Healthy family recipes: Low-fat foods are not magic solution

People putting together healthy family recipes need to ensure that they do not rely too heavily on low-fat products, according to one newspaper, which said that they can contain more sugar than consumers may realise.

The Daily Mail reported that low-fat foods can be part of a balanced diet, but it said depending too much on them will not help create healthy family recipes.

"Whether it be cereal bars, yoghurts or ready meals, low-fat options are always tempting if you are desperate to lose weight. But ... they could have just as many calories as 'high-fat' alternatives," it stated.

The newspaper added that it might be better for people trying to create healthy family recipes to have a smaller portion of a standard dish rather than opting for low-fat foods.

In other news, the Times recently reported that avocados can be part of healthy family recipes and contain around 132 calories, which is less than the amount in 100g of hummus or 50gs of pumpkin seeds.

Healthy family recipes can help to save the planet

People who take the time to create healthy family recipes can help the planet, according to one expert, who said that abiding by a considered diet can reduce the amount of gases released into the atmosphere.

Mark Driscoll, head of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) UK's One Planet Food project, said that families around the country need to consider what they are eating before they come up with recipes.

"The impact of food consumption on the planet is a complicated area, which has long been oversimplified creating a polarised debate on the merits, or not, of vegetarian, vegan and meat-based diets," he stated.

Mr Driscoll added that action needs to be taken so that the UK reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent before 2050.

Healthy family recipes: Kids need early introduction to exercise

The lack of balance in some teenagers diets is very worrying, according to one expert, who said that parents need to be aware of this when preparing healthy family recipes.

Rich Leigh, founder of Fat Free Fitness, said that the current crop of celebrity magazines focus heavily on faddy diets and she is not surprised many children think these are the only way to attain a beautiful body.

"Parents need to be aware of how much of and what they’re feeding their children and how it will affect them, but to blame them for the obesity epidemic is to jump on an already overloaded bandwagon," he said.

Mr Leigh added that teaching youngsters about the importance of eating correctly cannot begin soon enough.

Recently, the Daily Mail reported that curry ingredients such as turmeric, cumin, allspice, cardamom, ginger, garlic and capsicum all have strong anti-bacterial properties and are popular in hot countries where meat needs to be preserved.