What The People Want

Ray, I do agree with you to a point. I feel that people should certainly think twice about having a family if they're not going to have time to care for them properly (i.e. make sure they are getting nutritious meals). But the fact remains that a lot of people have families and then neglect to provide their children with both healthy food and information about healthy eating. These children will then grow up uninformed and will probably pass their ignorance about nutrition onto their own children. I think it is absolutely crucial that we start educating these children about good food from an early age in schools (just look at the success of Stephanie Alexander's cooking school program in Victoria) so that we can help the next generation to be healthy and happy. Hopefully this way we can stop the obesity crisis in its tracks and turn things around.

Bill

"when the last time Howard ever made a positive visionary comment about anything?"

Depends on which side of the fence you sit. If your a big business he has said a lot of positive things. If you are a worker or dream about having a healthy work and family balance he hasn't said a damn thing.

Couldn't agree more with Graham - take responsibility for yourselves - stop expecting "Government" to do everything. There's more than enough nutritional information available to make informed choices. I'm in my 60's and still working full time. Some days I'm full of energy and others I'm not but I always make sure I have a healthy (home-made)lunch and, yes, I'm a meat and 3 or 4 veg person for dinner. I get around the time factor by cooking up healthy 'basics' (sauces, casseroles, pasta-bakes, rice dishes etc) in bulk every 3-4 weekends, packaging in freezer containers in meal sizes then simply taking my next evening's meal out of the freezer into the bottom of the fridge - coming home from work only to have to prepare fresh vegetables to steam or prepare rice or pasta or salad to accompany. Seems a lot to do on one day but an old friend said to me many years ago - if you have to peel 1 onion you might as well peel 3 and if the oven has to go on you might as well keep it going! This way I don't have to start from scratch every evening when I'm tired and I don't buy take-aways. Works out much more cheaply too!

It would appear the large super markets determine what we buy and therefore what we eat. Unless we shop outside their super markets.
In WA Coles and Woolworth have stopped selling local produce and try to force us to buy good imported from the EAST or Asia where they get it cheap.
This will bound to add to the costin future as energy and fuel costs rise.
Shop local buy local in small local markets is what we should all be doing.

Sorry, I've given everyone a bum steer. The figure for people thinking there was too much emphasis placed on nutrition should have been the figure for those who thought there was too little.

I've fixed it now.

Why so many people think that governments need to educate us in relation to our eating and nutrition habits, only goes to show that society is getting lazier by the day ... in my days either Mum or Grandma made sure we had a good healthy balanced diet. A lot of todays problems rest squarely on the shoulders of parents who are too lazy to cook a decent meal for the family ... a decent meal is not some overprocessed frozen piece of cardboard taken from the fridge and stcuk in the oven or microwave for 30 minutes ... and please, don't come the lame excuse of "we are both working parents and don't have the time". If you don't have the time to prepare and cook a decent meal, don't have a family. As for adults who want to feed themselves some of the "junk that is passed off as food today ... I say you are the perpertrators of your own doom. Why should the government have to do your thinking for you. Rip that swimming pool or tennis court out of your backyard and start growing your own fruit and vegetables ... you may be surprised at the rewards ... aahh! but I forgot you work so hard, you can't find the time for that but you can find the time to socialise or sit and watch or listen to all those electronic devices you have acquired. When did you last take a walk around your neighbourhood ... oops! sorry forgot, you're too tired. Do something for yourself instead of expecting others to do it for you.

The reason so many people listed too much emphasis on 'nutrition' may be that they were reacting to the excessive and often semi-hysterical media coverage (TV mainly) that highlights kilojoules above common sense and blares out fad diets to the point of nausea. Eating a fruit-and-veg laden diet with occasional protein hits and limiting fast food to a 'treat' status will generally work out for most of us.

No one has mentioned preservatives, additives and colours. Put those words into your search engine and take a look - a lot of Aussie info there. Care with these nasties will reduce ADD, ADHD,depression, auto immune diseases, diabetes etc. And there is some of this stuff in virtually all processed foods. Get a list or a book (available at all good book stores) and go and check the packets of gravy mix, sauces, and the processed food in your pantry and you will be amazed and horrified.

As a naturopath and nutritionist, I was surprised to see that 81% of respondents think there is too much emphasis on "nutrition", and I wonder if they realise what "nutrition" actually is? I consider western civilisation, like our own, to be suffering from mass mal-nutrition (mal means bad!) It's all about the QUALITY of what you eat and the nutrients in it. Even our so called healthy food is notoriously devoid of nutrients. But all in all we just need to go back to basic food, possibly grown, but at least cooked at home. We're not stupid and people inherently know what is bad or good for them and how things make them feel, if they pay attention to what they put in their bodies. It's common sense. My dad always had a vegie garden, mum always cooked, we rsrely ate out and take-aways, lollies and soft drinks were for when we had a party! And I'm not that old!

Shaun Newman's views are so obviously politically and racially biased that he should take off his myopic blinkers before tinkling the keys! I haven't heard ANY political party champion good eating habits - although the responsible public servant departments the various Federal, State and Local Governments control do at least pump out the good food news. Whether anyone likes it or not Australia as we know and love it was founded on an Anglo base and food style. Instead of blaming the government for your woes all that is needed for the Shauns of this world is a dose of eating habits self help and disipline. How about the little vege patch in the back yard for starters? No nanny states for me thanks!

An amazing point remains that people do not recognise the high-level harm caused by alcohol, and sadly but not unexpectedly your survey indicates that nothing is changing in that regard.

With the federal government having a large surplus, and the population crying out for health care. Why wouldn't the Howard Government allocate far more university places for doctors and nurses.

Is the fact that many hospitals are "public" is that the problem, do they want to privatise everything including hospitals?

the results show we are a failed food state and doomed to more of the same. Its the dominant
Anglo culture which has the worst apporach and attiude to food. With a diverse population we should be able to evolve a sensible Australian food culture, but alas, the Howard era and era of the Anglo conservative business establishment, of which the media is the most influential player have ballsed it up big time. When's the last time you heard Howard or Alan Jones championing food and food culutre, come to think of it when the last time Howard ever made a positive visionary comment about anything?