Healthy Eating

[surya]

I want to start eating healthy, but I have a very limited income. I also get kind of confused on what is really healthy. Fish is full of Omegas, but then it could also be full of mercury. I know I need more probiotics, I like yogurt, but some have a lot of sugar, so that is bad. I'm also a picky eater, I don't eat beans. I'm feeling depressed right now because I'm quit drinking coke. Please share your healthy eating wisdom with me.

 

[Lari]

Roasted vegetables! I didn't really start liking a lot of veggies until I started roasting them (I grew up with cooked veggies being canned stuff heated up in a saucepan).

Switching to whole grain breads is supposed to be a fairly easy way to eat slightly healthier.

Everything in moderation. If I gave up everything unhealthy I'd be miserable. And take baby steps to where you want to go. If you do it all at once it'll be overwhelming.

 

[surya]

Roasted vegetables does sound good. Do you have a recipe?

 

[Willowy]

I'm trying to eat healthier, and, yeah, it's hard! Too many disagreements about what's actually healthy. In general most "real food" is healthy, but what about. . .
Argh.

I've been eating an apple a day. It really helps! And it's easy because apples are yummy (if you get the right kind. Only Fuji apples for me!). That's a small start, better than nothing.

I like roasted veggies too. I get a frozen root vegetable mix at the store (I do not have time to chop up all that nonsense, lol), toss with some crushed garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, and stick it in the oven at 450 degrees until it looks done. I'm an unscientific kind of cook .

 

[Candybee]

I'm doing a combination of the DASH, Mediterranean, and Juice diet.

The juice diet helps me eat more fresh veggies in an easy form. I juice some of the veggies and use my blender for others. I do the same with fruit. I drink some and eat some whole to vary it up. I love roasted veggies, or veggies in soups, stews, casseroles. I throw in some nutrient rich beans in my soups and stews to add more fiber, B vitamins, and they are low glycemic so your body burns the energy slowly. Or sometimes I will add wild rice or barley, or some whole grain instead.

I also make a lot of veggie salads I keep in the fridge. That way I can have a nice snack between meals or make it part of a whole meal. I also throw in cheese, meat, olives, etc. in the salads for added protein and flavor.

All these diets have a common theme; eat lots of fresh vegetables 4-6 servings a day, fruit 2-3 servings a day, whole grains like oatmeal, brown or wild rice, nuts, seeds, low fat dairy, lean meats and fish.

 

[denice]

The main thing I do is try to stay away from highly processed foods, the heat and eat stuff and fast food. That means either cooking or living on salads. I do still eat something that isn't healthy every once in while, usually something sweet because I have never really craved salt. It's easier in the summer because of the farmer's markets. I think the main thing is the old fashioned basic food groups and everything in moderation. I don't eat a lot of meat and I very rarely eat red meat. I do have the occasional craving for a cheeseburger, when I do I make one at home rather than the fast food. I keep a few patties that I have put in the freezer when I buy ground beef, I always get ground chuck because that is what I am craving when I want a burger.

 

[Lari]

I use the mealime app on my phone for recipes. What's nice about it is there are choices for food dislikes (like the beans) and you can mark them off and you won't get recipes with those ingredients.

 

[surya]

I'm trying to eat healthier, and, yeah, it's hard! Too many disagreements about what's actually healthy. In general most "real food" is healthy, but what about. . .
Argh.

I've been eating an apple a day. It really helps! And it's easy because apples are yummy (if you get the right kind. Only Fuji apples for me!). That's a small start, better than nothing.

I like roasted veggies too. I get a frozen root vegetable mix at the store (I do not have time to chop up all that nonsense, lol), toss with some crushed garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, and stick it in the oven at 450 degrees until it looks done. I'm an unscientific kind of cook .

I have done an apple a day. I should do that again. I think the fiber in the apple helps keep thing moving. Thanks for the veggie recipe.

 

[surya]

I'm doing a combination of the DASH, Mediterranean, and Juice diet.

The juice diet helps me eat more fresh veggies in an easy form. I juice some of the veggies and use my blender for others. I do the same with fruit. I drink some and eat some whole to vary it up. I love roasted veggies, or veggies in soups, stews, casseroles. I throw in some nutrient rich beans in my soups and stews to add more fiber, B vitamins, and they are low glycemic so your body burns the energy slowly. Or sometimes I will add wild rice or barley, or some whole grain instead.

I also make a lot of veggie salads I keep in the fridge. That way I can have a nice snack between meals or make it part of a whole meal. I also throw in cheese, meat, olives, etc. in the salads for added protein and flavor.

All these diets have a common theme; eat lots of fresh vegetables 4-6 servings a day, fruit 2-3 servings a day, whole grains like oatmeal, brown or wild rice, nuts, seeds, low fat dairy, lean meats and fish.

Wow, you are really eating healthy. I bet you are a good cook. I need to work on cooking more. I tend to be a little bit lazy, wanting something fast. I have a really nice blender and I am going to start making smoothies.

 

[surya]

The main thing I do is try to stay away from highly processed foods, the heat and eat stuff and fast food. That means either cooking or living on salads. I do still eat something that isn't healthy every once in while, usually something sweet because I have never really craved salt. It's easier in the summer because of the farmer's markets. I think the main thing is the old fashioned basic food groups and everything in moderation. I don't eat a lot of meat and I very rarely eat red meat. I do have the occasional craving for a cheeseburger, when I do I make one at home rather than the fast food. I keep a few patties that I have put in the freezer when I buy ground beef, I always get ground chuck because that is what I am craving when I want a burger.

I think moderation is key. When I was younger I was always yo yo dieting. It never worked, the weight always came back and I screwed up my metabolism. I think you have to eat in a way you that you can sustain over the long run.

 

[surya]

I use the mealime app on my phone for recipes. What's nice about it is there are choices for food dislikes (like the beans) and you can mark them off and you won't get recipes with those ingredients.

I don't have one of those fancy phones, but I'm sure I can find some on the internet.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I had weight loss surgery in February of 2017 and the biggest things the nutritionists push is to eat protein. Protein fills you up and keeps hunger at bay longer than carbs or fruits and vegetables. Chicken usually has the highest amount of protein and it's fairly inexpensive most of the time. The best way to keep the costs of fruits and vegetables down is to buy when things are in season or buy stuff frozen. Also with summer coming check out farmer's markets. Some of the best tasting produce I've ever had has come from farmer's markets. I used to work in a grocery store and since then I've kind of become obsessed with finding the best prices of food at all the grocery stores in my area.

 

[mani]

I swear by vegetables in a healthy diet. Good fresh veggies (I buy organic, but that can get expensive), wholegrain bread, free range eggs, fish, some fruit, but not overdone (fructose), and no highly processed foods that are almost always riddled with sugar.

 

[Winchester]

About 15 years ago, I lost 76 pounds. I started walking and started eating healthier. Lots of fresh vegetables, lots of fruits, if you're allowed (esp in the summer when fresh produce is readily available). I eat a Granny Smith apple almost every day. We eat more white chicken, more pork, less beef.

One thing my GYN told me is to eat more dark green and dark orange vegetables; they're better for cholesterol and they have more vitamins and minerals. Heavy on spinach, kale, darker green lettuces, butternut squash, acorn squash, beets, things like that. Easy on the salt (esp if you might have high blood pressure), heavier on spices and herbs.

Go meatless one or two (or more) days a week. We used to have Meatless Mondays, but got out of the habit.....I need to start doing them again. Spaghetti squash with a nice marinara, meatless burgers (lots of recipes out there to make your own). I have a lot of really good recipes for all kinds of meatless meals. (Just remember, though, that protein is important, too. And so are good fats. Your body needs both, although not as much as what Americans eat!)

A basic roasted vegetable recipe is to chunk up the vegetables to about an inch or so in size (vegetables cook down a lot when they're roasting). A really quick sprinkle of kosher salt, some black pepper, and a dousing of olive oil. 425 F oven for about 20 - 25 minutes, turning everything over about midway through. Baby carrots are wonderful this way. I like to chunk up butternut squash, some baby carrots, a sweet potato or two and throw them in the oven. Throw in a parsnip, too, if you like them.

Having peas as a side dish? Sprinkle them with some thyme. For corn, use a good sprinkle of lemon & pepper. Or some basil. Simmer like you normally would, drain well, then add the seasoning. Put the lid back on the pan and let them set while you're getting the rest of your dinner. No butter; it's not needed. Cook potatoes in a bit of water or chicken broth with a couple bay leaves. I will add chicken broth to my mashed potatoes (I make my own broth, but you can get low-sodium broth at the store).....no butter, just the broth. You can add a bit of skim milk, too, if you want.

While I don't cook with no-fat sour cream or cream cheese, etc, I will use reduced-fat versions.

Water. It took me a long time, I've finally gotten away from Diet Mt Dew and drink nothing but water during the week. Sometimes I'll have unsweetened decaf tea, but it's water most of the time. On weekends, I'll splurge with a high-octane Pepsi. I do try to limit my caffeine, though.

Make a salad. You can top it with grilled shrimp, grilled sliced chicken or pork. We grill a lot in the summer and I love to grill apples, peaches and pineapple with chicken and pork. We tend to live on salads during the summer.

Do you like to cook? If you do, you might find old copies of Light & Tasty or Healthy Cooking books on ebay or flea markets; they're from Taste of Home. I mention these because the recipes don't often require ingredients that you have to buy specially. The recipes can be made with items that are found in most kitchens. And they're pretty good. They cover appetizers, soups, breads and muffins, main dishes, side dishes and even desserts and snacks. Every recipe comes with a complete list of calories, protein, diabetic exchanges, etc.

That's more than two cents and I apologize for the book.

 

[sivyaleah]

Lots of good advice here.

For me, I've gone back to basics for the past 6 months or so. I cut almost all processed foods, eat more plant based food, limit my portions, and cut back on refined carbs like white bread. No soda at all (other than one time when I was sick to my stomach and the sweet bubbles helped). I never drink my calories. No alcohol either (I rarely drank so that was easy). Experiment with flavors you've never used before. And don't shun anything which makes it easier to cook well for you - for instance, I'd get lazy and neglect to add a veggie with dinner but started using microwave safe cook-in bags for them. Easy peasy - cut up veggies, add some flavors you like, maybe some olive oil and a bit of water to steam it and in less than 2 minutes you have it ready to go. The bags will also cook smaller portions of protein such as seafood in a flash.

 

[surya]

Thanks so much for all the great healthy eating tips. I'll be going through them all and let you know how it goes. I'm not thinking too clearly now because the headaches are kicking in from the coca cola withdrawal.

 

[rubysmama]

surya Congrats on deciding to try to eat healthier. It's something I've been trying to do for a long time, and not always successfully, however, I've read a lot on the subject.

Also congrats on giving up Coke. It really is addictive, but completely unhealthy and unnutritious. Hopefully your caffeine withdrawal headaches will go away soon. Maybe try eating a small piece of plain chocolate. I've found that helps with headaches, sometimes.

I think the main thing is to try to eat foods as close to their origin as possible. I heard once, if your grandmother, or great or even great great grandmother, depending on your age, wouldn't recognize the food, then it's probably not a good food choice.

For example, she'd know what chicken was, or an orange. A processed chicken nugget, or fruit rollup? Probably not.

And to eat at home more than restaurants. Restaurants prepare their food to taste good, not necessarily be healthy. So even if you think you're having something healthy, it may be loaded with salt, sodium and fat.

And portion sizes, if you are watching your weight. Use smaller plates instead of the big dinner plates, and you'll probably eat less.

And portion out any snacks, cookies, etc. Don't mindlessly snack from the bag, or you'll eat way more than you think.

Also, the "rule" is to shop mostly around the perimeter of the grocery store, so the produce, meat, dairy sections. And not so much the canned, packaged sections.

Some fish does have mercury, but I've read it's the larger fish, that live longer and eat more small fish that have the most mercury. So fish like tuna and shark. Smaller fish like trout and salmon, are better.

Eating less red meat has been a big one for many years. No one really needs a triple burger, right?

Dairy is hard to gauge. Some say eat low fat only. Then you see full fat is better. Probably some in moderation would be ok. But with yogurt, buy plain and add your own fruit.

Eggs were for a while "bad", but now not so much.

Vegetables are always good. In season fresh is probably best. Frozen is better nutritionally than canned.

Fruit is good too, though in moderation, due to the sugar. But fresh fruit is better than juice. The fibre in fresh fruit helps the sugar to digest slower, so you don't have quite the high sugar spike.

I see you mentioned you don't like beans. Neither did I, before I became vegetarian. But then I decided if I wasn't going to eat meat, I had to try them again, and I learned to like them.

There's many types of beans, also known as legumes. There's red kidney beans, white kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc. And there's lot of recipes to use them in. So maybe try one again. You might find they're not so bad.

Beans are also economical. However, if you're going to try them again, maybe buy organic canned first. I find the organic beans are better than the regular canned ones.

Here's a website I go to a lot to read up on different foods:
The World's Healthiest Foods

Edit to add: Looks like I wrote a book too. Hopefully something in my long-winded spiel will be helpful. Good luck. And happy, healthy eating.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I want to start eating healthy, but I have a very limited income. I also get kind of confused on what is really healthy. Fish is full of Omegas, but then it could also be full of mercury. I know I need more probiotics, I like yogurt, but some have a lot of sugar, so that is bad. I'm also a picky eater, I don't eat beans. I'm feeling depressed right now because I'm quit drinking coke. Please share your healthy eating wisdom with me.

Vegetables. They sound gross if you don't eat them a lot, but they can be eaten raw, steamed, sauteed, or stir-fried and all deliver a different texture and taste. Different oils create different tastes (I'm a fan of avocado oil for its high smoke point). Zucchini to me is like the tofu of the vegetarian world, it pretty much takes on whatever flavor you want it to!
My favorite quick-vegetable mix is zucchini, whatever other kind of squash (usually butternut), green, red, yellow, and/or orange peppers, green beans, etc. I prepare a large-ish batch and store in a glass container or ziplock bag. Put a paper towel beneath the veggies and it will soak up any moisture, leaving them good for a few days so you don't have to do the washing/chopping/prep work every night =)
They're also relatively inexpensive, easy to find, and are usually locally grown. Also, do you like fruits? If you have a sweet tooth go for honey crisp apples, very sweet. If not, Galas have a nice crisp texture (good for baking, baked apples with cinnamon are great!) Bananas are a great snack. You mentioned yogurt. Sugar free Yogurt (read labels) with a bit of honey and berries is marvelous and can be prepared, frozen for 5-10 minutes, and then eaten.
Are you a meat eater? Do you like eggs? (If so, owners of backyard chickens often have way superior eggs for sale for half the price of grocery store eggs. I love eggs, they're so delicious!)
What about grains?
Are you aiming for weight loss, feeling better, etc?
Do you like juice? Could you maybe mix club soda and juice to help you get through the Coke cravings?
Also, we love salad here and firmly believe that a salad is an A+ or F- depending on the dressing. To enjoy a salad, you HAVE to enjoy the dressing! A cucumber chopped up with a tomato tossed into a bowl with cheese and dressing/oils with some onion or herbs on top if you're feeling frisky makes a delicious, quick, healthy meal.
Sweet potatoes and potatoes are cheap, as is rice. Yum =)
My best advice is to shop the outer section of the market, read labels when applicable. Yogurt, for example, shouldn't have 50 ingredients. If it's full of color additives and cookies at the bottom, pass if you're looking to kill sugar cravings. Just look for whole, real foods and experiment with baking/cooking methods. It's actually a lot of fun once you get into it!

 

[Gizmobius]

I actually started a "diet" as I just wanted to lose a mere 10lbs and I've already lost 8 so I'm nearly there. I've been keeping track of my calories based on my height and desired weight. For example, I don't eat fast food much at all but tonight I had Taco Bell and still stayed within my allotted calories for the day so I don't feel so guilty.

Anywho, I've learned that potatoes are very filling. For breakfast or lunch, I like to make a sweet potato bowl or some sweet potato hash with other veggies thrown in. If you enjoy potatoes, try to find some good recipes that strongly feature them because I've noticed, at least for me, that I stay satisfied longer and don't need to snack between meals since potatoes really do keep you tided over.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I actually started a "diet" as I just wanted to lose a mere 10lbs and I've already lost 8 so I'm nearly there. I've been keeping track of my calories based on my height and desired weight. For example, I don't eat fast food much at all but tonight I had Taco Bell and still stayed within my allotted calories for the day so I don't feel so guilty.

Anywho, I've learned that potatoes are very filling. For breakfast or lunch, I like to make a sweet potato bowl or some sweet potato hash with other veggies thrown in. If you enjoy potatoes, try to find some good recipes that strongly feature them because I've noticed, at least for me, that I stay satisfied longer and don't need to snack between meals since potatoes really do keep you tided over.

We gotta live and enjoy food and I think the same applies to our pets =)
We got BK a few nights ago and I haven't died yet. I'll be heading down on Friday for errands and will probably grab a shake because I'm an adult (well, kind of LOL) and can do that kind of stuff, that's why. If it's a rarity and a treat, I say go for it!! =)
MDA (marksdailyapple.com) used to have a really nice forum that went to hell a few months ago and has since shut down completely...they had a weight-loss potato hack thread that was a really good read. I lurked for (literally) years and learned a lot.