Weird Solo Meals?

[NotQuiteCockney]

I can't seem to bring myself to cook for just myself. So I eat weird leftover things.

Today's (early) lunch: cottage cheese and homemade spicy ratatouille. Eaten cold. Yum.

What weird things does everyone else eat?

I do think it's a cultural thing, and comfort eating is likely to be the food of your childhood, so you revert to carb-guzzling at the first sign of stress.

(Weirdly, my ideal comfort food is a) Greek b) not readily available here c) something I've only eaten a few times in my life ... no wonder I'm often cranky.)

(I didn't know that was you, Greeny! Duh.)

Ahem.

Oh, and yeah, I do think rationing is a lot of it. I don't know when Canada stopped rationing, but I think it was about 5 minutes after the war ended.

But aren't Americans on average fatter than Brits because of the huge amount of dairy produce and meat they eat (and processed gak of course) as opposed to carbs?

I always had an impression of the US culinary tradition starting with Little-House-on-the-Prairie type pioneers who used lard and pork fat and animal-based stuff, because it was easy to raise cattle in a country full of grass; whereas Britain had a more agricultural-peasant tradition based on turnips and cereals.
But I may well be wrong...

Hmm, I expect the whole "why Americans are fatter" is unknown really, but I'd agree that they eat more dairy and more meat. Portion sizes are generally wildly bigger than here. (Whenever I go home, and eat out, I end up massively over ordering for the first few days, and ending up with tables covered in food )

North Americans are also, generally, much less active than Brits. They can be, the whole place is set up for sloth. There are plenty of suburbs where walking and biking just aren't options. (Granted, there's a percentage of them who are really fit and healthy and super aware of what they eat.)

I think the consumerist culture, very cheap fast food, and the high-fructose corn syrup in everything are part of the problem, too.

So yeah, lots of reasons. They do stick to white carb (and organic food etc is much less available there than here, ime ... well, I'm basing that on Canada, actually, but still ...), but I suspect the carb thing has little to do with it all ...

pickled oniond sandwich (yes, you have to slice them which is time consuming
mashed potato and mushy pea sandwich
batchelors pasta n sauce with a slice of bread
batchelors savoury rice with a sl8ice of bread
lasagne, chips and garlic gread

my name is schneebly and I am a carbaholic!

Lasagne, chips and garlic bread! With rice pudding for afters? Come on, you've got to squeeze in a fourth carb there ...

is it any wonder I am overweight!? I need to cut down bigstyle on the carbs!

Even just moving to brown carbs can help with that - brown carbs have some nutritional value, and some fibre, so are more filling.

for a long time I was only buyimg brown bread and I ate a lot less of it but hovis white was on BOGOF in tesco and I bought quite a lot for the freezer because I like a bargain. I rarely eat chips or lasagne really or much that is fattening - it is sugar and carbs that are my problem!

I tried atkins once a few years ago and lost 5 lbs in the 1st 3 days but I was like an ogre! I think I need to find a better balance!

I think GI/GL is a safer, more sensible diet. You're still allowed carbs, but brown. I think? As a future diabetic, I try to eat GI/GL. I don't always succeed.

I am boggled by the fact Atkins ever was popular here, it's like the anti-Brit diet.

I'm a future diabetic too, NQC

I try to eat complex carbs, very little fat and loads of fruit/veg. I manage it, mostly. But I am fucking foul-tempered

yes I think you are right NQC - I should be careful because at my weight I am at high risk of type 2 diabetes and have seen the effect on my MIL. I like veg, fish, poultry, lean meat and wholegrains so it shouldn't be a problem but I also like white bread and rice and pasta and chocolate! I am very weak!

How do you find out about future diabetes risk? have you two been tested?

I tend to just not have things I shouldn't eat in the house. That works fine, until I buy some, or make some.

I find my mood is much better if I stay away from the white carbs. Blood sugar going up and down makes me very tetchy.

I had gestational diabetes with ds1, severe enough to have to inject insulin for about 20 weeks, and my blood sugar is still a tiny bit loopy if I don't eat properly - and late-onset diabetes runs in my family, so it's more or less a dead cert

Four of my grandparents were diabetic (type 2). Both my parents are/were diabetic. So I will be diabetic.

To be fair, nearly everyone will be diabetic if they live long enough. Old people (over 70 or 80) are all either alarmingly thin and on special milkshakes, or diabetic.

But yeah, if I make it to 50 or 60 without being diabetic, I'm doing well.

Oh, yeah, gestational diabetes is a quite strong indicator. I didn't have it with my boys, and DS2 was lighter than DS1, so I don't think I was too close. (Didn't have GTT with DS2 as I hated it so much with DS1)

Oooh, did you not get GD with DS2, Greeny? How'd that happen?

It doesn't bother me too much, injecting insulin isn't so bad. I do worry a bit about life expectancy though, I would quite like to live until I am very very old

My mom's death this January was diabetes-related, as was her blindness (well, some of it). I don't recommend diabetes.

(And anyway, type 2 normally should be manageable by diet and exercise, or pills at the worst, not injecting! You must have had a pretty severe case with DS1.)

(Oh, and as a needlephobic, just let me say aaaaaaaargh about the idea of injecting.)

Well I am glad you two are being sensible - I need a good kick up the proverbial!

I'm not being too sensible at the moment, schneebly, I've been under the weather, the last two weeks, so have basically not exercised at all. And I baked yesterday, and ate most of it today . This will pass, though.

I dunno NQC, it was weird. With ds1 I had SPD so bad I was in a wheelchair from 16 weeks until well after the birth, severe pre-elampsia (admitted for 6 weeks, induced at 35 weeks), severe gestational diabetes, polyhydramnios, retained placenta, 3rd degree tear, PPH, transfusion, baby born with cord round neck and blood sugar of 1, SCBU - the whole bloody lot!

With ds2 I didn't have any of it apart from very mild pre-eclampsia right at the end, went into labour naturally at 38 weeks - although it was a crap birth anyway because of shoulder dystocia and STILL ended up with 3rd degree tear and PPH and transfusion.

I did have my blood sugar monitored and was very careful about diet etc with ds2, but if it was going to happen it would have happened despite good diet. Odd.

NQC - I am sorry about your mum, my mum passed away in 2002 to stomach cancer which can be related to diet and my MIL is in terrible health because of being overweight. I need to think about the future.