Five a day. Do we have to have so much fruit and veg?

[JoshM]

I get through about 8 a day without trying really.

Five years ago I had a bowel tumour, and as I'm the sort who regards cookery as a chore, I got to thinking that this was payback time. So whilst I was waiting to find out if it was malignant I satisfied my curiosity by putting my diet through a spreadsheet to find out just how bad it really was. When I was done I nearly fell off my chair: it meets most of the healthy eating recommendations by a country mile.

The propaganda is that home cooked is healthy and processed is junk, but once you stop to think, it's obvious that a healthy diet is about what you eat, and not who cooks it. A lot of the reason my diet is healthy is that I don't buy stuff like chocolate, cakes, fizzy drink, fatty food, ready meals etc, not because of cooking everything myself from scratch. For the last year or so I've got into doing a bit more home cooking, and my fat intake has gone up slightly rather than down, probably because of all the olive oil that recipes call for. Last year Dolmio was slated in the media for having too much sugar, and all the foodies quickly came out of the woodwork crowing "I wouldn't be seen dead eating that muck" and "I cook everything myself" etc., but when they started posting their recipes online I pointed out that their own recipes were higher in sugar than the Dolmio.

Food manufacturers are on a hiding to nothing because they have to publish their ingredients when home cooks don't. They're panned for being unhealthy with the fat, and panned for being tasteless without it, but home cooks can put as much fat in as they like and still tell themselves it's healthy because it's home cooked.

You're not wrong. I think the assumption has been that those who prepare their own food are more aware of what is in it, and in so knowing will make better choices. Choices not available to you if you're not aware of what's in your food. People who don't know how much sugar is in their Dolmio sauce are unlikely to compensate for that in other areas of their diet. Those who have cooked from scratch know how much oil they've used, and CAN compensate by using less oils or fats in other parts of their diet. It's the can that's the issue isn't it? Just because I know what's in my food doesn't mean I'll make compensations for it.

 

[Tin Pot]

My question is, am i being unhealthy in not having my 5 a day

Yes.

Next thread, please.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Yes.

Next thread, please.

Ok,i'm thinking of starting one titled "Is Tin Pot a weirdo?". What do reckon,yes or no?

 

[JoshM]

Ok,i'm thinking of starting one titled "Is Tin Pot a weirdo?". What do reckon,yes or no?

Well that's a little uncalled for, don't you think? He was perhaps a little brusque but he was on subject and there were no personal comments in his post.

Perhaps you might consider whether your response was an overreaction.

 

[Andrew_P]

Only one of your five a day can be in the form of liquid and all the other have to be different items apparently. But if the stats are right on the packaging of Supermarket stuff it should be fairly easy. Hardly anything in volume in the 1/2 a pack of most of it. Not sure if there is any solid science behind it.

 

[presta]

You're not wrong. I think the assumption has been that those who prepare their own food are more aware of what is in it, and in so knowing will make better choices. Choices not available to you if you're not aware of what's in your food. People who don't know how much sugar is in their Dolmio sauce are unlikely to compensate for that in other areas of their diet. Those who have cooked from scratch know how much oil they've used, and CAN compensate by using less oils or fats in other parts of their diet. It's the can that's the issue isn't it? Just because I know what's in my food doesn't mean I'll make compensations for it.

I think that people who can't be bothered reading a nutrition label are hardly likely to bother calculating the nutrition for their own recipe.

The other myth is that premium brands are better and budget brands junk, but have a look at these tomatoes, the Napolina are 28% higher in sugar, double the fat, and ten times the salt compared with Tescos value. Premium brands have to protect their reputation for superior taste, budget brands are a loss leader. It's not always the case, value chicken breast is higher in salt than the premium, so you need to check the labels.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=254874209
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=251202170

Another debunk is that low fat products aren't necessarily higher in salt & sugar to compensate, again, read the label.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If milk were discovered today it would be marketed as a low-fat product.

 

[JoshM]

I think that people who can't be bothered reading a nutrition label are hardly likely to bother calculating the nutrition for their own recipe.

The other myth is that premium brands are better and budget brands junk, but have a look at these tomatoes, the Napolina are 28% higher in sugar, double the fat, and ten times the salt compared with Tescos value. Premium brands have to protect their reputation for superior taste, budget brands are a loss leader. It's not always the case, value chicken breast is higher in salt than the premium, so you need to check the labels.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=254874209
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=251202170

Another debunk is that low fat products aren't necessarily higher in salt & sugar to compensate, again, read the label.

Again, you're not wrong. I never said the assumption was correct. At the end of the day its up to each of us to ensure that we eat a balanced and nutrious diet, whether we cook from scratch, or use prepared foods. Which I assume is the point you're making.

 

[presta]

Only one of your five a day can be in the form of liquid and all the other have to be different items apparently.

When you pulverise fruit in a blender you break the cells and make the sugar more accessible to the bowel, so they then count the sugar as added sugar, just like the stuff in chocolates and sweets etc.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Well that's a little uncalled for, don't you think? He was perhaps a little brusque but he was on subject and there were no personal comments in his post.

Perhaps you might consider whether your response was an overreaction.

I sometimes think my posts are misunderstood. It was supposed to be funny with no insult intended. If someone called me a weirdo i'd take it as a compliment,not an insult. I think(hope) Tin Pot knows that.

 

[Tin Pot]

Ok,i'm thinking of starting one titled "Is Tin Pot a weirdo?". What do reckon,yes or no?

Yes!

Next thread, please.

 

[JoshM]

I sometimes think my posts are misunderstood. It was supposed to be funny with no insult intended. If someone called me a weirdo i'd take it as a compliment,not an insult. I think(hope) Tin Pot knows that.

In that case I'll apologise. It can be hard to gauge these things on the written word alone.

 

[Accy cyclist]

In that case I'll apologise. It can be hard to gauge these things on the written word alone.

No need to apologise. I have a weird,some might say dry sense of humour.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I believe in Scotland the target is one a day.

Excellent, that means I have already had my week's quota, back to the deep fried chocolate bars...

 

[Tin Pot]

I'm brusque quite frequently, in this case I suspect that it is me rather than Accy, that's the cause.

Without wanting to advertise for one of my current clients, I used their service last week and one recommendation was to move to a 5+2 "diet".

Consequently I'm trying not to analyse it, as is my wont, but just get on with it.

Oddly, it's been very difficult. Just finding five portions, and stuffing them in would be fine, but it seems I rarely have that much fruit and veg lying around so I need to place an order with Tesco...

I'm also looking to have blueberries and grapes available from the garden.