Go compare!

So even when I sign up to tesco I can't even begin until I enroll myself with their clubcard scheme. From here on they can see everything I buy, direct marketing, where deals and vouchers are able to sent my way to provoke induced decisions based on their current campaigning strategy . I am not a cynic! I would actually be quite pleased to be receiving vouchers.

So I begun my grocery journey this evening, online, and made up two lists of shopping. One with out a care in the world for cash, frivolous with food, and naturally buying the better, fresher produce. And the 2nd, with a budget mind, where the size of my balance is more important than the size of my waist. So how did it go? Well... see for yourself.

I did this with exactly the same meal plans: Cereal for breakfast, a lunch I can leave the house with, and then dinner for two in the evening. The evening meal I factored in protein, vegetable and a carbohydrate.

Let's see how I got on:

Healthy food list: A whopping £37.83 for around 3 days of rather healthy, normal eating. 

Breakfast: Alpen and milk

Lunch: 1) Innocent vegetable pot

2) New York Soup

3) Sushi

Dinner: 1) Stir fry - Noodles, beef and chinese stir fry bowl.

2) Salmon fillets, baked sweet potato and spinach.

3) Chicken breast with a side salad and cous cous.

Snacks: Fruit and Nuts

Bananas x 6

Apples x3

Drink: Smoothie

 And here is the unhealthy food list, I just cannot believe it is under half the cost.

Breakfast: Honey&Nut Cornflakes

Lunch: 1) Piing Beans&Sausage melt wrap

2) Piing Bacon Burger Pizza (?!?!?!)

3)BBQ Chicken wrap

(I've probably been a little ungenerous here - but it was 3 for £3)

Dinner: 1) Meatballs, Pasta, Tinned tomato

2) Crispy chicken, instant rice, petit pois and baby carrots (jar)

3) Battered cod, wedges and mushy peas.

Snacks: 3x fudge bar

6x cheese&onion crisps

6 x club bars.

Drinks: Coca-cola

 Before setting out to do this blog I knew that there was a problem.

But here it is plain to see that there really is a huge gap between what the rich and the poor are able to put into their bodies. I just cannot comprehend the feeling that mothers must have when they do not have the time or the money to feed their children the way that children could be fed half a century ago.

I don't need to provide anyone with any nutritional information to see which one is set to do some long term damage with some unwanted consequences.

The problem is, we adapt to our surroundings. If everyone is putting complete junk into their bodies, or indeed only clean food, you are a hell of a lot more likely to do so too. This does not help the poverty trap surrounding food with cheap eating.

Furthermore, recently news stories have surfaced with a view to obliterate obesity. One proposal is to launch a tax campaign (GROAN? yup.) which will be a fizzy drinks, oil and fats tax. Now this is all very well, but then we all lose because I think the problem stems from clean fresh produce being too expensive in the first place!

Now we all know that farmers have it tough when trying to make ends meet, and are constantly competing with low costs to win over a good sale with a leading supermarket chain. Unfortunately, due to the worsening weather conditions over previous years, with wet summers etc, yields have been poor in the agricultural industry and so inevitably this is relaying a knock on effect to the consumers. Can this be helped?

Now back to the tax. What if we subsidise the fresh produce and farmed goods with the money the government will gain from 'obesity' tax and put it back into fresh food encouraging healthy living. Essentially, paying off the famers with this gained revenue and in turn seeing good food on the shelves at a cheaper price.

With an estimated half of our nation predicted to be affected with obesity by 2050, it is time to act now. Should this estimate be satisfied, funding for the NHS would have to increase dramatically to cater for this wide distribution of patients needing care. The cycle is spun again, we could save the premeditated costs by a subsidiary fresh produce scheme tackling the source of the problem first.

Annabel

Karmacoma

Karmacoma

This - is an excellent song. Massive attack have devised a true chill out classic here. It gets stuck in my head all too often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi76bxT7K6U

What's your take on karma? I've always been a bit of a superstitious creature... think three drains and along that sort of path... and I have a lot of time for the saying what goes around comes around. In every aspect of life. Even if it is just a massive fad, there's nothing wrong with an extra incentive to do something kind!

So during the summer I was proved just that. Although unfortunately I was at the wrong end of the line. As I was waiting for a bus to Battersea, G1 (never comes), I saw balanced on the red seats a blue envelope. Titled 'Open me'. Now I know what one is thinking right now, this never happens, and writing about it tales of Alice in Wonderland spring to mind.

No I wasn't in an opium haze; and after some serious deliberating and waiting for the ever so slow G1 I decided to open it, expecting a big spider to crawl out. Lone behold it was a little note fastened to a £10 pound note - how wonderful!

Now we all know the saying 'there's no such thing as a free lunch'. On my bus journey I thought about what to do with it. Donate some money to charity, relay the message to another, buy lunch for a homeless guy. The list is endless! Despite £10 not going all that far anymore...

So there it was in my purse for a whole week and a half, until I decided to put it to good use to by myself some healthy food in preparation for my Ibiza body due in 10 days time, so it was spent, with the promise to replace it and do a good deed.

As you can probably guess it's not something at the forefront of your mind, and I couldn't script this, I went to a cash point to get out £10, my card was spat back out, the shoot opened and NO MONEY.

Pretty neat isn't it? The world has that £10 again somewhere.

Maybe you should carry on the London trend and brighten someone's day! I promise myself still that I will be giving £10 to a good cause. I will prove it with a future blog!

Recent Russian Meteor 19/02/13

Recent Russian Meteor 19/02/13
Terror touched the world briefly a few days ago, as news hit the world that 100,000 tonne meteor (reports have also stated a mass of 10,000) was in touch with central Russia, leaving behind a shock wave which shook cities. Luckily the meteor ended its journey in a lake, however the impact was evident injuring nearly 1500 people.
Aside from the surface of the story, what lies deeper is the instigated worry over the powerful forces of the external universe. We do indeed live in our own content universe where we feel that it is absolutely imperative that nothing goes undetected. However, how on earth can we possibly have the audacity to believe that we are bigger than the world, solar system or galaxy to have the knowledge about what is happening all the time? Ofcourse we don't, and nor should we be naive enough to believe that we have the intellectual capacity to predict and foresee the external forces outside our big wide world which at the end of the day, did give birth to us. Not the other way round. I'm sure it's charmed that we like to believe that we know so much.
Later on the same day as the Russian meteor incident, an entirely different story arose of the asteroid 2012 DA14 which had a near miss with earth, bigger than a space shuttle and with a gigantic mass of 130,000 tonnes. It is hoped that we will be able to have track of 90% of all entities by 2020... I guess we'll just have to hold out for the other 10%!

What I find one of the most terrifying things about this story is the proposal by a Russian leader that this was infact America testing missiles. I guess that with the recent North Korea nucleur weapons testing; it is hardly surprisingly that a country rich in controversy be on edge as the world shifts on their seats. After all, how can we possibly have harmony and equality when all economies and governments are trying to elevate their own country above the rest? It would be almost impossible, as no country is happy to be behind.. and then the disruption starts. Likewise for the powerful, they will not be threatened.

However back to the meteor, it is simply disconcerting that a Russian leader is prepared to make such a strong accusation on little basis. Let's hope that the media hype around the subject at hand is enough to brush this over!

Watch this space...
Annabel

Planet O

Dear Foodies,

As I mentioned during Intro. I give Planet O a tick in the right box. The name is as hedonistic as the food. Wierd and wonderful treats and delights, the adults sweetshop. Below is my favourite, Matcha Latte. A frothy pool of Vanilla soy infused with green tea. I urge you to try. Do not be fooled by the pond like exterior!

The coffee is good too, I am normally that way inclined, but this really is marvelous.
I am going through a bit of a green tea phase right now, it does have so many benefits, as well as being deliciously refreshing, it also gives your metabolism a kick start and is bursting with antioxidants (as well as caffeine!) Try Twinings 'Orange Lotus' variety.

Planet Organic does a delicious range of homemade pastries and cakes - 'just like mama makes'
And if you can't stop there; sushi, fresh fruit, juices.. the list goes on.

 

 Ofcourse, good food like this does come at a price. Yes I do mean waistline too in regards to the above!! But you won't be keeping those purse strings tight in any good food store. The cost of healthy, natural food is the sad reality of part of the huge contributing factors into our current obesity crisis proposed to affect up to half of our country by 2050. This is a shocking statistic which should be addressed. See a blog at a later date for my thoughts and collated news on the topic.

I love food, and I think it should be celebrated in the right way. It is fabulous that good food stores supporting organic and locally sourced produce. And it is evident more than ever with the recent continental disruption over the ever unfolding meat scandal. 

We deserve to put great things into our bodies!

Intro.

Hi there! Welcome to my blog!
Who can resist starting a blog when we have such thought provoking and inspiring stories and pictures all around us from the internet. It is easy for a whirlpool of thought to crop up hundreds of times a day. I just want to write some of them down.
I am 20, and living in London. I'm still learning a lot about the world and believe that knowledge is everything. And a privilege one would be foolish to take for granted. London is an incredible place, full of variety and opportunity. I live in Kings Cross, which isn't the most glamorous part of London, however sandwiched between successful commuters off to the city, and walking beside the poor lost souls I see every day camping in the same door ways.. it's some how satisfyingly down to earth. One of the worst things is losing yourself. Anyway.. I'm sure I'll blog about that.
I'm starting this blog at Planet Organic, a chain of cafe-come-food store offering fresh and clean produce. I love it here, mainly for the Matcha Latte, and I used to come here with my mum when I was a lot younger every time I'd go into work with her. Who knew I'd end up spending everyday in the area when I'd grown up a little! I go to UCL right now, happens to be opposite Planet O. Funny how little things work out.
I hope you enjoy reading, I will try and get round to writing about all that I want to! Hopefully a little bit of everything!
Annabel