To think that we don't actually need to eat "a hot meal" every day?

[Machli]

Dd and I both prefer cold food, salads, fruit, sandwiches. Most days dd eats 8 plus portions of fruit and veg a day. I am not so well nourished .

It seems that many don't feel it's a proper meal unless its a big cooked, hot one. I quite often see "kids need a hot meal" or "I always make sure there's one hot meal a day, cooked from scratch" on here.

A lot of food that needs to be cooked, pasta, rice etc hold minimal nutrients and usually cooking processes destroy or diminish nutrients also. Understand that meat and fish need to be cooked to make it safe and palatable to eat, but I just don't understand why it's so necessary to provide a hot meal daily.

What is the reasoning behind The Hot Meal?

But bread with proper ham and salad is surely a meal?

Yes it is, just mean that most people don't eat naice ham (sorry). God really want a picniccy tea now, all nice bread & cold meat & olives yummm

Ha ha this reminds me of my nan, she wouldn't let me have a Boiled egg with salad in a sandwich for tea but was more than happy to make me a plate of salad with a couple of boiled eggs and some bread and butter on the side because then it was proper.

That's exactly how we it, with a bit less gastro pub :o

I think your diet sounds wonderful - keep it up

Bit of a stealth boast that you can afford to eat out so often, LQ!
yanbu, I grew up having no more than one hot meal a week. Find the British obsession with them rather funny.

Thing is, this is the sort of thing my grandparents would say, they weren't referring to artisan bread with a naice slice of ham and some lovely olives. They were referring to people who were properly poor and who couldn't afford to feed their kids. So bread would be all they would get . The phrase hasn't kept up with our more mediteranean/deli/grazing lifestyle.

Same era as 'first up best dressed' - which you don't hear so much nowadays.

And in their generation, a proper dinner would be stovies or stew, to stretch minimal pieces of meat with some tatties. The fact it's hot and liquidy makes it feel more filling and meant they could feel posh that they were feeding the kids a proper meal

Try telling FIL that you don't need a hot meal every day .

I swear he thinks the world would stop turning if he wasn't served at least one hot meal a day (please note the " he was served " bit as he wouldn't dream of actually cooking something himself!)

I would imagine a hot meal was needed to keep out the cold & for the energy to work in the afternoon!

I don't think a hot mea is needed everyday-can't imagine never having one-& (imo) they do seem to be more satifying than sandwiches!

But my hot meals are basic-spag bol, chili, baked pots, wraps (even with a salad filling count as a main mea to me!)

I used to do someone's hair who never ate anything cooked, all raw food.

She died young mind.

Not really, she was as fit as a lop

According to my children you need two a day.

A hot dinner at school and one for tea. They really don't like the odd day when we have something cold for tea. Such a shame that they have no choice

I don't know what it is but I do feel like I need to provide a hot meal. Although today the Dcs are having pizza and salad for tea and ds had packed lunch at school so there isn't a proper hot meal today.

Norbert I bet he's a "it's NOT a meal without MEAT" man too isn't he?

Pizza is hot!
I sometimes feel like a stranger from a foreign land...

I'm the same, I could cheerfully eat a cold meal for a week and like others when my husband works nights I just don't bother, although sometimes I do push the boat out and have porridge for my dinner.

Two out of my 3 kids are the same - they love a good picnic dinner. Dd2 on the other hand eats like a war baby anything minced with unidentifable flavours and vegetables. School dinners circa 1970 are her particular favourite . I blame my mil

Cooked food is easier to digest and as others have said before, in the middle of winter, a nice wram meal will help keeping the heat up in your own body.
The dcs have asked for warm meal at lunch time during the winter and are now asking for salads etc.. as the weather has come a bit warmer (both packed lunch to this is a bit of a challenge).

Do we need a cooked dinner (ie full meal, 2 or 3 courses, meat and 2 vegs)? Probably not.
Is it helpful to have a cooked meal? yes because it also helps introducing variety into your diet. there are plenty of vegs you are only eating cooked (green beans, peas, cauli, brocoli courgettes...). Same with the meat.
And you avoid a day which is basically bread/wheat, bread/wheat and bread/wheat as the base of your diet.
This is just as bad as pasta and rice you mentioned in your OP (If there is little nutrient in pasta and rice, then there is very little in the bread used to make twice daily sandwiches).

Machli - are you sure you don't know him as you're spot on

I'm veggie so you can imagine what a disappointing DIL I am!

Well I know I must sound like a right goody goody but I actually only ear whole grain or seeded bread so there's probably a bit more nutrition in it but yes your average sliced white probably has similar nutrition levels to rice and pasta. I have to say though that I resent eating empty calories in the form of pasta and rice. It doesn't taste of much and I can well do without having to burn it off.

i often prefer a salad or sarnie, but feel guilt if we dont have a proper meal, which is bonkers really

hmm food for thought

I couldn't not have a hot meal in the winter. I love making roasts, casseroles, spag bol etc. I think it really warms you up.

I often have a hot lunch too- homemade veg soup or poached egg on toast (my favourite thing)

We also have hot puddings much more frequently in the winter.

In the warmer months- we eat a lot of salads with whatever we fancy- cheeses, meats, bbqs.

I think the only things I ever eat hot are pizza or soup.

Really don't like the feeling of warm food or drinks and actually feel healthier when I just eat cold foods, warm food makes me feel icky.

Machli No white bread here either, nothing more yummy than a lovely wholemeal sandwhich. :)

The older I get the more I'd like to eat like a student. If it wasn't for the kids and dh I'd live on toast and cereal. I don't suppose toast counts as a hot meal though.