What is healthy eating?

An interesting discussion took place in the pub earlier this week all about healthy eating.  As most women in the group are trying with varying degrees of success to loose weight the pros and cons of vegetarian, low fat, low carb and calorie counting diets ensued.

Having decided that, provided you don't go to extremes either reducing fat or reducing carbohydrates will work for most people, and both are easier than trying to calculate calories. The general agreement was not to follow the high fat 'Dr Atkins' versions, but simply to cut down on bread, potatoes, pastry, cakes, pasta and rice leaving the healthy fish, low fat meats and fresh vegetables.  Partial concord then between the low fat and low carb camps - both agreeing that meals based on fish, chicken, turkey and fresh vegetables would give plenty of variety and vitamins and not too much fat or carbohydrate to upset anyone.  We almost got around to agreeing a menu for a BBQ.

That, of course is where the Veggies took exception, and where the rest of us just don't understand the logic.  Instead of looking at the wide variety of vegetables and fruit now available, the exponents of the 'no meat under any circumstances' and the 'Oh I couldn't eat anything with a face' militia began to extol the virtues of some stuff called Quorn.  Having upset the Veggies en masse by asking why they wanted something to taste of meat if they were so against eating it and beating a rapid retreat back home, I decided to find out more about this substance.

The main ingredient is a chemical called mycoprotein which is basically a fungus grown and produced in giant fermenters.  A further cocktail of chemicals has to be added to give a texture and flavour which is acceptable to the human palate.  How can this possibly be considered to be a healthy lifestyle - especially when the food developed from this process is fried or cased in pastry!!


Sorry Veggies - all meals should start life in a field, develop naturally and bring their own flavours and textures to the plate.  The only ingredient to taste of meat is meat and unless we eat it there will be no cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and so on grazing the fields of this green and pleasant land.