Children dying of rickets rises in UK?

[the truth]

25% of british children are vitamin D deficient:conf:

TWENTY FIVE PERCENT?

This is caused by malnutrition and lack of exposure to sunlight?

12.5% of toddlers are obese and 75% of mental health disorders are found before the age of 18 years old.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24641796

How in heavens name are 1000s of kids dying of rickets in this say and age in this supposedly relatively wealthy nation?

[Kizzy]

That's the 1million dollar question...

[the truth]

That's the 1million dollar question...

an extra 5 children die per day from this lack of vitamin d , which is caused by lack of exposure to the sun and poor diets and obesity.
the question is how and why did we get to this horrendous situation of awful parenting and what can be done about it

[user104658]

an extra 5 children die per day from this lack of vitamin d , which is caused by lack of exposure to the sun and poor diets and obesity.
the question is how and why did we get to this horrendous situation of awful parenting and what can be done about it


Well for a start, nutrition advice for the last 20 to 30 years has been COMPLETELY WRONG, so people who think they are doing the right thing for their children are actually not giving them proper nutrition. The medical world is starting to catch up but, as always, the public will take generations to catch on. Examples:

- Full fat milk is always preferable to semi-skimmed (especially for children). Most parents believe they are being healthy by buying green-top.

- Full fat butter is ALWAYS preferable to low-fat spreads, for EVERYONE.

- Saturated animal fats are good for you, and are essential for healthy growth. Fat is wrongly demonized. Trans-fats (hydrogenated fat) is basically the devil, but other than that, saturated fat is better for you (and your kids) than polyunsaturated. This has been confirmed by the worlds' top heart doctors. The market hasn't caught up yet.

- as an extension to the above; obesity is not caused by a high fat diet. Obesity is caused by a high sugar diet, and large amounts of processed carbohydrates (wheat snacks, potato snacks i.e. crisps, chips...). As is diabetes which is also rising alarmingly amoungst children.

- Grains (including wholegrains), whilst an acceptable part of an adult diet for most people, are nutritionally void "filler foods". Parents pack their kids full of breads and cereals and so they have no room for foods with high levels of essential nutrients.

- YOUNG CHILDREN DON'T NEED TO BE PACKED FULL OF FRUIT AND VEG. This is a big one. Most parents are still following outdated advice that "healthy snacks" for children are things like fruit, and "healthy dinners" have large portions of veg.

In truth, they need a diet high in proteins and fats (both animal and naturally occurring plant-based fats)... they are essential to the proper development of body and brain.


So... for a start, there's that. Of course, there's also the problem of cooking being a "lost art" in many families. A lot of parents simply have no idea how to cook good food, so they (and their children) eat pre-prepared packaged food from boxes, tins and plastic packages. Most of it is made cheaply and is packed full of absolute garbage that can barely be labelled "food".

Finally is the worst part; eating properly costs a fortune. Crap food is cheap. Many families simply can't afford a decent diet. Anyone who claims that cooking good food from scratch is "cheaper than all that junk" is making assumptions not based on the facts when it comes to the price of food. Clean, fresh, proper dinner ingredients cost EASILY triple what a bag of cheap, convenient "oven food" costs.

[user104658]

how and why did we get to this horrendous situation of awful parenting and what can be done about it

I've mentioned before on this forum I think, I ran a parenting forum for over three years and asked this question every day, and tried endlessly to try to do something about it. I ran facebook pages with over 5000 members, hosted and ran websites for various bloggers and article writers with large readerships, fought against people recommending some truly abhorrent parenting "techniques", wrote dozens of guest articles myself... literally sank YEARS into the campaign for better parenting.

The experience can be summed up thus:

http://cur.cursors-4u.net/smilies/images1/smi20.gif


... There is the answer. Absolutely nothing can be done about it. Nothing. People are selfish, defensive, egocentric and stuck in their ways at the best of times, and throwing children into the mix seems to do nothing but amplify that.

It eventually was just to much for me and I let all of it go. All you can really do is put your own children first, and let other people just get on with ensuring that their own children become physically or mentally ill or both. All I achieved by trying to do something about it, was leave myself feeling depressed and lost, and wishing that I could forget half of the **** that I found out about various "parenting techniques".

[edit] to add - OH... and this was mainly trying to counter stuff that has become "normal" or "mainstream". Beyond that you have swathes of truly non-functional parents. So where do you even start? By getting the children of THOSE parents up to the level of so-called "normal" parents following prescribed suppernanny-style bullcrap and feeding their kids "normal" processed muck? Is there any point? Uuurrghhh... right I need to go away and calm down now.

[the truth]

Well for a start, nutrition advice for the last 20 to 30 years has been COMPLETELY WRONG, so people who think they are doing the right thing for their children are actually not giving them proper nutrition. The medical world is starting to catch up but, as always, the public will take generations to catch on. Examples:

- Full fat milk is always preferable to semi-skimmed (especially for children). Most parents believe they are being healthy by buying green-top.

- Full fat butter is ALWAYS preferable to low-fat spreads, for EVERYONE.

- Saturated animal fats are good for you, and are essential for healthy growth. Fat is wrongly demonized. Trans-fats (hydrogenated fat) is basically the devil, but other than that, saturated fat is better for you (and your kids) than polyunsaturated. This has been confirmed by the worlds' top heart doctors. The market hasn't caught up yet.

- as an extension to the above; obesity is not caused by a high fat diet. Obesity is caused by a high sugar diet, and large amounts of processed carbohydrates (wheat snacks, potato snacks i.e. crisps, chips...). As is diabetes which is also rising alarmingly amoungst children.

- Grains (including wholegrains), whilst an acceptable part of an adult diet for most people, are nutritionally void "filler foods". Parents pack their kids full of breads and cereals and so they have no room for foods with high levels of essential nutrients.

- YOUNG CHILDREN DON'T NEED TO BE PACKED FULL OF FRUIT AND VEG. This is a big one. Most parents are still following outdated advice that "healthy snacks" for children are things like fruit, and "healthy dinners" have large portions of veg.

In truth, they need a diet high in proteins and fats (both animal and naturally occurring plant-based fats)... they are essential to the proper development of body and brain.


So... for a start, there's that. Of course, there's also the problem of cooking being a "lost art" in many families. A lot of parents simply have no idea how to cook good food, so they (and their children) eat pre-prepared packaged food from boxes, tins and plastic packages. Most of it is made cheaply and is packed full of absolute garbage that can barely be labelled "food".

Finally is the worst part; eating properly costs a fortune. Crap food is cheap. Many families simply can't afford a decent diet. Anyone who claims that cooking good food from scratch is "cheaper than all that junk" is making assumptions not based on the facts when it comes to the price of food. Clean, fresh, proper dinner ingredients cost EASILY triple what a bag of cheap, convenient "oven food" costs.

Youre saying people cant afford to give their children decent food? that is utter rubbish (no offence) people have enough money, all people. they simply have to prioritise and understand decent food is the number 1 priority.

[the truth]

I've mentioned before on this forum I think, I ran a parenting forum for over three years and asked this question every day, and tried endlessly to try to do something about it. I ran facebook pages with over 5000 members, hosted and ran websites for various bloggers and article writers with large readerships, fought against people recommending some truly abhorrent parenting "techniques", wrote dozens of guest articles myself... literally sank YEARS into the campaign for better parenting.

The experience can be summed up thus:

http://cur.cursors-4u.net/smilies/images1/smi20.gif


... There is the answer. Absolutely nothing can be done about it. Nothing. People are selfish, defensive, egocentric and stuck in their ways at the best of times, and throwing children into the mix seems to do nothing but amplify that.

It eventually was just to much for me and I let all of it go. All you can really do is put your own children first, and let other people just get on with ensuring that their own children become physically or mentally ill or both. All I achieved by trying to do something about it, was leave myself feeling depressed and lost, and wishing that I could forget half of the **** that I found out about various "parenting techniques".

[edit] to add - OH... and this was mainly trying to counter stuff that has become "normal" or "mainstream". Beyond that you have swathes of truly non-functional parents. So where do you even start? By getting the children of THOSE parents up to the level of so-called "normal" parents following prescribed suppernanny-style bullcrap and feeding their kids "normal" processed muck? Is there any point? Uuurrghhh... right I need to go away and calm down now.

Id pay child benefits in food vouchers, end of

[smudgie]

Get the little darlings out of the house and into the fresh air.

Park, seaside, anywhere they can run about and feel the sun(or rain) on them.

Most people have access to the Internet, not hard to find some easy recipes for decent wholesome and reasonably priced meals.

[Kizzy]

Well for a start, nutrition advice for the last 20 to 30 years has been COMPLETELY WRONG, so people who think they are doing the right thing for their children are actually not giving them proper nutrition. The medical world is starting to catch up but, as always, the public will take generations to catch on. Examples:

- Full fat milk is always preferable to semi-skimmed (especially for children). Most parents believe they are being healthy by buying green-top.

- Full fat butter is ALWAYS preferable to low-fat spreads, for EVERYONE.

- Saturated animal fats are good for you, and are essential for healthy growth. Fat is wrongly demonized. Trans-fats (hydrogenated fat) is basically the devil, but other than that, saturated fat is better for you (and your kids) than polyunsaturated. This has been confirmed by the worlds' top heart doctors. The market hasn't caught up yet.

- as an extension to the above; obesity is not caused by a high fat diet. Obesity is caused by a high sugar diet, and large amounts of processed carbohydrates (wheat snacks, potato snacks i.e. crisps, chips...). As is diabetes which is also rising alarmingly amoungst children.

- Grains (including wholegrains), whilst an acceptable part of an adult diet for most people, are nutritionally void "filler foods". Parents pack their kids full of breads and cereals and so they have no room for foods with high levels of essential nutrients.

- YOUNG CHILDREN DON'T NEED TO BE PACKED FULL OF FRUIT AND VEG. This is a big one. Most parents are still following outdated advice that "healthy snacks" for children are things like fruit, and "healthy dinners" have large portions of veg.

In truth, they need a diet high in proteins and fats (both animal and naturally occurring plant-based fats)... they are essential to the proper development of body and brain.


So... for a start, there's that. Of course, there's also the problem of cooking being a "lost art" in many families. A lot of parents simply have no idea how to cook good food, so they (and their children) eat pre-prepared packaged food from boxes, tins and plastic packages. Most of it is made cheaply and is packed full of absolute garbage that can barely be labelled "food".

Finally is the worst part; eating properly costs a fortune. Crap food is cheap. Many families simply can't afford a decent diet. Anyone who claims that cooking good food from scratch is "cheaper than all that junk" is making assumptions not based on the facts when it comes to the price of food. Clean, fresh, proper dinner ingredients cost EASILY triple what a bag of cheap, convenient "oven food" costs.

Excellent post!!
Nutrition should be compulsory in schools from infants then children can tell their grown up what they need to be healthy.

[the truth]

Excellent post!!
Nutrition should be compulsory in schools from infants then children can tell their grown up what they need to be healthy.

at least the schools can give the kids some leaflets and info to pass to their clearly useless parents.....hopefully that will at least get the message through to some of them. sadly there are clearly a vast number of useless parents in this country is 40% of the children have vitamin d deficiencies and 5 a day die from rickets....its just unbelievable.....what exactly do social services do and what do they look for when they look at parents? the pattern of the wallpaper or look at the worlds stupidest website www.twitter.com for naughty tweets? :blush:hows about focusing on actual real things that have an enormous affect on children , matters of life and death? on no that would just be too hard....lets talk about tweets facebook and fashion zzzzz

[Kizzy]

A start would be education, if only to prevent the cycle repeating,.. the blame game is a bit of a cop out.

[the truth]

A start would be education, if only to prevent the cycle repeating,.. the blame game is a bit of a cop out.
the non blame game is a cop out
the buck has to stop somewhere
blame parents and education. but ultimately blame parents more.
Id pay child benefits with food vouchers, if not why not?

[AnnieK]

I find it hard to believe that people can't buy nutritious food. I shop around, aldi is great for veg and do the super 6 every week, I get meat from the market in bulk and freeze it. We always make big portions and freeze leftovers so I have "quick meals" for my son. We eat well and I spend on average 30-40 per week on food so it doesn't break the bank (that includes goodies etc so could do it cheaper). A lot of it is down to convenience but I manage and work 4 days a week so it's doable, the secret is on the preparation

Plus we limit tv time and my son loves to play outside, a lot of problems come from inactive kids sat on computers and parents using the tv as a babysitter (which everyone does but you have to be sensible with it)

[Ammi]

I find it hard to believe that people can't buy nutritious food. I shop around, aldi is great for veg and do the super 6 every week, I get meat from the market in bulk and freeze it. We always make big portions and freeze leftovers so I have "quick meals" for my son. We eat well and I spend on average 30-40 per week on food so it doesn't break the bank (that includes goodies etc so could do it cheaper). A lot of it is down to convenience but I manage and work 4 days a week so it's doable, the secret is on the preparation

Plus we limit tv time and my son loves to play outside, a lot of problems come from inactive kids sat on computers and parents using the tv as a babysitter (which everyone does but you have to be sensible with it)

..yeah, but I think it's also that parents can 'give in' to children's preferences of having high salt/sugar foods like fast foods and 'convenience' foods because they're obviously quite addictive as well...it's quite staggering sometimes, just how many children at our school can't even recognise a particular vegetable/fruit...let alone taste it, yet they will tell you that they don't like it, just because they're not familiar with it...but more schools and certainly ours have built lessons around food tasting and obviously the younger children get free fruit from the government as well..so it is getting better/but unfortunately a slow process..school meals are improving in many schools and policies on healthy foods are practised with packed lunches but parents can still not adhere to those policies...and it does have to be a 'joint' thing with schools and parents of the same mind-set of the children's wellbeing and co-operating with each other etc...

[user104658]

Id pay child benefits in food vouchers, end of

It wouldnt make a difference, for two reasons. for one, it's as much about convenience, and the inability to prepare fresh food, as it is about money. If forced to spend on food, people would simply buy MORE junk to fill their freezers. You could try to make the vouchers for selective products, but then cack-handed government idiots would just be like "oh we'll make loads for fruit and veg because that's healthy innit?" when like I said... it's not really what kids need... kids need larger amounts of (much more expensive) meat, protein and dairy (real, not cheese strings).

Secondly, you're making the assumption that the problem is just with people on benefits. I promise you: the MOST selfish parents who are MOST resistant to education and change, are firmly in the middle-classes and skilled working classes (who have more earned money than middle classes anyway).

[Kizzy]

The glut of high sat fat high sugar convenience/ fast/ takeaway food is to blame here too, yes some parents do make bad choices I'm not saying they don't at all as said it's not just the poorer end either.
Understanding the meanings applied to food labelling is a nightmare even if you're trying to get it right, one example is 'fructose' (fruit sugars) good right?..... wrong!
That's just one way to bamboozle you into thinking something is healthy when actually it's just rammed with inverted sugar or cornstarch syrup.

[user104658]

The glut of high sat fat high sugar convenience/ fast/ takeaway food is to blame here too, yes some parents do make bad choices I'm not saying they don't at all as said it's not just the poorer end either.
Understanding the meanings applied to food labelling is a nightmare even if you're trying to get it right, one example is 'fructose' (fruit sugars) good right?..... wrong!
That's just one way to bamboozle you into thinking something is healthy when actually it's just rammed with inverted sugar or cornstarch syrup.

There is nothing wrong with good saturated fat. In fact, the main problem with fast food (besides being full of sugar, though less here than in the US) is that it's fried in cheap refined vegetable oil.

[Jesus.]

Children are also starting to die again from illnesses and disease we'd practically wiped out, and that is because of the anti-vaccination mob, rooted in pseudo-science and religion.

[AnnieK]

Children are also starting to die again from illnesses and disease we'd practically wiped out, and that is because of the anti-vaccination mob, rooted in pseudo-science and religion.

Yeah that's a good point actually. My Health Visitor said Measles had had a resurgance again due to people refusing the vaccination even though there is no proven medical evidence to link it to the MMR jab increasing the risk of autism.

I also think people are scared to let the kids pick up germs and keep them too wrapped up so their immune systems don't develop as well as they should

[Kizzy]

There is nothing wrong with good saturated fat. In fact, the main problem with fast food (besides being full of sugar, though less here than in the US) is that it's fried in cheap refined vegetable oil.

Yes, I should have said hydrogenated sat fat sorry.
I've stopped using low fat spreads, although I can't bring myself to use lard I use rapeseed or a good olive oil when shallow frying.

[Kizzy]

You can't be inoculated against rickets though, this is a heath related issue not medical.
I agree about the germ thing, it's crazy... Now they have brought out dettol you put in your washing machine. :crazy:

[the truth]

You can't be inoculated against rickets though, this is a heath related issue not medical.
I agree about the germ thing, it's crazy... Now they have brought out dettol you put in your washing machine. :crazy:

social services should really step in here and take some of these neglected kids

[Livia]

There are plenty of families brought up on benefits or low incomes who live healthy lives, who have balanced diets. If you can't give a kid a decent diet I'd say you're probably too stupid to breed in the first place.

[Kizzy]

As it states in the information provided this is an issue which affects children from all backgrounds.
It's as much about lifestyle as diet, children do not spend enough time outside without sunscreen and other things preventing the sun getting to them.

[user104658]

It's as much about lifestyle as diet, children do not spend enough time outside without sunscreen and other things preventing the sun getting to them.

Yes this is another problem, and comes from medical advice outdated by decades... from birth, people smother their kids in factor-50 (which is full of toxic crap in the first place, another issue, you should only use a natural factor 40 on kids!) sunscreen, completely blocking their ability to make Vitamin D through sun exposure. Even at the height of summer, they should be getting a little time outdoors before applying any at all, and with the lower light in the evening they can (and should) be getting exposure without any at all.

A few good sunny days with decent, unscreened outdoors time over the summer can set you up for the whole year. But if you're head to toe in cream before you even leave the house... then you might as well not leave the house at all.

[the truth]

Yes this is another problem, and comes from medical advice outdated by decades... from birth, people smother their kids in factor-50 (which is full of toxic crap in the first place, another issue, you should only use a natural factor 40 on kids!) sunscreen, completely blocking their ability to make Vitamin D through sun exposure. Even at the height of summer, they should be getting a little time outdoors before applying any at all, and with the lower light in the evening they can (and should) be getting exposure without any at all.

A few good sunny days with decent, unscreened outdoors time over the summer can set you up for the whole year. But if you're head to toe in cream before you even leave the house... then you might as well not leave the house at all.

millions of parents dont take their kids outdoors enough nor do they feed them well enough
which is a national disgrace and the social services , schools perhaps even the police in extreme cases, should step in more often
these parents are bums

[user104658]

millions of parents dont take their kids outdoors enough nor do they feed them well enough
which is a national disgrace and the social services , schools perhaps even the police in extreme cases, should step in more often
these parents are bums

First though the people IN those roles need to be educated about what is and isn't healthy for children. I'm not disputing that there are parents who are outright negligent and their kids are lacking in daylight exposure because they're sat indoors all of the time, and lacking in nutrition because they're fed freezer junk cooked in a microwave.

However, the "health" mindset of the government, schools and social services is still that:

- Kids should be head to toe in sunscreen before going out in the sun and...

- Kids should be packed full of fruit, vegetables and whole grains and low-fat spreads and avoid fatty red meat and dairy.


This is making kids unwell. You can have your kids outdoors all day, but if they're caked in factor 50 it's going to seriously limit any benefit, and sun exposure is the single best way to ensure sufficient Vitamin D production, regardless of diet.

Secondly, Vit D is a fat-soluble vitamin and kids need to be getting plenty of good saturated fats (meats & dairy mostly, but also things like avocado, coconut oil, olive oil) in order to get the full benefit. But saturated fat was demonised years ago and parents still believe they're doing the "right" thing by using half-fat milk, Flora instead of butter, limiting high fat meats, encouraging high consumption of vegetables and wholegrain carbs. Even EGGS are still feeling the heat from "health concerns" that are several decades out of date.

But the parents who dutifully break out the sunscreen bottle, or pile plates high with veg instead of meat, or offer apple juice instead of full fat milk, are not being neglectful or bad parents; in fact they believe they're doing the right / responsible thing. It's because outdated information is being passed through the years. The social services, the NHS (health visitors, midwives), the media... all peddling misinformation. I am inclined to say that it's part of parental duty to ensure that you ARE knowledgeable about these things but... let's face it, most people live their entire lives in a bubble.

So how do you solve that problem? How do you convince parents who wholeheartedly believe that they've been doing the right thing by their children for years that they have actually been risking their health? You CAN'T! It's impossible. Defence mechanisms go up and people refuse to listen, because they can't handle feeling "wrong" or "judged", so they just carry on as ever.

[the truth]

First though the people IN those roles need to be educated about what is and isn't healthy for children. I'm not disputing that there are parents who are outright negligent and their kids are lacking in daylight exposure because they're sat indoors all of the time, and lacking in nutrition because they're fed freezer junk cooked in a microwave.

However, the "health" mindset of the government, schools and social services is still that:

- Kids should be head to toe in sunscreen before going out in the sun and...

- Kids should be packed full of fruit, vegetables and whole grains and low-fat spreads and avoid fatty red meat and dairy.


This is making kids unwell. You can have your kids outdoors all day, but if they're caked in factor 50 it's going to seriously limit any benefit, and sun exposure is the single best way to ensure sufficient Vitamin D production, regardless of diet.

Secondly, Vit D is a fat-soluble vitamin and kids need to be getting plenty of good saturated fats (meats & dairy mostly, but also things like avocado, coconut oil, olive oil) in order to get the full benefit. But saturated fat was demonised years ago and parents still believe they're doing the "right" thing by using half-fat milk, Flora instead of butter, limiting high fat meats, encouraging high consumption of vegetables and wholegrain carbs. Even EGGS are still feeling the heat from "health concerns" that are several decades out of date.

But the parents who dutifully break out the sunscreen bottle, or pile plates high with veg instead of meat, or offer apple juice instead of full fat milk, are not being neglectful or bad parents; in fact they believe they're doing the right / responsible thing. It's because outdated information is being passed through the years. The social services, the NHS (health visitors, midwives), the media... all peddling misinformation. I am inclined to say that it's part of parental duty to ensure that you ARE knowledgeable about these things but... let's face it, most people live their entire lives in a bubble.

So how do you solve that problem? How do you convince parents who wholeheartedly believe that they've been doing the right thing by their children for years that they have actually been risking their health? You CAN'T! It's impossible. Defence mechanisms go up and people refuse to listen, because they can't handle feeling "wrong" or "judged", so they just carry on as ever.

Its obviously a combination of all these factors, but ultimately comes down to very very bad parenting.

The reasons are probably varied

1) people not spending enough quality time with their children
2) people not spending enough time outdoors with kids
3) computer addiction
4) selfish parents who had trophy kids but forget they had to bring them up to
5) ignorance to basic nutrition
6) tv over hyping the risk of children being attacked. yes theres a risk , but keep adults at hand when outdoors
7) benefit scrouncgers who make a career out of knocking out kids to gain endless freebees, in some cases, free house, free heating , free improvements, free prescriptions, free glasses, free dentistry oh and a massive tax free disposable income runnings to £3000 a month (way more than the average working person)
8) the collapse of fatherhood. in my experience dads spend more time playing with kids outdoors. no dad. less playing outdoors.
9) agree the factor 50 suncream is over fussy parenting
10) a general numbing of human compassion with violence everywhere and less human interaction due to technology. compassion is learned not taught

etc

[Kizzy]

Modern life is more paranoid that's true, we are germ/stranger/danger/sun/fat phobic.
It's the hidden transfats and sugar in food that harm kids too, you just have no idea what you're eating these days.
There needs to be more transparency on food labelling.

[the truth]

Modern life is more paranoid that's true, we are germ/stranger/danger/sun/fat phobic.
It's the hidden transfats and sugar in food that harm kids too, you just have no idea what you're eating these days.
There needs to be more transparency on food labelling.
yes good call. were enslaved to these retail behemoths yet they've been selling us bute stained horse burgers for years....and no one has carried the can and the story seems to have died away? where are the enormous fines, the prison sentences? where is the responsibility and accountability? meanwhile the little man gets hammered

[Kizzy]

There was nothing done really following the BSE crisis caused who knows how many to be infected with CJD.
There are no safeguards or food standards now, it's all about the money.
Parents are under pressure to work longer for less money due to the stranglehold the government have to ensure they wring as much as they can out of workers/consumers.
If mum and dad work shifts/weekends when is there time for the children/family to be outside?
This isn't a problem which only affects the poor or lone parents, that just seems to be the goto response now for most.

[user104658]

Modern life is more paranoid that's true, we are germ/stranger/danger/sun/fat phobic.
It's the hidden transfats and sugar in food that harm kids too, you just have no idea what you're eating these days.
There needs to be more transparency on food labelling.

I agree, there's a huge amount of sugar in some products that you wouldn't even think had ANY sugar in them... and sugar is the biggest cause of obesity in the UK. In the US it's a combination of sugar (mainly high fructose corn syrup), hydrogenated fats, and various food additives that are BANNED across most of the world :shocked:.

I recently saw a comparison page showing some well known branded products, with a side-by-side ingredient list of the UK and US... with additives that are banned in Europe highlighted in red on the US versions. It was just shocking. Some products contained as many as 20 "extra" ingredients in the US... and the one that really got me was... McDonalds chips! In the US, they're full of sugar (wtf??) and also something called an "anti-foaming agent". I don't even want to know.

Anyway, either way, the best way to avoid "hidden" crap in packaged food is to simply avoid it altogether and cook from raw ingredients wherever possible. We switched to a completely "ingredient-based" shopping list about 18 months ago (although we mainly cooked properly before that, anyway) and it's good to be able to say you know more or less exactly what's in food.

The problems, though;

- Our weekly budget (for 2 adults, and 2 young children) went from <£60 a week to approx. £85 a week. Pre-packed food is cheaper, no matter what people like Jamie Oliver want you to believe when trying to convince people to eat healthily. Good quality, fresh food costs.

- Both of us were cooking at a young age... I had the odd "benefit" of having a mother who was great when I was young and taught me all sorts of things with cooking, and then went off the rails when I was around 10, so at that point I was cooking for myself a lot. My partner used to cook with her grandmother a lot.

A lot of parents these days simply don't have the necessary skills to cook from scratch, they were never taught them.

[Kizzy]

I can believe, have you seen the Micheal Moore book 'Fast Food Nation?
That's scary!... It's about the expansion of the fast food industry in the US, we will no doubt go the same way, in any one day I get 2-3 pizza/curry leaflets and greggs mc Ds and nandos are on every high street.
Convenience/microwavable food has exploded in the last 15yrs or so, if I can't have it in 5-8 mins forget it! :laugh:
The product placements in programming means advertising is creeping into your subconscious even as you watch the soaps now. Busy parents may be getting lazy or time constraints may force a quicker meal. Is it just because the packaging looks so appealing or
The slogans used? We're being bombarded by mixed messages amd it is more than a little confusing.
I'm on a bit of a rampage against the tinned/packet/ready meals at the moment too. One of the best tips I got was to freeze herbs in butter and to used dried beans and pulses and soak what I needed overnight.
I buy whatever meat is on offer at the best price and in season veg to help keep costs down too.
One plus is knowing there's no VAT on fresh food, even though the price for veg at supermarkets has gone through the roof, local markets are much cheaper.

[the truth]

I can believe, have you seen the Micheal Moore book 'Fast Food Nation?
That's scary!... It's about the expansion of the fast food industry in the US, we will no doubt go the same way, in any one day I get 2-3 pizza/curry leaflets and greggs mc Ds and nandos are on every high street.
Convenience/microwavable food has exploded in the last 15yrs or so, if I can't have it in 5-8 mins forget it! :laugh:
The product placements in programming means advertising is creeping into your subconscious even as you watch the soaps now. Busy parents may be getting lazy or time constraints may force a quicker meal. Is it just because the packaging looks so appealing or
The slogans used? We're being bombarded by mixed messages amd it is more than a little confusing.
I'm on a bit of a rampage against the tinned/packet/ready meals at the moment too. One of the best tips I got was to freeze herbs in butter and to used dried beans and pulses and soak what I needed overnight.
I buy whatever meat is on offer at the best price and in season veg to help keep costs down too.
One plus is knowing there's no VAT on fresh food, even though the price for veg at supermarkets has gone through the roof, local markets are much cheaper.

good post. the amount of leaflets is staggering
I wouldn't give microwaves food to my pets, disgusting and total rip offs too

[user104658]

good post. the amount of leaflets is staggering
I wouldn't give microwaves food to my pets, disgusting and total rip offs too

My family never owned a microwave when I was growing up... I remember going to a school friend's house when I was around 8 or 9, who (I can see retrospectively) was from a very poor family... and his mum made us "dinner"... by laying out unheated sausage rolls, microchips and beans all on a dinner plate and blitzing them in a microwave ... urgh. I remember it so clearly because it was utterly foul. I now realise that the poor boy was eating like that every night... he was painfully skinny and his teeth were awful too.

Personally, I've not had a microwave in my house since I was a student at all, let alone for pre-packed microwave meals, of which I have only experienced one. My dad ate "microwave food" for about a year after my parents got divorced around 10 years ago. I had one at his house. NEVER AGAIN. You're right; the stuff smells like dog food, but isn't even fit for a dog. The thought of children being raised on this stuff is depressing.

[Kizzy]

I got rid of mine 2yrs ago as it really just became an ugly kitchen ornament, my daughter would occasionally warm milk in it but I got paranoid about 'nuking' the goodness out of it. :laugh:

[Kazanne]

Microwaves are horrible,they seem to dry food out and only seem good for warming food imo.

[Jesus.]

Microwaves are horrible,they seem to dry food out and only seem good for warming food imo.

Isn't that what they're supposed to do - warm stuff up?

[Niamh.]

Isn't that what they're supposed to do - warm stuff up?

You can cook stuff in them as well. i only ever use mine for microwave popcorn though

[Kazanne]

Isn't that what they're supposed to do - warm stuff up?

Some people cook in them from scratch,I have never succeeded at that,I tried once and things like potatoes etc took forever,but according to the instructions you can cook almost anything in them,I much prefer the halogen cookers.

[Jesus.]

Some people cook in them from scratch,I have never succeeded at that,I tried once and things like potatoes etc took forever,but according to the instructions you can cook almost anything in them,I much prefer the halogen cookers.

I remember when I got to uni and needed to defrost some mince, and it had cooked half of it. Absolutely disgusting.

[Niamh.]

I remember when I got to uni and needed to defrost some mince, and it had cooked half of it. Absolutely disgusting.

You're supposed to select the defrost option though when you're defrosting stuff

[Jesus.]

You're supposed to select the defrost option though when you're defrosting stuff

Thanks Gordon Ramsey. I did, but even on defrost setting it started to brown/grey. Amirite ladies?

[Niamh.]

Thanks Gordon Ramsey. I did, but even on defrost setting it started to brown/grey. Amirite ladies?

bet you didn't :idc:

[smudgie]

Microwaves are good to start off jacket potatoes or home made wedges, Uncle Ben's rice and.........erm....that's about it.

[Kazanne]

I remember when I got to uni and needed to defrost some mince, and it had cooked half of it. Absolutely disgusting.

I've done that aswell,they do have a defrost button ,but I never used it,couldn't be bothered:hugesmile:so I guess it's my own fault.

[Jesus.]

bet you didn't :idc:


http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/freezing/3-ways-defrost-food-10000001700453/

In the Microwave
Bottom line: This method is fast. You can thaw a couple of lamb chops in less than five minutes flat.
Bear in mind: Because the defrost setting on a microwave starts the cooking process (raising temperatures to bacteria-friendly levels), it's essential that you go on to cook the food immediately.

http://mattsko.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/judy-g-curtsey-gif.gif

[Jesus.]

I've done that aswell,they do have a defrost button ,but I never used it,couldn't be bothered:hugesmile:so I guess it's my own fault.

You're not really helping me out here Kaz. I did use the defrost button, and it started cooking it as well.

[Niamh.]

I believe kazanne tbh jesus

[the truth]

There was nothing done really following the BSE crisis caused who knows how many to be infected with CJD.
There are no safeguards or food standards now, it's all about the money.
Parents are under pressure to work longer for less money due to the stranglehold the government have to ensure they wring as much as they can out of workers/consumers.
If mum and dad work shifts/weekends when is there time for the children/family to be outside?
This isn't a problem which only affects the poor or lone parents, that just seems to be the goto response now for most.

rking parents are under more pressure, those milking benefits and avoiding more and under zero pressure