Thought for Food: July 2018: fast food

Fast food is bad for you. “I’m ok and I grew up on a lot of fast food” you may say. But today’s fast food is not the same [1]: it’s much much faster. It’s been getting worse all the time, in spite of so-called ‘healthier options', which now become fashionable in many outlets.

And the consequences of how we behave today, of the way we feed our kids especially, will be epidemic.

Fast food is bad for you. And here are the reasons.

Fast food often contains rubbish. Do aldehydes and acrolein, heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons sound good to you? Artificial dyes and preservatives?

New research, just out this year, has shown that the more you eat: “mass produced packaged breads and buns; sweet or savoury packaged snacks; industrialised confectionery and desserts; sodas and sweetened drinks; meat balls, poultry and fish nuggets, and other reconstituted meat products transformed with addition of preservatives other than salt (for example, nitrites); instant noodles and soups; frozen or shelf-stable ready meals; and other food products made mostly or entirely from sugar, oils and fats, and other substances not commonly used in culinary preparations such as hydrogenated oils, modified starches, and protein isolates”, the more likely you are to get cancer [2]. For every 10% more ‘ultra-processed’ food eaten, 12% more cancers follow. Even the ‘potential cancer-causing’ packaging gets into the food. The grease-repellent cardboard and paper products it comes wrapped in, tend to contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals which are associated with cancer, developmental toxicity and immunotoxicity, just for starters. High temperatures and use of emulsified fats significantly increase their migration into your meal [3].

And then there are the antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is one of the main health threats facing us. As if we don’t use enough of those ourselves, many more enter the food chain via our meat. In 2011, 80% of all antibiotics distributed in the United States were sold for use in food-producing animals. The majority of these were given to completely healthy animals, to increase weight gain and prevent disease in the crowded, unsanitary industrial farming conditions. England’s chief medical officer warns that the world faces a "post-antibiotic apocalypse" after which routine medical operations would become too dangerous to perform because of the risk of infection [4].

And I’m not even talking about the destruction of the environment involved in producing all this. Heavy packaging - none of which recycled, of course - and transport over enormous areas, take their toll. So does the factory farming, which creates significant methane emissions and water pollution through excessive fertilization [5].

As Michael Pollan says in 'In Defense of Food: an Eater's Manifesto’:

“Avoid food products containing ingredients that are

A) unfamiliar

B) unpronounceable

C) more than five in number, or that include

D) high-fructose corn syrup” [6].

It’s not easy, I know. Harder still for our children, who don’t even have memories of how you could live on potatoes and three veg, without ever dropping in at McDonalds's for a burger.

But can’t we just try a little bit harder? Against the onslaught of ever more clever advertising? Against the subtle wiles of those who want to make money at all costs at the expense of our very lives?

Baby steps, as always, are excellent. And for some of us, maybe even a clean break could be possible?

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EAT:

veg: beet, broad/french beans, carrots, chinese leaves, globe artichokes, kohlrabi, cauli, cabbage, (sugar) peas, beans, lettuce, sweetcorn, turnips, courgettes, broccoli, spring onions, squash, radish, tomatoes, samphire, spinach (beet), chard, endive.

fish: mackerel is at its best in July, cheap and an invaluable source of omega 3. Otherwise: dab, black bream, crab, mackerel, clam, dover sole, megrim sole, grey mullet, flounder and American signal crayfish.

meat: lamb, rabbit, wood pigeon.

See also http://eatseasonably.co.uk/what-to-eat-now/this-months-best/.

SOW:

beet, calabrese, carrots (early July), mini cauli, chicory, chinese cabbage, coriander, french beans, kale, lettuce*, pak choi, (mangetout/sugar snap) peas, black and white radish (mooli), perpetual spinach, chard, turnips.

End of the month: corn salad, endive, kohlrabi. Sowing kohlrabi late in July should supply them well into the winter. They will stand in the soil until needed.

Plant: kale, sprouts, leeks, winter cabbages, broccoli, calabrese, cauliflower.

*Remember: only crisp lettuce (little gem, cos, webb) germinates well when the soil temperature goes above 25C.

RECIPES

KOHLRABI with CHEESE

4 kohlrabi, 2tblsp butter, 2tblsp flour, 1 cup milk, 120ml grated cheddar, parsley, 1/8tsp nutmeg, salt.

You don't have to peel kohlrabi, but since the outer layer can be tough, you may prefer to do so. Before you peel it, cut off any leafy greens attached. You can use those in salads if tender, or sauté or steam them as you would other greens. Then chop the bulb into 1-2 cm pieces. Cook till just tender, drain, but keep the cooking water. Melt butter slowly in a small saucepan. Add flour and stir well until blended. Gradually add milk, cooking water and cheese, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted and the sauce thick. Add kohlrabi and heat through. Garnish with parsley and nutmeg.

FRENCH BEANS with ANCHOVIES

Cook French beans in salted water. Sauté a large clove of garlic, chopped fine, in olive oil. Add a small handful of anchovies (or small tin). Sauté them, crushing with a wooden spoon, until they “melt”. Add more oil as you need to lightly coat all the beans. Drain beans, add to the anchovies, mix.

And French beans you can also:

toss in a little butter or olive oil; sprinkle with flaked almonds

or mix with boiled potatoes, flaked tuna, black olives and vinaigrette for a salade niçoise.

CHARD
I like sautéing chard (or endive - or even bolted lettuce I'm afraid) in oil with garlic, raisins and pine nuts. Add the garlic late, as it burns easily. Good with peas.

LAMB CHOPS with BROAD BEANS, PICKLED CAULI and POTATO SALAD

1 cauliflower, 4 lamb chops; potatoes and broad beans for 4, ½tsp cumin powder, 100ml olive oil, 30ml cider vinegar, salt, pepper, 2tbsp toasted pine nuts, 2tbsp chopped parsley.

Break the cauli into large florets. Blanch in boiling salted water until just cooked (about 5 mins). Drain and while still hot, mix with oil, vinegar and cumin. Cook the potatoes and add the broad beans for the last 5 mins. Drain and let cool. Season and cook the chops. Remove them from the pan and rest. Finish the salad by adding pine nuts and parsley, check the seasoning.

Leftovers will still taste fine the next day.

For more July recipes, see other years. Or go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com, which still has eight recipes for this year.

We also have an alphabetical index of subjects, which you will see if you click on this month, in the top right hand corner.

Next month: What's wrong with carbs?
To see this now, go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com and scroll down.