Help - how do healthy people eat?

[Miss Sparkly]

I REALLY want to eat healthy to lose weight and fell better. I grew up with an absent mom and a dad who worked his butt of for us - sadly this meant we ate a lot of frozen dinners, take out and fast food. DH and his family is no better. They are both overweight, diabetic health pros. I''ve gotten to the point where I don''t eat because I don''t know what to eat and I break down and grab something quick from the grocery. So, how do you eat healthy? How do you keep this healthy food good in the fridge? This might sound silly - but do canned or frozen veggies count as healthy? What is a good tasty drink that is not water and containes no fake sugars (I was thinking iced tea). Oh, and amazingly enough my blood test come back perfect so no health issues right now. Thanks!

 

[BeachRunner]

Congrats with wanting to start a new healthy lifestyle!

My definition of a healthy "diet" is a balanced meal in moderation. Each food group is important, and serves a purpose, so please don''t try and cut one out (ie: Atkins, South beach diet). Carbohydrate is your body''s fuel, and gives you energy; its a necessity. Protein is your body''s sustainable energy and promotes muscle growth and repair. Dairy is important for calcium. Vegetables and fruits are good for simple carbs, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Fat/oil (unsaturated) is also important for your body''s break down of food and the production of insulin.

How to shop:
Hubs and I shop weekly, and we stick to the perimeter of the store. We load up on fresh fruits and veggies, get some lean protein including fish, chicken, ground turkey, lean beef (93/7), pork tenderloin for some examples. For a carb, we''ll eat brown rice, quinoa, cous cous, etc. When searching for carbs, look for whole grains w/o high fructose corn syrup. Become a label reader; you''ll be surprised to know the ingredients in some of your food.

Re: frozen/canned veggies: Canned veggies have been cooked and preservatives have been added. I''d try and stay away from this. Frozen veggies have been flash frozen, and all the nutrients are still in the vegetable. The bagged veggie steamers are perfectly healthy for you, and I recommend them. When do you buy fresh veggies, steam them, as steaming keeps all the nutrients in your veggie.

Re: beverage. Iced tea is ok. Make it yourself, and add sweetener to taste. I personally like green tea, and don''t add anything to sweeten it up. I''m also a water drinker, and will put lemon in my water. Grocery stores also have frozen fruit juice, but be careful, and look at labels to determine if additives have been included. (So far, I''ve only found one brand that just contains fruit). Add that to some of your water. It''s all natural and contains no artificial sweeteners.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Just wanting to is a good start.

For the canned veggies, they usually have a lot of added salt. I don''t use them often enough, so I actually have frozen peas and corn, which tend not to have added stuff.

For drinks, tea is good. Don''t get the ones from the store premade, they are sugar water. Try green or white tea as they tend to be lighter so you don''t have to add sugar. Also, it is not good for all the time, but once a day or so, a glass of 100% friut juice is good. Grape tends to be really high in sugar but also antioxidents, apple gives you a natural energy boast, orange has so much Vitamin C and cranberry, grapefruit and pomagrante are high in antioxidents and relatively low in sugar. It is especially good if you are getting off soda and need something sweet to help get over it; once you do, you don''t crave soda anymore, I promise.

I would say start with little things to get you in the habit. Substitutions are also a good start. I eat really dark chocolate (85% cacao, so very bitter) rather than a snickers. I eat amy''s organic pizza rather than red barron. instead of a hamburger with fries or another starch, try a lean beef cut or chicken with green beans or another veggie. If there are things you already cook, add veggies to it. DH made tuna casarole, which is not healthy, but added equal parts veggies (frozen peas and corn) to noodles, so it wasn''t totally a loss. For breakfast, I eat apple slices dipped in peanut butter; gives me a fruit serving, tastes better than a plain apple and gives me protein to keep me full.

I know the feeling about eating frozen meals since I get off work late and rarely want to cook. Instead, I have healthier things that do not need cooking, like chicken soup, and the frozen pizza. When I can cook, I make a huge batch. It isn''t harder than making a smaller one and I have easy, healthy meals later in the week.

Going to the store when you are not hungry and reading labels also helps. I always thought potato bread was healthier than white bread, and it is, but once I actually looked at the ingredients of the ones sold in stores, it was regular flour, had more sugar and only a little bit of potato. Different brands can also make a big difference. Stoffer''s frozen meals are not good for you, but by calories, fat, salt, etc, most are actually healther than Marie Calandar''s diet line of the same things. One last thing, organic may not be any healthier. For fruits it can be, and the amy''s pizza I eat is a whole lot better than most pizzas, but organic cookies may have the same calories, fat, etc.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

I didn''t think of soup

I love the Amy''s soup - organic, no aritificial junk, and tastes great. In my teen years I was a health food nut. I hated being overweight and realized at that point that I had to take matters into my own hands. Then, I got married

I can not get DH to touch a veggie without hiding it in cheese

At the very least maybe if DH sees me losing weight he''ll want to come to my side of whole grains and veggies that can be identified.

 

[BeachRunner]

Date: 6/20/2010 1:15:18 PM
Author: Sparkly Blonde
I didn''t think of soup

I love the Amy''s soup - organic, no aritificial junk, and tastes great. In my teen years I was a health food nut. I hated being overweight and realized at that point that I had to take matters into my own hands. Then, I got married

I can not get DH to touch a veggie without hiding it in cheese

At the very least maybe if DH sees me losing weight he''ll want to come to my side of whole grains and veggies that can be identified.

Be careful w/ any canned soup, organic or not. Canned soup is VERY high in sodium. Usually canned soup is two servings, so you have to multiply the sodium content x2.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 6/20/2010 1:15:18 PM
Author: Sparkly Blonde
I didn''t think of soup

I love the Amy''s soup - organic, no aritificial junk, and tastes great. In my teen years I was a health food nut. I hated being overweight and realized at that point that I had to take matters into my own hands. Then, I got married

I can not get DH to touch a veggie without hiding it in cheese

At the very least maybe if DH sees me losing weight he''ll want to come to my side of whole grains and veggies that can be identified.

Are there veggies DH likes? I have much more sensitive taste buds than most, so I don''t like most veggies as I can actually taste their toxins. Instead, when DH makes something for himself, he uses lots of veggies whereas I just use a lot of the ones I like, such as corn, peas, olives, mushrooms, etc that don''t have the toxins. I don''t get the benefits of some of the good ones, like spinach, but I also don''t have to douse them in creamy sauces. Or as I did last night, I added veggies to something that was going to be creamy anyway so I made a bad thing better. Lesser of 2 evils, but I love it.

As for soup, I second that it is high in sodium. I don''t eat a lot of salt and I don''t have it everyday so it works out. High salt, low calorie meal one night, higher calorie much lower sodium another. You don''t want to do it all the time.

I also forgot-breakfast and healthy snacks. You have so much more energy during the day and do so much better on weight loss. As for snacks, I don''t mean chips, but something fairly good, like fruit, that you can have if you feel your blood sugar dip. I keep a trail mix that is almost all dried fruit that I can have a handful of when I start to really feel it that keeps me from pigging out later and makes me feel better overall, especially when I bike to work.

 

[marcy]

Congratulations on deciding to change your eating habits. You have a lot of great advice already.

As Beach Runner said don''t eliminate any food groups just eat things in moderation. My recommendatoins include to buy a food scale so you can accurately weigh out your portions. You can substitue higher fat / calorie ingredients with the low or not fat items and still eat those foods you like. I found that eating 5 - 6 times a day works better because you don''t get really hungry that way. Ice tea and ice water are pretty much the only no calorie drinks I like. I cannot have diet soda and they contain sodium anyway. I am not a fan of the flavored waters. I also keep baggies of raw veggies and fruit in the refrigerator so I have them handy when I want something to eat.

If you want to figure out your daily calorie intake go to sparkpeople.com and it will figure out what you should eat to lose weight based on your current weight and activity level. It is free.

Good luck.

 

[Haven]

The easiest way for me to make changes is to start small. SO, if I were you I'd set a small goal for each week and build up to a healthy diet. Something like:
- Cook two healthy dinners week 1, then add
- Bring two healthy lunches to work week 2
- Drink one additional glass of water per day week 3
et cetera . . .

As for how healthy people eat, this is how we do it in my house:

- I cook or prepare most of our food. It's so much easier to eat healthy if you're making your food yourself. It's also easier for us to eat healthy when we have a lot of healthy options available to eat *right now* in the house. I always make something to keep in the fridge that we can pull out and dig into in case we're hungry and don't have time to prepare something for ourselves. (For us, that's when we make the worst decisions.) Over time I've found an arsenal of healthy staples that are easy to make and that we enjoy. The staple meals are things I make each week, and they usually change every month or two. (Examples of our current staples--Breakfast: Poached eggs and toast from homemade bread; Lunch: tuna salad, lemony quinoa; Dinner: Rice and beans, shrimp scampi)

- We typically only drink water in the house. We'll order iced tea or soda every now and then when we're out, but we don't keep anything other than milk and water in the house. And cranberry juice for our niece and nephew who come over every Weds night.

- I go to the grocery store often, usually three times a week. I do this for a couple reasons: 1) We buy mostly fresh, whole foods so I don't want to buy too much at a time, and 2) I'm more likely to use the foods I buy if I bought them within the last couple of days.

- We don't deprive ourselves of the foods we really love. I love cheese. DH loves chocolate. I eat cheese. DH eats chocolate. If I tried to cut cheese out of my diet I'd go bananas and eat everything in my path until I found a block of cheese, and then I'd eat that, too.

- Shtick doesn't work for me. I'm not into diet plans or tracking calories or food eaten. It works for some people, but not me. I want things that are delicious, and that make me feel good after I eat them. The more I really pay attention to how I feel after eating certain foods, the easier it is for me to eat healthy.

Seriously, start by finding one healthy recipe that you can make that's easy and delicious. Then, in a week, find another one. If you get at all into cooking, you'll find it's not that hard to eat healthy, and it can be really fun to try new recipes and to make your own meals that are yummy and good for you.

Have fun!

ETA:
I just reread my post and what I wrote makes it seem like it takes a long time to eat healthy. Here's what I have to say to people who claim they are too busy to prepare their own food: HOGWASH. It isn't really about being too busy, it's about prioritizing other things before eating healthy, and that's okay UNLESS you truly want to eat healthier.

And I say this as someone who used to (and probably will again) make the excuse that I don't have time to eat healthy or prepare healthy food because I'm too busy. I wasn't. I just spent my time doing things that were far less fulfilling and definitely not as good for me. Making and eating a hot breakfast takes maybe 20 minutes at most. For me, I'd much rather turn in 20 minutes earlier at night so I can get up and make myself a delicious poached egg with toast in the morning.

When DH and I made the commitment to be healthy we had to take a good, hard look at the way we spend our time and it was really eye opening. We realized that we spend a good amount of time doing things that aren't really furthering any of our real goals, so we took time away from those activities and devoted it to ourselves and our health.

 

[sillyberry]

Date: 6/20/2010 11:35:41 PM
Author: Haven
- Shtick doesn''t work for me. I''m not into diet plans or tracking calories or food eaten. It works for some people, but not me. I want things that are delicious, and that make me feel good after I eat them. The more I really pay attention to how I feel after eating certain foods, the easier it is for me to eat healthy.

I almost universally agree with Haven''s advice, but I will say that "shtick" has worked for me. Since joining SparkPeople.com back in January I''ve lost 18 pounds (it had been 23 until I went crazy the past few weeks with graduation and vacation and decided to drink my body weight in wine). The best thing about tracking what I eat is that it makes me accountable, both for my overall food choices and my portion size. I regularly have to ask myself "is the powdered donut worth having to track it?," and doing so has really pushed me into cooking more real food. I needed something more concrete to get me there than just pure good intentions!

Also, think of learning to cook as something fun, not just a chore that must be done on a daily basis. Get some new cookbooks (the library is great for this) and spend a weekend playing with recipes. Don''t be too ambitious too soon - nothing is more frustrating than getting bogged down in a recipe with 37 ingredients that takes 7 hours to make! See if you can get DH into the kitchen with you. Open a bottle of wine (if that''s your thing) and try out a few recipes. Visit a Farmers Market to get inspired, and feel free to ask the farmers any questions about what you see.

http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/ is one good reference - lots of great posts there!

 

[decodelighted]

I started a similar thread called \"Need Healthy Help\" a week or so ago. People were SO generous with info over there I wanted to point you in that direction also!

Good luck!!! I''m trying to learn the same skills & just pick up a few new habits that stick & then a few more.

Some things I''ve integrated so far:

* substituting iced sparkling water + lemon for many beverages during the day
* eating apples + peanut butter for a mid-morning or afternoon snack
* keeping less junk in the house
* opting for a handful of trail mix or sea salt roasted almonds instead
* string cheese
* "hiding" frozen veggies in red pasta sauce (works for peas or spinach - boil w/the whole wheat pasta)
* putting a little garlic powder in a scrambled egg makes it way yummier
* sneak frozen bananas & strawberries + yogurt into make-em-yourself smoothies (add ice, honey, milk or oj)

And, my biggest aha moment so far was realizing that drinking Diet Sodas make me crave salty snacks to go "with" it. Diet Sodas don''t taste right with, say, apples + p.b. ... or carrot sticks ... or snap peas ... or even trail mix. So I''m trying to cut back to 1 a day -- maybe going off for good eventually.

 

[Haven]

Date: 6/21/2010 7:46:49 PM
Author: sillyberry

Date: 6/20/2010 11:35:41 PM
Author: Haven
- Shtick doesn''t work for me. I''m not into diet plans or tracking calories or food eaten. It works for some people, but not me. I want things that are delicious, and that make me feel good after I eat them. The more I really pay attention to how I feel after eating certain foods, the easier it is for me to eat healthy.

I almost universally agree with Haven''s advice, but I will say that ''shtick'' has worked for me. Since joining SparkPeople.com back in January I''ve lost 18 pounds (it had been 23 until I went crazy the past few weeks with graduation and vacation and decided to drink my body weight in wine). The best thing about tracking what I eat is that it makes me accountable, both for my overall food choices and my portion size. I regularly have to ask myself ''is the powdered donut worth having to track it?,'' and doing so has really pushed me into cooking more real food. I needed something more concrete to get me there than just pure good intentions!

Also, think of learning to cook as something fun, not just a chore that must be done on a daily basis. Get some new cookbooks (the library is great for this) and spend a weekend playing with recipes. Don''t be too ambitious too soon - nothing is more frustrating than getting bogged down in a recipe with 37 ingredients that takes 7 hours to make! See if you can get DH into the kitchen with you. Open a bottle of wine (if that''s your thing) and try out a few recipes. Visit a Farmers Market to get inspired, and feel free to ask the farmers any questions about what you see.

http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/ is one good reference - lots of great posts there!

First, congrats on the weight loss, SB! Second, GONGRATS on your graduation! Shall we call you Barrister Sillyberry now?

That has a nice ring to it, no?

I absolutely agree that some programs are really effective for people. My mom lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers, for example, and I know so many people who swear by Sparkpeople. I just wanted to include that bit in there because I spent a lot of time being very frustrated by my inability to follow these programs. (I do love Body-for-Life, however, but in my mind that''s a bodybuilding thing.)

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Deco, I just wanted to say I''m proud of you for the steps you''ve taken so far. I know it''s not easy (I''ve always battled my weight) and you''re making great progress!

 

[sillyberry]

Date: 6/21/2010 8:29:45 PM
Author: Haven
First, congrats on the weight loss, SB! Second, GONGRATS on your graduation! Shall we call you Barrister Sillyberry now?

That has a nice ring to it, no?

I absolutely agree that some programs are really effective for people. My mom lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers, for example, and I know so many people who swear by Sparkpeople. I just wanted to include that bit in there because I spent a lot of time being very frustrated by my inability to follow these programs. (I do love Body-for-Life, however, but in my mind that''s a bodybuilding thing.)

Yeah, I''m cool with Barrister.

Anyway, I knew what I said was going to come out wrong and almost wrote a disclaimer that I was just trying to offer up another opinion. Darn interwebs. Isn''t it amazing how some things work for some people and totally don''t for others?

Oh, one more tip, so this isn''t just a back and forth on the meaning of words in an online fora, which I''m happy to do for hours. I like limes with my water much better than lemon, but I LOVE cucumber water! Just put a pitcher in the fridge with sliced cucumbers (and maybe a little mint) and you can refill it several times with ice and water. So refreshing in the summer heat! You can do the same with berries or pineapple, too. Adds just a hint of awesome.

Now off to Trader Joe''s and Dominick''s! Healthy food time - the produce drawer is bare!

 

[Haven]

I thought that *my* post came out wrong, not yours, Barrister Sillyberry! Seriously. I realized that using the word "shtick" especially sounded dismissive, and that''s not what I meant.

ANYWAY, I''ve never tried cucumber water but I''m going to right now. I have some sliced cucumber left over from father''s day brunch.

 

[lliang_chi]

Date: 6/21/2010 8:14:00 PM
Author: decodelighted
* putting a little garlic powder in a scrambled egg makes it way yummier

Great advice you''re getting so far. Also, I just wanted to add another tip about eggs: cumin seed + scrambled eggs are super delicious! You don''t need a lot, just the barest of pinches but throw it into the pan just before you pour your eggs in.

Some other healthy easy to have on-hand snacks that are SUPER easy to make:

Keep cut up veggies (e.g. baby carrots, cukes, snap peas) on hand to nosh when you fee like putting something in your mouth.
Nuts like almonds & walnuts, dry roasted or raw are EXCELLENT snacks. Plus they have some protein so they can keep you going for longer.

hummus
1 drained can of chickpeas (or any kind of light colored beans).
1+ tbs tahini (it''s your preference).
1 tsp lemon juice.
Throw it all into your food processor and whirl until smooth. Salt & pepper to taste. drizzle extra virgin olive oil. SUPER easy and it lasts a while. You can have it with baby carrots, hard boiled egg whites. whole wheat pita. Anything. Also you can add whatever you like into the mix pre-processing. Some ideas: olives, jalepeno peppers, roasted red peppers, garlic.

Along the same line of hummus..
Baba Ganoush (smokey eggplant dip)
1 whole eggplant, halved and skin poked all over with fork
1+ tbs tahini
1 tsp lemon juice

Put eggplant in over at 350F roast for ~35 mins. Or you can put it on your grill, and roast for ~25 mins. Remove from heat, let cool until you can handle it. Peel off the blistered skin. throw eggplant flesh, and other ingridients into food processor & whirl till smooth. Alternatively mash with fork (won''t be as smooth, but still tasty)

 

[lknvrb4]

Bulking up on fiber rich foods has really helped me maintain my weight. Not fiber from those chewable tablets but from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. I find that eating this way keeps me from feeling hungry all the time.

 

[ts44]

Due to mine and FI''s schedules we eat out a lot, and everybody knows how hard it is to eat healthy when you aren''t cooking it yourself. These are the rules that I made up for myself when I eat out:

Never order dessert - if somebody wants to split it with you and won''t take no for an answer, eat three bites and have done. You will be surprised how satisfying it is, as most desserts are far too rich to eat all of it anyway.

Avoid these and similar adjectives on the menu: "fried", "crispy", "breaded", "crunchy", "cheesy", and "buttery".

The proper portion size for meat is about the thickness of a deck of cards and a little smaller than your palm.

It is A-OK to take half your dinner home as leftovers. Free lunch the next day!

At a buffet and tempted by the piles of bad-for-you food? Fill half of your plate with vegetables first, you won''t leave room to truly trash your diet. Do NOT go back for seconds. Sit on your hands if you have to.

Always eat the healthiest thing on your plate first - might as well fill up on the broccoli instead of the garlic mashies.

Always get dressings and sauces on the side. Dip your fork tines halfway into the dressing with each bite, you will be surprised how little you use compared to dumping the whole thing over the top of your dish.

If you are allowed to pick your sides, pick two vegetable sides instead of a vegetable and a starch.

Ask if the vegetables are buttered - many restaurants do this and do not disclose it on the menu. If they are, ask for them to be steamed with no butter.

Out for ice cream? Most parlors have "kid sized" scoops. Ask for the very smallest size they have, and ask for it in a cup with a spoon. If they have no cups, ask for it in the smallest "cake" cone they have. Waffle cones are worse for you than cake cones.

One piece of pizza is a serving size. Order it with chicken and broccoli instead of sausage and pepperoni, and ask for light cheese. Take the rest home for leftovers!

 

[partgypsy]

I don''t have any problem with frozen vegetables/fruit and frozen entrees, as long as you read the labels (no added sugars, also I love Amy''s). I am much more laid back about my food than I used to, and feel convenience foods, whether it is frozen items, prepared sushi, store bought hummus, etc is fine if it means there is healthy food in the house for you to eat so you don''t need to run out for fast food. We have nuts and dried fruit, also make popcorn with olive oil for snacking on. I do love sweets, but make them myself so at least they are with canola oil or butter and whole grain.

Main things I would do is: have fruits and or vegetables with every meal, use whole grains instead of white flour/rice, and try to eliminate the crap (fast food, fried food, snacks/sweets with transfats and corn syrup, sodas). Regarding fat intake, switch from the unhealthy fats to the healthier fats. I''m ok with butter in moderation but most of the time cooking use olive oil or canola oil. Instead of ranch dressing mix up virgin olive oil and lemon juice (50/50 blend) with some salt, pepper, herbs and put on salad instead. As someone else said I don''t think it''s about eliminating things, but substituting with healthier choices.

We are definitely not regimented. We''ll get a frozen pizza, but put fresh herbs on top and serve it with a side of broccolli and make fruit smoothies (frozen fruit, yogurt, and a little honey) to drink. If all you have to eat is pizza, you may eat 3 slices. But if you eat it with veggies/salad and smoothie, 1 or 2 pieces is perfect.

I don''t understand people who try to eliminate all fat from diet. Your body then goes into starvation mode and hangs onto every calorie harder than before.

Also, I think physical activity is just as if not more important than diet.

 

[dragonfly411]

The main thing you need to watch for with frozen and canned veggies is the sodium content. It can get pretty high. I generally don''t buy canned vegetables because they tend to be higher in sodium content. I''d rather make it fresh, or steam some that are out of the freezer.

One of the best things you can do, is sit down and plan out your meals for the week, or at least get a general idea of what you want to make. This allows you to buy vegetables based on what you will need. There are tons of web resources for great recipes that incorporate lots of high fiber foods, vegetables, and fruits as well as lean proteins.

Keep some meat handy, frozen. I tend to buy two or three of things when they are on sale. Then you can decide what to thaw, and take it out the morning before you cook it.

Keep fruit where you can see it. I keep it on the top two shelves of the refrigerator, and in a bowl on the counter.

Make sure you do drink some water. I couldn''t decide if you were asking for alternatives BESIDES drinking that, or if you were implying "anything BUT". Either way, water is important. I am guilty of getting crystal light sometimes.

Beans beans beans. I love beans. You can make great dishes with beans and some veggies, or beans and cous cous, or beans and pasta, or beans and meat, or beans and rice. They have protein... and nutrients.

I hope this helps a bit.

 

[waxing lyrical]

I started the Every Other Day Diet two weeks ago on Saturday and have lost 8 lbs. DH has lost 9 lbs. I used to do WW, but I need something that had more structure and very easy to follow. It cuts our grocery bill a lot because we have the kids eat a modified version. I''m currently doing a modified version as well because I''m breastfeeding and don''t want to reduce calories too much and have it affect my supply. So far I''m lovin'' it. It forces you to eat fruits (protein smoothie for breakfast) and produce/veggies.

I''m really enjoying it and haven''t experienced many cravings at all. I''m big on sweets. That''s my kryptonite, but so far I haven''t had major sweet cravings. If I do then I eat a Luna bar.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

If you''re buying basic frozen veggies (not veggies in sauce or with pasta, etc, or frozen meals) they won''t have salt or sugar added. They''re simply flash frozen. Canned veggies are just gross all around and in my opinion shouldn''t be counted as a veg or included in a "healthy" diet at all. Maybe canned tomatoes or canned beans, but nothing else.

Waxing, what''s the "Every Other Day" diet?

 

[ZestfullyBling]

While managing a Jenny Craig store, I learned that eating healthy involves portion control, 3 snacks/3meals, lots of water.

On portion control...make a fist. Thats approximately how much a helping of 1 particular meat, veggie portion, noodles, etc. should be.

I'm no expert, just sharing what I learned.

 

[GliderPoss]

Firstly congrats on deciding to get healthy!

Great advice so far, particularly about substitution. I'll add my 2 cents....

-Frozen veggies are great, particularly the steam-bags. Very handy and don't go off so you can just buy lots - ensure you add one to every savoury meal. I avoid canned veggies if possible.
- Buy all wholemeal pasta and bread and brown rice instead of white versions. Try chickpeas and lentals too.
- No fizzy drinks, try sparkling mineral water with fresh lemon or lime - absolutely delicious! Green tea is also nice.
- Choose lean cuts if meat and try to get less processed stuff. Make your own burger patties instead of pre-made etc. You control the salt and additives then.
- Eat less meat - CSIRO says a 100g portion is plenty per person. Use more veggies instead! Try streamed fish as well.
- Dairy is very important - switch to low-fat versions & use olive-oil based margarine. Choose a natural yogurt with less sugar.
- Fresh fruit - big bowl within eyesight at all times. Snack on that instead of processed foods.
- Use a natural sugar substitute such as Splenda instead of sugar in your tea or coffee.
- Pick one day a week as treat day and have takeaway then instead of any other night. Educated yourself that these foods are treats not for everyday consumption.
- Make your own food!! Biggest key - then you control the potion size, additives such as salt and sugar and fat.
- Try homemade pizza on wholemeal lebanese bread - it's fantastic and you can help Hubby get used to healthier food. Try toppings such as tomatoes, spinach, chickpeas and feta. (Easy on the cheese!) Almost any vegies can be used in this recipe.
- Processed food - try to avoid this at all times, very hard I know coz it's convenient but it will make a big difference I promise.
- Exercise - try some light exercise everyday. Even if it's 30mins of power walking this will help too.

Good luck! Keep up posted on your progress.

 

[ysj99]

What we do to eat healthy is to make sure we get a good breakfast in us everyday, especially during weekdays. Breakfast is either oatmeal with two big spoons of flaxseed, or a hemp shake with fruit, almond milk and flax seed. It keeps us full, energized and filled with fiber and protein!

We aim to bring lunch to work 3-4 days a week, allowing ourselves 1-2 days to eat out with our co-workers.

We also don't have meat with every meal. On average, we cook with meat about 50% of the time, the rest of the time we get our protein from veggies and beans. (This also makes our grocery bill cheaper!)

Lastly, we keep A LOT of fresh fruit around the house to snack on and dessert is usually fruit

 

[JonyLeaber]

A lot of Fiber, Fruits and vegetables are the best place to start.

Breakfast: Fiberone Cereal or Total, and a Banana...Yogurt

Lunch: Home made, Tuna or Chicken Salad, go easy on mayo, slice some tomatoes in there and add celery are celery sticks.

Dinner: Grilled Veggies and Grilled chicken and some whole wheat or Fiber Enriched Pasta...

Good luck...

 

[diva rose]

Did you want to lose weight?
How healthy do you want to be?

cut out white products - white bread white rice white flour - replace with brown rice, rye bread etc
cut out premade products - this includes canned fruit, certain types of cereal (they have heaps of sugar) or canned stuff
check yoghurt packs - some of them have heaps of sugar
drink low fat milk
cut back on added salt or preservatives in your cooking
use olive oil instead of other oils
no butter or margerine
reduce starchy vegetables intake e.g. potatoes etc
cut out sweets and junk food - no more fast food, chips etc.

what you can do is treat yourself to one small portion of sweets per week to keep the sugar cravings away

eat:
- lots of fish, lean meat and chicken - steam and grill when possible
- 2 servings of fresh fruit and 5 servings of vegetables per day
- small 5 portions of meals per day
- drink 2 litres of water per day - this is very important!!

Exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes.

Check links on web for getting heathy
Here is one:
http://helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm

 

[LLJsmom]

If you want to lose your weight than use natural protein foods in place of fast foods, eat raw fruits and vegetables in place of fried foods.
Rae veggies foods and water foods plan are the best option for the best weight loss diet plan because these foods burn the fat and control the cholesterol level effectively that lead to successful weight loss.

Any comment?

adamprowse

I agree with getting rid of all fast foods from your diet. Try to eat food you make yourself. Cut out bad fats and limit good ones. Get rid of full fat dairy. Cut out sweets. You need to get your tastebuds un-accustomed to the taste of sugar. (my personal biggest challenge). Eat fruit as a substitute. Eat whole grains. No more white anything, bread, pasta, rice. None of that. Just whole wheat or brown rice, or other grains that are not bleached, and stripped of it's fibrous outer shell. Read labels. Drink tons of water, 8-10 glasses a day. No fried, deep fried, anything fried stuff. Stir fry maybe, but only if you use very little oil. I am sorry for just running on and on in such a disorganized manner. I know the title of this book may offend some, but the advice is very practical and straightforward. "This is Why you are Fat". It's an easy read and provides good, practical advice. Just ignore it's potentially offensive title.

I struggle with all this. I know how to eat, but just actually doing it is hard. But I know physically I would be in a much worse place if I didn't even try.

 

[momhappy]

I try to eat higher percentages of protein and lower percentages of carbs. I avoid what I consider "wasted" calories that are consumed in the form of beverages (I drink mostly water). Green tea (hot or cold) is a good alternative to water. I also don't starve myself of the things I really want (I have a horrible sweet tooth). I eat sweets in moderation and I budget them into my diet.

 

[Rose21]

Avoid cutting out major food groups (gluten is a prime example) because you think it’s what you should be doing to treat a perceived health issue. If you’re going to make drastic changes, it should be in consultation with a health professional as you may be cutting out foods unnecessarily and still not solving the problem.

 

[kelpie]

I always do what's called "shop the perimeter" of the grocery store, meaning I don't even venture into the aisles where they keep the processed food unless I need something specific (usually raw ingredients like flour, rice, or beans). The bulk of my grocery purchase is fresh vegetables, although I think frozen is a good alternative. Avoid food and drink containing sugar and artificial sweeteners. It will recalibrate your palate to what is sweet. After a month a plain sweet potato or a peach will taste like dessert. For drinks my preferred method is water with a small splash of 100% juice. I used to use seltzer water for it, but I think now there are some studies that demonstrate high carbonation can damage bone density in women over time. Good luck!