Foods that *seem* healthy but are not...

[Janie]

I'm agreeing with pretty much everything in here . Margarine, diet stuff, almost all cereals, anything marketed as being 'fruit-based, so therefore healthy'. We only have porridge or Vita Brits, although DH sometimes likes Special K . I was ropeable yesterday because 'someone' at MILs birthday party (I don't know who, no one fessed up) gave DS three glasses of orange juice!!!! Not happy Jan!

Ange, I would love your muffin recipe too, please!

ETA Thanks, I took too long to press post LOL. Yep, Soy is evil and in everything, it drives me nuts!!!!!!

[Nelle]

Dips? I have my suspicions that it probably is best to make your own...I hope I'm wrong.

To be honest, I'm not toooo fussed on fat and sugars, it's the chemicals and preservatives that I'm wary of. I can work off fat, burn off sugar, but what can my body do with chemicals?

I do roll my eyes at the fat free stuff loaded with sugar...we need to remember what our bodies turn excess sugars into!

[Pretty Butterfly]

Dips? I have my suspicions that it probably is best to make your own...I hope I'm wrong.

I'm not sure if dip is actually bad or not, but its yummier and cheaper to make your own!!
Today the kids took carrot, celery and cucumber sticks with dip. The dip was half mayo, half sour cream, tiny dash onion salt & garlic salt.
Sometimes I throw in a little French onion soup mix, but I dont think thats too good either....

[Inanna]

Well I am unashamedly a good food nazi! Like some others have said I love a fresh white cob/frenchstick very occasionally... But as Pony said it's not food that you eat & try & kid yourself that it's healthy.

I have to say neither is corned meat! Commercial corned meat is so full of nitrates and salts that it's a coronaries best mate! You can buy it without nitrates but it's still full of salt. It was one of my favourite meats - until I realised what I was eating...

I buy St Dalfours fruit spread. It has no sugar in it. It's just fruit, grapejuice concentrate & fruit pectin. I too used to make my own jam but I couldn't cope with all the sugar. I wonder if there is a recipe for sugarless jam??? Anyone???

[Janie]

Deb, I love the St Dalfours fruit spread, it's delish! And such yummy flavours. We pretty much only have that or homemade. I am an absolute sugar nazi but I personally think that sugarless jam is probably just like having dried out stewed fruit, not really jam at all .

[Rooey5]

Mum usually soaks her corned beef overnight to draw out a bit of salt, she only gets it from the local butcher who sells meat from local farms. I agree though Inanna, it is still salty! It's a special occasion dinner for us, like Christmas

[Inanna]

The nitrates are even worse than the salt!

[Astrid]

ooh, yes, another one here who is not happy about the use of soy in food.

[Rooey5]

Dad used to cook a big pot of porridge in a slow-cooker overnight so we'd have creamy yummy porridge when we woke up for brekky Otherwise I think we just had Weet Bix and Shredded Wheat. I loved Shredded Wheat! But then we found out I'm gluten intolerant

I agree with the juice rants, I'd much rather eat a piece of fruit than drink a glass of juice.

[Indadhanu]

I can work off fat, burn off sugar, but what can my body do with chemicals?

LOVE IT! So true! Nothing 'diet' or 'lite' in this house, better to eat the real stuff in moderation than overload on the fat-free chemical-crap.

We do drink a lot of coke though Not listening to the evils, its my weakness....

[C~Q]

Wow this thread is so interesting.

I think somebody mentioned Nutella? I couldn't believe it when I moved over here and it was being adverstised as a heathy breakfast option!!! Although it prob is better than chock full of sugar jams and things (I eat toast with lime marmalade every morning *hide*).

[Rooey5]

CQueen, I love marmalade, too!

[Phteven]

I don't mind nutella. I don't think it's any worse than jam or marmalade. We get it once a month or so, at least it has a relatively low GI.
Nelle, ITA that it's not fat and sugar that suck so much as the chemicals. I'm happy to let my children have juice if they want it, they drink lots of water too so the the odd glass of juice isn't going to hurt them.

[Bathsheba]

I agree with pretty much everything in this thread. My blood boils everytime I go to a supermarket. There is so very little real food in Coles and Safeway/Woolies these days. Even the Health Food aisle is full of sugary crap. I said as much to DH last weekend. He said "Huh?" and picked up the closest thing: a sesame bar... and then nodded... full of sugar... it shouldn't have been in the "Health" food aisle!!!

I once said in BB that a jam sandwich made on white bread is junk food and a few members absolutely cracked it claiming that it was a perfectly normal thing to pack for lunch. Normal... but healthy??? I still disagree.

One thing that hasn't been stated in this thread yet is sliced deli meats. I catagorise them as a poor quality food. Full of salt and cereal fillers and a ****tail of preservatives.

I'm not demonising any particular food... i'm demonising the ignorance. Of course processed foods come through our kitchen... but gradually I am trying to move us away from our dependance on them. Most recently we have started a vegie garden. This has already had a big effect on our daily eating habits. For example: instead of sending my kids to school with vegemite sandwiches I go outside and pick some fresh baby spinach leaves and use them with a bit of mayo... they love it!