to think that having a packet of crisps a day is not healthy

[Badgerwife]

or am I being precious?

I was having this discussion after watching Britain's Favourite Supermarket Foods on tv with some friends yesterday, who all thought that having a packet a crisp a day was totally fine and clearly thought I was weird to think that it was totally unhealthy. I'll admit I was appalled surprised but this may be because I was brought up in France where you don't really eat crisps unless you're having a picnic, in fact, I'm not even sure you can buy individual packets. So it was a bit of a culture shock when I first moved to England when I realised it's a staple snack/lunch item.

Even now, I never have crisps in the house - unless I'm pregnant like now and I crave the salt content like crazy and they are moreish and delicious plus it's cheaper than my other craving which is McDonalds and way more shameful to admit to but then I worry about my cholesterol going up and clogged arteries with all the fat.

So AIBU?

Well, I personally will only eat potato for special occasions, and certain meals that "require" the good old spud.

I am not advocating that the entire world should stop eating potatoes. Just me.

But that is because I am in a high risk position to get a certain type of dementia which seems to be linked to high intake of potatoes and sugar.

The deep-frying process destroys nutrients. Even boiling destroys nutrients - that's why steaming is better than boiling.

I'm no massive healthy eating freak, I have eaten the best part of a packet of biscuits this evening, but at least be realistic. We eat a load of shit sometimes in this country and half the time, it's totally unnecessary.

The French might eat cheese and croissants but they have less than half the number of obese people we do. So they must be doing something right and I'd bargain that it's because cheese and so on actually fills you up and gives you some nutrients. Crisps and other junk food just don't so you need to eat more later.

Thanks Holy (Have learnt my lesson)

You confirmed my suspicion regards to the deep frying. Had forgotten why steaming was better than boiling.

See, my fears are not unfounded.

Quintessence I have no fucking idea about nutrition, I could be making this all up.

But I DO know wedding etiquette.

YANBU.

I reckon a bag of crisps a day is unhealthy too. But I have real problems not eating crisps because I find them very very addictive and moreish. I'm having a good day if I stop at one bag.

You could have fooled me!

www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2011/07/10/why-the-humble-spud-is-more-complex-than-a-human/

"THE DNA of the humble spud has been cracked by Scots scientists, who discovered it has twice as many genes as humans."

This thread is making me crave those bacon flavoured bugle crisps you get in French supermarkets.

I will eat cake, chocolates, doughnuts, sweets and cured meats all day long - and am paying the price for it now. But even I draw the line at crisps. They don't fill you up at all - they just leave you gasping for a drink and feeling faintly greasy and horrible.

thats not particularly true about frying destroying nutrients. It does ruin vit e, but is advantageous to b vitamins over steaming, for example.
Lazy, inaccurate, potato stereotyping.

Wedding etiquette? Did someone upstage the bride by wearing a dress made of crisps or something?

France has a high level of liver disease.

France's unhealthy statistics

The widespread perception of the French as a healthy nation is rapidly becoming outdated.

A government study, published this month, showed that France's male population has the highest level of cancer-related death of any country in the EU. Scientists concluded that the soaring death rate was directly attributable to the excessive consumption of tobacco and alcohol.

Figures showed that 20% more French men die from cancer each year than British,

I haven't read all the posts replying. Sometimes there's not much to say. Because. As. We. All. Know. Crisps. Are. Rubbish. Food. They are fast, processed food - oil and carbs. Its sad, chavvy food IMO.

That said, I do like as a little side dish with my posh salad dish .

And agree with Henry, they just leave you gasping for a drink and feeling faintly greasy and horrible. How true.

Yes how terribly common, these ghastly people probably eat sugar as well. Life without crisps would be life without any fun (or sugar), I couldn't disagree more and wonder why anyone cares what others eat

theodora I don't often eat crisps and I still have fun.

Nothing to do with what other people eat, I just want to be able to make the right choices for me.

But Donder you said in your own posts that those deaths are related to tobacco and alcohol, not diet. I'd guess the liver-related illnesses are also related to alcohol.

Well that's fine, make your choices. Personally I am utterly disinterested in what other randoms on a forum eat but question what motivates someone to make judgements on others is beyond me. Maybe it gives them a warm and fuzzy feeling to feel superior.

Maybe it does, I don't know, I don't feel superior to anyone and I'm certainly not placing some sort of moral value on food.

I do wonder why you're posting if you're not interested, however.

I am posting because I don't believe that my food choices are anyone elses business. I don't make up threads saying the sugar free lentilers are all twats making unintelligent decisions and don't see why a packet of crisps is a reason to patronise anyone else.

I am not even refering to you holyfool, just these smug little ops really irritate me. For gods sake, its a bag of crisps not a bag of crack

This thread is soooo weird!! I eat a packet of crisps or popcorn every day. At my last annual medical check up my bmi was 20, my resting heart rate was 49, good cholesterol was beyond the top of the range, bad cholesterol at the bottom of the range, and the assessment on heart was that if there were 100 people in a room, I would be the 97th to have a heart attack ( assuming everyone same age and sex). I wont be ditching the crisps as everything in moderation is the key and there are no bad foods. I get very cross when people say bad foods as children inadvertently end up hearing it and it is such a negative message.

I dont like crisps,my kids dont really like them either,my mum always brings loads of skips and wotsits down whenever she comes because shes convinced they are somehow being deprived,but they only ever eat 1 or 2 then just leave them lying around.

Its probably best not to eat them every day but im sure as part of a balanced diet its ok.

Have to point out though,that a lot of things people see as healthy i do raise an eyebrow at,like someone said oh my dd has a really healthy lunch she has a sandwich,crisps,yogurt and fruit....well if the sandwich is on white bread with a crap filling,the yogurt could be full of sugar and sweeteners and no crisps are good really,then its a pretty crappy lunch.

Im not saying dont eat that stuff,im just saying acknowledge that itsprocessed crap.