Just who do they think they are!!

Honestly, I wasn’t sure whether to put my thoughts about this on Sweetie pie’s excellent “get it off your chest” thread but then I thought maybe it may be of interest to some as a separate thread.


I am so fed up with hearing from the “so called” Health experts about how we must have 5 a day to ensure we stay fit and healthy. What a load of codswallap!! They waffle on about this flippin 5 a day as if they had found the Holy Grail to us all living longer when it is a well known fact that this 5-a day originated solely from a blooming advert for a supermarket.


Then yesterday we had in my DM, Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard informing us that “The 5-a day target is not achievable” because it is too expensive a goal for low income families.
Today in the DM we have yet again, another “health specialist", Professor Oyinlola Oyedobe, professing that it is quite simple to have the 5-a day and gives a list of cheap foodstuffs.


I wish they would just shut the hell up! And stop patronising the public as if we are morons, incapable of serving up good, healthy food and must be guided by "their expertise" on an idea they themselves filched and now seemingly the golden target they they would have us believe they have researched and therefore we must follow or we are doomed.


I for one, certainly do not eat 5-a day every day. It’s ridiculous. Unless of course you count the oranges that went into making my breakfast marmalade or the raspberries that went into my breakfast jam that I slathered onto my toast.


I may or may not eat a piece of fruit from the fruit bowl as and when I feel like it, and I have two veg with our dinner most nights. More on a Sunday. What I don’t need is anyone telling me I MUST eat 5-a day or I am not eating properly. Cheeky beggars. I brought up my brood without all this nannying and they are all fit and healthy thank god.


I do wish they would stop preaching. Whatever they say, one can guarantee that a few years later, they will claim otherwise. Cretins!


What are your views on this please? Am I alone in thinking they should mind their own business,

Re: Just who do they think they are!!

I agree to some extent but 5 a day is achievable if people cut out meat for most meals and rubbish food .

I have just had more than 5 a day in one meal, mushrooms/spring onions/celery/carrot/red pepper/ watercress stir fried with a few noodles.

The problem is so many people can't cook and don't planner their meals ahead.

Re: Just who do they think they are!!

Hi

I think part of the problem is that quite a few cannot cook now.

So many young kids living on fast food, chips, burgers.

Re: Just who do they think they are!!

People should long ago have sussed out that the "health experts" and the associated official medical bodies are not to be trusted one iota.

They are working for the food conglomerates to promote specific food types which enables them to make more and more money at the expense of your health.

Just look at how the advice has flipped back and forth over the years. Are eggs good or just full of cholesterol?
Coffee was bad for you, now it's good for you.
Red wine the same
Chocolate the same

People need to be wise to what is in the end, utter BS.

Take responsibility for your own health and resolve to undertake the proper research which is painstaking, hard and fraught with purposeful disinformation from the food manufacturers.

Don't expect someone else to hand to you on a plate the rules of what you should and should not eat, nor how you should or should not treat illnesses and conditions. Educate yourself.

The 5-day crap was highly criticised because it turned out that food manufacturers claiming (and labelling) their products as one of your "5 a day" were still loading those products with sugar and salt and other bad ingredients. The entire industry is corrupt and everyone needs to stop being lazy and get the research done.

In April 2014, a study by University College London concluded that '5 a day' was not enough and that a healthy diet should contain 10 portions of fruit and vegetables !

Odd thing though. The price of fruit and veg has risen dramatically since this whole campaign started. Funny that !

Re: Just who do they think they are!!

I agree with you all the way Mary, these “Experts” are trying to expert us all to death with statistics and packaged health bullshit, ah well it provides work for them seeing they can’t do anything useful, I’ll bet most of these experts couldn’t make a good stew between the lot of them. You should do what I do, stick two fingers up to them and live life your own way, you’ll live longer that way too.

Re: Just who do they think they are!!

I can understand that youngsters should eat healthily and maybe cut down on so much red meat etc but it is the figure that I object to. Its so patronising! For goodness sake, if youngsters buy a Macdonald's they usually have everything with it so one can include lettuce, tomato,Onions, peppers,and all the fruit/veg that go into the obligitoryrelish and pickle on the top. There's four or five (if not more) in one portion of food, so, if you will excuse the pun, just what is their beef?

Even young and sole parents are not that stupid that they would let their children eat non fruit and veg in their diet 7 days a week surely to goodness!

I wouldn't mind if they just for once tried "guidance" such as ..."try to eat 3 or more if possible either veg or fruit a day"m but this constant "you must eat 5-a day really really get's on my nerves. If this was action being taken after some form of dietary research etc all well and good. But obviously, they heard this jingle from an advert and decided it now belongs to them and preach away at us they must. Grrrr!
Talk about a real bonanza for the Supermarket Advertising Agency who first thought that one up! they certainly wouldn't complain as it means profit profit profit.

Re: Just who do they think they are!!

It's pretty straightforward if you have any common sense and care about your health to a certain extent.
A few veggies with a meal and the odd banana or orange will suit all your needs. Add those to plenty of water throughout the day, a decent protein intake and Bob's yer uncle. Simple.
I think even the poorest of families can manage that.

Re: Just who do they think they are!!

But why buy a Mcdonalds in the first place instead of making your own food.
The sad excuse for 'vegetables' a few pieces of salad served on some awful ersatz bread roll hardly qualifies as 5 a day.

Better to have a bowl of home made soup which really does contain 5 a day and a home made wholemeal roll .

Re: Just who do they think they are!!

Since obesity levels are rising so alarmingly then clearly some people do need to take advice about their diet .

I have no idea how people think it's expensive to eat 5 a day . 3 of the 5 are supposed to be vegetables which are just about the cheapest foods you can buy .
I am a vegetarian and my food bill is so much less when my meat eating OH is away .

Re: Just who do they think they are!!

I'd rather have 5 strawberries than 5 peas.