UK top in Ultra-processed foods league

[Cooper27]

An interesting infographic I thought might be of interest.

It's interesting that the northern European nations consume more than the Mediterranean nations, but UKs place does not surprise many.

[Hidden]

Hi Cooper, I think this is very sad and it’s no surprise that we have such high obesity and cases of type 2 diabetes.

What worries me about this statistic is that some households are obviously eating way more than the average.

So thanks for posting this as anything that encourages others to eat healthily is great in my book. 😊

[Catatvet05 in reply to Hidden]

This is alarming numbers. Food banks have also increased a lot and still do every year. Most of the foods given are tins and ready made sauces so you can imagine that must add to the statics?

[Hidden]

Traditionally those northern countries ate more calories to keep warm perhaps? But I haven’t got an answer for why they/we should be eating so much highly processed food. 😧

[Cooper27 Administrator in reply to Hidden]

I suspect it is something to do with climate too

[Zest]

Hi Cooper27

Thanks for sharing this interesting infographic - I found it very interesting.

Zest

[Cooper27 Administrator in reply to Zest]

I realised I'd said interesting about as many times as possible in a post

[Zest in reply to Cooper27]

I've just noticed I replicated this tendency in my reply - without even realising what I'd done, which is interesting in itself. lol

[MTCee]

I suspect it has rather a lot to do with the prevalence of large supermarkets and high numbers of takeaway shops on the high streets.

[Penel]

We’ve been eating processed food in the U.K. for so long it seems to have become the normal way of eating. Many people eat supermarket bread and breakfast cereals, both highly processed; shop cakes, biscuits, crisps etc seem to be highly popular. The Eatwell Plate has bread and cereals as part of their recommended foods.

Coupled with their cheapness, aggressive marketing and loss of traditional cooking skills it’s not surprising that we eat so much. Some countries actually advise their population to avoid highly processed foods, it might be quite difficult to give that advice in the U.K.

We really need proper food education in the U.K.

This is a long article on processed foods and how they lead to obesity. Amongst other things they do not satisfy our appetite, which means we tend to over eat them.

theguardian.com/food/2020/f...

[amykp]

Wonder where the US falls on that scale? (Sure it isn't good!)

[Ianc2]

Pizzas and pies, bread and biscuits, buns and chips, Coca Cola and chocs. All delivered to your door at the push of a button.

[sunny369]

I really do believe that the availability, marketing and consumption of processed foods and ultra processed so-called foods are at the root of much that is wrong with British eating habits, obesity and prevalence of diabetes.