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Weezl and friends Phase 2 -giving it a whirl for Shirl! Testing meal plan for a month

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  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
    tiamai_d wrote: »
    Weezl, sorry, not read your thread (looking for your bread recipe!) but to me, 5 a day in a meal plan should be mainly veggies because I'd choose fruit as a snack or fruit as a desert.

    Does that make sence?
    Hello lovely tia :) nice to see you over here :)

    can anyone give tia the link to the bread from the website please? :)

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • pavlovs_dog
    pavlovs_dog Posts: 10,216 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I've just checked back here for the first time in a while. I've often dipped in and out but simply don't have the time to commit to trying to keep up with how much you lot talk :D

    I am simply amazed at the success you have all made of this. I am thoroughly in awe of your dedication and commitment. You've done yourselves and the site proud, and you're a true reflection of the great community spirit on offer on these boards :T :T :T
    know thyself
    Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus...
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
    I've just checked back here for the first time in a while. I've often dipped in and out but simply don't have the time to commit to trying to keep up with how much you lot talk :D

    I am simply amazed at the success you have all made of this. I am thoroughly in awe of your dedication and commitment. You've done yourselves and the site proud, and you're a true reflection of the great community spirit on offer on these boards :T :T:T
    thank you, that's really kind of you to pop on and say that :D

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • ceridwen
    ceridwen Posts: 11,547 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    weezl74 wrote: »
    interesting thoughts helen, arty and lesley (and more please-lurkers-I can seeeeeee you!)

    At the moment we have quite a bit more than the 5 a day in both planners, especially when we follow the logic that a dish containing say 70g of veg one and 90g of veg 2 is just as good as a dish containing exactly 80g each of veggies one and two :)

    My main reason for querying it, is that keeping it quite a bit higher than the 5 a day does mean other compromises nutritionally for shirley and kitty.

    And, (sorry Lesley :o) I'm not actually sure about the view that says '5 is ok but 9 or 10 would be better' but I'm happy to be proved wrong. It's just that I've hunted high and low and can't find anything to substantiate it from a health point of view.

    New research is suggesting that above 5 a day is only helpful in reducing incidents of smoking-related cancers, not other types of cancer. This is because more 'goodness' is needed to offset the cell damage done by the cigarettes. In America where fruit consumption has gone mad, there are increasing concerns that fruit sugar in the diet is responsible for at least some of the crisis of obesity and diabetes.

    It also worries me a bit at a (sorry) political level because even in the developed world we do not have enough supply of fruit and veg per capita (including that which we import) to give everyone in the UK 5 a day (most of Europe has and imports enough fruit and veg to allow just under 4 of the '5 a day' daily) the developing world has enough for 2-3 portions per person daily.

    So I get uneasy putting 8 a day in a subsistence planner.

    I'm reminded of slogans like: 'the world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyne's greed'

    My worry is just that because it's about fruit and veg, it's never perceived as 'greed'. That's about naughty things like cheese and chocolate, right? Well no, not really.

    The majority of winter potatoes eaten in the uk are grown in the desert in Egypt. There is no nutrient in the sand, and no water, so twice a day, water is pumped from a depth of 50 Nelson's columns, has fertiliser added and the potatoes are irrigated. Potatoes aren't indigenous to Egypt, so the seed potatoes have originally come from scotland. Potatoes don't travel well on their 3 week trip to the uk from egypt, they bump together too. So they have to be buried in nice wet peat. From Egypt? nope, from Ireland EIRE.

    So potatoes in the UK in winter have been taken from scotland to egypt and back again, surrounded by mud which has come from Ireland to egypt and back again. Our motorways and shipping lanes are full of food making countless, pointless journeys.

    This troubles me.

    So certainly not meaning to offend anyone, and I know it is a very popular view, but I'm becoming less convinced that at a health level, global level or environmental level more than 5 a day is better.

    I am very willing to hear the other side of the story though :)


    I know I'm not on this thread any more - but have "unlocked the key" to come back on this one. I wasn't aware there isn't enough fruit/veg grown/imported to Britain even to cater for "5 a day" - though would be interested to see links to the info. on this please. It may be that this is the case - having read the other day that there simply isn't enough olive oil in the world for everyone to do as I do and stick to olive oil only. So - quite possibly so.

    Even if this is so - more land in Britain could be brought back into food production (instead of being used for things currently deemed more "important" - like yet more building and yet more road bypasses:cool:).

    The point does have to be made that those Bob/Shirley's who have had 0, 1 or 2 children won't react at all well to being told "There isn't enough" - as they might well turn round and go "Well - I haven't played a part in causing the overpopulation problem - so why should I suffer because of it?" I know...I know people with 3 or more children will promptly disagree and expect us to "share the misery" - but this is simply not realistic, apart from the "saints of this world" (which most of us aren't - even if we would like to be...).

    *******************************

    I'll go and "lock myself back up again" now.......tiptoes out.....
  • SusanC_2
    SusanC_2 Posts: 5,344 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    weezl74 wrote: »
    So potatoes in the UK in winter have been taken from scotland to egypt and back again, surrounded by mud which has come from Ireland to egypt and back again. Our motorways and shipping lanes are full of food making countless, pointless journeys.

    This troubles me.

    So certainly not meaning to offend anyone, and I know it is a very popular view, but I'm becoming less convinced that at a health level, global level or environmental level more than 5 a day is better.

    I am very willing to hear the other side of the story though :)
    It probably depends what is going to be (or would be) consumed in place of any additional portions of veg. Also a consideration is what the people using the planner would have been consuming previously. Yes fruit and veg do have food miles but are they worse than the food miles of alternative products? Also I would assume that cooking from scratch vs. buying pre-made products is going to cut down on a lot of food miles and excess packaging. I guess at certain times of year, potatoes from Egypt must be cheaper than UK potatoes but that is a choice which really needs to be made on an individual level rather than being the responsibility of the planner.
    Any question, comment or opinion is not intended to be criticism of anyone else.
    2 Samuel 12:23 Romans 8:28 Psalm 30:5
    "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die"
  • artybear
    artybear Posts: 978 Forumite
    I'm sorry, blame the seven hours in the library, but why is food miles a bad thing? I have never really understood-is it because of the carbon footprint driving food backwards and forwards causes? Or something else?

    Sorry if I am being very stupid at the moment I promise I am a relatively intellectual individual generally but just have never understood this?
    :o:o:o
    In art as in love, instinct is enough
    Anatole France

    Things are beautiful if you love them
    Jean Anouilh
  • shanks77
    shanks77 Posts: 1,182 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic
    edited 18 May 2010 at 6:42PM
    artybear wrote: »
    Yay for pictures. They have made a meh day much better.:j:j

    What are the things wrapped up Shanks? And what are they in? Im always wondering what to freeze stuff in?

    Its my pizza dough Arty and they are in SP food bags that you can buy for about £1 for 100 bags i use them all the time and never had a prob with them. Also have apple curd, chicken stock, hummous and meatloaf there as well as the baked tatties. Quite pleased with myself for a productive day and to top it off i did the hoovering as well. One down side that must be catching is that i have chipped 2 plates today as they slipped out of my hand annoyed at that cause they are black plates and so the chip is really obvious. Never mind not the end of the world.

    PS nice to hear from you again Ceridwen
  • poohbear59
    poohbear59 Posts: 4,866 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Debt-free and Proud!
    shanks I love the photo, thanks, it made me smile. You should see my kitchen after batch cooking day.
    business mortgage £0))''(+ Barclay's business kitchen loan £0=Total paid off was £96105 PPI claimed and received £13527
    'I had a black dog, his name was depression".
  • artybear
    artybear Posts: 978 Forumite
    Thanks Shanks I shall get somexxxxxxxxxxx
    In art as in love, instinct is enough
    Anatole France

    Things are beautiful if you love them
    Jean Anouilh
  • r.a.i.n.b.o.w
    r.a.i.n.b.o.w Posts: 638 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    Can I ask the testers - those who followed at least 80% of the plan for a month - did you lose any/much weight? Did you gain any? How much?

    Just interested - because weight loss would be a LOVELY side effect from a frugal meal plan for me! :D
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