Dear All,
I have just got back, from my local Store- open until Eleven. Looking at their Chilled Foods I 'found' something a little unusual. An 'Authentic Handmade Snax' Chilli Chicken- which looks absolutely lovely. It is in a small 'Take Away Container, similar to that you might get Chinese Food in- it appears as small 'Bite Size' pieces of chicken in a Chilli Marinade.
It is making my 'Mouth Water' but I will resist it until tomorrow. I'll let you all know.....
AndrewT
Chilled food section carries prepackaged, processed food which potentially cause many Heath problems. Could you please post a pic of nutrition facts label on the box of chicken? 😁👍
Healthy eating can mean different things to different people Zazen.
I think we have to be careful about holding others to standards that are too high, as we also risk directing people into eating disorders this way
In USA we have a chilled section that has what they call "TV dinner box" and it is not healthy in any means based on concrete nutrition facts values. Especially for those 70 and older. That is the normal standard, not high expectation by any means.
Well we have many different things in chilled sections here, so it's hard to comment as I don't know what the US has.
Our dietary requirements all vary vastly though, and the guidance we follow can depend on different circumstances, so we should take that into consideration.
I’m in the US, and even tho a lot of TV dinners are super unhealthy, there are healthy ones. They might take some searching for, but they exist.
Also, not everyone can afford to cook all the time. TV dinners can be affordable and necessary sometimes, even if they aren’t healthy.
So let’s just let the OP be excited about his find and not judge him lol it sounds yummy!
Hey Lauren, I think that’s a very fair point you make. Everyone’s take on healthy eating is a little bit different. We are all sharing our own perspectives. I don’t think anyone’s intention was to judge anyone
Healthy eating community assists members with health concerns regarding to food intake. All perspectives should be welcomed as long as not rude or offensive. It's not a HE community if individual concern comment is dismissed.
Hi, Chinese food is very popular world wide. I’m interested in knowing how nutritional facts label is presented in the UK. Would you please share that and taste wise of your new found meal? In USA, it’s required by law to include these values and our country is on the rise of many health risks because of precooked meals in commercial packages are one of many. We are educated to read food labels when we purchase anything that we don’t make ourselves to make sure our health needs are met. 😁👍
I think there are two styles of nutrition labels in the world, the one used in USA/Canada and a different one used across the EU and similar ones in other countries.
The main differences are (I think):
* they have to include a column for 100g or 100ml, so they can't use a tiny serving size to hide unpleasant details.
* carbohydrates is net carbs (starches + sugar + sugar alcohol but not fibre).
* instead of sodium, they use salt.
There are also "traffic lights" on the front of the packet to highlight the current bogeymen, fat, salt and sugar.
Personally I am more interested in the ingredients than the nutrition facts. I want whole foods, minimally processed. I think the nutrition labels give us an unhealthy attitude. We eat food, not macronutrients and the the food matrix is as least as important as the macro nutrients.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and information about nutrition facts label from the UK. 😊🙏
What we learn from nutrition labels are general information about packaged food prepared by stores. A recommendation of daily kcal intake is approximately 2000; however it has to be based on lifestyles if sedentary or active and body frame a large or petite person and health conditions. Given nutrition facts are per serving size in the USA, so the numbers based on grams also same as in 100g from the UK. Let’s put in a context of me having a non-active day and no homemade cooking, I have to result in purchasing store food. I would like to know approximately how much calories I put in my body in one meal to tailor to what I am going to eat throughout the day at least. In addition, I want to know how much sodium, what type of fats, how much fiber, protein, added sugar that go in that meal. In USA, label includes Transfat information also which is a major health risk that WHO tries to eliminate from people diet esp from processed, packaged food.
I looked up NHS UK: nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/h..., they have general guidelines to consumers and I agree with this reference to make my first judgement about my purchased meals/shopping items:
Total fat
High: more than 17.5g of fat per 100g
Low: 3g of fat or less per 100g
Saturated fat
High: more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g
Low: 1.5g of saturated fat or less per 100g
Sugars
High: more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g
Low: 5g of total sugars or less per 100g
Salt
High: more than 1.5g of salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Low: 0.3g of salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)
For example, if you're trying to cut down on saturated fat, eat fewer foods that have more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g.
From a naked eye, I don’t know exactly how that meal prepared by store that I am about to put in my body, I have to have a reference of nutrition values the store prepared for me to tailor to my health needs. A wholesome, fresh ingredients are ideal for people diet of course, more good fat, proteins, choose a high fiber in carbs such as oatmeal, and vitamins, minerals are all needed for a healthy meal. That’s the awareness along with many other factors as I stated above. 😁
And I check the ingredients to make sure it is something I want in my body (industrial hexane extracted seed oils and EVOO would show the same on a nutrition label) and then trust my appetite.
How did we become so disconnected from our bodies?
How did we become so disconnected from our bodies? It’s the mind controlling of yummy and filling factors. I want it all and I want it now!!! There’s a lot of meaning in your question and I applaud you for that. As you see how things play out on this thread, would people care about their bodies when a reply that clearly stated even it is unhealthy but it’s okay and got endorsed by many, you tell me. If you consciously know it’s poison for your body and you still eat it and care about the mouth watering effect only then you think people would care what goes in that ingredient list?!! Refined sugar rotten your brain, it kills your whole body and mind. People just eat and for those who actually care, they are written off as having obsessive behaviors and should that be the most dangerous thing to be aware first?! Here’s my perspective on ingredient list:
I treat everything as a whole which includes nutritional facts also. What I look in the ingredients are preservatives, food additives…. all that jazz of benzoate, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamate…. the list goes on. Yes, industrial seed extracted oil is dangerous, everything is there because it is packaged and processed food, it’s given, it’s there and would they tell us how much they put in there? No. Even the produce section, natural fruits produce ethylene gas which make them perishable. How many steps got “processed” to land on that table with shinny, colorful fruits that last for weeks to sell?! They are not required to be labeled and exposed what have been done?! As a consumer, i have nothing else from what manufacturers by law have to display; I would have to go for standard values stated on the label of nutritional facts just to have a merely sketched picture of the amount they put in that package. They are there not for me to feel it is okay to go on a ride of indulging but just a reference.
How do you know you gain weight? One simple fact you step on a scale and numbers don’t lie and that’s one of many other factors I have to consider such as do I pass out after a meal? Do I feel tired and fatigue all the time (besides known medical conditions)? How are my annual, semi-annual blood work datas showing up?
If we talk about listening to our bodies, we can write a whole book about it. It’s down to our own awareness, consciously eat/put things in our bodies and society will have a million reasons to dismiss those. Best wishes SB.
Andrew ignore them ❤️Eat what you want you do you lots of kindness and support🙏
I hope you enjoy your snack Andrew, and I like your recipe for watercress and leek soup (your response to “What’s your favourite soup”) as I know that watercress is very good for you. It certainly comes under the heading of Healthy Eating. Thank you for inspiring me to buy some more watercress. healthline.com/nutrition/wa.... 🙂🤔👍
Hi AndrewT
Chicken in a chilli marinade sounds extremely delicious to me - I hope you enjoy it, and let us know how it tasted.
Zest 
Hi Andrew, sometimes having a shop like that nearby that is open until late is an absolute lifesaver. They can stock so much so you can always find something that can appeal to you.
I hope you enjoy your chicken and it is as mouth watering as hoped.
Andrew, I would suggest you check out the ingredient list on the food, so you know what you are eating. A good rule of thumb is that the list should be short. If you see a lot of ingredients you don't recognise, or a lot of sugars then it's best to be a rare treat. If it's mostly the things you'd expect, like salt, Chilli and other spices, then it might be a good food to have when you feel snacky.
Hi AndrewYour meal sounds delicious, hope you enjoyed it!! I can't do hot food now because it burns my tongue!! I still like the smell of it😋😋
Hey that does sound pretty mouth watering. Foods like this are just so convenient when you’re in a pinch or don’t feel like cooking. I bet it tastes good
Broad bean veggie curry with quinoa and lentils 🥘
