Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge...

In_Search_Of_Me

You have ginger cordial & a Mr Weezl - what more could you want for eh?!! Never thought I'd say a siggy looks healthy with £1.24 left but then I know how far you could make that go!!

In_Search_Of_Me

weezl pm box is full!!

weezl74

Thanks, I've emptied it now!

Okey Dokey, I’m launching a campaign to get the ‘umble spud included in the ‘5 a day’. Do feel free to disagree robustly!:D

Firstly, thought I’d try to work out how and why the govt decided to increase the intake of fruit and veg, to see if the spud fulfilled that reason.

Found this (which I’ve abbreviated (…) but you can read the whole thing here from the department of health:

‘Increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of many chronic diseases… It has been estimated that eating at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day could reduce the risk of deaths from chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer by up to 20%.
It has been estimated that diet might contribute to the development of one-third of all cancers, and that increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is the second most important cancer prevention strategy, after reducing smoking…

higher vegetable consumption would reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and gastric cancer. …higher fruit and vegetable consumption would reduce the risk of breast cancer. These cancers combined represent about 18% of the cancer burden in men and about 30% in women.

Higher consumption of fruit and vegetables also reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke….each increase of 1 portion of fruit and vegetables a day lowered the risk of coronary heart disease by 4% and the risk of stroke by 6%....

Research suggests that there are other health benefits too, including delaying the development of cataracts, reducing the symptoms of asthma, improving bowel function, and helping to manage diabetes

All women of childbearing age are recommended to increase their consumption of foods naturally rich in folate and foods fortified with folic acid… Women who are trying to conceive or who are likely to become pregnant are advised to take a daily 400microgram supplement of folic acid until the 12th week of pregnancy.

As well as the direct health benefits, eating fruit and vegetables can help to achieve other dietary goals including increasing fibre intake, reducing fat intake, help maintain a healthy weight, and substituting for foods with added sugars.

The reason why fruit and vegetables are so beneficial is because of their array of compounds. As well as vitamins and minerals, fruit and vegetables also contain many complex plant components (called phytochemicals). Some of the vitamins and phytochemicals are also antioxidants, destroying free radicals in the body. These free radicals are known to have a role in causing cancer….

It appears that the benefits of fruit and vegetables stem not only from the individual components, but also from the interactions between these components. Dietary supplements containing isolated vitamins or minerals do not appear to have the same beneficial effects as fruit and vegetables themselves.…’

So, my summary is, that the aim was to include in the 5 a day, those foods which contain vitamins, minerals and cancer-fighting antioxidants.:T
More on anti-cancer foods here

So we need to eat a diet that’s very high in cancer-fighting antioxidants. And they all come mostly from our 5 a day. Right? Well, no, not really! :rolleyes:;)One of the very best sources of antioxidants which fight cancer Isn’t mentioned in out 5 a day at all! Drum roll please, anyone for a nice cup of tea!

‘American Dietetic Association revealed that tea provides more flavonoid antioxidants than any other food or beverage in the US diet. Other studies presented at the conference indicated that tea flavonoid antioxidants might provide a myriad of health benefits, including reduced risk for heart disease, control of metabolic syndrome and blood glucose regulation as well as some emerging neuroprotective effects.’ More here:



Teas: Green Tea and Black tea contain certain antioxidants known as polyphenols (catechins) which appear to prevent cancer cells from dividing. Green tea is best, followed by our more common black tea (herbal teas do not show this benefit). These polyphenols that are abundant in green tea, red wine and olive oil, may protect against various types of cancer. Dry green tea leaves, which are about 40% polyphenols by weight, may also reduce the risk of cancer of the stomach, lung, colon, rectum, liver and pancreas, study findings have suggested.

Don’t be too concerned if, like me, all you have is black tea, because this shows that it’s probably just as good!;)

So given that there’s not that much antioxidant in out 5 a day, unless you eat copious quantities of soya beans and black grapes ( we could all do a trial on red wine? Oh, I think some of you have started already!!!)

Why then can’t we include the spud? It has 3 times the vitamin C in carrots and matches it for all the ‘B’ vitamins, only vitamin A looks much worse when you compare a carrot to a potato, but carrots are a superb source of Vit A, hence the ‘helps you see in the dark’ myth beloved of old wives and their tales!:j

Again I’ve abbreviated this from the original source:
‘For example, potatoes have about 620 mg of potassium-that's more than a banana. Potassium is essential to the body because of its role in attaining optimal muscle performance and improving the nerves' response to stimulation. Iron, essential in helping the body convert food to energy as well as resist infection, is also present….

One would expect potatoes to have minerals, as they spend their life underground. But potatoes are also a great source of vitamins, even supplying vitamin C…essential to help maintain healthy connective tissue and heal wounds…also good sources of B vitamins, helping the body make healthy red blood cells and amino acids.

Potatoes contain no fat or cholesterol and minimal sodium. What they do have is natural fiber in the skins, all those vitamins and minerals. And a six-ounce potato contains 3 grams of highly digestible protein, almost as much as half a glass of milk, making it a great foundation for a whole meal.’

Now perhaps I should reveal my keenness to include spuds, at the moment, with a 2.5kg bag of spuds at 73p, that's only 2p to get one of your 5 a day! Second only to sultanas for bang for your buck!!:money:

So, I’ll get off my podium now and let debate commence!!!!:D


Love Weezl x

In_Search_Of_Me

Is this a good time to tell you that the spuds are poking out?!! The beans, alas, seem to have sunburn but mum thinks they may survive! I have a Greek recipe book (library) which seems to have alot of yummy summery recipes - if anyone wants sommat in particular let me know & I'll see whats in! Also ice cream books which, as mum points out, prob isnt the best idea for one tryng to loose weight. Banoffee ice cream recipe anyone?!!

BigMummaF

Sorry folks, but as siggy implies...I'm not that technically minded....so if blog is IT for an on-line diary, I have to say I'm flattered that you think it would make an interesting read:p Truth be told, if I committed to print the sort of things I get up to each & every day, you'd think I was a script writer for a grotty day-time soap:rotfl:only with better story-lines:rotfl: :rotfl: but still not believable!:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Anyhoo......to get back to the plot......I was in my little thinking room----ok it's the loo but my best ideas are formulated in there when I had a bit of an Arcemedes[sp!] re: the CoolBag situation. :rolleyes: If you had x amount of carrier bags; put one inside the other to make--oh say--a sandwich of six?; then put sheets of newspaper between each carrier bag.. ..would that work? Some bottles of humble Adam's Ale frozen the night before would be the ice packs.....cuz I'm of an age when I can remember coming home from the shops with a newspaper parcel that contained a block of ice cream.

Like I said...one of my weird & whacky solutions, but in true Ceridwen fashion, I am only thinking laterally:p

shaz_mum_of__2

I think your right weezl

I used to work for a gov funded org that promoted healthy eating

They are scared to call potato a veg because some people will just eat 5 portions chips a day thats why only 1 glass of orange juice counts and that baked beans no longer count

There are people who would just eat chips and beans and fruit juce 3 times a day and say they are healthy eating and i have met them ..................

Some think Variety is having fish with your chips instead of pie ..........

Potatoes will continue to be a source of debate on this issue

I am with you though weezl


Shaz

ifonlyitwaseasier

morning,

i'm making some chook liver pate later, so i'll try and price it and i'll post my recipe up for you. i've already made the weetabix cake recipe from on here and its lovely!!!!!

oh and i have started a blog planning it to be mainly food topics but i'll see how i go. (please be gentle if you comment)

i've linked to yours Ceridwen, hope you don't mind :rolleyes:

In_Search_Of_Me

IOIWE where is a linky to ye bloggy?!! Just looked you up on profile but no linky but realised you can stalk people & know what theyre looking at which, to me, is kinda creepy - esp in a great for strange people kinda way!! eeewww! I have a blog but havent used it for so long they prob kicked me off by now! Dont even know the address!! Interesting to see the chages in my life as I go from hase to phase! Weezl there are also photies of the plot when I first got it so will try & find it so you an see the "improvements!!"

catnap53

Totally agree about the potato. I had the discussion with my teenagers last week. They couldn't see why potatoes didn't count as long as they are very much a vegetable! I can see why it might be 5 portions of chips that gets them the chop.

The vit C is mostly just under the skin, the bit that is often thrown away, and is pretty much destroyed by cooking anyway, so perhaps it is the fact that they take a long time to cook unless fried (i.e. not the healthiest way) that they are omitted.

Vitamin C is extremely difficult to retain once the product has been exposed to the air or high tempertaures. We did an experiment measuring it in cabbage when I was at college. We had four samples, one had been boiled, one we cut up and left while we went for lunch, one we cut up with a knife just before we tested it, and one we tore the leaves by hand.

The ones that were boiled or left for a while had no vit C in it, the one that we cut had some, but the highest was the one we tore. This is because a knife cuts into the individual cells exposing the vit c to the air and allowing it to disolve into the water. Tearing them follows the outline of the cells leaving them intact.

This was a long time ago, but still always tear anything with leaves if I can.

Perhaps it is also the normal portion size (I would suggest weight for weight usually more that carrots or peas is served) and their relatively high carbohydrate content that causes potatoes to be overlooked, not that I am against carbs.

We were told at school that fish, chips and peas was a well balanced meal, protein in fish, healthy carbs and vitamins in the potato and peas, and fat in the frying.

So can we reinstate the potato, as long as we only count one portion a day and cook it healthily?

Petition to No 10?

Zzzzz

weezl74

catnap53 wrote: »

So can we reinstate the potato, as long as we only count one portion a day and cook it healthily?

Petition to No 10?

Zzzzz

hear hear! Welcome catnap, nice to have you on board!!:T

Shaz, going back to your question a while ago, I've been finding out quite a few symptoms in children which can be made loads worse by having less than enough essential fatty acids. These include dyslexia, dyspraxia, autistic spectrum disorders, ADD and ADHD. Also general sugar cravings and hyperactivity without attention deficit...

Was that the kind of thing you meant, and would you like a list including foods high in essential fatty acids?!;)

Love Weezl x