Why We Eat (Too Much) Thread 3

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

We’ve chatted as much as we (used to) eat! New shiny thread for more support.

General principles:

No sugar
No wheat
No processed foods
Honourable mention to tipping the balance of omega 3 and 6, but that’s mostly achieved by doing the above.

Everything else is fair game!

*our beef

Yes, grain fed beef is something we should consider. When I buy beef in the shops I get the stuff that comes from the Azores, which is the only place in Portugal where there is year-round pasture! Thankfully, quality meat is inexpensive here.

I buy free range chicken and pork, and have a local source for lamb and goat, though here on the mainland free range animals are not exactly eating grass - it's all scrubby herbs, and I know the chickens are also fed corn because sometimes the carcasses still have the crops attached. At least they're not being fed the highly-processed, wheat-based extruded pellets though, so I'm sure it's fine.

I keep chickens, but they're small birds so mostly for eggs, though I do have a bunch of teenage cockerels whose days are numbered. I've also got some young turkey poults that my hens hatched a month or so ago. It's my first foray into turkeys and I'm falling in love with them unfortunately. They're delightful birds. They may be pardoned come Christmas at this rate.

@TammyTwoSwanson yes grass fed beef is much better.

Luckily for us DH (our main chef in this household) always bought it anyway.

Interesting. I'm really trying to eat less, higher welfare (therefore I hope better nutrition) meat. Not buying any pre-prepared food should go a long way towards this, as should going to the butcher, rather than the supermarket. I suddenly have time to do better planning, so if I'm eating meat, I think grass-fed will be my baseline. I'm also switching to full fat, local organic milk, as it is easy to buy where I live, though it's more expensive.

@brightshark I'm in England, so that's good to know. I just assumed it would be grain fed beef, other than the posher stuff in Waitrose!
There isn't a single butcher in the town I live in, so I'm going to have to do some research to find one nearby so I can know what the stuff I eat, eats!

Has anyone found the 1-2 hours extra per day to cook and do the lifestyle changes? I already hardly watch TV (maybe 2 shows per week), but I defo am on my phone too much, so could cut back on that.

@Aria999 Ahhh I wish I married a chef!

I'm not spending 1-2 hours a day cooking! Most evenings I chuck a salad together or have meat / fish and vegetables, very simply cooked. 30 minutes a day, max.

Then we spend all evening watching telly. We have curtailed TV by an hour to incorporate the winding-down before bed recommendations, though.

If we want to cook anything more complex we do it at weekends, or when we have time off. Our lunches are always uncooked oats and yoghurt, or eggs on Sundays.

Too much faffing about makes it too easy to go off the rails.

@TammyTwoSwanson he's not actually a chef, he just does most of the cooking 😊. He started it when dd2 was born. He's very good though!

I think that @TammyTwoSwanson has hit the nail on the head. As long as we recognise that the off-plan part of our food should be the exception rather than the rule.

Surely grain-fed beef will be full of omega 6? Is this something we need to consider?
Yes, you're right, but most British (and Irish and possibly EU ) cattle ARE grass reared. It's only when you get to non-EU imports that it's dodgier.

@TammyTwoSwanson it’s a bit more complicated than that. Basically with cows and lambs in the U.K. they spend April to October ish grazing on grass. Then go into sheds for winter and farmers will feed them a mix of dried grass (hay) and top up with other food which may include added grains (some sort of mix). Plus some farmers will finish them off (ie fatten up for market) with sugar beet or grains. In contrast cows in the American continent (inc Brazil) are grain fed year round. So ours are not 100% grass fed but as good as it gets without going for the super expensive 100% grass fed option which is out of reach for most people.

Really interesting reading all your thoughts about making this sustainable.

NC but on day 4 of no Coke here. DH found some fancy San Pellegrino flavoured fizzy water type things, which are helping. I'm not craving the Coke as such, but am sleeping all the time. Fell asleep while trying to read something for work, woke up 1.5 hours later. Fell asleep reading to DC, probably got close to 10 hours sleep, woke up still feeling bleary eyed. How?! I think the Cokes have been masking how tired I really am. Lockdown (ie wfh sometimes very late at night) plus perimenopause (random night wakings for hours on end) have been tough.

Focusing on that as my priority for now--kick the Coke habit using any means necessary, then focus properly on the woe. Not as bad as it sounds as we haven't got most of the snacky UFPs in the house, so have to resort to glass of milk or cheese when my mouth (and it really is my mouth or brain, not my stomach) craves something. Might try chewing gum.

UK and Europe do seem to have have much better food options than America!

We're in America so it's grass fed $$$ or grain fed out here.

It's also virtually impossible to get bread without lots of sugar in it. All the bread (except sourdough) tastes unpleasantly sweet. It's lucky this WOE cuts down on it really!

Around here winter fodder can be grass, red clover, maize, peas, Spring barley, kale. Root crops like beet, rape, turnips are also used (I used to do some work for an agricultural contractor and we have 2 farms in the village.

@Aria999 I was actually astounded at the sweetness of the bread in the USA & S America, I found it almost inedible. I'd never seen those huge 3ltr bottles of coke before either.

@Aria999 I lived in Canada for a while and couldn't believe how sweet the bread was! But even bread in the UK is full of crap. Not as much sugar though.
What about making your own if you really really want some someday? Soda bread is very easy to make and delicious (I'm Irish so I grew up on the stuff). Or you can make flat breads with basically just flour and water I think?

@TammyTwoSwanson I do occasionally make flatbread (butter roti mostly) but it's quite time consuming as you have to roll out and cook each one.

Please could you share your soda bread recipe?

www.cookingisfun.ie/how-make-irish-soda-bread

This one looks good. Breadsoda = bicarbonate soda. If you can't get buttermilk, squeeze some lemon into regular milk and it will split a bit and will do!

@Aria999 Yes we are lucky for now, but also worried about the changes in our food supply post Brexit! In particular chlorinated chicken sneaking in.

Love soda bread and it’s dead easy to make

Great with soup

@TammyTwoSwanson I don't cook much during the week either. Although I live cooking outs a high day and Holliday thing for me. Weekdays are generally a grill or cold cuts and salad or something simple I can sling in the oven or one-off. Simple curries, roast veggies, stir fries etc. Unless it's a stir-fried, I make enough for 2 days if I cook too.
Somehow, over the last 10 years I've stopped watching much TV. We generally don't even switch the TV on during the week. We watch at the weekend but tbh, if I was on my own I don't think I'd watch more than a couple of hours a week.
Screen time is my issue, although I do read a lot - mainly on my phone though :-(

I'm a Buddhist and have meditated for over 40 years, I could probably do with making it more regular though. Life gets in the way sometimes.

I stopped my full-time job back in May, I'm trying to develop a pet project at home along with but helping out a friend in her shop a bit. I bloody love working for myself, its been 8 years since I last did it and I'd forgotten what a pleasure it was and how much stress I've shed. It's kind of a race between money running out and project taking off at the moment but I do have hope. If I have to go out to work again I'll try and temp, I have no inclination to start on the treadmill again.

@BrightShark And great fried with eggs and bacon!

Wait whoops. He says no wheat. I'm at the "plan" part now. Save the soda for a rare treat
I actually like the idea of clearing out all the bad stuff and getting loads of fresh herbs in. Such a good idea!

Does anyone have any tips for keeping herb plants alive?

@TammyTwoSwanson

I will definitely try the soda bread (I'm trying to reduce wheat but not eliminate entirely as I think DH would be too upset! And at least it's not full of sugar as well!)

Herbs - I am the world's worst person at keeping plants alive but I do have a few herb pots on the kitchen windowsill which seem to be surviving just by putting a little water into the dishes they're sitting in each day.

Here's a chickpea soda bread option: www.powerhungry.com/2016/06/chickpea-flour-soda-bread-vegan-grainfree/

Never made it myself but I love chickpea flour.

Herb plants are probably easier if you plant seeds or get them from non-supermarket places. The supermarket ones often seem to be many plants in one pot to make it look like a full plant, but then you're effectively cutting a full plant when you use it. Plant chives outside. If you have a balmy or sheltered microclimate you might even get away with rosemary as a perennial.

I've noticed this in today's Guardian. Another reason to balance the Omega 3s and 6s www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jun/30/mediterranean-diet-with-oily-fish-could-help-reduce-migraine-frequency?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other