Haven't posted for a while, but was prompted too, because yesterday I looked in our food cupboard and found myself facing a tin of "Heinz Spaghetti Hoops" (spaghetti rings, I think, in the US).

It was the writing on the top of the label that made me think some. It said "check out my salt levels".

OK, fine. It has good salt levels. Maybe, I can't honestly say that I know exactly what the correct amount of salt (on a daily intake basis) is.

So I started looking around. Now the conclusion that I came to, is something I've sort of been aware of for ages anyway, but it seemed to be confirmed.

Most foods, particularly processed ones, have easily identifiable amounts of salt, sugar and fat, in varying combinations. OK, but as soon as "they" try to change something about that food, then "they" often have to up to quantity of one or both of the others to compensate.

Fats and salt aren't really that palatable on their own - Ok sugar is nice but you often find that it's bloody awful to eat on it's own. They are mainly used as flavour enhancers.

The problem seems to be that if you eat too many foods with too much of one of those three things in them, then theres possible health complications i.e. too much sugar is obvious, you end up as a fat fucker with bad teeth. Too much salt and you end up with arteries made of steel and rocketing blood pressure. Too much fat and you end up as a fat fucker but with clogged arteries.

Is there an answer ? Well I suppose the answer is "sort of".

Sort of what ? Well, sort of, eat a balanced diet, and maybe learn enough so that you've got some idea of how many calories a portion of X contains - yes, you will need to have some idea of just how much a portion is i.e. weight and/or size.

That way, you can enjoy something that is say, high fat but you only eat a very small amount. The same applies to fat and salt.

Part of the reason that people in the US have a reputation for being fat bastards, is that not only are they eating the wrong foods, but too fucking much of them as well. They seem to have embraced "convenience" like nowhere else. Of course, the UK is doing it's best too catch up, but fortunately such evidence from the US is going some way to providing us with a clue as to the results of poor diet.

Most food, when it's in it's natural state, already contains enough sugar/salt/fat's. They're present naturally. It's just that they're not as salty/sweet/savoury/whatever. So maybe, cook your veggies without any additional salt. Then taste them, and add just a little too taste. Fruit? well again, taste the fucking thing. If it's not sweet enough for you, just add a little extra sweetner (artificial or natural). Fats a difficult. It can often be hard to decide if something has got enough (breads easy enough, only put enough butter on it so that it's spread very thinly, if you must). Other things? well, if you follow recipes then stick to them. Then at least you can try to judge how much of something you eat is likely to contain.

Perhaps I'm lucky inasfaras my partner Clare and myself, eat a very balanced diet. She's very conscientious, whereas I tend to eat too much by way of quantity (the quality is there).

I don't want to stop you eating what you like, I just want to encourage you to think about which foods, and how much, you're actually putting in your mouth. And no, I don't accept any shit excuses, like, "but the kids won't eat anything else" etc etc. If you're the parents, then the fucking kid(s) eat whats put in front of them - don't give them the choice of pick and choose. They're kids afterall, they're learning to be adults. If you don't "train" them properly, then how are they going to know whats good and what crap. The food manufacturers certainly won't tell 'em. They just want to produce food that costs as little as possible to make, but commands the highest prices to buy. They're not in it for your benefit (unless you happen to own shares in that company), they're in it too make a profit.

All I really have to do to improve my health is to stop smoking and try to get in the habit of taking more exercise.

Ah yes. That magic word, exercise. Perhaps it's the one thing that people are not doing enough of, and no, you don't have to throw hundreds of pounds/dollars/euro at some posh gym membership - they aren't really very nice places to try to improve (unless you're some sort of image obsessed moron who needs to have others to compare yourself too). Normally, the only thing that gets lighter with smart gym memberships is your fucking wallet! The robbing bastards.

Jog, cycle, swim, walk, something. Theres enough advice from the medical world to guide you in an appropriate way to exercise more.

Oh well, I suppose that I'd better go and get on with my cycle ride!

pip pip!