How do you find healthy food?

[Markymark]

Sorry, serious question.

Was in supermarket and wanted to get some yoghurts for my young kids. I'm not against giving them treats, they get the odd choccy and crisps but I like to manage it.

I was bewildered with the array. I wanted yoghurt with bits of fruit in it. It was so tricky to work our what's actually good for you and what's full of crap. I tried reading the labels but was not much the wiser.

We make a lot of stuff from scratch at home but can't be religious about it as both parents work full time and kids at nursery/school so sometimes we need top just get stuff in.

It's not just this though, my wife makes the best flapjacks but doesn't always have time and was again bewildered and found it hard to know which packed the right contents and not just full of rubbish.

 

[helston90]

Also the price astonishes me- I go looking for some fruit or a bag of nice nuts (almonds/ walnuts or something) £2- I go around the corner and find value chocolate bars 29p each, how are we supposed to convince those who don't really want to eat healthy when I'm struggling to justify it and I have a desire to.
That's before we try to understand which ones are the best healthy foods and which are not so.

 

[welsh dragon]

To be honest even the stuff sold as healthy, or healthy option often isn't. They have a lot of salt or sugar, or other things. Making your own whatever it is is the only way you can guarantee all of the goodness and none of the rubbish. I don't know of any products out there that will give you what you want. Have you tried making your own yoghurt? Easy O not sure how it's spelt have powdered yoghurt and yoghurt making equipment that isn't expensive. I think you just add water and leave for so long before using it. You can add your own fruit, nuts, whatever you want to really.

 

[Markymark]

To be honest even the stuff sold as healthy, or healthy option often isn't. .

This was what I was baffled with. Some made out it was real fruit, or calcium enriched etc, but then noticed it had sugar in it. But maybe that's natural sugar from the fruit?

 

[Ganymede]

Sorry, serious question.

Was in supermarket and wanted to get some yoghurts for my young kids. I'm not against giving them treats, they get the odd choccy and crisps but I like to manage it.

I was bewildered with the array. I wanted yoghurt with bits of fruit in it. It was so tricky to work our what's actually good for you and what's full of crap. I tried reading the labels but was not much the wiser.

We make a lot of stuff from scratch at home but can't be religious about it as both parents work full time and kids at nursery/school so sometimes we need top just get stuff in.

It's not just this though, my wife makes the best flapjacks but doesn't always have time and was again bewildered and found it hard to know which packed the right contents and not just full of rubbish.

Yogurt seems nightmarishly difficult to buy to me - Mr G and I get a big tub of plain for ourselves but when the grandkids come we want exactly what you're looking for. I wonder if you just have to buy plain and add fruit?

 

[vernon]

You have two choices:

Do extensive research on pre packaged stuff. After a while you'll have a suitable list of 'approved' products.

or

Make your own from fresh ingredients - normally tastier too!

 

[Ganymede]

This was what I was baffled with. Some made out it was real fruit, or calcium enriched etc, but then noticed it had sugar in it. But maybe that's natural sugar from the fruit?

It isn't! The whole thing about "health" food in supermarkets is that it is marketed as low fat, high fibre, high vitamins etc but if it is low fat it will ALWAYS have loads of sugar in.

 

[welsh dragon]

This was what I was baffled with. Some made out it was real fruit, or calcium enriched etc, but then noticed it had sugar in it. But maybe that's natural sugar from the fruit?

The trouble is manufactuers wrap all the ingredients up in fancy sounding names to the point where you haven't got a clue what they are. Then there are all the E numbers, and flavourings, and colourings. Its a mine field. And of course they do it on purpose because they don't want you to know exactly what they are putting in theyre product. Very confusing. That's why making your own may be the only option

 

[snorri]

Food labelling is not good in the UK, it's a battle between producer and consumer and they don't want to tell us what we consumers want to know.

 

[Markymark]

You have two choices:

Do extensive research on pre packaged stuff. After a while you'll have a suitable list of 'approved' products.

or

Make your own from fresh ingredients - normally tastier too!

I think we make a lot of main meals cooked form scratch and wife bakes great cakes/biscuits/bread etc. But we just don't have time to make 'everything' when we have to run the house as well as work etc, I wish we did.

I guess I thought I could wander around shop, have a look and work out what's best but they make it so damn hard - and yes, I get why. I guess I need to clue up before hand as to what is best.

 

[rich p]

It isn't! The whole thing about "health" food in supermarkets is that it is marketed as low fat, high fibre, high vitamins etc but if it is low fat it will ALWAYS have loads of sugar in.

Your post count is going to rocket if that cold doesn't get better quicikly

 

[Markymark]

It isn't! The whole thing about "health" food in supermarkets is that it is marketed as low fat, high fibre, high vitamins etc but if it is low fat it will ALWAYS have loads of sugar in.

What I suspected. Low fat = more sugar and vice versa I guess.

 

[Ganymede]

Your post count is going to rocket if that cold doesn't get better quicikly

That is so true. I have just been sitting here in bed all morning posting. It's been quite jolly, apart from the sneezing!

 

[rich p]

That is so true. I have just been sitting here in bed all morning posting. It's been quite jolly, apart from the sneezing!

Gezundheit

 

[Ganymede]

I think we make a lot of main meals cooked form scratch and wife bakes great cakes/biscuits/bread etc. But we just don't have time to make 'everything' when we have to run the house as well as work etc, I wish we did.

I guess I thought I could wander around shop, have a look and work out what's best but they make it so damn hard - and yes, I get why. I guess I need to clue up before hand as to what is best.

Also, making yogurt is easy in theory but can be a faff in practice, and you still only get the plain stuff at the other end. I'm afraid your only good option is to go to your regular supermarket and read all the yogurt labels. NB if you have any vegetarians in your house, some yogurt has gelatin in, usually low-fat kinds that need thickening a bit.