Eating Healthier

[Welpe]

OK so the junkfood thread got me thinking about a few things. Other than tasty cheeseburgers, it made me sit down and think about what I've been eating lately and how I've been trying to switch to healthier foods.

I tend to eat a lot of bad food not only fast food but also sweets, ice cream, soda. You know, the bad stuff. WIthin the last 4 or 5 months I've been making some gradual changes such as eating more low fat subway sandwiches when I eat out and switching exclusively from drinking regular soda to diet beverages. I've noticed that I have lost a few pounds from just that and no change in physical activity (which is not very high due to any number excuses I can give you, none all that great).

What I would like to do is continue to drop or replace bad foods from my diet. I have been taking more turkey and chicken sandwiches to work from home, which has helped both the pocket book and waistline.

OK, down to the point of this thread. What I'm looking for are some ideas for healthy meals and snacks that don't take a long time to prepare. I have a few things in mind but they seem to get old quickly.

Here's what I have so far:

Lean Meats/Protein:
*skinless chicken breast
*turkey breast
*pork chops
*white fish
*Tuna (which I really don't care for)
*Tofu (again, really don't care for it)

Carbohydrates:
*Rice
*Whole wheat breads
*Pasta
*Beans (is this a protein or a carb?)

A variety of fresh and frozen vegetables. Salads with romaine lettuce or spinach leaves.

For sweets I'm thinking things like fresh fruit, unsweetened yogurt with fresh fruit mixed in, maybe some sorbet or soft serve once in a while.

Breakfasts I'm thinking whole grain cereals with skim milk, orange juice or fresh fruit and black coffee.

Lunches sandwiches on whole wheat or multi grain breads with mustard, a lean lunch meat, lettuce, tomatoes and maybe a slice of cheese.

The thing that really seems to be tripping me up is what to snack on between meals. Obviously vegetables and fruits are always a good choice, but what about something that I can "grab and go" that will help curb my appetite?

I want to keep making changes to my diet but I'm also afraid of making too many radical changes that I get bored with what I'm eating or dislike it too much. I realize that sacrifices must be made in order to not only lose weight but be a healthier person. It is no secret, I love to eat. As I said earlier, unfortunately it is the wrong kinds of foods. That is probably a psychological thing more than anything else, but it is still a bit frustrating that I almost have to have a junk food fix quite often.

Sorry this post is a bit jumbled, but it is late and I wanted to get my thoughts out on this topic. Once I started writing I just kept writing. I will probably try to clean this up tomorro when I'm not so tired. I appreciate all and any advice and suggestions you all can share.

Thanks,

Monty

[krj]

The thing that really seems to be tripping me up is what to snack on between meals. Obviously vegetables and fruits are always a good choice, but what about something that I can "grab and go" that will help curb my appetite? Monty

Monty,

As lame as it sounds, I would suggest to you that you go on a "field trip" to a grocery store. Go down every aisle, read labels, check out options and see what's out there that appeals to you.

There is a huge amount of healthy snack options out there, and many of them are good tasting, nutritious and low-moderate in calories. Check out every section of the store - including the less obvious such as the child and infant, senior citizens (you'd be surprised how many adventure racers drink Ensure while in transition areas), the kids lunch section (fruit snacks etc.), the cookies and snacks section (there are now packages of individually wrapped cookies at about 100 calories each package).

Read labels, be open to options you may not have considered, and compare prices/nutritional ingredients/serving sizes etc.

Like I said - lame. But you would only have to do it once, and you will REALLY have a huge number of ideas after your trip.

BTW - Dried beans are classified as carbohydrates - and I don't blame you on the tofu thing..... :cool:

[ProWriter]

As lame as it sounds, I would suggest to you that you go on a "field trip" to a grocery store. Go down every aisle, read labels, check out options and see what's out there that appeals to you...Check out every section of the store - including the less obvious such as the child and infant, senior citizens...Read labels, be open to options you may not have considered, and compare prices/nutritional ingredients/serving sizes...Like I said - lame. But you would only have to do it once, and you will REALLY have a huge number of ideas after your trip...Lame, huh? You just described my first date with my wife, pal. :D Met her on aol, and offered to teach her all about food and diet by taking her foodshopping.

[krj]

Lame, huh? You just described my first date with my wife, pal. :D Met her on aol, and offered to teach her all about food and diet by taking her foodshopping.

Oh CRAP - put my foot in my big mouth with THAT one, eh?? :D

Uhhh - sorry 'bout that! :D

[pkagel]

LOL, and she stayed :confused: Must be one heck of a tolerant lady!! What was your 2nd date?

Lame, huh? You just described my first date with my wife, pal. :D Met her on aol, and offered to teach her all about food and diet by taking her foodshopping.

[Welpe]

That's actually a good idea, krj. I will figure on doing that, probably this weekend.

I think I'm finally serious about changing my long term eating habits, hopefully I can make them something that is not a diet per se but a lifestyle. I've also started to write down what I'm eating everyday, so hopefully I can notice some trends that aren't as healthy.

Thanks for the advice.

Monty

[ASUMach1]

I've lost 50lbs since December by dropping all fast food and drinking at least 60oz of water a day. I did the weight watchers plan, I know it's lame for a college kid to do but it worked for me. It simply takes the Dietary fiber grams, the calories, and the total fat grams of the foods and assigns them point values. In addition to cutting out fast food and most soda (Only drink Sprite Zero and the occasional Diet Coke), I pretty much cut out red meat like you mentioned earlier. I pretty much lived on salad with No or Low fat dressing and chicken. When you do change your diet just remember to take a GOOD multi-vitamen twice a day to make sure you're getting all of the vitamens for your body to be working at maximum potential.
If you're looking for good meals on the go I suggest the frozen "Smart Ones" they are made by Weightwatchers I believe and have their pre-assigned point values and are a good price as compared to other frozen meals. In addition they are lower in sodium compared to others as well. Again I know it may seem lame, but I just thought I would throw it out there as a suggestion because it worked for me.
Jason
Also man, just hit the gym hard, and don't forget the cardio. I ride a bicycle at work for 8 hours a day or more so that has helped me too.

[lsmalibu]

Monty -

I dunno what you're eating for fats, but if you're trying to eat low-fat or no-fat, you're not gonna lose that much weight. I'm not gonna go off here, but good fats are good for you, essential to heart health and help you feel full. Olive oil, natural peanut butter, almonds, fish and flax seed oil are good sources of healthy fats.

Good job on the dairy. Yogurt and such is a good snack, and dairy has been shown to help you burn fat. You want to aim for a general ratio of 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat.

Cut out refined sugars and refined grains (white bread, regular pasta, white rice) and load up on nutrient rich veggies, whole grains and lean meats. Don't be afraid of trying other meats, like lean beef and pork. They get a bad rap, but if they're lean, they're good for you.

Drink a gallon of water a day. Cut out soda (diet is okay) fruit juice, whole milk. A cup of green tea in the morning is great.

[ProWriter]

LOL, and she stayed :confused: Must be one heck of a tolerant lady!! What was your 2nd date?You guys really still have to ask? :rolleyes: Strip club, obviously ;) :D

If you're looking for good meals on the go I suggest the frozen "Smart Ones" they are made by Weightwatchers I believe and have their pre-assigned point values and are a good price as compared to other frozen meals. In addition they are lower in sodium compared to others as well. Again I know it may seem lame, but I just thought I would throw it out there as a suggestion because it worked for me. Yeah, except they're not enough for a meal at about 200 calories, 17 grams protein, etc. My wife eats them, though. They're perfect for her. Go over to the poultry section and find the Purdue "Short Cuts" display. About $5 per box/bag and each box is good for two meals of 40+ high quality protein and negligible fat content. They come in about four flavors. Microwave them with some carbs, or stick a fork in and eat them cold right outta the bag.

[JML65]

I love shopping.

Here is the trick. I am following this to lose about 12 to 15 lbs, which will get me totally cut, as I am not really fat. I have posted my pt scores, and they are better than 99% of people, I just get lazy with my diet sometimes when I am unmotivated.

This is shocking new scientific evidence.......

Eat lots and lots of veggies, drink water and green tea, avoid starch other than oatmeal and brown rice, eat lean meats, eat healthy fats.

Do cardio and lift weights.


Yeah, I was being sarcastic, but there is nothing crazy or cutting edge. The biggest thing you have to worry about is commitment and common sense.

Eating tips -

If it is in a package, 90% of the time, you shouldn't eat it (think about it)

Eat foods that are closest in the way God made them. An orange is healther than orange juice, which is healther than orange soda. Try to eat like a caveman would.

Cut out ALL juice and soda. Do not drink your calories. Juice has no fiber, so it does't fill you up. It is not much better than soda for someone trying to lose weight.

Don't be afraid of the right fats - this has been covered.
You can use 1/2 fat dressing with your veggies (not that 0 fat crap, and not the full fat dressing, unless it is olive oil based Italian). Veggies have fat soluable vitamins, meaning you need to have fat when you eat them to get a benefit.

Get some splenda sweetner - use it in shakes and oatmeal.

Eat as much vegetables as you want. You can eat lots and lots (not potatoes or other starchy veggies though)

Avoid going low carb or whatever. You should cut your starches out to 3 or 4 servings a day. Most of us eat WAY too much starch. I would avoid bread as it doesn't really fill you up, oatmeal is a better option really. So are sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, brown rice, and beans (which are a protien and carb)

Eat a well balanced diet and you will be fine.


Good luck.

[JML65]

Also, learn how to cook.

I just made a really awesome pot of Minnestrone soup with tons of veggies, lean sausage and wheat pasta. A perfect meal.

[mobrien316]

The easiest way to permanently drop fast food and junk food from your diet is to do some research into how they are made. Read "Fast Food Nation" or "Don't Eat this Book" and you'll never want to set foot in a burger place or eat anything out of a vending machine again.

It's no coincidence that over the past thirty years, we have not only made junk food more available and more of a regular part of our diets, but also produced an entire generation of children who cannot function without Ritalin.

[JML65]

The easiest way to permanently drop fast food and junk food from your diet is to do some research into how they are made. Read "Fast Food Nation" or "Don't Eat this Book" and you'll never want to set foot in a burger place or eat anything out of a vending machine again.

It's no coincidence that over the past thirty years, we have not only made junk food more available and more of a regular part of our diets, but also produced an entire generation of children who cannot function without Ritalin.

Supersize Me also works. Watch that and you won't eat that crap. :D

[Welpe]

Just wanted to get back and say thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I will look at incorporating more and more of them into my eating routine (I hesitate to use the word "diet" because I don't want to think of any of this as a short term thing).

I plan on hitting the store this weekend for an hour or so to see what my various healthy options are. I'm actually somewhat excited about finally taking the necessary steps to not only lose the excess weight, but to live a healthier life. It will take some getting used to, I'm sure, but it will be very worth it. :)

Cheers!

Monty

[Welpe]

OK hit the store today and found some good things for meals. I have a couple of questions as a result of this "field trip".

While looking at the whole wheat versus sour dough breads and English muffins I noticed something a little surprising. The whole wheat items seemed to have more calories, more saturated fat, more sugars and more calories from fat than the sourdough varieties. What's the deal with that?

Also, I couldn't find those chicken strips you were talking about PW, but I'll look around at some other stores for them.

I also noticed some things such as lean sasuasges, turkey burgers and sausages that I hadn't even thought of before. I even found a few prepackaged foods that aren't too bad health wise such as some healthy (and on sale!) granola bars.

[Entre Nous]

Welpe, do you have a Trader Joe's near you? They always seem to have healthy packaged foods which are easy to make and reasonably priced.

Unfortunately, the only good whole wheat bread I've found is from a health food store.

[Welpe]

Ah yes we do, I'll have to check that one out.

[mattph4716]

The bad fats have been covered but I wanted to mention it again. A while back I tried the virtually no fat diet stuff. When I had my cholesterol checked my good Cholesterol (HDL?) was too low and I was asked by the doctor to eat more "good fats". I did more research and it actually helps you to loose weight to eat good fats such as olive oil, fish oil, peanut butter, etc. You still have to watch how much you consume because they are high calorie items.

I would also suggest shopping on the outside of the grocery store. Someone mentioned eating items that God made. This is kind of the same thing. What I mean by the outside of the grocery store is the outside perimeter. Most grocery stores are set-up the same way with the produce, meat, and dairy on the outside perimeter. Choose from those.

I would also suggest eating protein with every meal if you are goint to be exercising. I would also get a good powder to drink a protein drink a few times a day as kind of a snack. Good to drink when you wake up, before bed, and after exercise. If you mix it with water it is only about 100 cals per serving with a little less than 20 grams of protein. It is also good to throw in a scoop of peanut butter. Gives better flavor, few grams more of protein, plus your good fat.

When you are hungry some snacks I would suggest is PB with some whole wheat crackers, yogurt, and cheese sticks. They are all pretty small and I can just throw them in my cooler when at work.

[AMG]

Good points! especialy this one by matt

I would also suggest shopping on the outside of the grocery store. Someone mentioned eating items that God made. This is kind of the same thing. What I mean by the outside of the grocery store is the outside perimeter. Most grocery stores are set-up the same way with the produce, meat, and dairy on the outside perimeter. Choose from those.

Grocery stores are set up for one thing-to sell food. Look at how nice all the isles are compared to the outside isle. I will admit I have been to Farmers Market and they take pride in the outside isle but you pay for that.

What is junk food? can science say if this person eats the so-called bad foods they will become obese, or does science say regardless of the foods you eat your genes detrmine the outcome. Science really dont know, What science can say is that without excercise you will gain weight while over eating.

I suggest what others have stated, try to stay away from the saturated fats.

[ProWriter]

Are you primarily concerned with your health or your physique and/or weight loss/maintenance? If it's your health, then minimize saturated fats and enjoy all your unsaturated Omega-3's, yada yada. To whatever extent you're concerned with your physique and/or weight loss/maintenance, there are no "good" or "bad" fats, just fats: minimize them all.

In science, people at the extreme ends of the genetic spectrum are considered exceptions to the general rule, not a "refutation" or disproof of the rule. Yes, extreme mesomorphs/ectomorphs can eat anything they want and never become obese. Likewise, extreme endomorphs can live on rice cakes and bird seed and still hover close to the line of clinical obesity. So what? There are also people who smoke two packs a day and live to 90, but that doesn't mean science can't define the health risks of smoking, either.

Foods that contribute very little nutritional value, (as that term is defined, scientifically), and whose calorie count, fat, sugar, and salt content is way out of proportion to their overall nutritional value would be considered "junk food," irrespective of the fact that some people have good enough genetics not to worry about it.

[Welpe]

Thanks for the additional tips.

Weight loss and then maintenance is priority one for me. I really don't care how I look as long as I'm at a healthy weight.

I'm making progress in changing my eating habits, but I am finding that I really don't like to cook. I think that is a hinderance for me, and probably one of the reasons I do eat unhealthy foods, because they are "convenient".

I will keep working on the cooking issue. The results will be worth it. :)

[tanikir]

Water, water, and more water. While diet soda may not have calories, it doesn't help the body like water does. I always feel my best on the days I drink the most water.

My other hint is yogurt. I had a really bad ice cream habit. I have found yogurt fills the need just as well.

[Welpe]

I have a propane grill for quick grilling, maybe I need to fire that puppy up more and cook up a mess of skinless chicken or fish. :)

I've been drinking more water and less soda lately. I have one of those 32 oz Nalgene deals and I make a point to drink one of them before my lunch break, and another by the time I get home at a minimum.

[lawguy]

Some good suggestions here. I'll add my 2 cents, and what I have done in the past couple of years to get in the best shape of my life:

1. Good quality lean proteins. Lean chicken, turkey, and fish. Low-fat cottage cheese. I also cut way down on red meat, although I still eat the occational burger and a lean peice of beef every know and then.

2. Switched to diet soda. Drink more water. Switched from 2% milk to low-fat soy milk.

3. Take a vitamin supplement.

4. To be sure I get my fruits and veggies every day, I make a fruit smoothie in the morning consisting of vanilla soy milk, blueberries, strawberries, and a bananna. I switched from using lettuce on my sandwitches (little nutritional value) to baby spinach.

5. Eat good quality carbs in moderation and/or when you need them. Whole wheat pastas, whole grain breads, etc.

Hope this helps someone.

PS - Eating healthy is NOT cheap :)

[MockingBird]

Hey! Anybody ever try the line of "Perfect Green Foods (http://www.gardenoflifeusa.com/detail_perfect.shtml)"? ..it's a powder supplement. It may also come in gelatin capsule form..not sure tho. It's packed with a ton of naturally occurring antioxidants, minerals and vitamins found in green foods. It tastes like dirt and rocks, but for two small tablespoons, it's the equivalent of 9 servings of veggies.

How about Bee products?? They're pretty awesome, and benefit the immune, cardiovascular, endocrine, integumentary, nervous, cellular, skeletal, hepatic, and respiratory systems. They're a great natural appetite suppressant, energy enhancer, natural antidepressant and control weight and cholesterol. Interested? Check it out at: The Natural Shopper (http://www.royaljellystore.com/index-bee-products.htm )

[pigpen]

The best way I found to get healthy was simply to cut out sugars anywhere I could (and there are a bunch of ways to do so), sweat my balls off for 45 minutes a day and drink A LOT of water.
Another book I would add to the healthy eating library would be Diet For A New America by John Robbins...although it preaches a vegetarian lifestyle you can get a lot of really good insight into healthy eating as a lifestyle change. Eat several medium size portions several times a day rather than 3 squares. You actually lose weight that way.
AND NO FAST FOOD.

[0351]

Ideally, if time allows for it, you want to eat more frequently and eat smaller meals. You want to avoid high glycemic carbohydrates as much as possible (except for post-workout, for recovery and gaining muscle), mainly things like white flour and sugar.

Here's a good article on why the way most of us eat is bad:
http://www.harvard-magazine.com/on-line/050465.html

Here's more info on the GI (glycemic index) and the GI's of a lot of foods:
http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_food_diet/glycemic_index.php

Some of you might remember learning the distinction between complex and simple carbohydrates in health class, which is disappointing as that distinction, as far as what's "healthy," has been debunked for almost 25 years.

[captskin]

Also, learn how to cook.

I just made a really awesome pot of Minnestrone soup with tons of veggies, lean sausage and wheat pasta. A perfect meal.

That does sound really good! Might have to try it!

[ProWriter]

Some of you might remember learning the distinction between complex and simple carbohydrates in health class, which is disappointing as that distinction, as far as what's "healthy," has been debunked for almost 25 years.I'd like to know exactly what's ever been "debunked" about the distinction between complex and simple carbs, particularly, since the underlying mechanism is simply that many complex molecular bonds require more energy to break than fewer simpler molecular bonds.

If anything's been "debunked" that would be the relative importance and relevance of the Glycemic Index for anybody besides Diabetics. For anybody else, selecting carbs for their low position on the G.I. while ignoring whether they're complex or simple would be a LOT worse than ignoring the G.I. entirely, while making sure most of their carbs are complex and avoiding simpler carbs as much as possible. You think low calorie carrots (high G.I.) are less dietetically sound than all the simple, high calorie carbs that happen to be lower on the G.I., for example?