Despatches "Dirty secrets of american food"

[Mr Gus]

No trade deal thankyou very much!

[Stinsy]

I traveled to the US frequently from 90s-2010. Both for holidays and for work. The food was always fantastic. A friend went earlier this year and reported back a huge downturn. His (four star) hotel breakfast consisted mainly of multi-coloured cereal, he chose scrambled eggs-on-toast and was provided with inedible rubbery eggs swimming in fat upon what could only be described as "cake" served on a paper plate...

Something has gone very wrong with food in America, and as with many such things we're not far behind. I eat mainly meat, eggs and dairy that I try very hard to buy direct form the farmer. Food miles are kept as short as I can reasonably achieve and I avoid processed/packaged foods as far as possible.

[Windbag]

Something has gone very wrong with food in America, and as with many such things we're not far behind. I eat mainly meat, eggs and dairy that I try very hard to buy direct form the farmer. Food miles are kept as short as I can reasonably achieve and I avoid processed/packaged foods as far as possible.

Quite agree. We eat as naturally as possible, I fry in fat. Waste little. And make our own. But it does make eating out really difficult....

[Bugtownboy]

We follow a similar strategy to others - since we’ve gone more plant based, try and grow as much as poss.

Do find when we eat out or go on holiday, our digestive system protests a bit.

Gut health is so important to overall physical and mental health. Putting crap into your guts is asking for short and long term health problems.

[Stinsy]

We follow a similar strategy to others - since we’ve gone more plant based, try and grow as much as poss.

Do find when we eat out or go on holiday, our digestive system protests a bit.

Gut health is so important to overall physical and mental health. Putting crap into your guts is asking for short and long term health problems.

I think that eating less meat is only a good idea if you replace the meat with locally sourced, vegetables (obviously home-grown is best of all). I've known people swap meat for processed/packaged foods and suffer poor health as a result. A low-meat or meat-free diet isn't "healthy" by default.

[Mr Gus]

Point being if lower quality welfare standards eu regs rejected it then it's got to be bad.

If you watch this episode, find "perdue" within the programme then put another 2+2 together as to vested interests.

[Windbag]

I don't even think less meat less is a good idea.. Better meat & good fats.

[Stinsy]

I don't even think less meat less is a good idea.. Better meat & good fats.

+1 (although I respect those on here who eat less or no meat).

Vegetable oil in particular is horrible for health. Cutting out vegetable oil completely and swapping to butter/drippin gives noticeable health improvements in a few weeks.

[Windbag]

Sorry. Missed that. I also respect anyone's individual choices.

[Mr Gus]

I prefer eat less sh1te meats (geeral reduction) & eat better quality meats just less often, & fill the gaps with a tonne more veggies & veg alternates (the beyond burger is our beef mainstay nowadays, need to find a decent chicken & pork alternative)

Morrisons used to do a damn tasty paneer veggie curry (not seen since covid) that stuff really helped me not miss a meat based curry ..having about 7 layers of flavour really helped, the containers from which I'm still using for cooked stuff storage

Oils, put wife off cheap oil processing by showing her a video or two of the many fold bleaching so now it's hopefully better quality sunflower oil, olive oil & butter whilst she does have some lab sludge (margarine) it's infrequent.

She watched the Despatches after we were shopping the other day, a conversation with animal husbandry examples led me to track down the "fattening" ranch pens for US "approved" beef ...shocked & that's doubtless another way she'll approach meat & tweak her shopping approach.

I'm more than a bit miffed that mackerel is back on the unsustainable list, I gave up tuna for that 20+ years ago for coastal mackerel where possible (canned is a different result altogether) ..food choices, how different life would be to be as blind as many consumers seem to be.