Do you think you eat well ?

It rather depends on what you regard as healthy.
I think I do because it was how I was brought up - veg from the garden, not much meat as we could not afford it and always cook from scratch.

My DH does not eat as healthily as he detests fruit and veg. I often cook two different meals - fortunately I love cooking.
We are both pretty healthy in ourselves and do not get many infections. I am slim, my DH not so but not massively overweight.

We don’t eat red meat except for venison, we grow our own vegetables and most of our fruit. We buy avocados, grapefruit, oranges and lemons from crowdfarming. In the summer months I tend to do quite a lot of baking and make preserves and chutneys. Our diet is healthy overall, but my husband’s eating habits are far healthier than mine as he drinks kefir, always gets his five-a-day (and more), eats lots of beans and pulses and uses an oil spread rather than butter; however he has a pudding after dinner every day (usually fruit crumble and ice-cream, all home made) and although I think his daily calorie intake is about 2.5k/3k he is the same weight, and as slim, as when we married thirty seven years ago.

Usually when I’m ill people are very kind and buy me flowers, but for some reason this time I’m inundated with chocolates. So currently I’m getting no exercise and eating far too many sweet treats. Fortunately as he’s cooking that’s counterbalanced by my husband serving me his repertoire of healthy meals.

M0nica

ceejayjay haven't you seen all the articles and reports warning about how bad for you most of manufactured vegan foods are, the fake meat products and manufactured milks??

This is because it means that many vegan diets are high in UPFs (ultra processed foods) - esstentially anything in a supermarket that isn't a basic food stuff www.zurich.com/en/media/magazine/2021/its-veganuary-but-is-it-really-a-healthy-way-to-start-the-year

If you are cooking from scratch and everything you eat started as a basic fruit/veg/nut in your kitchen, plus you take the necessary supplements, you will indeed be eating a healthy diet. But if like many people, vegan and non-vegan, food and you are going round the ssupermarket buying packaged manufactured food, especially meat, milk and dairy substitutes, then your diet may not be as heaalthy as you think

Interesting Monica. I have often wondered how healthy a vegan diet is = when I go to local food fairs, and see how much of these foods are heavy in salt, etc.

I live by myself, love food, could easily take up eating as a hobby. I do have a healthy diet - trouble is the extras I al so have are myundoing.

Lunch usually involves eggs, boiled or paoched, occasional omelette. Home made veg soup in the very cold weather. I have a further large mug of tea and (far too often) 'treat' myself to a dessert like a toasted tea cake with jam).

Supper (five our seven days) is a very substanial salad which includes walnuts and dried fruit - served with a portion of fish or chicken,. Yoghurt & fresh fruit for dessert. Plain water the accompaning drink.

Once a week I have daughter for tea and do go along more traditional evening meal lines of meat or fish and two or three veg.

Every so often I rebel against my own regime and cook 'comfort foods' such as ham,egg and chips, sausage and mash, etc,

My times for these three meals are 8.00 am/ midday/ 5 pm.

I do have to work very hard NOT to snack in the evening, so tempting and NOT because I am hungry I have found that cleaning my teeth ready for bed, very early (7 pm when I get myself into my night clothes), helps with this as if I eat anuthing again I would need to repeat that cleaning.

Is that healthy as in the nutrition I learnt back at school? Then your diet was set out as a plate, which was approximately divided into thirds, one third being fruit&veg, one third being carbohydrates, and the remaining third being divided into 5 with 2 parts fish/meat/nuts etc, 2 parts dairy cheese, milk, butter etc and the remaining bit being sweets, fizzy drinks, cake etc.
I can manage that, quite easily.
Now we are told that so many things are bad/good for us from one week to another. People invent ‘heathy’ diets with opposing views of what that means.
Vegetarian, when I was younger meant making meals from vegetables and fruit, often with the addition of butter or cheese or milk.
Now it sometimes means “No-beef beef burgers, or Vegan king prawns.
In days gone by we would have been lectured on how bad all the additives were. Now it seems that any additive but animal protein is to be venerated.

Mollygo Vegetarian, when I was younger meant making meals from vegetables and fruit, often with the addition of butter or cheese or milk. Now it sometimes means “No-beef beef burgers, or Vegan king prawns.

Vegetarian is veg and fruit etc, with dairy/ eggs - no meat.

Vegan is fruit, veg, nuts, tofu, seeds, chia, flax, grains, rice, polenta, pasta - no animal products or animal byproducts.

Vegan is easy, cheap, delicious, sustainable for a healthier planet. Less fat, chemicals, processing (if well chosen items are used).

Thanks for the lecture Norah. I do know the difference.
I was responding to a previous comment about the additives in UPF foods and the increasing number of UPF foods, introduced because many vegans, have no more time to cook than non-vegans and thus resort to buying those foods.
That this is happening is quite evident when walking round a supermarket and seeing the increasing number of ‘meat-free’ products still disguised and referred to by animal protein names. ‘No chicken chunks’ is a good example. How do you make something taste of chicken without using chemicals? And why would you want to?

I hate breakfast unless in a hotel where I don’t have to smell it cooking. I also hate all fruits as forced into it by relatives. Apart from that I am very relaxed about cooking and like meat if my teeth are up for it. Fish once a fortnight. Lots of salad and loads of olive oil. Never let a day pass without eating a whole lemon. My stomach must be totally pickled.

Mollygo I'm sorry I "lectured". Topic dear to me.

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Yes, we eat quite well. Accomplished cooks, good ingredients.

Here's some nutrition advice for older vegans and veggies from V for Life, a UK care charity for older veg*ns

vforlife.org.uk/resources/publications/nutrition-guidelines