Ready steady cook

OVER the past few years I’ve become more and more concerned about the quality of the food we eat. I’m acutely aware that we are all living on inherited good health from our ancestors — good health they built up by eating simple, fresh, organic food, long before the term organic was invented.

There are other factors, of course. Farmers truly understand the importance of good breeding and know that if they don't feed and care for their animals properly, disease will soon follow. Will a diet of fast food and fizzy drinks nourish our young people so they can pass on health and vitality to their children? All the evidence points to the contrary.

Food is the fuel for our bodies; if you don't put good petrol in the tank the 'car' won't perform properly. It's ironic that so many of us look after our cars and motorbikes much better than ourselves. We wouldn't dream of putting inferior oil or petrol in the tank, yet we shovel any kind of rubbish into ourselves and then wonder why we are low in energy, feeling sluggish or lacking concentration. For most people the only criteria when choosing food is cheapness, never before have we spent so little a percentage of our income on food. In 1994/95, we spent 20.6% of our income on food and in 1999/00 it was down to 17.6% (Household Budget Survey 2001).