I have been back in the UK for just over three weeks now, following our 15+ years living in Spain.
While it should be pointed out that during those 15 years I was a frequent visitor back to the UK, initially through work (M2 Associates, our Consultancy Business) and then on a regular basis though the pet transports (ALStrays Transport, our not for profit re-homing and transport project), it is a long time since I have ‘lived and worked’ in the UK.
Over the last three weeks I have had several pre conceptions and views confirmed to say the least ….
Pretty much close to the top of this list is just how much food and drink is consumed in the UK. It appears to be a non stop national activity ….. grazing like a cow was always advised as a good approach to eating (lots of small meals consumed over a period of time), scoffing like a pig (ramming large quantities down the throat as quickly as possible was not).
Before you all jump down my throat let me confirm: 1) they eat a lot in Spain, but as a rule it’s based around meal times and social events, and 2) I am not exactly short of a few pounds myself!
In fact it’s this second point that prompts this post ….. I have found it harder to stick to a healthy diet here in the UK, where at every corner and at every event it is near on impossible to avoid the onslaught of food and drink being thrust at you, and if you will forgive a generalisation or two ……. not particularly healthy food, and certainly not good value for your money (I will say now that cheap food not equate to good value, and as a rule of thumb cheap equates to poor quality and poor animal welfare!).
By way of a few examples: Sky have a TV show, comedians watching football and commenting on the game. It’s a good idea and funny …. but Sky are sponsored by a Pizza Company so the (generally) overweight Comedians sit eating Pizza and other items of food available from said establishments ….. not a carrot stick in site!
Another example: walking the dogs with one of my oldest friends and their dogs (which we transported over from Spain for them) has been one of the many great things about the move back. They introduced us to a perfectly pleasant tea shop. £5 for a scone, jam, butter and a cup of Earl Grey seems a lot to me, especially when ordered from a counter, collected from a counter, and the empty plates returned to the counter. Apparently it isn’t the job of one of the 5 people employed that morning to actually serve on the tables!!!
Another? The somewhat amazing fact that people brought Coffee and Muffins into the theatre the other evening. I am sorry but when did it become impossible to ensure you have eaten and drank before going out and god forbid it should be considered going 2.5 hours without stuffing something else down the old throat …… and please don’t get me started on service stations. In the UK hardly anybody drives far enough to warrant needing to stop and refuel (car or body) at a service station but it does now appear to be a national pastime to stop and cram a coffee and cake at every opportunity.
All of which brings me (eventually) to the point …. the UK seems obsessed with food. I have no idea how many TV programs are food related, all watched I assume by people stuffing a takeaway down while marveling at the concept of real food before them. I have already lost track of how many people are on a low or no carb diet these days, and the evidence is that it does work but at what cost ….. our bodies need a balance of food, and in all honesty ANY diet will ensure you lose weight for the simple reason that you are focussed on what and how much you eat.
So what prompted this post? An article regarding a new book based on a diet for men over 40 who are fat (sorry that need to lose weight) by Ian Marber. I was drawn to it as I am over 40 and fat, and because once again it was promoting primarily a high protein, low carb diet (this one allows complex carbs) but I didn’t really get beyond the thing we all know ….. to lose weight you eat less and exercise more.
If only it was that simple?