On March 6th group member Ray Bradfield gave an enlightening talk entitled Food Myths Part 2, to an audience of a dozen or so at Loder Hall. The talk followed on from his earlier talk about sugar. The public have been made to believe that fat is the bad guy and it shouldn`t be eaten if heart disease is to be avoided. This theory has now largely now been overturned, although there are some types of fat which should be avoided such as trans fats.
The talk highlighted the changing beliefs, often conflicting, which have been published in the media and on the internet not only regarding food and what is good and bad for us but about other topics such as Covid vaccines which some commentators have postulated do more harm than good. Who or what do you believe?
The talk started with graphical evidence showing that obesity has increased significantly over all age groups between 1960 and year 2000. Ultra processed food (which cannot be produced in our own kitchens at home) and hyperpalatable foods which combine ingredients to make us unable to eat more and more of the same. This combination causes weight gain.
To lose weight and maintain our ideal weight depends on eating natural foods without processing. We should read the ingredients label (mainly chemicals no one has heard of) contained in the processed product compared with the natural version – ie homemade versus factory produced cake. The cost of the homemade version will be much higher. Adding chemicals to enhance flavour and texture will lower the price but will make us fatter. It is the amount of these chemicals along with fat and sugar which make hyperpalatable foods irresistible. Low fat products contain chemicals and sugar to enhance flavour.