What TV are you watching?

[Beebo]

Caught up yesterday with the Royal Institution Christmas lectures on the Beeb. Been watching these most years for 50 years I guess. Obviously much of the content is somewhat above my IQ grade but I like the demonstrations. This year they were delivered by Chris van Tulleken on the subject of food, the third one in particular gave much to be alarmed about. Henceforth I will be looking at processed food ingredients with some interest.

I’m reading his book at the moment. So will watch the lectures too.
It’s almost impossible to avoid UPF in western society unless you are prepared to cook everything from scratch.

 

[raleighnut]

I’m reading his book at the moment. So will watch the lectures too.
It’s almost impossible to avoid UPF in western society unless you are prepared to cook everything from scratch.

Which I do as does @Reynard amongst many others on here.

 

[Beebo]

Which I do as does @Reynard amongst many others on here.

I’m sure you can. But it’s not easy.
And you can see why some people can’t or don’t.
It would be far easier if the UPF were drastically removed from the market place

 

[matticus]

I’m sure you can. But it’s not easy.
And you can see why some people can’t or don’t.
It would be far easier if the UPF were drastically removed from the market place

In what way is it hard? If I walk into all 3 local supermarkets, the very first sections are fresh fruit and veg (+ salad).

Nobody is making me seek out the ready-made meals section, or the snacks aisle, or ...

 

[Beebo]

Nobody is making me seek out the ready-made meals section, or the snacks aisle, or ...

It’s not that simple though.
the entire food industry is doing just that.
The huge explosion in obesity in the last 50 years demonstrates that the food industry is at fault as people’s will power hasn’t changed in the last 50 years. It’s just the availability of UPF that has increased exponentially.
But this is a conversation elsewhere.

 

[icowden]

In what way is it hard? If I walk into all 3 local supermarkets, the very first sections are fresh fruit and veg (+ salad).

Time and planning. You finished work at 6, older daughter has guides at 7.30, you have rehearsal at 8, your partner has the same rehearsal. Both children are vegetarian but don't like the same vegetarian options, you aren't, your wife is on a diet. That gives you about 30-45 minutes to make 4 meals, plus you need to help with homework and make packed lunches for tomorrow for the kids.

Most people will quickly stop at the supermarket and pick up ready meals, or something quick like a pizza or pasta using pre-made pasta and a pre-made sauce.

We had freshly made meals at the weekend, it probably took 8 hours of slow cooking and then a tex-mex chicken with mashed potato took 2 hours end to end. People like the convenience of buying a meal and bunging it in the oven or microwave especially if they have other things to do. Most people are time-poor for a lot of the time.

 

[Oldhippy]

Cook fresh every day personally.

 

[icowden]

Cook fresh every day personally.

Which is great if you have the time and skill to do that.

 

[matticus]

Let's address the statement I was replying to:

It’s almost impossible to avoid UPF in western society

Clearly this is not true.

What subsequent replies describe is:
- more convenient dining/diet options which people can find if they browse in the UPF aisles, and
- lifestyles that families have chosen that revolve around spending negligible time on eating/prepping.

UPF has become very much more available, and the corporations have become excellent at selling it to us - but that is a different point. Many of us on this forum grew up before UPF was being pushed on us, and our parents didn't expire of nervous exhaustion, or take us to foodbanks every week because they couldn't feed us.

 

[Electric_Andy]

It’s not that simple though.
the entire food industry is doing just that.

I agree - there are more factors to consider than just people's options. You have to consider peoples' behaviours and the fact that food manufacturers are deliberately making their food addictive by adding more fat, sugar, MSG or whatever. Humans are naturally inclined to crave high calorie foods so we don't starve out as a species. See also bears, seagulls, and other mammals that scavenge human waste - they're not going for the lettuce first.

This (IMHO) is why many schemes and ideas do not work, because not enough time is taken to look at how people work. They know how their metabolism works because it is science, but there is no exact science behind how we as humans think

 

[Adam4868]

Watched or listened to Chris van Tulleken,can't remember now.But scary how powerful the food lobby has become.Tobacco industry taking over food corporations to push their new drugs.He was talking about how they've used scientists to find out our addictions to unhealthy foods.

 

[Reynard]

Watched or listened to Chris van Tulleken,can't remember now.But scary how powerful the food lobby has become.Tobacco industry taking over food corporations to push their new drugs.He was talking about how they've used scientists to find out our addictions to unhealthy foods.

That documentary made me really sit up and take notice - a friend recommended it to me. And at least I now *know* why I can't stop if I open a sharing bag of snacky stuff i.e. crisps or cheesy crackers. It's not me, it's them. Ergo I shall now not buy the sharing bags, even though they are cheaper on the price per kilo.

I like a snack occasionally, so I shall now buy the standard multipacks instead. A bit of a pain though, as that generates more in the way of packaging, so that generates yet another problem.

But yes, I'm luckier than most insomuch that I do cook from scratch. Mum (who trained in a professional kitchen) taught me how to cook, and dad (who was involved in food procurement in the Polish military) taught me how to shop for fresh ingredients. As for when I'm time poor - there's batch cooking (which does need some forward planning), jacket potatoes or something as simple as toast, avocado, a fried egg and some grilled tomatoes. And at this time of year, I always have a pot of soup on the go.

 

[rualexander]

An t-Eilean
BBC Alba crime drama
Two episodes in and it pretty reasonable so far.
Fans of the Western Isles will enjoy the scenery and the Gaelic language, it's pretty much all in Gaelic with English subtitles.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026zqh

 

[Adam4868]

Severance....season one four episodes in and I'm hooked !

 

[MontyVeda]

That documentary made me really sit up and take notice - a friend recommended it to me. And at least I now *know* why I can't stop if I open a sharing bag of snacky stuff i.e. crisps or cheesy crackers. It's not me, it's them. Ergo I shall now not buy the sharing bags, even though they are cheaper on the price per kilo.

I like a snack occasionally, so I shall now buy the standard multipacks instead. A bit of a pain though, as that generates more in the way of packaging, so that generates yet another problem.

But yes, I'm luckier than most insomuch that I do cook from scratch. Mum (who trained in a professional kitchen) taught me how to cook, and dad (who was involved in food procurement in the Polish military) taught me how to shop for fresh ingredients. As for when I'm time poor - there's batch cooking (which does need some forward planning), jacket potatoes or something as simple as toast, avocado, a fried egg and some grilled tomatoes. And at this time of year, I always have a pot of soup on the go.

sharing bags last me for months... I'll have a handful, reseal with lots of folds and a peg, forget all about them, find them some weeks later, have another handful, reseal and repeat.


In other news...

the first three episodes of Sweetpea last night. I'm enjoying it a lot.