Take one of these 5 times a day

[d000hg]

Sugar and salt should be taxed and vegetables prescribed by the NHS, an independent review of the food we eat has suggested.

So will my local pharmacy now have a greengrocer section? Actually...

proposals - if implemented in full - could save 38 calories per person per day

[SueEllen]

That's an average and includes children who need fewer calories.

Also hopefully it will stop food deserts in poorer places.

As a student I remember living in food desserts. Not nice to trek miles to get some fruit and veg.

[mattster]

As a student I remember living in food desserts. Not nice to trek miles to get some fruit and veg.

I think convenience trumps even price for most people. I normally crave something on the healthier side when I am hungry, but if its not available I'll eat whatever is. Healthy options to grab and go whilst out and about are rare in a lot of places.

[d000hg]

Also hopefully it will stop food deserts in poorer places.

As a student I remember living in food desserts. Not nice to trek miles to get some fruit and veg.

I'm not sure what a food desert is but assuming it's a trendy term for "not living near Tesco" how would this proposal help? I don't think the pharmacy is actually going to be handing out carrots.

[d000hg]

I think convenience trumps even price for most people. I normally crave something on the healthier side when I am hungry, but if its not available I'll eat whatever is. Healthy options to grab and go whilst out and about are rare in a lot of places.

We could argue the reliance on grab-and-go is itself a problem. You don't have to go very far back in time to find a high street empty of fast food outlets, except perhaps a sandwich shop/butcher.

[vetran]

Historically I suggested as those on benefits normally have the worst diets I suggested giving them benefit debit cards that cannot be used to buy fags, booze or luxury items (merchant to control) , use of this could allow supermarkets to offer clubcard prices for healthy options when paying with the debit card. Carrots 50p to normal customer 39p to benefit claimant card holders.

Owlhoot I think suggested benefit claimants would soon be selling cabbages etc in the pub to get cash.

39 calories is not enough.

[vetran]

We could argue the reliance on grab-and-go is itself a problem. You don't have to go very far back in time to find a high street empty of fast food outlets, except perhaps a sandwich shop/butcher.

Guildford 40 years ago had a Burger King, McDonalds, Bernie Inn and a number of cafes.

Pizza / pasta places were around in the 60s.

[d000hg]

Guildford 40 years ago had a Burger King, McDonalds, Bernie Inn and a number of cafes.

100 yeas ago fast food wasn't invented the Baker & Sandwich shop was it.

Exactly. And even 40 years ago I assume the pattern was very much biased towards eat-in. Of course we can make the counterpoint that back then, a cooked breakfast was considered quite a normal way to start the day and "pudding" was expected with dinner and often with lunch. We considered bacon sandwiches a normal weekday breakfast and every even meal had dessert, often a cooked dessert. My family didn't do physical jobs but still didn't get overweight, but you basically had your 3 meals a day and that was it. No bags of crisps or chocolate bars or cans of coke every hour through the day

[Fraidycat]

My parents were never exposed to junk food as children or teenagers. So they never got hooked on it as adults. Wasn't part of the culture in the 40s and 50s, plus everyone was more skint back then.

By the time the 80s came around it was more common and we risked getting hooked as teenagers.

I still eat some of the same crap that i ate as a teenager. Although i can no longer stomach some of the nastier greasy stuff i used to eat back then (eg KFC). But I still consume too much sugar.

[SueEllen]

If you seen what they give out at food banks you can understand why poorer people are fat in the UK.

In France they give poor people veg and fruit in their food boxes. Here they only give people tinned and processed stuff as it can be stored.

If you don't believe me have a look at the stuff your local food bank collects.

Most of the people using them now are the working poor.