It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

sarahj1986

euronorris said:

The balance between ensuring they eat nutritious food, and trying not to instill an unhealthy attitude towards food (as in viewing foods as bad and good etc) is hard. I think we are doing ok, and she certainly seems to enjoy a wide variety of food, so 🤞

We do also have a ban on Fizzy drinks though. My husband doesn't really like then, but I grew up with them and am utterly addicted and my teeth have suffered as a result. So if there is some offered at a party or a friend's house, that's fine (so long as its not caffeinated), buy none at home for her. Thankfully, so far, she doesn't really like them anyway. She likes the idea of them, but when given a cup of lemonade (for example), she will have one mouthful, declare it 'spicy' and then not go back to it 🤣

On a separate note, I finally reached the payment threshold for the survey site I use, so will get £50 from that next month. Yay! I've had it for years, but always got frustrated with it and stopped doing any for months at a time. In January, however, I got serious about it and have done every survey they sent since. I got close to the threshold in January, but then the surveys I was being sent got less and less 🙄 at the end of last month I only needed one more point/£ (so frustrating). Then had one for 5 points/£s yesterday. So wahoo! Finally!

Fizzy drinks is a huge vice of mine. Years ago I used to give up something for lent. I did meat, carbs, crisps, chocolate (one each year) but by far the worst was giving up fizzy drinks. I was almost in tears by the end of it. I don’t even drink that much 1-2 cans a day but I try and have fizzy drink free days. I just enjoy a cold Diet Coke with certain meals. It ruined my eating experience too 😂

Katiehound

Fizzy drink lovers- would cheapo fizzy water with a dash of lemon juice (or other fruit) in it fill the bill? very much cheaper for starters!

dreaming

Regarding fruit and veg, and the whole 5 a day business - I read somewhere in the last year or so (I thought it was actually on the MSE site but can't find it now) that the whole thing was not based on any scientific/medical basis but was a ploy dreamed up by food suppliers (I guess fruit and veg growers?). I wish I had taken more notice of it at the time but I can remember thinking that it made sense.There is an interesting article in the Guardian about the current food shortage if anyone is interested https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/04/food-tsar-blames-shortages-on-uks-weird-supermarket-culture

 My dad grew most of our f+v when I was very little as we had a large garden but like many others growing up in the 50s report, it was then boiled to death. I always hated brussels but oddly loved the water it had been boiled in with lots of pepper added. My mum died when I was 7 so dad then became a devotee of tinned veg, instant mash |(yuk!), and frozen fish fingers or burgers in order to fill up 3 growing children (I was the youngest) whilst working in a factory. Anything cold or frozen was bought each day from the local shop as we didn't even have a fridge at that point, let alone a freezer. Dad used to cycle home at lunchtime (which we called dinnertime), call in the shop for things, get the food on the table before cycling back to the factory. We kids fended for ourselves after school with bread and something mainly till dad came home when we would sometimes have beans on toast or similar. Often though it was just tea and biscuits until about Wednesday when the food (and money) ran out.

elsien

I think I read somewhere, and I will try and find the article, five a day is probably a little low but was considered to be the most of the great British public would tolerate. It’s higher than that in other countries.

https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/14/five-a-day-fruit-vegetables-portion-supermarket

Pollycat

For those people who struggle to eat 5-a-day, this will come as a shock:
Fruit and veg: For a longer life eat 10-a-day - BBC News

euronorris

Katiehound said:

Fizzy drink lovers- would cheapo fizzy water with a dash of lemon juice (or other fruit) in it fill the bill? very much cheaper for starters!

Not for me. I've tried that, but it's just not the same. I think just as important for me is the caffeine (also not great).

I've switched to aldi's version of Dr pepper, which is a third of the price. But I'm going to have to reduce my intake anyway, as caffeine impacts BP, which has gone up for me recently.

Nelliegrace

Pea shoots are quick and easy. I use two mushroom punnets with drainage holes cut in the top one, and a bit of compost. 

MrsStepford

When we lived in the country we had an allotment. My FIL would help me, then we would hang out in the village pub at lunch time. We have grown fruit, veg and herbs in our garden here. Globe artichokes, rosemary, plums, fennel, lemon balm, pinot noir grapes, chives, tomatoes, chillies, aubergines, rhubarb, basil, brown turkey figs, French tarragon, alpine strawberries, runner beans, mint, Lebanese mint..

I buy organic fruit because that isn't sprayed. Clementines or other easy peel citrus, strawberries, blueberries, apples, plums, cherries, pears, the occasional melon or pineapple. Sometimes raspberries or avocado. 

Milk & More does good organic veg boxes. We get one every 3 weeks and top up at ASDA (great quality cheap organic veg).

I didn't have fizzy drinks as a child but I had a grandfather who worked for Lindt. I have eleven fillings !

I developed a Diet Coke addiction at school in Canada but overcame it by switching to cans of Perrier. Hard to get hold of since Brexit grrr. 

Floss

sarahj1986 said:

Fizzy drinks is a huge vice of mine. Years ago I used to give up something for lent. I did meat, carbs, crisps, chocolate (one each year) but by far the worst was giving up fizzy drinks. I was almost in tears by the end of it. I don’t even drink that much 1-2 cans a day but I try and have fizzy drink free days. I just enjoy a cold Diet Coke with certain meals. It ruined my eating experience too 😂

So around 12 or so cans a week? That's a lot to me, I rarely drink fizzy drinks unless it's G&T when on a rare night out.

YoungBlueEyes

No fizzy drinks here either, I find them very acidic. 

I was gonna say about the 5-a-day thing. I’m sure I remember from somewhere (but can’t cite the source,naturally) that 5 is as much as TPTB thought we would go for, but reall it should be more like 10 as it is in some other countries (France..?) 

Mum died when me and sis were only young, so Daddy raised us as he had been. One thing he used to say a lot was “when you sit down to your dinner, there should be at least 3 colours on your plate.” I count them every time I plate up the dinner.