The value of food.

Where to begin? The latest report aiming to reduce obesity has been published and raises so many issues in my mind. The constant eating any time of day, anywhere; families not sitting at a table for meals; ultra processed food has become the norm; doctors are to prescribe fruit and vegetables as medecine……. what on earth has gone wrong with our diet? Lord Woolton did a wonderful job during World War 2 when the population was constrained by rationing but became so much healthier. There have been numerous attempts to address this crisis in the last 20 years but all have failed due to lack of government support and resistance from the food industry. Yet again a tax on salt and sugar will probably be vetoed. We need to understand what goes into our processed food and, generally speaking, if you don’t recognise an ingredient or can’t pronounce it’s name then it’s likely you don’t need to be eating that food. Improvements in the teaching of food studies in school would go a long way to helping the crisis, meanwhile we can all do our best to influence those around us and encourage their healthy eating habits. By the way, “The Value of Food” is a brilliant book written by Patty Fisher and Arnold Bender and it contains pretty much all anyone needs to know about nutrition and healthy eating. My edition is dated 1975, but it’s probably available somewhere !