Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
#1
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#2
saw the title and thought you had experienced a "road to damascus" moment, the reds would have welcomed you with open arms. i read that article and thought it was just a political game. children love those cereals and any tax would not stop parents buying them to keep their offspring happy.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
#3
About time too. Hopefully they'll be banning alcohol before too long. The damage that does to the body is immense.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,931
#4
Peter and Howard you forgot to mention that other dangerous substance that is at very high levels in so many processed foods.......... Salt.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
#5
Jan, just pause to think how much sugar people put in their tea/ on their cornflakes/ in a cake; and then consider how that amount of salt would affect the flavour of their egg and chips. And yes, I think processed foods should be subject to VAT, as they are on the continent.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#6
yassar arafat described sugar and salt as the twin evils, he must have forgotten about israel when he said it.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
#7
Read this if you can find a copy. It's hard to find because the sugar industry has bought and destroyed most copies.
http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780241965283,00.htmlI'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#8
It seems a bit odd that this couldn't be done when they were in power, but have seen the light now they are in opposition.
I do agree though that processed food has far too much sugar, salt and fat.
Roger
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
#9
Trust Roger to make it political!!!!
now the issue could have come from Labour, the cobbled togther govt who ever
the content is more important than who raised it
small footnote
don't think labour would welcome peter
but just my humble view
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 687- Registered: 2 Jun 2009
- Posts: 513
#10
As someone of advanced years who absolutely adores both sugar and salt I do wish others would stop trying to interfere in my lifestyle choices. I don't advocate increasing taxes on alcohol and cigarettes,neither of which I use, so please stop decrying my choice of diet. In fact I challenge those who infer sugar and salt to be detrimental to good health to compare their physical wellbeing to my own.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
#11
Interesting point Ken
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
#12
You may not press for increases to the taxation of alcohol and tobacco, but neither do you promote that they should be tax free Ken. In any case we all may adore this and that without having the object of our affections rule our lives.
No matter right or wrong, it is a long established principle in law-making, and taxation especially, in the UK to attempt to affect the habits of the population through increasing the tax on certain consumables.
I have known long term heroine addicts that hold down jobs, make a decent fist of parenting and that are no closer to thieving than anyone else. Could/should this be an argument for the increased use of that drug?
It is not only the increase in the availability and consumption of processed foods, but the trend in the food industry away from offering foodstuffs in their raw state that is driving the consumer away from knowledge of preparation and cooking, driving away knowing from where food comes from too.
The so-called food industry no longer exists to feed the population, but more and more to simply make as much profit as it can, in any way it can. Pumping sub-standard fare with sugar/salt/MSG and much else, to not only make it palatable, not only to make it taste, but also to make it more-ish.
We are in real danger of turning thousands of years of food knowledge and awareness into a Soylent Green of wholesomeness.
Our best weapon against this is to eat to live and not to live to eat.
I have not yet found anywhere that advocates a sugar only diet, but I did find this, and it is something to be going along with...
146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health
http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htmIgnorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 687- Registered: 2 Jun 2009
- Posts: 513
#13
My salt and sugar intake is not by way of processed food but by the very simple act of adding it myself.No processed food enters this house as all food is fresh and vegetarian based, aalthough I will succomb to egg and bacon Mcmuffins and frigadellas whilst in Germany.
We all should all bear in mind that anything entering our bodies,be it food or drugs, is personnally a lifestyle choice and should not be influenced or manipulated by others.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
#14
As far a processed food is concerned, and as things stand with it. The consumer IS most definitely manipulated to the nth degree.
I am with you Ken, let us not manipulate out fellow country-persons. Let us then ban all food advertising and fancy packaging.
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
#15
Ken, sugar as we buy it is the very epitome of highly processed food.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 687- Registered: 2 Jun 2009
- Posts: 513
#16
Cheers Peter for making my day, I have always aimed for the highest epitomi in everything I do.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
#17
Ready meal salt survey - full table of findings
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/webpage/saltreadymeals#.UOmStPl_Ub8
Please note that the salt mentioned is
per portion, not the whole pack.
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
#18
"Rest in peace George McGovern
Former Senator (D-SD) George McGovern died yesterday at age 90.
His accomplishments as a Senator and statesmen were legion, many of them strongly connected to food politics.
As I mentioned in 2009 when I gave the state department's annual George McGovern lecture in Rome, he chaired the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs from 1968-1977. This committee greatly expanded food assistance programs and then developed the first federal guidelines for chronic disease prevention: Dietary Goals for the U.S.
In Food Politics, I described the work of this strongly bipartisan committee (Bob Dole was its lead Republican member) and how it did so much to improve the lives of women and children living in poverty in the United States, and of poor people throughout the world.
The committee also broke new ground in shifting nutrition education from a focus on eating more of a variety of foods to eating less of foods that increased risks for chronic disease..."
Also something from the Lancet of January 2012
http://www.foodpolitics.com/tag/dietary-guidelines/Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
#19
5 shocking things we eat every day
"Arsenic
Many of us view rice as a pretty safe, healthy food; however, studies have suggested that it may also contain unsafe levels of the toxic substance arsenic. One study has suggested that one in five packs of American long-grain rice contain potentially harmful levels of the toxic substance, while others have reported concern for the levels of arsenic in rice milk and baby rice. In fact, according to tests by Consumer Reports, those who ate rice had 44 per cent greater levels of arsenic in their bodies than those who had not. While there is relatively little risk of the odd bowl of rice causing any long lasting harm, the popular grain may be best enjoyed in moderation if reports are to be believed.
Insects
Most of us wouldn't class insects as a component of our diets; however, you may be eating more of them than you think, as well as your fair share of rodent hair over the years. Surprisingly, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows for "natural defects" in food by permitting a certain amount of bugs and rodent hair to be present in food products. For example, chocolate products may contain an average of 60 insect fragments and one rodent hair per 100g, while citrus fruit juice can contain one maggot per 250ml.
Lead
Ladies, how often have you applied your lipstick in the morning only to find your glossy pout has faded within a matter of hours? While some of your makeup will inevitably smear off on objects throughout the day, apparently the average woman also eats a whopping four to nine pounds of lipstick in her lifetime! As a 2004 study revealed that up to 28 per cent of lipsticks contain chemicals that can cause cancer and a 2007 study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that more than 50 per cent of lipstick brands contained lead, this may be bad news for our health. To cut down your consumption of lead and look after your health, try switching to natural, organic brands of lipstick.
Wood
From cooking utensils to tables and chairs, wood is an essential ingredient of many of our must-have items. However, did you know it is also a component of a large amount of the foods we eat? Cellulose (wood pulp) is increasingly added to processed foods to thicken foods, add texture and replace more expensive ingredients like flour and oil. While there are no reported health problems associated with consuming cellulose, it may come as a surprise to many that they are regularly splashing their cash on food products bulked out with wood.
48 teaspoons of sugar
While many of us make a conscious effort to limit the amount of sugar in our diets, research has shown that even if you steer clear of obvious sources of sugar such as desserts and chocolate, you may still be eating well over the recommended maximum sugar intake. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, food companies have been increasing the sugar content of processed foods to make them more appetising, meaning that many are unaware of just how much they are eating. The study showed that some of us are unknowingly eating up to 46 teaspoons a day, increasing risk of health conditions including heart disease. "
http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/5-shocking-things-eat-day-090000451.html Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
#20
The dangers of salt in people's diets is a complete and utter myth as is passive smoking, global warming, cholesterol in eggs, too much coffee, too little coffee, wine is good, wine is bad. There is a scare story with food every day and it's all tosh.
Health fascists revel in this kind of thing - it's a proxy for mass control. When they have no power to control people in one way they choose other ways like food or other lifestyle choices.