BEVS

One word : Cortisol !

Woodlea

The poster didn't specify which type of stress so nor did I, so perhaps you can keep your opinions about my misinformation to yourself.

Woodlea

What the poster did post was this, which rather indicates the problem one would suggest

MrsFychan

enough now with the personal negative comments

Catchafire

I am confused....you eat healthy, yet seem to lamenting the extra calories NZ food manufacturers manages to sneak into their....er processed foods.

bourbon-biscuit

The poster described chronic stress. You said ppl lose weight when stressed but that is not an accurate picture of what occurs during chronic stress.

Woodlea

Sorry BB you are right as usual, forgive my ignorance. How did you become so wise and yet so young??

BEVS

Because I once wrote that of her.

bourbon-biscuit

Sadly, in real life I'm not actually all that young or especially wise

Still, it's nice to pretend ...

Home Brand baked beans have just DOUBLED the amount of sugar in their recipe. Kids said they taste like a tomato-y rice pudding.

barnsleymat

It is weird how sweet and sugary stuff from the supermarket tastes in NZ, it even made the news this week:

'Supermarket food largely unhealthy' | Radio New Zealand News'

Pom_Chch

I'm just reading this article now! My motto is do the majority of your shopping around the outside of the supermarket. I personally don't feel the responsibility lies with the supermarkets or individual foods for that matter. It's to do with having the ability to make healthy choices when it comes to food. There's fresh meat, fish, fruit, veg, eggs, wholegrain bread, milk, nuts, seeds, oats etc in supermarkets too. All products are labeled and have the ingredients clearly stated on them so the whole "hidden sugar" thing baffles me. How is it hidden when it's right there on the label?

I know money can play a part in all of this but using the "it's cheaper to buy unhealthy food" is just an excuse dressed up as laziness. It can be done with a bit of thought, planning, preparation, better choices and possibly better education in some cases.

Some comments in the article make me laugh "researchers found the more processed the food, the less nutritious it was." No shit. Thanks for clarifying Ms expert

bourbon-biscuit

I get you Pom_Chch. I am fortunate that here in Cambridge we have an excellent veg shop that also sells all manner of dried things (pulses, spices, grains, etc.) very cheaply. I'm also fortunate that I have a car and actually live in Cambridge, I guess. Thinking on it, I'm also pretty fortunate that although I'm not as wise as I would like to be, I am a pretty wise and above average happy sort of person.

I watched a really sad doco on Netflix recently about young people struggling to lose weight. It was pretty clear to me that actually, although I scoff at the idea that processed food can ever be anything but junk food, a lot of families actually are much more seduced by branding and advertising than me, much more trusting of companies than me, and much less cynical about the whole food industry than me. So, yeah, individual responsibility sounds so flawless until you start to look at the lives other people are leading and the resources available to them against the tensions they experience. Then it's kind of a bit murkier.

I emailed Progressive Foods about the beans but I have yet to hear a reply.

jmh

I think I saw the same programme.

I remember asking my mum, who raised my brother and I in the 50s and 60s (my dad was there too but he didn't cook dinner!), how she knew what was the right food to eat for pregnancy and raising a family. She said she didn't - she just bought what was available in the shops. In those days, food was food, so it didn't really matter. Processed food was really expensive and didn't taste too good.

Now, the only food information being disseminated is via the food industry. They like to focus on calories (i.e personal responsibilities) so that they are not blamed for selling us junk. The other word they like to use is 'moderation' - that's popular with the booze and sugar industries because many find moderation very difficult, possibly due to the addictive nature of alcohol and sugar.

The tobacco industry were the same - it's your fault you smoke - don't blame us if you get cancer.

We shouldn't have to be biochemists, dietitians or scientific researchers to feed our families safely.

I bought a tinned rice pudding (Watties). It was so sweet I couldn't finish it. I went to their website and made a complaint and they rang me back right away. She said she would pass the info on. A few months later I found some Ambrosia Rice Pudding at PakNSave - it was delicious even though it was $5 a tin. Seems NZ is going the route of the US when it comes to food quality.

bourbon-biscuit

Yes, when we first moved here I bought some tinned rice pudding (my dh has a real thing for Ambrosia rice pudding!) and we found just the same - it's so sweet it makes your throat feel funny and none of the creaminess of Ambrosia stuff. Now I make it Delia style (ish) which is dead easy as you just need rice, evaporated milk, creamy milk, sugar (you can use even less than she suggests, which is not that much), nutmeg, and butter. It is beyond delish but WAY more expensive than a tin, especially when you factor in the oven being on for an hour ...

Pom_Chch

Yes, I see where you're coming from, BB, when you say that it's not quite as clear cut as making good choices. I guess if it was that simple then there wouldn't be an obesity epidemic ay! Psychology plays a huge part - self esteem, self worth and how people handle emotions, which is often the hardest part when it comes to making a change.

This topic is of huge interest to me as I work in the industry as a personal trainer. Just trying to understand thought processes when it comes to food and exercise is the biggest hurdle for me. Trying to change lifestyles for the better would be so easy if it were purely a physical problem! I often find that a lot of people know exactly what to do when it comes to healthy living but they just don't do it for whatever reason - time, health, lack of support, stuck in a rut etc.