Free fruit and vegetables

[Jayne]

Had a quick search for any stats linking obesity and income - there is a report on the FSA website but it doesn't show much.

 

Other interesting facts here

 

http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/healthiereating/promotion/promofacts/

 

here is an article about the vouchers

 

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,1149471,00.html

[Phanerothyme]

some diet/income related stats. Obesity, when not a glandular disorder, is fequently linked to a poor quality diet (sat fats, HVP, HVO etc)

Social factors

 

The individual's choice of food is affected in a number of ways including:

• food adverts
  
• place where the shopping is done, ie convenience stores will have less choice of foods than supermarkets
  
• people with busy lifestyles or poor cooking facilities will eat convenience, easy to cook foods or takeaways
  
• foods which are associated with comfort are eaten in preference to foods which are not pleasant to eat.
  

Economic factors

 

In addition, surveys show low income people have a poor diet. Examples include:

• the national Food Survey 1991 (MAFF 1992a) showed the richest fifth of the population consume 70 per cent more fresh fruit, 20 per cent more green vegetables and 400 per cent more fruit juice than the poorest third
  
• another survey by the National Children's Home (NCH 1991) used 354 families from NCH centres to show relations between low income and poor diet. This found a direct relationship between lowest income and poorest diet 20 per cent of parents and 10 per cent of children had gone without food because of lack of money
  
• the Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British adults (Gregory et al 1990) showed that the dietary intakes of fibre, sugar, protein and vitamins tended to be higher among men and women in higher socio-economic groups than those in lower groups, but there was no consistent trend from group to group.
  

 

and as any fule kno, its not so much what you cut out as what you include, when to comes to a healthy balanced diet.

[max]

Originally posted by Phanerothyme

and as any fule kno, its not so much what you cut out as what you include, when it comes to a healthy balanced diet.

 

Surely that doesn't extend to sugar and salt?

[Mo]

Originally posted by Phanerothyme

 

But low income and obesity are closely correlated. Anyone care to suggest causal links? Why do the poorer sections of society consistently choose the worst food from a weight perspective? Because it is more or less expensive than allegedly healthy food?

 

Cheap fruit and veg from a cheap greenogrocer will go off much more quickly. It is cheap for a reason. Cheap meat is likely to be fatty offcuts with hydrolysed animal protein injected into it to bulk it up.

 

The less money you spend on food, the poorer quality it is and vice versa (up to a point).

 

If you don't have much money, then the one other thing you are really short of is time. You must walk and wait for buses everywhere, use Launderettes, etc. Time is money.

 

And money is the time to spend 45 minutes preparing grilled seabream on a bed of rocket with a jus of red onion etc.

 

 

Perhaps many choose the worst food from a weight perspective because they can't be arsed to cook proper food or don't know how to cook proper food if their parents lived on convenience foods.

 

Fruit and veg from any greengrocer or supermarket is not expensive when compared to ready cook meals and burger type meals. I couldn't afford to live on convenience foods if I wanted to.

 

From your final comment I now know that you are taking the Michael.

[Phanerothyme]

Originally posted by max

Surely that doesn't extend to sugar and salt?

That wasn't an absolute there max.

 

its not so much what you cut out as what you include

 

Sugar is no problem apart from teeth, providing you exercise. Obviously the more refined it is (like any drug) the more dangerous and habit forming it becomes.

 

There is too much salt in processed food certainly. But the more fresh fruit and veg, lean meat, oily fish you eat the less time and appetite you will have for other things.

 

So exclusion as a result of inclusion is what I was getting at.

 

Also when it comes to fresh fruit and veg, it pays to eat as many different coloured ones as possible as this provides you with the best spread of flavinoids and trace elements.

[fnkysknky]

It makes sense to me - if you're on a budget you tend to eat higher energy foods because you can't afford as much. Being that vegetables aren't high energy then they tend to be left out.

[Phanerothyme]

Originally posted by Mo

Perhaps many choose the worst food from a weight perspective because they can't be arsed to cook proper food or don't know how to cook proper food if their parents lived on convenience foods.

 

Fruit and veg from any greengrocer or supermarket is not expensive when compared to ready cook meals and burger type meals. I couldn't afford to live on convenience foods if I wanted to.

 

From your final comment I now know that you are taking the Michael.

 

It was a serious point, badly put.

 

Money buys you time. And lack of time is one of the factors cited when people are asked why they do not, for example, always prepare meals from fresh, raw, high quality ingredients.

[max]

Originally posted by Phanerothyme

That wasn't an absolute there max.

 

 

 

Sugar is no problem apart from teeth, providing you exercise. Obviously the more refined it is (like any drug) the more dangerous and habit forming it becomes.

 

There is too much salt in processed food certainly. But the more fresh fruit and veg, lean meat, oily fish you eat the less time and appetite you will have for other things.

 

So exclusion as a result of inclusion is what I was getting at.

 

Also when it comes to fresh fruit and veg, it pays to eat as many different coloured ones as possible as this provides you with the best spread of flavinoids and trace elements.

 

Thanks for clearing that up. It was the point I was trying to make but I thought red rag to bull time 'cos phanny'll do it so much better.

[Fletch]

so is sugar a drug??

[venger]

Originally posted by Fletch

so is sugar a drug??

 

I am all for encouraging anyone to eat more fruit and veg.

 

I will take some vouchers please..

 

Is there a delivery service like Tesco and Somerfield also?