you want.

Go to work on an egg.

Fay Weldon wrote that.

Or was it Salman Rushdie?

Or am I just thinking it's him because I associate his name with salmonella?

I don't know, I'm all excited about being allowed to eat eggs again.

I'm going to have me a whole mess of them today to celebrate.

[Nero]

The very bottom line is that food is now fetishised or feared in the United Kingdom. People are much less active and much more self-indulgent than they were thirty or more years ago. Common sense and a bit of judicious research (not sleb-endorsed features in Heat or - and this is the best - Thingy Nolan on BBC Breakfast telling us about the dangers of saturated fats {who next - Amy Winehouse on You and Yours telling us about our daily alcohol limits?} tells me that limiting sugar and reducing, but not eliminating fat and alcohol, and talking regular, sweat-inducing exercise, is the way to keep healthy and prevent some conditions and diseases from developing.

[Brendan]

It?s all karma this saturated animal fats business. It?s comeuppance for killing piggies and milking cows. We therefore don?t need lentil-scented tofu merchants trying to make us feel guilty. Well get ours don?t worry.

[bigbadwolf]

You should see what I shovel into my gob every morning but I'm physically very active so that should delay the inevitable heart attack.

[Cassius]

I LOVE butter and cheese and NOTHING is going to stop me - however I do not eat cakes, biscuits, pies, chips or crisps so hope that the fat police won't get me.

[Asset]

I've just had a fried egg on toast with lashings of butter, yum.

[matthew123]

I once read that the food your body is best equipped to handle is what you were raised on as a kid.

It was sort of saying that someone who had a healthy upbringing is more likely to suffer if in later life they start eating junk - whereas it would not have the same effect on someone raised on pizzas, chips and other junk if they continued on that path of junk.

Found it quite surprising but not sure if anyone agrees or have read similar - and no it was not in a McDonalds pamplet ;-)

[Moos]

Cassius Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I LOVE butter and cheese and NOTHING is going to

> stop me - however I do not eat cakes, biscuits,

> pies, chips or crisps so hope that the fat police

> won't get me.

I eat butter, cheese, cakes, biscuits, pies and chips so I'm doomed. But not crisps! Perhaps there's hope after all.

[TillieTrotter]

I'm just about to get my breaky at last, bacon and cheese sandwich. Wicked but tasty.

[LuvPeckham]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Calm down LP. You don't have to do wot the

> Government suggests.

>

> I recall Mediterannean diets (with olive oil

> rather than animal fats/lots of veg & fruit)

> produces less heart disease, despite the fact that

> a lot of Europeans smoke; and that Japanese diets

> equally without animal fats have low incidence of

> heart disease.

>

> While some fats are essential, we probably do eat

> too much animal fat over here. Our lifestyle tends

> to be more sedentary than our grandparents' so

> they got away with it.

>

> And btw, butter and cheese are processed foods!

>

> Anyhow, everything (except wine & fags) in

> moderation.

I have to laugh, butter and cheese are natural products and the only process involved is either churning or heating then shaping and storing (plus the addition of maybe salt for preserving or a culture to add flavour)

I do agree that modern butter and cheese is 'produced' and has other things added that spoil the flavour, but naturally produced products are so much better for us.

As for what the government wants us to do, I agree, we don't have to do it but why are we being told what to eat rather then manufacturers being made to use natural ingredients rather then chemically modified ones... I even read recently that real Lard (naturally produced from your butcher for example) is actually better for you then the FSA / Media would have us belive as it has the following fat break down

Saturated % - 39

Monosaturated % 45

Polyunsaturated % 11

where as most (mass produced) lards bought over the counter have been Hydrogenated to extend shelf life (therefore making it bad to have)

I agree with other posters that eating everything in moderation is good for us, but the real problem is that processed foods (i.e. ready meals) have too much of the wrong type of fats, salt and sugary additives in them to make the product 'taste nice' - this has to happen - apparently - because the process of making food is based on cheaper basic products that don't taste nice on their own and additives are used to a. bulk it up and b. to improve the flavour... why not start with good basic ingredients, add nothing that shouldn't really be there and thus have less saturated fat, salt and sugar in our diet - OR cook for ourselves from scratch and cut out the middle person ?

I guess one problem we all face these days is 'having the time to shop for, prepare and cook a meal where as a ready meal is delivered to your door (if you choose that option) bunged in a microwave and served whilst coronation st / east enders or what ever is on televsision at that time.

Maybe we need to get St. Jamie to come to East Dulwich and inspire people to shop locally, cook from scratch and eat well thus we wouldn't need to be told by the mad scientists at the FSA that we should cut down on fats that we have eaten since the dawn of time...

Luv (breathing again as I just went red in the face and almost passed out)

[Cassius]

LuvPeckham - I couldn't agree with you more - however I think it will take a lot more than inspiration - it will also take education. I didn't learn to cook at school (did Latin instead!!) and my mother couldn't cook for love nor money, so I had to teach myself - however luckily for me, I enjoy good food and learnt that making it was a lot cheaper and a lot more satisfying than the alternatives. But that's me - other people with a "food is fuel attitude" may feel differently.

[LegalEagle-ish]

It's not just the sh!t they put in processed food, including bread, milk and spay on our veg - the amount of chemicals that are in our homes nowadays are buggering up peoples immune systems and causing loads of non-specific ilness symtoms like fatigue, depression, headaches and lack of concentration.

We have chemicals in our toothpaste, shampoo, soap, deodrant, cleaning products, face wipes, arse wipes, toilet roll, air spray, make-up, face cream, body cream ... and we absorb these chemiicals in random variations through our skin, lungs, gums, scalp etc without even thinking about it.

[LegalEagle-ish]

And don't get me started on the evils of refined carbs and sugar!