Full Fat Milk and Butter are now OK
After years of telling us to eat ‘spreads’, the food police now say it’s OK to eat Butter – and in fact full-fat milk is probably better for us than skimmed !
All very complicated, but making for healthier foods. And proving the more natural the food, the better for us. Currently the public is waking up to what is happening to our milk. Does it really matter if we pay a proper price for milk, if that enables British herds to feed on grass outdoors – rather than be kept inside, on concrete floors, and fed an artificially-made diet ?
So what else is now OK eat ?
Eggs – up to approx four a week, but try and ensure they are free-range.
Chicken – if you have ever smelt a battery farm, you wouldn’t want to eat the product. Free Range poultry has come down in price, and often genuinely tastes better.
Red Meat – recommended 3 – 4 ozs 3 – 4 times a week If possible buy from a Butcher who knows his own stuff – often it is no more expensive than from a supermarket, you get amusing banter when buying, and often good tips for cooking. And they are bound to sell meat that is grass-fed, not ‘battery farmed’.
Fish – more and more is now farmed; if possible look for Organic farmed fish like salmon, as it will have more space in which to live in the fish pens.
Fruit and Veg. The recommendation to eat 5-a-day was probably started as a clever marketing ploy, but it turns out to be good advice. And apparently frozen is all right. Although the jury is out on Organics, if your fruit and veg are grown this way, you are sure that you don’t have to wash off clinging pesticides.
Yoghurt – look very carefully at pack information, but advice is that full-fat is probably better.
Game – Venison, Pheasant, Partridge, Grouse etc. in season (Autumn/Winter). If you don’t have a Butcher that sells this, some supermarkets now stock it in the frozen section. It’s lower in calories, and generally fully organic.
Chocolate – IN MODERATION! is good for the heart, as long as it is dark (that’s 65 – 70% content), and then only a couple of squares.
What’s not so good ?
Processed Meat – Sausages, salami, bacon, ham (including Parma, Serrano, etc) have a very high salt content, and you can’t be sure what is in them. If you must eat sausages, get them from a Butcher who makes his own, so you can ask what he puts in. If you are looking for convenience, why not buy half a chicken from a supermarket rotisserie.
Fruit Juice – commercial brands contain a huge amount of sugar. If you can’t live without your breakfast juice, look carefully at labelling to see how much sugar is included. And if you can’t make out what is meant by wording, most supermarkets have a helpline or help desk who can tell you.
Avoid ready-prepared meals out of the frozen cabinet. They usually contain lots of sugar (yes, it ‘enhances’ the flavour of meat), salt, emulsifiers, and other nasties. If you can’t live without spaghetti bolognese, cottage pie etc., think about buying a kilo of best mince from your butcher, gently fry it up with onions and seasoning, slug in a good dollop of tomato ketchup (one without too much sugar) and freeze in meal-size portions. Then it is quicker, and cheaper, to boil up the pasta, heat up one of your of your frozen packs, and you have a quick and healthy meal,