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Katie writes:

“Saw this on Facebook yesterday – classic nutritious meal of sausage rolls and Tayto for €2… :( Who said anything about a national obesity crisis? If our self-control is that unbelievably useless, don’t we need to tax the crap out of this sort of food?”

FIGHnomnomnomnomnom…

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115 thoughts on “Junk Meal”

  1. Yea, Ok

    Tax the crap out of it? How about take responsibility for yourself? You’d get four pieces of fruit for two Euro if you want.

    1. manolo

      The “take responsibility for yourself” bit is working out great if reports and predictions are to be believed. Health cost increases due to obesity are plain propaganda from a sector that just wants more money, etc.

      1. Mister Mister

        And why should I, who goes to the effort of exercising regularly, and therefore can afford to eat crap on occasion, pay for there ignorance?

        Why not bring in tax rates based on BMI(Not that that’s faultless) rather than punish everyone with stupid ‘fat’ taxes?

          1. Mister Mister

            Wow, so your entire ‘argument’ is based on the incorrect use of a word.

            Look what happens when boards.ie goes down for 24 hours, the kids get restless.

          2. bertie blenkinsop

            I don’t claim to have an argument –
            I was pointing out the delicious irony in your post.

        3. well, tat's that

          Also, BMI doesn’t work if you’re an mid-range to elite athlete. When I was a competitive swimmer my BMI (and a lot of the team’s BMIs) came out as over weight even though we weren’t and were very fit. Increased muscle mass can throw off BMI. It’s not an absolute marker of weight status.

        4. ollie

          And if you get knocked down carelessly crossing the road you should pay for your medical care?
          Jebus, some of the posters on here definitely live with mammy and daddy!

    2. Clampers Outside!

      If you shout “take responsibility for yourself” then you must believe that none of the media is responsible for brainwashing people and that the media we all consume has no effect on behaviour.

      Isn’t it great to be made of teflon.

    3. On The Buses

      People Don’t just think for themselves in perfectly rational and health affirming ways all the time. In the same way certain policy changes reduced cigarette consumption, changing the tax policies on unhealthy foods would result in reduced consumption.

        1. Cup of tea anyone?

          What if you reduced the tax on healthy options at the same time.
          So for people who have a balanced diet there would be no change to the pocket.

          1. Caroline

            In fairness:

            “The Zero rate of VAT applies to the supply of most foodstuffs, such as bread, butter, cheese, cereals, condiments, flour, fruit, herbs, meat, milk, pasta, pastes, sauces, soup, spices, sugar, and vegetables (fresh or frozen). This list is by no means exhaustive.”

            (Spot the increasingly odd one out.)

  2. VinLieger

    Let people eat what they want however if they do end up obese or with diabetes etc etc then they simply are pushed to the back of the queue when it comes to free healthcare, theres enough information out there so that eejits who do end up fat from too much garbage have nobody to blame but themselves so should also have to pay for their own treatment as it was their choice

    1. manolo

      Great, so instead of rubbing it in with “you were told so”, we just rub it in with f*@k off you moron. Perfect.

    2. FK

      You mean from the taxes that they pay? Or the health insurance? Oh, and being obese usually takes about 20 years off a life span so none of this caring for people in their dotage.

      1. VinLieger

        Perfect we have an aging population that we won’t be able to pay public pensions for so if we can off a good percentage due to their own stupidity so the country stays afloat it sounds good to me. Darwinism ftw!

          2. Neilo

            @Annie:

            To make a great big batch that will freeze without any difficulty:

            3 cans canellini beans – drain two reserve the water from one
            1 Spanish onion
            200-250g smoked bacon cubes/pancetta
            1 generous tablespoon dried mustard – I put in more as I like them spicy
            150ml barbecue sauce (alternatively mix treacle, balsamic vinegar and a little ketchup to get a similar thickness but readymade sauce is easier – don’t go mad, generic is fine)
            A little salt, a generous shake of white pepper
            A generous squeeze of tomato puree
            Optional jarred anchovies – three or four

            First off, heat up a decent-sized saucepan – a cast iron Dutch oven type is ideal
            Fry off the bacon in a little oil but the oil is not essential
            Once bacon is crispy, remove from pan with slotted spoon leaving cooking fat behind
            Sautee the onion for a few minutes, I like mine with a little bite adding the anchovies before the onion hits the pan if you like
            Now tip in the drained two cans of beans, getting a good simmer going. Feel free to add the water from the final can if you think it looks a litte dry. Add the barbecue sauce, seasonings and tomato puree.
            Once the colour and thickness of the simmering beans is to your liking, add the bacon
            Lower the heat to a gentle simmer for anywhere between 30 mins and an hour.
            If not sweet or spicy enough, add a little more barbecue sauce or a dab of honey – adjust the heat with a little more dry mustard. If too runny, thicken with a little cornflour solution or potato starch.
            Great with lightly toasted sourdough or a baked spud. If eating with a spud, grate a little cheddar on top

            You’ll rarely if ever buy tinned baked beans again!

          3. Annie

            @Neilo

            You hero! Thank you very much for this, sounds seriously moreish. I don’t eat meat but I reckon this will still be delicious sans bacon. Adding this to the Sunday batch fest!

          4. Neilo

            @Annie: just as good without the bacon, better for you, certainly! Feel free to improvise – sub in a can of chickpeas or add a little dried thyme.

          5. Annie

            @Neilo improvising in the kitchen is how a large percentage of my free time is spent , all the fun and all the food :)

  3. Avon Barksdale

    If you’re stupid enough to buy this kind of crap, particularly on a regular basis, you deserve to be fat and wheezy and smell bad and be covered in zits. You really shouldn’t let other peoples poor dietary choices bother you to the extent where you’re sending pictures of Spar deals into Broadsheet in a fit of outrage.

    1. Paul

      Good advertisement though. All I want are sausage rolls and Tayto now, and all I had was banana on Weetabix :(

    3. Neilo

      @Annie: best room in any home. All the noise, all the craic, all the rough’n’tumble of scalded thumbs and boiled-over pots. Add in a glass for the chef and now we’re cooking!

  4. Spaghetti Hoop

    One thing we really lack is healthy street food. The Spars and the Centras have too much of this sausage rolls / jambon / wedges fare piled up every morning.

    2. Neilo

      That sh1t will kill you quick – very hard to get cheap, nice soup in any of these places. So much better for you, even if supplied with a C de F roll.

      1. Murtles

        “Hey! Leave Jambons alone!!”
        Ba-ba-dah-de-dah-dat-dat-dah
        All in all, they’re just a – nother sh*t food to maul

        1. Spaghetti Hoop

          *snigger*

          Jambons cooked well-done look like something I’d find at the back of my oven.
          Having said that, they are delicious when hungover.
          Jambons also become ‘Gambians’ if left to auto-correct.

  5. ollie

    “tax the crap out of it”? One of 2 Fine Gael “solutions” to every issue, tax it or talk about it.
    Rising obesity has been flagged in Ireland for the last 20+ years, yet no action has been taken by government.

    I’ve a few ideas ; Let the government provide affordable sports facilities like other countries do, or if that’s stretching the imagination too far what about proper nutrition education in school, or even some sports equipment? Close the Dail bar? Don’t appoint fatties as MInisters for Health?

  6. Janet, I ate my avatar

    In fairness part of the problem is a scant lack of other options. When I come home I get really frustrated trying to find anything quick and healthy and that’s not even mentioning portion sizing. There are healthy options but they are not as at hand as they should be. Would they really not sell ?

    1. Janet, I ate my avatar

      The whole ” treat ” yourself mentality with fat, suger and salty processed crap is shocking when you are not used to it anymore.

    2. Disasta

      Took me 6/7 minutes to make a salad for lunch.
      Olives, mixed lettuce, cucumber, red onion, goats cheese, beetroot, avocado, olive oil, balsamic vinegar.

      This long time to make something quick and healthy is utter crap.
      If you can’t go to shop and buy healthy options I would suggest you shouldn’t have money and someone else should be doing that for you.

          5. Disasta

            I rock a large chunk of cooked animal flesh in the evenings so I don’t think I need it at lunch too. Plus a bit of Avocado and cheese fills me up nice. And there’s that serotonin boost from the avocado to consider, apparently. I think vinegars and pickled food help maintain lower blood sugar too?

      2. Janet, I ate my avatar

        I’m talking about a visit not living there. That’s why I noticed. Obviously if you live somewhere and healthy fast choices are that crap you are going to plan ahead. Trust me the people who end up eating the rubbish regularly are not the type to plan ahead.

      3. Annie

        Definitely. It does not take long to make healthy food for your lunches, and the more savvy you become with that the more delicious & nutritious your food is. When that starts to become the norm the desire for the previously consumed diminishes dramatically.

    3. Nice Anne {Dammit}

      There are plenty of other options. People who complain there are not are just not motivated to try them for some reason. Is it because opening a packet is easier than chopping up a few veg?

      I know this because I was one of those people, *only* a small bag of crisps, four slices of white bread, lump of cheese/plastic ham slices and a can of fizzy drink for dinner.

      You obviously have internet access so you could look up healthy alternatives if you wanted to. The issue is that you don’t want to or are not motivated to. I started with changing my exercise habits first and the motivation to change my eating came later based on the Finnish example:
      http://www.theguardian.com/befit/story/0%2C15652%2C1385645%2C00.html

  7. Pip

    EVEN Starbucks have ‘protein pots’ now, for the same price as a gooey bun.
    You really don’t have to look that hard.

  8. RockyRoader

    How is a punter going to wash all this grub down?
    Cue the nourishing can of Club orange.

    It’s all very well talking responsibility, but when obesity and diabetes are responsible for occupancy of so many hospital beds, a tax on, say, added-sugar content, makes some sense.

  9. Owen

    Should be banned or taxed so heavily that there is no financial margin.

    The problem is NOT the people buying this type of stuff for themselves. That’s their choice (or their education) and they are past saving, without making it too expensive to buy. The true problem lies in parents buying this for their KIDS. Kids who then grow up to think its an acceptable meal.

    1. VinLieger

      Agreed, while we need less oversight for adults with them taking responsibility, parents who are irresponsible enough to do the same to their children need to be educated firstly and if that doesn’t work then some other kind of solution needs to be thought off, obviously fining etc won’t work as it will cause even more issues so its a difficult one.

      I propose get rid of religion in school and replace it with mandatory health sciences classes

  10. MoyestWithExcitement

    I generally only see ads/deals like this in either working class areas or near universities/colleges. It’s probably not a coincidence that the poorest in society have the worst diets.

      1. Yea, Ok

        If this stuff is a regular diet I’d say it’s more likely people think only having a massssive number 2 every 2 or 3 days is normal.

  11. ollie

    Minister Frances Fitzgerald described obesity among young children as “frightening” 2 years ago, in fact she was so frightened that she ran away from the children’s portfolio and decided she would be better employed f **king up the justice Ministry.

  13. fluffybiscuits

    Last September I was diagnosed as being a type 2 diabetic and I must lose weight and I have done through cutting back on carbs and increasing exercise but it was cutting back on the carbs that was the key. The recommendation for carbs is approx 300g as Im a large chunky bloke. Im eating about 180 g a day. Since Sept Im down about 2 stone and aiming for another half a stone by start of Feb , about 6-7 lbs a month moderately. What was lacking for me was an education as to how I should eat so I had to read everything I could lay my hands on and I joined a group on FB that gave me an education on what to eat etc. When I look at guys like Karl Henry who spends his time preaching or the patronising tone of Operation Transformation Im glad I do not follow the whole ‘diet approach’. All it takes in reality is two or three small life style choices that you stick with through life. Sugar taxes would be a much better way of paying for the health care of those who will be in the future diagnosed with cancer, heart attacks, strokes and diabetes and other disorders. The cost is borne by those who chose to indulge in the sugary snacks etc. Anything over 22g per 100g is considered extremely lethal. Even now as I type this this morning I looked at a bag of muesli that I had and the sugar content was medium,15 g per 100g but this is was offset by a huge fibre content. So look some quick tips on how I am doing it

    -Eat high fibre
    -Cut back on carbs
    -Try to exercise 2-3 times a week for 40 mins a day (less carbs means less exercise remember that)
    -Come Saturday or Friday , have the few beers or glasses of wine and a take away, treating yourself is essential

    Again anyone wants help or just info tweet me @fluffy_biscuits or e mail me via broadsheet maybe.

    1. Owen

      Fair play Fluffy! Keep up the good work. Nearly 3 is a huge achievement, let alone over the festive period!

      On a separate note, are you going to change your name from fluffybiscuits? Perhaps low_fat_digestives, or fluffy_ricecakes?

    4. Annie

      Well done! I bake these as a high protein, low sugar treat because TREATS. But they’re truly super.
      250 gram any nut butter – I use peanut. Make sure whatever you choose is the smooth kind. Try to get a good brand with no added sugar.

      2 -3 RIPE bananas, mashed up – properly mashed up
      2 eggs
      1 teaspoon vanilla extract
      ½ teaspoon baking soda
      1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

      Heat oven to 200 degrees (fan assisted)
      Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix the heck out of it with a wooden spoon.
      Put mix into cupcake cases.
      Bake for roughly 15 minutes, depending on your oven.

      I always put some almond flakes on top. Because they’re delicious. You can vary things; I’ve tried raspberries in the batter and also blueberries. Chopped walnuts. If you wanna be bold I recommend dark chocolate chips….mmmm.

      1. mmm

        Let’s make it a “Tuesday Taft Treats” post. Annie can post “bold” recipe and BS commenters can cook and post pic of their end results. It will help to distract Moyest from sharing his worldview on economics and keep BS commenters sane.

  15. Joni2015

    I eat McDonald’s whenever I like and I’m ripped. I can pull any woman when out. It’s about get some exercise and not eating crap all the time.

    2. dhaughton99

      Same here. I’m buff and I’m going to eat crisps and a mars bar for lunch. Pulling the girls is a different story.
      Its only a few small rolls and crisps. Calm the F down.

    4. J

      Is it membership of the top 1% in income /PhD /Rugby under 15 Junior Cup winner or is it the ripped school scarf that has the ladies all in a tizzy, Joni?

    5. MoyestWithExcitement

      Have to give credit to Joni that people are still, somehow, taking him seriously. “I eat McDonald’s whenever I like and I’m ripped. I can pull any woman when out.” Come on lads. He’s either literally 15, insane or he’s taking the pish. Although I’d question the sanity of someone who can do this for so long and still find it entertaining.

      1. rotide

        Its completely believeable that someone can eat mcdonalds whenever they want and be perfectly healthy, It’s not rat poison you know.

        You can eat nothing but gojiberries and quinoa and you’ll be a fat mess if you eat too much and don’t excersise enough

        1. rotide

          Lets face it, It should really be all pictures. Like a Hello! spread without the annoying article.

          Jonotti (32) works out in his home gym

          Jonotti (30) relaxes in his home cinema with ‘friend’ (21)

          Jonotti (28) works on his PHD with his international caps in background.

          Personally I can’t wait.

    7. Anne

      “I eat McDonald’s whenever I like and I’m ripped. I can pull any woman when out. It’s about get some exercise and not eating crap all the time.”

      rohypnol doesn’t count

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