beans mash and sausages is a healthy meal

[madhurjazz]

Mother in law thinks its junk food. But the beans contain 1 of your 5 a day, mashed potatoes are just veg and a good source of carbs and the sausages are full of essential protein.

We often have ketchup, this has been shown to reduce many cancers like prostate, and a glass of juice.

Seems healthy to me and not junky.

Actually, British bangers are not the type of 'processed meat' that we were recently advised to restrict. In that study they were talking about meats that have added nitrates to preserve them. So- bacon, ham and continental style preserved sausages.

Yes, our sausages aren't always ideal and it's not a good idea to have too much red meat, but the decent butcher ones are fine every now and then.

And what's the point in even having sausage, beans and mash if you start arsing about using quorn sausages and low-salt beans? It completely negates the reason for having it. Because it tastes BLOODY LOVELY. Crack on OP

And this is the point I was trying you make and you summed it up so much better

And also, salad? SALAD?! Who on earth would want a side salad with mash and beans?

I'd say it's just about as healthy as you can get. It might not be healthy for the body, but I think it's really healthy for the mind to have delicious food

Hahaha that is the best quote.

Rafalstheking, you could reasonably get your 5 a day, even if this were the main meal. Say a portion of fruit for breakfast ( banana, apple, berries etc), a vegetable soup for lunch ( could easily contain 2 portions of veg),, OP is counting the beans as one, and then another fruit portion at some point, snack or as a pudding. The 5 a day is also not a rule, just a guideline and it varies from country to country as to how much you should have and what's in and what's out. Some European countries do count potatoes. Potatoes also compare well with sweet potatoes nutritionally, you are not going super healthy by swapping one for the other. In terms of sugar and carbs they are much of a muchness.
Agree with posters saying that the quality of sausage is key to whether this is good food or junk, those fluorescent pink things with 30% meat, no! Good sausages made with actual pork (rather than pulverised ears and tails), not much wrong with them.
Something I have been wondering, apparently the particularly nasty thing in preserved meats is the nitrites. You can see this in the ingredient list for bacon, ham etc. But I can't find it in the sausage ingredient list (of the ones I get). Is it not actually used in sausages? In which case the only real downsides are possibly the fat and salt.
But sausage, beans and mash for dinner? Absolutely fine in the context of a healthy diet.

Honestly we are all so obsessive about food nowadays it's like a world wide eating disorder! It's fine. You don't eat it every night, you eat veg and fruit every day (I assume), you aren't malnourished? Don't worry about it.

With a few tweaks it wouldn't be too bad. As PP say, sweet potato or mixed root veg mash instead of plain potato, low sugar beans (although I agree they taste like crap my kids know no different), more green veg instead of beans, etc. But sausages can be easily bettered by lots of other healthier, less processed proteins, like a plain roasted chicken breast/piece of salmon or other fish (panned into a fish finger if more easily accepted)/lean minute steak (not much more in cost than decent sausages and easy for kids to eat as nice and thin, one does both my children). We have sausages once every month or less, as a treat, but wouldn't have it as our regular meals as i wouldn't consider it a healthy option for everyday eating.

Your menu isn't junk food like McDs, but its not a healthy meal. Your MIL sounds on the money to me - sorry...

And the stuff about ketchup curing prostate cancer??? Show me the evidence OP because it sounds like absolute rubbish. Don't justify a sugary side with that nonsense, but a dollop every now and again is fine.

Sausages - unhealthy (processed meat, should be restricted) I consider junk food.
Mash - depends what you put in it.
Beans - good source of fibre and protein but often high in sugar and salt
Ketchup - often full of sugar and salt, I would consider it unhealthy/junk food unless him made.

Having said that sausages, mash, cabbage and gravy are one of our family favourites but I wouldn't have it more than once a month (because of the sausages) and often would have Quorn sausages instead of processed meat ones.

DH and I had bangers and mash at our wedding reception!

No Sara, British style sausages are not 'processed' in that sense. No more than my homemade meatloaf made in the food processor.

The beans count as 1 of 5. (I had mushrooms today rather than beans though.)

I had tinned pears with breakfast this morning and a small glass of berry smoothie. There's 2.

I made a pot of 'green soup' that DD will eat for lunch. Full of broccoli, cabbage and spinach. It was a large portion so 1-2 of my 5.

Banana later on as a snack. Humous and carrot sticks as another snack. 2 of my 5 minimum.

6-7 portions total, even with only one in my evening meal.

Chips instead of mash would be healthier, as vitamin C is not destroyed by frying as it is by boiling

Are you being serious???

I don't think 'healthy' is the right word there lego. More vitamin C, of course, but an awful lot more fat too.

Potatoes are a vegetable. They are high in fibre and vitamin C. The only reason the gov. didn't count them as a veg in the original 5 a day recommendation was to stop people eating loads of chips and claiming they had had lots of veg!

I hate mash. I'll take the chips. Literally have them once a fortnight if that so doubt it's the chips that will kill me probably the wine

There is nothing wrong with pulverised pig tails and ears- if you're going to kill a pig you should eat all of it. Otherwise it's a bit of a waste of a life.

This meal is bloody lovely btw

Absolutely fine as part of a balanced diet!

Have you tried reduced fat sausages, or vegetarian sausages?

I have.

Veggie sausages are much closer to "junk" than the good quality properly meaty sausages I prefer. "Reduced fat" sausages are best not bothered with. The texture is completely wrong. Fat is not the enemy, anyhow.

Not sure why you'd want two starchy carbs together, and there's no green vegetables.

Chicken breast, sweet potato mash and low salt beans is not the same thing as sausage, beans and mash (actually, I don't like mash with beans, so would either have sausage beans and chips or sausage, mash, onion gravy and proper, grown up veg, but the latter is a faff on)

People don't actually have to have green vegetables with all their meals and why 2 carbs? Because they are delicious

Do you have green veg with every single meal, gloria? I love the stuff, but I don't.

Mash and beans are not my idea of delicious.

You're missing out!

I give you, Mumsnet sausage, mash and beans. Almost like the real thing

That's the starter... where's the mains?