Fast food, good or bad for you?

[rik_uk3]

Lots of talk about how bad fast food /snacks/ supermarket favourites are for you so I found this programme interesting and before anyone thinks I live on 'fast food/ready meals' I can assure you I don't.

However, well worth a watch, some results may surprise you and even debunk some urban myths surrounding some foods.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01c89y8/sign/Britains_Favourite_Supermarket_Foods/

 

[blacktimberwolf]

The used oil from fast food chains is sold to industrial dog food manufactures who use it to coat the dry 'food' (I use the term food liberally there) to make it paletable.

I'm not against a Mac Do's once in a while when travelling but since I learnt that they put anti-vomitives in their bread, I do hesitate now

 

[rik_uk3]

Wolf, watch the programme, you may be well surprised at what you learn.

Example you need to eat 41 bananas to get the same calcium as in one glass of milk and 89 tomato's, 2 whole pineapples and 9 mushrooms to match the vits and minerals in a glass of milk.

 

[shaggystu]

i know nothing about the physiological effects of fast food, so no idea if it's good or bad for you in that way, but i am fairly certain that home cooked fresh food is better for the soul

stuart

 

[treadlightly]

Lots of interesting stuff, thanks for posting Rik. Its not actually about fast food in the McDonalds sense at all.

 

[Toddy]

My lot won't drink skimmed milk, "It's dead Mum", was the disgusted comment.

Tbh, I suspect that the truth is much like the issue of frozen veggies; you can't get any fresher unless you grow, pick and eat them right away. But there's such opprobium about frozen and folks insist that we must use fresh, must use organic.
I mostly do, but I freely admit that a well maintained freezer's a very good thing.

I do think there are issues with hidden salt, sugar, fat and msg stuffs in ready made though.
Come to think on it, having cooked two different kinds of bacon for HWMBLT this week, I don't know what the hang is added to that stuff, but he's not getting either of them again.

I don't think there's *bad* food, but I do think moderation and portion sizing is a real issue.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[treadlightly]

My lot won't drink skimmed milk, "It's dead Mum", was the disgusted comment.

Tbh, I suspect that the truth is much like the issue of frozen veggies; you can't get any fresher unless you grow, pick and eat them right away. But there's such opprobium about frozen and folks insist that we must use fresh, must use organic.
I mostly do, but I freely admit that a well maintained freezer's a very good thing.

I do think there are issues with hidden salt, sugar, fat and msg stuffs in ready made though.
Come to think on it, having cooked two different kinds of bacon for HWMBLT this week, I don't know what the hang is added to that stuff, but he's not getting either of them again.

I don't think there's *bad* food, but I do think moderation and portion sizing is a real issue.

cheers,
Toddy

With regard to bacon, look out for sodium polyphosphate which is often added and which causes the meat to absorb water and therefore gain weight. So you are in fact buying water and bacon. It then leeches out in the frying pan and spoils the cooking.

 

[santaman2000]

My lot won't drink skimmed milk, "It's dead Mum", was the disgusted comment.

Tbh, I suspect that the truth is much like the issue of frozen veggies; you can't get any fresher unless you grow, pick and eat them right away. But there's such opprobium about frozen and folks insist that we must use fresh, must use organic...

Yeah you've hit the nail on the head with the frozen veg. I also remember when I first switched to fat free (skimmed) milk. It was terrible! But years later it seems the other way round; whole milk tastes like drinking pure fat now. I learned (adjusted my tastes might be a better description) slowly by switching first to 2% milk (not much of a jump really) and next to 1% before going fat free.

I had no choice. I'm diabetic and have high cholesterol, high BP, etc. But my Godson has been raised on fat free and he cain't stand whole milk in general (the exception being chocoate milk or ice cream, or dairy products other than an ordinary glass of milk)

 

[HillBill]

Bananas have one of the lowest calcium counts out of any food. So those stats mean nothing.

I expect the vits and minerals count is based on similar low content vegetables.

Not arguing against the benefits of milk, just how they have tried to present it. Its far less impressive than it appears.

Wolf, watch the programme, you may be well surprised at what you learn.

Example you need to eat 41 bananas to get the same calcium as in one glass of milk and 89 tomato's, 2 whole pineapples and 9 mushrooms to match the vits and minerals in a glass of milk.

 

[rik_uk3]

So, back on track, how many have watched the programme?

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Wolf, watch the programme, you may be well surprised at what you learn..

Helas, those living outside the UK can't watch the link.

 

[Andy BB]

The bit that impressed me was the much better recovery time of milk over "sports" drinks after exercise!

 

[rik_uk3]

Helas, those living outside the UK can't watch the link.

http://www.expatshield.com/ and you can watch BBC iPlayer, friends in the States use it and I use in when I'm in Portugal or Spain.

The link to milk and exercise is very good.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Interesting & enjoyable prog.

Thanks for posting the link, Richard.