Choosing what to eat

Comments here mention 'allotments' and 'growing at home' like we used to do. There should be a great deal more

local authority and national government help and advice about 'growing your own'. I'm very suspicious of present allotment

allocation. I believe there is corruption in the allotment allocation system where allotment space can be passed between

family and friends - so that one 'family' or one individual can end up with more than one allotment. This 'corruption' means

people on the local authority allotment list wanting an allotment are unlikely to get an allotment. Allotment allocation needs

to be regularly monitored for its fairness. More local authority land should be developed for allotments.   

Satisfying my desires, and finding things that I can cook the way I enjoy them. So I try to eat vegetables......salads, in the summer, fruit , and brocolli. But I do enjoy cakes with butter and sugar, fried things sometimes, processed food and also crisps , which are not good for us. There is plenty of choice to eat healthily, however the things that are best for your body, are not always the tastiest......and I dont want to sacrifice my life to eating healthily , and not enjoy anything I eat!

London is one of the best cities in the world. You can buy fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meat from local markets and high streets. Plenty of supermarkets if that is your choice. The problem is that we allow far too many chicken shops and fast food outlets which are all contributing to ill-health and obesity. If you are lucky enough to have cooking and storage facilities in your kitchen then buy fresh and cook from scratch. There are plenty of options for economical meals. 

For those without allergies, eating at a reasonable cost is not difficult in London, the range of shops and markets means that it is easy to find competively priced veg and fruit and there are usually deals to be had on protein items in supermarkets

I eat at home because I cook and prepare food with only best ingredients and I know that it's healthy.

When I go out to eat food the experience will be judged by the following criteria:

1) Taste, Creativity / Authenticity of flavour

2) Texture

3) How healthy the composition is

4) Finesse 

5) Value for money

6) Friendliness of service

7) Comfort of premises and ambiance

8) Will my body deal with and dispose of the consumed food with comfort?

Most restaurants utterly fail on 7) because most premises are too loud (music and talking) and seating is too tightly crammed together; and on 8) they give me stomach problems in one way or another because the quality of ingredients is just not there  :(

My main consideration is that it is vegan and this is a non-breakable rule because the planet cannot support any other kind of diet. My second consideration is that it is organic although this is not always possible. My third consideration is that it doesn't contain palm oil because I don't believe in 'sustainable' palm oil. I also buy fair trade where possible and always for chocolate, tea and coffee. It is preferrable for food to be locally sourced where it is available and/or possible.

I was diagnosed as being coeliac 5 years ago, so now have to ensure that I eat gluten-free. This has not had much of an impact on my eating habits as I was brought up eating fresh, and freshly-cooked, food and meals.

The principle difference has been that 'junk' food has to now be excluded from my diet: I am much healthier for it. Although as a child I was allowed to eat sweets, biscuits, cakes, bread, etc., I was eating a much larger, and therefore unhealthy quantity, as an adult.

Supermarkets, cafes, restaurants & pubs are much more aware these days about food allergies and the need to provide 'healthy' eating options. After all it makes commercial common sense to offer as wide a choice as possible to as wide a customer base as possible: that's how you make a profit.

So on the whole, I can find GF eating options when I am socialising: only last night I had a delicious Lebanese meze meal in a restaurant in Seven Dials (they also had a wide range of vegan dishes).

As for food being expensive to buy in London it depends on where & when you shop: markets, Lidl or after 6pm for marked down items. Takeaways are 4 times the cost of cooking fresh at home. If you don't know how to cook, follow a recipe on-line.

It is time for authorities in the UK, both at a local & a national level, to better educate the general population about the dangers of poor eating habits. We now live in a so-called 'first world' country where it is  estimated that 40% of primary school children will be obese, and the first generation to DIE ahead of their parents. This is unacceptable. And what of the cost to the NHS? The UK is in danger of being in the position of choosing between paying pensions and social housing out of the public purse, or pouring more money into the NHS: an additional £20billion will be a drop in the ocean.

We need to return to British eating habits: fresh, seasonal, local.

Gluten free (non-negotiable), healthy and low-carb/sugar. 

Ideally refined sugar free.

Feel there is a vast range in how well restaurants understand coeliac and cross-contamination.

More healthy/GF options available over time as people understand the importance of it more and particularly as there is more of a understanding recently about sugar and how bad it is for you.

I wish there were more healthy takeaways. Sometimes I want to get a takeway for ease/time, but would still like it to be a healthy option.

Ultimately at a governmental level, I wish there was a tax on highly processed foods that was used to subsidise more natural/healthier foods, to make them more expensive/affordable relatively.

Again, at a government level, I also feel that basic nutrition should be taught at schools. I have a private education and yet within my apparently educated friends (of which some are doctors) there is a severe lack of understanding about what is in foods, the impact of sugar on your body etc etc.