Celestial twist

Things I wasn’t expecting to be doing tonight ….

• Going to a black-tie function with a “celestial twist” theme.
• Trying to find something black tie with a celestial twist – that fits – in my wardrobe.

About the only thing celestial about my outfit will be that I will look planet-sized in it.

In other unexpected news, as I was walking home last night I got a text message that said my local Middle Eastern restaurant was looking forward to welcoming me at 6.30pm.

Eeeeeeek! I got the booking date wrong! I went there on Tuesday night. No wonder the owner looked startled when I arrived. I frantically rang him to apologise.

Speaking of horrifying food news … a study published in medical journal the Lancet has found Australia has some of the highest rates of consumption of ultra-processed foods in the world, alongside the UK and US.

Ultra-processed foods now make up nearly half of the average Australian’s diet. And it’s making us sick.

The researchers analysed evidence from more than 100 papers and found associations between a high consumption of ultra-processed foods and a greater risk of things like obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and other conditions.

To make things even scarier, recent research suggests ultra-processed foods may be linked to precursors of bowel cancer, which could help explain rising bowel cancer in under-50s.

Australia has the world’s highest rates of bowel cancer in people under 50.

Blimey. I’d better do that poo test thingy they sent me in the mail that I’ve been putting off.

It’s also strengthened my resolve to eat more purely.

In my quest to be less planet-sized, my recent shopping baskets have been high in fresh fruit and veggies and low in sauces, canned foods, pastes and dressings.

Yesterday’s menu featured a breakfast of coconut yogurt with blueberries and blackberries; while lunch was omelette with avocado, tomato and goat’s cheese.

Last night I had ma po do fu without packaged chicken stock, oyster sauce or chilli bean paste.

Instead it simply featured pork mince, tofu, tomato, fresh veggies, ginger, chilli and garlic.

Quite tasty, but it’s bloody expensive eating purely.

And I don’t even want to think about a newly published decision by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority that states current instructions for using dimethoate — an insecticide used to protect berries from fruit fly — may no longer be adequate to ensure human safety.

The ABC revealed earlier this year that consumption of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries by Australians had jumped between 285 and 962 per cent since 2016, but restrictions on dimethoate use had not changed, putting consumers at risk of exceeding the acceptable daily limit of the chemical.

The European Union banned the use of dimethoate in 2019, citing concerns over risks to humans and to pollinators such as bees.

Trying to be more healthy is such a minefield.

Between politics, pesticides and processed foods, the world feels like such an unsafe place right now.

But on with the show … hopefully I get home early enough from the black tie event to give you the lowdown.

Otherwise, have a good weekend and don’t eat too many ultra-processed foods.

Song of the day: The Police “Walking on the moon”