Healthy eating

[JadedLegend3]

So what foods are really healthy? And/or what foods are low calorie?

I have come to realize that I live on pasta and chocolate...when my metabolism slows down in a few years, I'm going to be in big trouble.

So...I'm wondering what's out there that I could like that I don't know about or haven't tried.

I'm pretty picky, I don't like most fruits, vegetables, or meat products. I did have a peanut butter and banana smoothie for dinner, though, which was good. Low cal, too.

So tell me what to eat, scapers! :D

Oh, and I do know that I have to exercise too. I got that down. Treadmill, baby, it's a wonderful inventing...fun to put my cats on, too! :innocent:

[vikingscaper]

I don't know! I guess I really don't watch what I eat but I probably should. I just don't gain or lose and weight and I always fluxuate around the same weight. I do have to start exercising again, though.

[JadedLegend3]

You're so helpful. :P

[vikingscaper]

What kinds of fruits and veggies do you like and are you willing to try something new? For me, I always try to have pineapple and I love apples, oranges, grapes, kiwis, carrots, celery, etc.

[eta_carinae]

I think you are in trouble if you don't like most fruits and vegetables! What do you eat, anyway? Grain products?

[JadedLegend3]

LOL Yeah...bread and pasta is about it.

I do like some salads...but usually only if they have a lot of..stuff in them. Like from Saladworks.

vs, I like bananas, apples (I prefer them in caramel, though, which kinda defeats the purpose), sometimes frozen grapes...see, I don't like foods that gush. Foods that appear to be solid, and then gush. Like grapes, oranges, plums, etc. I love the flavors of all of those fruits..but the texture kills me. No gushy food for me! :D

[vikingscaper]

I am trying to think of some no-gushy fruits but I can't think of any. I guess the majority of the fruits that I eat gush with the exception of apples.

[JadedLegend3]

See? It's a conspiracy!

[AgentSun]

ugggh i had nachos tonight and i'm thinking that fattening ooze of canned cheese wasn't so good for my arteries.

[Frellster]

Its Asperagus season.

[eta_carinae]

hmmmm. I would say you should try to get more used to some fruits and vegetables, and maybe some light meat, like chicken or turkey. Unless you are a vegetarian. But I find that hard to believe, if you don't like vegetables! He he he.

I love juicy fruits. They taste sooooo good, and they are nice to eat if you are thirsty ;) Do you like strawberries? They aren't super-juicy (like an orange or something). Pears aren't super gushy either, IMHO. The best bet if you want to feel full though, are high-fiber foods. Alot of veggies, like raw carrots, work. I hate cooked carrots, but raw ones are okay. Apples fill me up for awhile, but then I always feel hungery after a bit. Try to eat more salad, and go ahead and put lots of stuff in it, that's why they call it a salad! Otherwise, it would just be lettuce. Just try to go light on the dressing, that's what really kills ya.

[eta_carinae]

Originally posted by AgentSun
ugggh i had nachos tonight and i'm thinking that fattening ooze of canned cheese wasn't so good for my arteries.

I hear ya. I had Taco Bell for dinner. I can feel my arteries hardening.

[JadedLegend3]

I try to use light dressing, and I do like carrots a lot.

I like strawberry, cherry, blueberry, and raspberry flavors...but they have those little obnoxious seeds! I'm entirely too lazy for that kind of food! :rollin:

Thanks for all the advice, guys! Keep it coming! :D

[dktigger]

I don't know from diets, or what is "good" or "not good"
But I do know how to keep my sister-in-law slim and trim.
She has this "Phobia" about foods that "touch" This is really hard for us cooks, because up here in Minnesota, almost everything is in the form of a hotdish. Oh sure it starts out as roast beef, carrots, potatos& gravy, but the next day.....Opps! Hotdish!:D


Dan

[Chryse]

Try making juice with the gushy fruits (and not so gushy fruits and even some veggeis). It doesn't have to V8 kind of stuff. Make a fruit smoothie with yogurt. You'll miss out on the stomach filling properties of the whole fruit, but hey, it's better than nothing. And you can strain out the seeds from the blender too.

It's not as much trouble as you think, just get a good blender and toss in the fruit and a bit of yogurt and skim milk or fruit and OJ or some other fruit juice.

As for your carb addiction ;), you can change it a bit to be healthier. Choose whole grain or multi grain breads, spinach pasta, sprouted grain breads, etc. They are less processed so they require your body to work a little bit harder to digest them. Choose pasta sauces that are red (tomato based) rather than white (cream based) for less fat and more veggies. Go easy on the Parmesan.

And if you like big, complicated salads, you should do fine with chef's salads or cobb salads which have lots of different ingredients including some meats. Just eat those big salads a little more often than you do now.

:D
aileen

[DRD2001]

I have carb problems. When I'd diet, I thought having corn or potatoes for dinner was good, along with those breads and pastas. Now I've kicked a lot of it.

Since you seem to be eating a lot of carbs, I'd suggest getting into the habit of having a salad with lunch and dinner. Whole grain breads are better than white bread. But it must say whole grain, not just wheat, cause all bread is wheat bread. Vegetables and fruits should be fresh. Avoid the canned stuff if possible. Avoid anything with corn syrup in it. There are many excellent seafood dishes that are lean as well as tasty. The same with chicken. Herbs and seasoning can and will be your best friend.

I've lost 24 lbs. since mid October, cutting out the excess sugars in my food.

[JadedLegend3]

Yeah, I think you mentioned that you were on the Atkin's Diet...I have to find some articles...ThirdEye asked me for more info too...I've heard a lot of bad things...my friend's grandfather got liver cancer in direct connection to being on the Atkin's Diet.

I'm going to research that now. :)

[Chryse]

Never go on a diet. Any diet. The best thing to do is to eat all things in moderation and exercise. Some of everything is usually better than too much of any one thing. Try different recipes to increase your intake of fruits and veggies but be sensible about it. Human are omnivores, we eat both plant and animal stuff and we need both to be healthy. Being truly healthy in the midst of all our easy to get food is hard thing. It's not supposed to be easy.

:D
aileen

[JadedLegend3]

Here are just some articles and info I've found surfing the web.

This one talks about health risks. Seems like a legitimate source.
http://www.ncpa.org/iss/hea/2002/pd092702c.html

This one I can't figure out who put it out there, so it may not be real.
http://www.hoodiadietpills.org/atkins_diet_warning.htm

This talks about how carbs are essential in a diet.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Carbohydrates_are_essential_for_a_healthy_diet?Ope nDocument

This talks about renal problems associated with Atkins.
http://www.diet-i.com/atkins-diet-health-questions.htm

This is a whole site dedicated to alerting people to the risks of the diet.
http://www.atkinsdietalert.org/consumer.html


That's all for now. :) Be careful!

[littulkittons]

Be very aware of portion size of different foods. They are generally much smaller than you think. Certainly much smaller than you've been conditioned to expect.

I converted to a low fat diet two years ago with lots of vegetables (no dressing, no calories), moderate amounts of fruits, whole grain cereals and breads, reduced the amount of red meat, increased chicken consumption although I have issues with commericially produced chicken, and eat more fish, baked, not fried.

Look for magazines that feature lower calorie foods. Cooking Light is a good reference source. If you want to see the Weight Watchers point ratings on fast food restaurants, visit Dottie's Wt Loss Zone, www.dwlz.com. The higher the points, the less healthy the food.

Some folks can get away with no exercise. To keep my weight under control, I exercise daily. I usually walk 3-4 miles a day or bicycle when the weather is okay.

By combining diet and exercise, I shed a significant amount of weight and have kept it off for 2 years.

The good news is there are many more choices available today in restaurants and groceries than there were 5-10 years ago.

[JadedLegend3]

I don't really need to lose weight, though I think I could get rid of about 10 more pounds. I'm at 120. My concern is that all of the women in my family are large..as in really, really large. I don't want to end up like that, so I want to develop healthy eating habits now, before it's too late. I got the exercise thing down, so that's no worry. While I can't run anymore, I walk three miles a day. It's a b!tch and a half, but I do it! :P

[littulkittons]

Ah, that's the key, isn't it, not gaining weight as we grow older.
Easy to say but hard to do. Starting early is a good idea.

I always tell folks about their health, "What happened or is happening to your parents and their siblings is likely to happen to you." It is, indeed, your destiny.

[Twich]

You know, I ran a weight loss program a few years ago that has had tremendous results. It doesn't cut ANYTHING out. At all. Seriously.

It's all about knowing when you are physically hungry and not eating when you aren't. And not overstuffing yourself. Many people eat a lot all the time and overeat when they sit down. (It's actually a Bible Based program...kinda OT..but cool.)

Anyway, the people on this program have reported having health problems disappear. Not because of any miracle or spiritual thing, but because of moderation. It's interesting.

If you're curious, email me. twich@watchfarscape.com ;)

And good luck on that whole healthy eating program. Wish I could help, but I'm dealing with gestational diabetes right now and basically eating Atkins.

[DRD2001]

JL3, I'm not going to get into an Atkins debate right now, cause I'm at work and I don't have the time to do the research. But I really don't think it is that much different than a modified diabetic diet.

But I am not telling you to do Atkins. However it does sound like you are getting a lot of carbs. And balance is important for good nutrition.

And no disrespect to your friend, but how do you get liver cancer?

[JadedLegend3]

Originally posted by DRD2001
JL3, I'm not going to get into an Atkins debate right now, cause I'm at work and I don't have the time to do the research. But I really don't think it is that much different than a modified diabetic diet.

But I am not telling you to do Atkins. However it does sound like you are getting a lot of carbs. And balance is important for good nutrition.

And no disrespect to your friend, but how do you get liver cancer?

No, no, I totally agree. I guess because I'm too young to remember really that phen-phen thing, and the Atkin's diet is the diet getting the bad rap for my generation. No need for a debate, just looking out for ya! :)

Everything is bad for you somehow! :)

I'm not sure with the details about that person, but I do know that since my grandparents have started the Atkins diet, they've never been sicker...more sick..whatever! :P Could be their age, could be anything.

I don't want to diet, I want to eat healthier...you know? I don't want to deprive myself of anything, because, for me, that's how I get to the binging. With this thread, I'm just trying to get suggestions as to what foods I may like that I haven't tried yet. :)

As for liver cancer, yeah, my great uncle died of cancer of the bile duct (i.e., liver) and he was like my grandfather to me. Wonderful man...but he drank himself to death, so I know exactly what you mean! :)

I know many people who've lost lots of weight with the diet and have been perfectly healthy with it. And that's awesome! :D Everything affects everyone differently. I also know lots of people who don't know the health risks, and I want to point them out so they know and can make a more informed desicion...I guess it's not really my place though.

Have a good day at work! :D

[DRD2001]

It is all about moderation and understanding yourself and your body.

Try making a list for a week or two, noting what you eat, when you eat and why. It will open your eyes. But skipping a lot of the sugar will do wonders. I use to drink over a liter of soft drinks a day or more. :P Now I've gone cold turkey. I miss my cokes. But my skin is much better. :D

[fermicat]

About those "gushy fruits" -- some might be more palatable to you if you eat them before they are fully ripened. Peaches will definitely be firmer (but more tart and less sweet). Some others might feel better to you in their unripe state. Plum, kiwi, pear, etc..

And I've found a couple of ways to make veggies I don't like taste better. One way is to bread and fry them. Another way is to make a butter or cheese sauce to go with them. A third way is to experiment with different cooking methods. Grilling, roasting, sauteeing, blanching, frying, baking, broiling..... there are a lot of ways to cook 'em and they can taste quite different as a result. I love to roast veggies and put them in a salad, and grilled veggies are also quite good. And of course you can always eat them raw, and a good dip will help them taste better.

[mgraylorn]

All the suggestions are good, especially from Chryse and littulkittens and DRD2001. A diet high in processed white breads and pastas isn't very healthy. Try to go the whole grain or multigrain route instead. Make an effort to find fruits and veggies you like, or look for recipies that use them in not so obvious ways so that you don't really have to "taste" them. You can also add them to some of your regular dishes - over the years my spagettti sauce is more veggie than meat - I throw in carrots, celery, onion, eggplant, pinto or kidney beans..... I added a few at first and just kept adding more and more as time went on.

As others have said, moderation is also important. My doctor's diet is to take your portion and then put 1/3 of it back, of whatever you eat. Some people can get used to smaller portions by using smaller plates, so the little plates are "full". A few years ago I saw a diet that said to eat your food with chop sticks instead of a fork. The idea is that it takes longer for people not used to chop sticks to feed themselves so that it gives their bodies a chance to feel full. I can use chop sticks, so I can really shovel it in with sticks, so this wouldn't work for me.

Dispite what various diet gurus say, for people without specific health issues, I think the best advice is to eat a wide variety of things, in moderation, and get exercise.

[JadedLegend3]

Originally posted by DRD2001
Try making a list for a week or two, noting what you eat, when you eat and why. It will open your eyes. But skipping a lot of the sugar will do wonders. I use to drink over a liter of soft drinks a day or more. :P Now I've gone cold turkey. I miss my cokes. But my skin is much better. :D

I started making a list today. I had to do this once before for a Fitness class...but I think I made it up! :lol

As for sugar, I don't drink sodas hardly ever. Even at restaurants I get water. My bad things are ice cream, chocolate, and the 7 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies we still have lying around the house.

[JadedLegend3]

Originally posted by fermicat
About those "gushy fruits" -- some might be more palatable to you if you eat them before they are fully ripened. Peaches will definitely be firmer (but more tart and less sweet). Some others might feel better to you in their unripe state. Plum, kiwi, pear, etc..

And I've found a couple of ways to make veggies I don't like taste better. One way is to bread and fry them. Another way is to make a butter or cheese sauce to go with them. A third way is to experiment with different cooking methods. Grilling, roasting, sauteeing, blanching, frying, baking, broiling..... there are a lot of ways to cook 'em and they can taste quite different as a result. I love to roast veggies and put them in a salad, and grilled veggies are also quite good. And of course you can always eat them raw, and a good dip will help them taste better.

Peaches smell bad! :D See? I told you I'm picky.

Veggies aren't quite as hard for me. I like carrots a lot. I do eat salads (if I can make them and put what I want in them), and I love corn and peas (which I realize are more starch than veggies).

It's those darn fruits that get me everytime! :P

As others have said, moderation is also important. My doctor's diet is to take your portion and then put 1/3 of it back, of whatever you eat. Some people can get used to smaller portions by using smaller plates, so the little plates are "full". A few years ago I saw a diet that said to eat your food with chop sticks instead of a fork. The idea is that it takes longer for people not used to chop sticks to feed themselves so that it gives their bodies a chance to feel full. I can use chop sticks, so I can really shovel it in with sticks, so this wouldn't work for me.

That's a problem I have with things that I like...ice cream, pasta, mashed potatos, etc. I use big serving sizes. The small plate thing is a good idea. Although, it also stems from the fact that I'm lazy and I don't feel like wrapping up the leftovers! :P

[Twich]

Here ya go too....

A lot of people eat the "bad" parts of their meal first. They "save" the best for last...which means they eat more.

If, for example, you like the outside of a cheeseburger best (you know, where the cheese gets all gooey...lol) then eat that first. If you eat the rest of it and "save" that for last, it's easy to overeat. But if you eat that first, then the rest of the meal doesn't look quite as appetizing and it's easier to stop.

I do that at Applebees. I love their Tequila Lime Chicken. I always order fries on the side..and I rarely spend any time with the fries. I always eat the chicken first...then I don't find myself picking at the fries at the end because I'm not so hungry anymore.

That make ANY sense at all?

[DRD2001]

I do the opposite at restaurants. I eat what cannot be reheated or kept easily, like the fries and salad first. Then I always know that I can get a to go box for the rest and it will be just as good the next day. So I feel I don't have to clean my plate in one sitting, because I tend to feel that if I paid for it, I'm eating it. :)

[JadedLegend3]

Well, Wednesday I was really good...until after I saw "The Passion of the Christ." Then I had some liquor. Thursday I was really bad. Today, I've been so-so. I haven't exercised since Wednesday, but in all honesty, since I've seen the movie, I haven't had the strength to do much of anything. I'll probably get on the 'mill before I go off to work tomorrow.

Twich, I may contact you about that dieting info...sounds like a good read if nothing else...and did you say you worked with Big Ideas, or was that someone else? If you did, I am pea-green with jealousy! :D Veggie Tales rock! :D

[NYPinTA]

Eat Yogurt and Do Yoga. Everything else in moderation and some chocolate everyday. :D

[JadedLegend3]

Yogurt smells bad. I think it's a good rule of thumb not to eat anything that smells bad. :goof: It's another one of my quirky eating habits! :D

I did yoga for a while...I have a tape and a mat...but it takes so long...I don't have the time for it. I can jump on the treadmill for 20 minutes and get a good workout. Yoga is great, though...perhaps in the summer I'll be able to do it again. :)

[NYPinTA]

yogurt does smell bad... :rollin: I like the yogurt fruit smoothies. Strawberry & blueberry kills any bad smell!

[JadedLegend3]

Yeah, my ma makes me a banana, peanut butter and no-flavor non-fat yogurt smoothie sometimes. I like her then! :D

[eta_carinae]

Man, this thread is making me hungry! I should just stop coming in here...

[Twich]

JL3,

I worked for Cloud Ten Pictures. They did the Left Behind Movie and Tribulation Force.

Grinner has a friend who works for Big Ideas. I know. I was green too!!

[JadedLegend3]

Originally posted by Twich
JL3,

I worked for Cloud Ten Pictures. They did the Left Behind Movie and Tribulation Force.

Grinner has a friend who works for Big Ideas. I know. I was green too!!

My mom has all those books. I think she has the two movies of it, too. I haven't read them yet...no time...and in all honesty, when I'm not having classes, I've lost desire to read. It sucks because I used to read all the time. Hopefully that will change! :D