In today's world many people don't even try to care about what they eat and how it tastes. We more and more often eat in fast food restaurants like McDonald or KFC, despite the fact that everyone knows that food is not healthy and tasty. We also know that bad food doesn't only affect our health, but also our appearance and mood - eating well helps us to concentrate and work. I'd like to present some alternatives for people who want to start to care about their health and life.
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| Slow Food logo. |
That's why there has been introduced The Slow Food movement. It is an international movement which aims to "protect the taste" of small local food producers and their clients from big fast food industries. They also try to convince people to care about their eating habits - we live fast these days and usually forgot how delicious and relaxing good food can be.
Slow food does not exactly mean that preparing it have to take ages - there are plenty of different recipes for quick cooking, beginning at breakfast and ending at dinners. There is an example of a quick lunch:
Falafel burgers
Ingredients:
- 400 g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- garlic clove, chopped
- handful of flat-leaf parsley or curly parsley
- ground cumin
- ground coriander
- ½ tsp harissa paste or chilli powder
- plain flour
- sunflower oil
- toasted pitta bread
- 200 g tub tomato salsa, to serve
- green salad, to serve
- 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
Method:
- Pat the chickpeas dry with kitchen paper. Tip into a food processor along with the onion, garlic, parsley, spices, flour and a little salt. Blend until fairly smooth, then shape into four patties with your hands.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the burgers, then quickly fry for 3 mins on each side until lightly golden. Serve with toasted pittas, tomato salsa and a green salad.
Vegetarianism
We all know what vegetarianism is and even if we sometimes doesn't agree with vegetarians about their eating habits, we must agree that it is much healthier than fast food. Being a vegetarian doesn't exactly mean to give up eating meat. There are plenty of different types of vegetarianism such as: ovo-lacto vegetarianism (excluding only meat), veganism (excludes all animal products) or fruitarianism (eating only plant matter which can be gathered without harming a plant).
Of course, we can't always refuse to eat meat, but vegetarian meals could be one part of our eating habits, considering that they consists lower levels of fat and that we shouldn't eat red meat every day.
And one vegetarian recipe:
Tomato baked eggs
Ingredients:
- 900g ripe vine tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 large free range eggs
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley and/or chives
Method:
- Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Cut the tomatoes into quarters or thick wedges, depending on their size, then spread them over a fairly shallow 1.5 litre ovenproof dish. Peel the garlic, slice thinly and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Drizzle with the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and stir everything together until the tomatoes are glistening.
- Slide the dish into the oven and bake for 40 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and are tinged with brown.
- Make four gaps among the tomatoes, break an egg into each gap and cover the dish with a sheet of foil. Return it to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the eggs are set to your liking. Scatter over the herbs and serve piping hot with thick slices of toast or warm ciabatta and a green salad on the side.
Slow food and problem of obesity
One of the newest researches tells us that 70% of adult Americans suffers from the overweight. It causes that those people has to spend more money on their doctors, because obesity can cause many medical problems: heart attack caused be high level of cholesterol, diabetes and even broken legs (caused by large weight).
Statistics for Poland aren't much better - 61% of men are too fat. Health is not only one problem for those people: fat children are often teased by colleges, it is a problem for them to buy clothes, because large ones are commonly more expensive.
There are plenty of ways to prevent that problem: we can stop eating fast food and start to care more about our meals. Many people claims that they have no time for cooking - I think that's a lie, there are many recipes for fast dishes, much healthier than fast food. We just have to try changing our way to see a problem.
Links:
- Picture from: http://www.theramblingepicure.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/SlowFoodLogo-300x155.gif
- http://www.slowfood.pl/index.php?s=str-cotojest
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism
- Great recipes: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_States, http://www.pomorska.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100208/ZDROWIE/982871442
I know that in our world more and more people eat in fast food reastaurant. We don't have enough time to prepare dainty dishes in our home. Wegetarianism? hmm... I knew 1 person who was a wegetarianism for 5 years, but now she eat meat. So I think that this way is not for always and not for everyone. I like KFC and McDonald, but I go there very rarely. We should have proper proportion.
ReplyDeleteRecently slow food restaurants are getting more and more popular in Poland, especially in large cities. I think that this is a brilliant idea! In my opinion, meal should be a time for relax, conversation with familly and friends.
ReplyDeleteHowever, our life style promote fast food restaurants. Meal is quick, cheap and satisfying our desire. The offer is so varied that everyone will find something for yourself. Unfortunatelly it isn't good for our health.
I have to agree with the author that we can't stop eating fast food.. because it is the easiest and the cheapest way of eaiting when we are out of home and cant prepare dinner by our hands. I have to confess that I love meat and fast food and from time to time I like to eat a hamburger. However I try to eat slow food because I stay and feel fit after that :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe this restaurants are now popular and maybe they are more healthy - but there are also much more expensive and that's why I'm not eating there. And when I need to eat out I choose KFC or pizza.
ReplyDeletePersonaly, I think that people start eating slow food not becauce they suddenly care about their eating habits, but it is fashionable now. Slow food, doesn't mean, more expensive food, when we prepare meals on ourself, but when we go to the reastaurat we will pay more than for another normal dishes, not because of that ingredients and preparation of meals is more expensive, but we pay for product which is trendy , so we usually have to overspend for it.
ReplyDeletePersonaly, I really care for the quality of food. Every two weeks I go to the countryside to buy fresh eggs and seasonal vegetables and fruits. I also spend a lot of time on the markets, where I'm looking for high quality meat and fish. Maybe I belong to the minority but it can be explained by my passion for cooking
ReplyDelete"Fast Food" are very popular because it is comfortable. It may be tasty, but it sure is not healthy. Longer eating such food can cause various diseases such as increasing levels of blood cholesterol and obesity, witch is very dangerous for as and our body. I think that now more and more people try to eat healthy becouse it becames very popular, and we can prepare it very fast and spend nice time cooking.
ReplyDeleteI know that nowadays a lot of people eat in fast food restaurants. For sure it is very fat and unhealthy way of eating but people do it. I think that the reason is that it is very quick and quite cheap way. A lot of people just don't have time to cook at home or they just don't want to waste this time cooking. For sure when people will start to eat healthier, slow food there will not be so many people suffering from obesity. But on the other hand I would never want to be a vegetarian... I like meat and I would not resign from it;)
ReplyDeleteThese types of restaurants are in Poland more popular. From what I heard, they are often run as family businesses. Certainly they are an interesting alternative to a well-known fast food. Unfortunately, I had yet to eat in the restaurant, but as I had the opportunity that's for sure I use it.
ReplyDeleteSlow food, fast food - everything is for the people, it's important to exercise restraint. I know that fast food is unhealthy but sometimes I eat there because I don't have time, because it's cheap and convenient. And when I don't rush anywhere I like to cook something myself or go to the "normal" restaurant. I couldn't be a vegetarian because I like meat and I see no reason to deny myself something. And the most I like homemade food, my dad is a great chef.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Milena- everything is for the people - they have to strike a happy medium. A fast food restaurant is a specific type of restaurant characterized fast food cuisine, which was made to ,,busy people". Living in the constant run, the work and the lack of time - these are causes, for which people are choosing the fast foods. Fast food restaurants are fashion, approachable and comfortable so a lot of us are choosing this way. Personally I don't like this kind of meal. It doesn't taste me. I prefer cereal or yoghurt.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone knows that fast food is unhealthy and harmful, but it's hard for us to break up our habits. I admit that I can't cook, I don't like cooking and if I ate home-made food from my mother I often visit KFC near our campus ( once a week, B-smart is necessary). But lately I'm fighting with my weaknesses, and when between classes and work, I get hungry, I go to the milk bar, where you can eat good, homemade food, like tomato soup for example. There is very cheap and tasty, I recommend;)
ReplyDeleteObesity in these times is a big problem. Unfortunately, fast foods aggravate the situation. They are places with cheap, fast food, which usually is very unhealthy. Unfortunately, nowadays, when we have for each other less and less time for many it is only possibility meal. You mentionet in your post about slow food and vegetarianism. This is a much better option, if not the best that can be. Therefore, you should convince people to this type of cuisine.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunatelly, people don't think about their health in the future. They belive in the principle "Carpie diem". Nowadays, they feel good and don't have any problems with health so what they should worry about? This is only important, nothing else.
ReplyDeleteIt's true, that we need carry about our health for all life.
More and more people, exactly young people are serious sick (among others is obesity).
People need to plan all day, especially allow the time for prepare healthy meal.
Currently the fast foods are very popular. Most of us complain about the lack of time and the inability of cooking. But I know from my personal experience how important it may be to take a moment and cook something for yourself. Then you can be sure that the food which you prepared is healthy. Besides cooking could be fun too. When you cook, your mind is resting, you are relaxing and the effects of cooking may positively surprise you. ;)
ReplyDeletePersonally I admire vegetarians, because I think that I never could completely stop eating meat. Their determination and persistence really deserve to admiration.
So... we really need to start eat more healthily, because after all our health should be an essential value for us.
I'm a big fan of healthy food and I think that it can be as much addictive as fast foods.It all starts from our decision about what we choose ,of course fast foods are easier to find and are often cheaper, but soon you get hungry again and it doesn't give your organism suplements which you need. I hope that in the near future there will be more restaurants offering fresh and made from seasonal ingredients dishes for prizes every student can afford.
ReplyDeleteFast food is not healthy and everyone knows about it. Sometimes it "saves our life" because we need to eat sth now, we have no time to go to the restaurant, good bar. It is caused by rate of our life.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very helpful for us.
It shows how we can eat healthy and fast. Recipes are so original and this food tasty.
Author mentioned about vegetarianism and veganism and said that it is more healthier than fast food - ok, i agree, but diet without meal doesn't supply our organism with necessary nutriens.
I want to add a few word to this topic, because after writing this post I've learnt a few new things about food.
ReplyDeleteActually, there have been taken a few experiments which says that fast food doesn't have to be unhealthy. The most damage in our bodies are made by high-carb diets, which means we are getting fat when we are a lot of sugar. There are even a few high-fat diets which allows us to loose weight - yes, it sounds absurdly, but it happens to be true! For more info, I suggest you reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carb_diet
Each of us know that fast food is not healthy but nowadays we don't have a time and sometimes this is the easiest way of filling our stomach. I really try to not follow this way.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the main problem is obesity and this what obesity can cause -medical problems.
So I think that the first step to change our eating habits is becomig aware of danger. What's more, we should try the slow food. I think that this is not complicated even if it takes a little bit more time, I am sure that our health is priceless. If we don't change you habtis it will cause serious probmles.
I can't agree with that fast foods aren't taste. I like cheeseburger or KFC's chicken flavor. It is delicious for me. I know that the fast foods are unhealthy but I eat it rarely especially when I really haven't got time and can't come back home early. My BMI isn't too high so I can afford to fast food. I am not against fast foods time to time but against unrresposible youth's diet. Slow food need not be slow.
ReplyDeleteWe know that bad food affect our health, our appearance and mood. eating well helps us to concentrate. Who want to start to care about their health and life should prefer slow food rather than fast food
ReplyDeleteFor me fast foods are unhealthy too. I think that fast foods are good option for people who do not have time for preparing health dinner at home.
Fast foods start being very popular in Poland. I think it ensue from that we have less and less time. Everybody have owns duties and making money takes much more time then for example 10 years ago. Slow food is very good idea. We must find time to eat normal and delight food.
ReplyDeleteMariusz really? I don't agree. They are same popular like before. Your theory is right when we expand the mean of "fast food". What's the difference between sfinx and MC'Donald? Nothing. It is same unhealthy food. But people see no distinction.
ReplyDeleteI'm eat in fast food restaurant really seldom, for example after some party when I;m very lazy. I think it is enough to keep good preformance - when you eat normal meals made by yourself.
In last time I was in slow food and I was eat in lasagne with spinach.I have to admit that the food was very good and I'm not a vegetarian. sometimes I like eat in in fast food because I am very like meat, sometimes I like eat hamburger. I eat at fast food once or twice a month and I think it's not bad for me health.
ReplyDeleteeverything is for people who can just have to use it. I agree with article about slow food that this food is very helthly.