The Scottish Government

Join the junk food debate

Monday, September 24, 2007

Roddy Mungall says: We need to get smart about all this and rather than reaching a point where we tell people that this, that or the next thing is bad for us, it would be better to take a positive approach and take about a proportionate approach. By that I mean that we need to enable people to strike a balance and to make good choices about food. Even junk food is food, but it really does depend whether or not it dominates or is, as I would regard it, a treat.

This blog is now closed to further comments.

Comments

[Latest First] | [Earliest First] Page: [1] [2] [3]

• 1. Douglas Watt - Morvern

  Tuesday, February 5, 2008 16:35

  I think it is important to spread the knowledge that Junk Food, by and large equates to poor farming practices. Most junk food specialists use mechanically reclaimed meat, from factory farmed animals, and bulked up and flavoured by use of unnatural additives. There is nothing wrong with a burger,IF IT IS MADE WITH GOOD INGREDIENTS, but on the whole, healthy eating involves good husbandry and is the antithesis of mass produced fast food

• 2. Carol Shea - Auchenblae, NE Scotland

  Wednesday, February 6, 2008 13:18

  I do not believe that there is really such a thing as Junk Food, only a 'Junk diet' if calorie/fat/salt/sugar dense foods are eaten too frequently to the detriment of fresh, lower fat, natural food.
  
  We live in a world where food is available 24/7 on almost every street cirner and many people have NO discipline about what they put in their bodies regularly.
  
  There is plenty of information available to help pepople make informed decisions, but our cash rich time poor society that always seems to want MORE of everything and balks at any restraints suggested, needs tackling before major changes can be affected across the board.
  
  I agree that rather than demonising the Burger per see, positive values need to be set and supported. How many cinema's sell pieces of fruit or plain bottled mineral water? How often do see a BOGOFF on fruit and veg, How many pubs/clubs ACTUALLY do refuse to serve people with money in their hands who are already drunk?
  
  A whole family approach to balanced eating, understanding the real basics of food and cooking (YOU can get a balanced, nutritious exciting and tasty family meal on a plate in the time it takes to 'ping' 4 ready meals.)
  
  Schools should be able to support these values and practices but there needs to be a desire to offer BETTER choices for BETTER value, along with help and support.
  
  Why is it that very often packaged meat and veg products carry very little by way of enticing instructions and ideas for use.

• 3. Shirley Jones - Shetland

  Thursday, February 7, 2008 09:48

  In Shetland we do not have fast food shops on every corner nor unfortunatly do we have a great selection of fruit and veg from our 2 supermarkets. The obesity issue is not what we eat, most adults know what they should eat, but unfortunately it is our substitute for other peoples smoking, drinking, drugs. These people with other adictions can all get help with their problems and can live without there addiction but obese people can not live without food. I think the government would spend their money wisely by offering one or two counselling sessions to individuals, to help them understand why they eat as they eat, then leading them on to group sessions where people can support each other. My understanding is this is what happens for all the other addictions so why not us.
  
  Shirley Jones

• 4. Emma Hart - Kilmarnock Ayrshire

  Thursday, February 7, 2008 21:31

  Get more mothers at home, our goverment does not encourage this. My mother never worked while bringing up 4 children,we had proper lunch and Dinner at night. Mum shopped nearly everyday at local butchers,grocers fishmongers, our treat was the loacal ice-cream van. Someone asked me the other day, do we have a fishmongers in Kilmarnock? I had great pleasure in saying yes which I use often
  and a really good butchers next door, if you are willing to pay a wee bit more, but back to square one, can one wage afford it. Then does two people out working have time or is it easier just to go to supermarket and get a weeks shopping.

• 5. Donaidh - Peighinn na Cuthaig, Meadhan Lòdainn

  Tuesday, February 12, 2008 21:44

  A try tae avoid junk food an bi that A mean Supermarket junk tae. No aieways easy oan a tight budget. Somethin a lot o fowks in Scotland suffer frae. A try tae spend some o ma money oan meat frae the butcher and veg frae the local ferm shop.
  
  Here's ma Top 5 Scottish Dishes
  
  1 - Haggis and Tatties
  2 - Sausage Stovies
  3 - Tattie Soup
  4 - Mince and Tatties
  5 - Battered Haddock and Chips (Tattie Wedgies)
  
  'S mise Donaidh

• 6. Nick - Glasgow

  Friday, February 15, 2008 10:02

  Does junk food have a place in a balanced diet? Yes absolutely. If adults and kids use it as a treat, sometimes it 'hits the spot' like nothing else does. Last night, a pepperoni pizza and a cold beer with the football was my treat.

• 7. Anne - Glasgow

  Monday, February 18, 2008 10:39

  Mothers staying at home is not going to stop the vast amounts of junk food consumed. I am a working mother who cooks from scratch for most meals what you need to be is organized and plan ahead. cooking skills need to be taught. I made a chicken hot pot last night for tonights tea chicken and veggies all in one pot took me about 10 min to prepare and 20 mins to cook yesterday. All I have to do tonight is heat it up.

• 8. Fergus - Edinburgh

  Thursday, February 21, 2008 10:11

  Healthy eating is a facile and meaningless expression when the authorities promoting it don't really understand the principles thmselves!
  The misguided obsession with eating a low fat diet has demonised fat and favoured carbohydrate foods. There is no evidence that this is healthy, and considerable evidence that it is not.
  It's the sugars and starches that are the problem, not the fat!

• 9. Daye Tucker - Balfron

  Friday, February 22, 2008 12:16

  Junk food is like junk mail, unsustainable.

• 10. young dinmir - scotland

  Tuesday, March 4, 2008 11:31

  the fast food in scotland iz good but there iz too much of it n it haz to stop.

[Latest First] | [Earliest First] Page: [1] [2] [3]