Hullfcfans

Hi all,

We are planning on arriving at the start of November, and one of the things we are looking forwards to is a change in diet for one thing.

I'm sure that Australians eat many of the things we do, but just out of interest I was hoping to ask what many of you ended up eating on average in a week!

Centurion

I think you may just be surprised at how American the food situation can be especially when it comes to fast food. Hungry Jacks, McD, KFCs and the like litter corners. Asian influences with those hidden calories and steaks are of course all available. The cost of eating out we have found very low - especially since you can BYO wine in most places.

Cooking at home though you do have an immense selection of fruit, vegetables and other healthy fare, moreso than the UK in my opinion and less ready meals and prepackaged E number things (thank goodness). More grilling of course if you are BBQ minded which is again a much better way to cook overall.


Like anywhere the choices are very much there, eat total rubbish or eat healthily and I think it very much comes down to the individual person. Rather unsurprisingly - the same situation as the UK.

Although, for many I hope that the new start will provide the motivation to change any bad diet habits. New environment, new outlook and all that. Can only be a good thing

Bert'n'Stella

As an Aussie I struggled with the food in the UK when I arrived - I was used to loads of v. fresh fruit and veg - but here it seemed more stodgy food and it didn't agree with me. Even the fresh food didn't seem to have the same flavour.

Two years later I have adjusted to the UK food and am now heading back to Oz. I will miss M & S and the quality packaged food you can get here in the UK, and the variety of packaged foods - you cannot get the same variety in Oz.

But I am looking forward to the healthier food back home - the weather is warmer and your tastes will probably adjust after about 6 months or so. If you are happy to try new things you should sample the asian influences in food, and the variety of fresh foods especially.

I think you will always miss certain things from home - even the 'same' things won't taste the same (take out chinese or indian for example). But if you give yourselves time to adjust and keep sampling, I think you will be ok. It is an adjustment to start with though!

pako

my aussie hubby always complains that the fruit and veg here doesn't taste of anything. I have to make sure we always get organic and locally grown to suit his palette. I have deaf ears to his complaints now.

jad n rich

We have 8 junk food outlets on the intersection at the end of our road, all are busy every day/night no matter when you go past, people ask why aus doesnt have the ready meal, I think it would be too much effort having to put it in the microwave its amazing the eat junk culture here.

However nobody is forcing you to eat it and if you go to fruit and veg barns or buy meat in bulk eating decently is quite possible. Dont buy meat or fruts veg in supermarkets the cost is staggering. Many others have mentioned this too, the size of food, ie chicken breasts the size of a mans foot do lead one to wonder what chemicals are allowed into food here, oranges, apples etc all seem huge too and uniformly the same and vivid colours, apples often have leaked colour into the white flesh, bit suspicious if you are concerned about chemical cocktails going into your body.
Organic is very expensive.

Cooking from scratch is probably the best way to fight the weight gain most experience.

Bella Donna

I read that statistically Australia has the second highest rate of obesity to the US, and looking round me, I wouldn't be surprised if that's true. There are certainly an awful lot of very fat people in Sydney. And an awful lot of fast food outlets too.

Just what is the availability of organic food like in Oz? Back in the UK we had pretty much everything organic - certainly bread, dairy, fruit, veg and meat. But I have hardly seen any organic here so far - not that I've had much opportunity to look. I suspect that there are a lot of chemicals put in food here, and I've been told labelling laws are not as strict as the UK, so they can get away with it. I don't know if that's true or not, but it's of concern. Best chance is to grow your own fruit/veg, but in a rental, that's probably not going to be possible. I think Oz is getting there with organic - but if anyone has any tips on finding it, I'd appreciate them.

Sue

Hunterau

Too right!! I think it's funny that Australia has such a reputation for having a healthy lifestyle when it is the 3rd most obese country on earth (whoops!) When I first moved back here from the UK I gained a lot of weight! I think the quality and selection of fresh produce here is pretty stellar and eating out is cheap but it's easy to over indulge! I think the key to staying trim here is definitly cooking everything from fresh and joining a gym!! At least it worked for me.

Hunterau

Go to local farmer's markets. I'm not sure where to look in Sydney but I'm sure they're not too hard to find. Weekend markets will have many stalls of people selling produce that comes from thier back gardens and will generally be chemical free as the larger farms tend to sell their food to chains.

Coles and Safeway also sell limited amounts of organic produce.

Shellfish

Hi Hunter

Which farmers market in Melbourne do you go to?

Thanks

Banksia

Visiting backpackers say food courts haven't caught on... do folk consider them to be "junk food"?

Then there's the fruit barns. If you were thinking of opening one, the first thing you would need is a fork lift.

When you compare the stock turnover, it's no wonder the fruit looks so sad in the average corner greengrocer.

Hunterau

Hiya,

I live in Fitzroy and don't drive so I'm a bit limited. I usually go to Coles. I also go to Piedemonte's for smaller deli type things. The Green Grocer on St Georges Rd. is great for fresh organic produce, but really over priced. Here's a link for some other Melbourne markets

www.you.com.au/market-melbourne.html

Banksia

Locally? pineapples? mangoes? rock and water melons? Tomatoes that see the sun?

pako

English fruit and veg this end you nonce You can grow tomatoes here too, I've grown them myself