health. 

Soggy grey veg and the over-use of lard are two of the culinary traditions our nation has happily left behind. But let’s not forget the healthier (and more sustainable) elements of our grandparents’ eating habits, says dietitian Juliette Kellow

1 SHE KNEW HOW TO PLAN AHEAD

> Then Rationing during and after World War II made planning each meal a necessity – if food ran out, you went hungry. There was no relying on convenience foods either, as these only became an option with the mass arrival of fridges, freezers and microwaves. In 1956, only 8 per cent of households owned a fridge; in 1970, 3 per cent had a freezer; and as late as 1989, only 41 per cent had a microwave.

> Now According to a study by Cancer Research UK, adults consume 79 million ready meals each week. Though healthier varities are now available, many are much higher in calories, saturated fat and salt than anything you’d cook yourself – and, of course, many still come packaged in single-use black plastic. Even the most committed ready-meal renouncer, faced with an uninspiring fridge or storecupboard at the end of a busy day, can find refuge in a takeaway. But it’s even easier for takeaway joints to obscure the health/nutrition pitfalls: a standard takeout chicken tikka masala with pilau rice, for example, contains 1,745 calories, 101g fat, 52g saturates and 6.3g salt, when guidelines recommend a maximum of 2,000 calories, 70g fat, 20g saturates and 6g salt for the whole day.