Nostalgia

What they dont include are other factors to our health sitting in one warm room with out heating in the rest of the house because heating is so expensive now when going from a warm room to a cold room hardens the arteries.

Stress is the number one killer most of us suffer lots of stress now especially with mostly work and no play like years ago at least there was time for going out enjoying our selves now its work , shop , house work then back to work no time for going out unless your single and in a good job or at holiday time thats if you can afford one. Stress for people on benefits because not enough work jobs about that can pay a lifes living or disabled not knowing when you could become homeless because they can stop your money at any time .

How many more cars and heavy traffic on our roads poluting our air we breathe in causing cancers even unleaded petrol the cars need to get to work because most jobs now are not local causing lack of exercise unlike years ago where we would walk or cycle to work.

Stress for oap or low paid workers with children a choice to eat or freeze not able to afford to eat and heat the home so unable to eat a healthy diet or keep warm which the children will suffer illness later in life we have a very cruel government yet send money to warm countries who grow plenty of food like Africa yet that money goes on 14 new 4x4s for their police not the bee farmers as intended. Or other countries where the aid goes to wealthy people to buy soort cars while our children suffer.

Cheese during wwii was the number 1++ food to eat even posters were put out for this stating this now doctors and specialist say not to eat it its bad for the hesrt and hardens arteries yet they say a european diet is better yet the French Dutch eat cheese often in their diets.

Then the egg scare eggs which gives us vitamin D they have built houses on all fields even some school play grounds where we use to play out in to get our vitamin D now they are building even on our green belts even less places to play or exersise . Now any out door activity comes at an expensive cost even climbing a tree its illegal and you get an ASBO a criminal record yet which we did often as children and is good exersise to especially stretching.

How many extra jobs have they created sitting at desks now and games sitting at home because they have taken away every thing off the streets for children because they cant police the street like they use to and manual work has declined dramatically. yet doctors say sitting long periods of time is very bad for you.

Now we have forced grown food un like years ago additives put in to food making people fat its the manufactures the government should be tackling not the public we can only eat the foods they produce and we can nt control what ingredients they choose to put in. They put hydrogenerated oil in breads margerines cakes all sorts which on specialist on tv said is a killer especial for the heart he said you might as well eat a whole block of lard it causes heart disease and cancers and is what makes us fat some times disquised as vegtable fat.

Years ago a take away was fish and chips once a week if you were lucky how many varieties of take aways are there now all fattening which some ingredients in currys can harm you or even kill if you have allergies.

Our bottles of sauces milk water were contained in glass bottle now contained in plastic bottles or glass jars which causes cancers especially if not kept cold storing it also plastic s causing ocean polution which has now gone into the fish in the ocean and we now are told only eat fis twice a week because of the fish eating the plactic.

Have to confess that I now eat "sensibly" because my OH is diabetic 2. Sugar is not an essential as I once thought though I do indulge in the occasional Fruit and Nut. However even that doesn't taste as good as it used to. (Must be me!)

I take vitamins because I believe in them, especially in Vitamin C. Friends used to scoff, but quite a few have come round to my way of thinking. Perhaps it's all in the mind. I don't care! If it works for me, I take it.

The world has changed and I am glad I lived in much happier decades.

Eirlys the chocolate is different now as they make it from palm oil which my. daughter and I can no longer eat especially Cadburys as it causes us both stomach ache. A little but of what you fancy dies you good all in moderation.

We're lucky to be able to buy whatever vitamins we need in easy tablet form. I take 2 vitamin D every day to make up for the lack of sunshine :)

We eat plain. Still have meat and two veg on Sunday, leftovers on Monday and possibly Tuesday, homemade fruit crumble made with butter and oats, sweetened with concentrated apple juice for Sunday pud and usually fresh fruit on other days. . Never eat ready meals and avoid anything processed where possible. There is no need to eat the mass produced stuff and it is usually cheaper to make your own as well. I read the ingredients list on the packaging if in doubt.

If people stopped buying the rubbish food they would stop selling it. I heard of a child the other day who didn't know chips were made from potatoes, heaven help us.
3d, agree with you re Cadburys - I stopped buying it when they were taken over - they promised not to change recipes but they were lying.

My husband and I try to eat sensibly and as he's the Chef since we both retired, our meals are usually well balanced. However, that's not to say we don't now and again indulge in what isn't supposed to be good for us. My OH loves pork dripping on fresh bread or even pork scratchings to nibble. As for myself, chocolate is a big down fall. Other than that I a have to watch what I eat due to health problems. Nevertheless, Yorkshire puddings filled with beef stew. Jacket potatoes baked until their skins are crisp and filled with a big pat of butter. Meat and Potato pie...ah, maybe winter isn't so bad after all!!

Think back to what our Grandparents ate and it was mainly stodge! Loads of fat, on any meat they had, butter, dripping, suet. Yet they weren't more unhealthy than we are today. Is it because they had a more basic lifestyle? Hard work farming, mining and such like, shivering in the winters burns calories and as they say you get two warmings out of firewood, once when you cut and chop it and once when you burn it. Nowadays houses are sealed and hopefully most people have heating, so no shivering, but what have we sealed inside with us? Plastics leach into foods and water, there is always something about bottled water being unsafe - and when did water in the tap stop being drunk and everyone take to bottles?

I still eat like my mum bought us up cooking from scratch fresh veg and fruit occationally and still drink water from taps never plastic bottles which you need to shake prior to drinking if not it damages your kidneys . I try to keep to buying in glass bottles and glass jars where needed as said above our parents and grand parents lived longer than people today especially the poor who are dying younger neither parents or grand parent had vacinations either nor visited doctors much as they could nt afford to pay them in my case of my family .

Interesting comments, thank you. Honeysuckle, I do agree with you, re plastic. When I buy milk, as soon as I open the bottle I empty it into a glass jug as after it is opened the air reacts with the plastic & the milk is tainted. People buy it in litre size or bigger & then take a long time to use it all up & all the while it is in the horrid plastic container. I would prefer to buy any liquid in a glass bottle. We could take them back to the store fore reuse. You are right also about the changes in life style that also effect our diet. I'm
sure we burnt up all th extra calories before we had central heating & also were more active in our jobs. Mind you I was a gardener, so perhaps that's why I'm still thin & mobile(80 next year, oops)! Thanks for all your comments 3D. All that plastic in the sea really bothers me. What are we doing to our beautiful planet.

Yes very worring Feverfew I cant understand why plastic tubs bottles etc are used so much when glass as had been used prior for years and re usable and can be recycled cleaner to I often wondered plastic being easly scratched and germs can set in compared to glass bottles is the cause of so many baby deaths now when years ago it was breast fed or glass bottles fed.

Isn't it nice when we all agree about something, lol! I tried drinking water from a bottle once when that's all there was but couldn't get the hang of it - had to unscrew the cap ;~).

I had a mother and two grandmothers who made lovely home made food. Never bought anything. Beryl also liked cooking things (when she was able to do it)
I hate cooking. I'd rather be in the garden or doing one of my drawings/water colours. We often manage on something shoved into the microwave :D
It's not the same ...

What an interesting blog and comments. As for cooking from scratch, I think a lot of people don't know how to. When I went to school, we still had cookery lessons and were taught how to cook a proper meal. When my daughter went, (she is 28), they never cooked anything other then maybe cakes, biscuits and "fun things". I taught her how to cook from scratch. I would make say homemade pizzas when she was very little and she would help me knead the dough and when she got older, as I was a single working mum, I would get her to help do dinner. She now will even buy whole chickens and cut it into portions as it is cheaper that way. Now her partner, who is the same age, doesn't know how to cook anything. When she went to uni, she lived off chesse sandwiches as she is a vegetarian. I tend now to batch cook, then freeze leftovers into portions for those days when I want a quick prepared meal.

Hywel, what did we do before microwaves...a wonderful invention! I don't care for cooking either. I quite envy people who love doing fancy recipes - like you I would rather be out in the garden so our stuff tends to be basic. If I roast whole chicken at the weekend we have have it fresh with three or four veg, cold with salad, cold with hot veg and reheated gravy, bits of what's left with pasta (I do buy pasta sauce...) and finally what's left goes in the slow cooker for stock. Thats five very easy meals from one biggish local chicken, and not a lot of cooking (or expense!)involved.
Though you can feel a bit over chickened by the end of the weed and ready for some red meat...

At my school the only ones who did cookery were those not doing languages or science and so had more time, and the rest missed out.. But I think modern school cookery uses a lot of convenience food which is a shame.

I did laugh Stera when I read your bit about drinking from a bottle! I've never got the hang of it either and try to drink as if it's a cup, much to the amusement of my OH and Son. Also agree with you about the chicken and how it stretches, amazing how many meals you can get from a chicken, shame that the youngsters don't get taught how to do things from scratch these days. I know that everything is for convenience these days, but buying sachets to make Yorkshire Puddings - really!!!
Glad to hear that you are still fully mobile Feverfew, jealous that you are still slim, now if I could only lose that 'pod' I have I would be happy.

Agree Honeysuckle - have you ever read the ingredients on eg a sponge cake mix? It really is a con.

I lost a stone and a half through not eating when I was ill. I look much better weight wise but much older and wrinklier and have no energy even though I'm eating again. Be plump and happy!

Hi, just read this and had a good laugh, I too hate cooking, unfortunately my wife can no longer do any cooking or housework, today I've made a beef stew in the slow cooker, used rump steak, then looked at the recipe which said stewing steak, so wasted some money there, but the carrots, onions and mushrooms are pretty cheap [and so was the beef stew mix] just needs some potatoes and veg, and we have a meal for 2 days.
When my granddaughter was at school, they had 'cookery lessons' 1 of which was to prepare a pizza and cook it, she bought a ready made base, got all the other ingredients, assembled them on the ready made base, and got an 'A'star, what is the world coming to, Derek.

Interesting blog and comments - I always cooked everything from scratch, but now, after a death in my immediate family, there's no one else to cook for, so I've almost given it up. I never liked cooking much years ago,and I seem to have gone back to that now, though I'll probably cook a bit more in the winter, if for no other reason than something to fill up the long dark hours. I still like a good bacon sandwich though... and butter, never did switch to margarine, disgusting stuff.

I remember cookery lessons, but I only recall making a swiss roll, cakes, biscuits and being expected to bone a fish, not an actual meal, so I learned to cook as an adult, not at school.

Cadbury's chocolate - yes,they've changed the recipes, and no, its not the same.

As for plastic, I read last week that environmentalists and health professionals are worried because the air we breathe is 72% contaminated with invisible plastic particles. Actually I think it was 73%, but we were better than other places - parts of Europe were up to 85% - in America, it's 99% saturation. So it's not just the sea that's contaminated, we're eating it in our food, and we're breathing it in... Fleece has a lot to answer for - the fibres break down and contaminate rivers and ground water too, so its one of the worst things for producing these invisible nano particles.

But you know what - there's no point worrying about it, it is what it is... its there and we can't change that now. I recommend a hot chocolate and some nice home made biscuits...or a snifter or two, depending on your preference. Either way, eat, drink and be as merry as you can!

Cheers everybody!

Maybe today is time to bottle up the sloe gin that's been on the go since last year and have a little snifter, of course only in the interest of making sure it's ok :-).

Of course... but maybe sample it a bit later in the day;-)))

Glad you've all lightened up, we can end on a cheerful note.? Cheers everyone.
I put on the poem as a bit of fun,but I'm glad it stimulated a discussion on the state of our environment & our eating habits.

There's some sense behind the apple a day thing - pectin in apples binds to lead in the body, so it passes through, apparently. If only I could eat them... I do, but cooked, not raw. So not all old wives' tales are nonsense!