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Help with variety in a healthy diet
Aurin
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Currently hubby and I are attempting a new diet, but, since we subsisted on snack foods and generally crappy stuff, our new diet is rather bland.
For example, nearly every day, hubby gets an omelet for breakfast, a chef salad with some lunch meat (all low sodium stuff) green onions, and bell peppers. For snacks he's got protein bars, carrots, or celery. Dinner is usually a sandwich (whole wheat bread, woo) or whole wheat waffles with jam.
Mainly, we're trying to get healthier by eating less crap. We've cut out the soda, and we're trying to cut out most of the carb intake as well. Lean it up, as it were.
And so far we're doing all right, until you eat the same thing every day, then it starts to get really old. -_-
So we've been trying to come up with some more ideas that include vegetables (the ones that are good for you, corn bad!). And I'm coming up blank. Most stews and soups that I've found recipes for online include potatoes... and I remember those stews when I was younger, the potatoes and the yummy meat were always my favorite parts.
We'd like to avoid tomatoes (since they seem to make hubby sick). And anything that can be easily reheated for lunch at work would be awesome.
So, to cut to the chase, H/A I need your help! Give me some variety in my recipes! My Google-fu has failed. -_-
For example, nearly every day, hubby gets an omelet for breakfast, a chef salad with some lunch meat (all low sodium stuff) green onions, and bell peppers. For snacks he's got protein bars, carrots, or celery. Dinner is usually a sandwich (whole wheat bread, woo) or whole wheat waffles with jam.
Mainly, we're trying to get healthier by eating less crap. We've cut out the soda, and we're trying to cut out most of the carb intake as well. Lean it up, as it were.
And so far we're doing all right, until you eat the same thing every day, then it starts to get really old. -_-
So we've been trying to come up with some more ideas that include vegetables (the ones that are good for you, corn bad!). And I'm coming up blank. Most stews and soups that I've found recipes for online include potatoes... and I remember those stews when I was younger, the potatoes and the yummy meat were always my favorite parts.
We'd like to avoid tomatoes (since they seem to make hubby sick). And anything that can be easily reheated for lunch at work would be awesome.
So, to cut to the chase, H/A I need your help! Give me some variety in my recipes! My Google-fu has failed. -_-
Aurin on
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also some of the diet meals are pretty good (i think micalinas is the one my mom gets) and she says they are pretty good
also pastas work, especially when you load 'em up with veggies. Check into whole wheat pasta.
No, no. Bad.
This is true. Lots of carbs and I'll bet their sandwich meats aren't my wonderfully low sodium stuff from the deli.
What do you do for food, Tube? Our diet is rather similar to the one in the fitness thread, we're just cutting a bunch of carbs right now.
There's a bunch of different ways to season chicken and a bunch of different ways to have red meat. Steak, chili, burgers etc.
For chicken slow cooking I usually make a chili but I see tomatos are out so I won't post that recipe.
I think you should look up those recipes again and just remove or replace the potato.
I made a dinner last night that was sausage & potatoes, and each serving is about 300-350 calories (and you get FULL). 350 calories is hard to beat, but I never would've guessed if my wife hadn't done the math.
Potatoes, corn, etc., aren't inherently bad for you -- they're just not a low-calorie vegetable. That doesn't mean you have to avoid them; in fact, I'd argue that limiting your diet for, well, a diet, is bad, because you end up in your situation -- bored with your limited options.
If you're looking to cut calories, splurging on seafood is probably the fastest way to do it -- seafood has absurdly low calories, and is easy to cook in ways that don't add much (avoid batter-fried, obviously). If seafood isn't an option for whatever reason, Tofu is next, followed by chicken, then pork or beef depending on the cut. These are just common "meat" options (tofu counts as it's so protein-heavy).
Tell us what kind of things you're comfortable cooking, and what exactly your diet is for, and we'll probably be able to give better options.
Subway is junk food, though.
See, we've lived off junk food forever. :P White bread, snack foods, french fries, you name it. We're not out of shape, but we'd both like to slim down some, so we're giving the new diet a shot.
The problem that comes in, is that most of the foods in the diet plan that it sends with the program are... eh. Just not things we'd really want to eat, and it doesn't have a whole lot of variety.
To note, we don't hate potatoes either, I'm just trying to keep the carbs low, and hubby loves his whole wheat waffles. :P We're counting calories like crazy too.
On the note of things to cook... it doesn't matter how long it will take to cook, since I work from home and stay up while hubby is asleep, so I can cook things while he's asleep and have them ready for the next day. I'm definitely going to try the stir fry, it's just that I've had no experience with these things. My father, for example, is a creature of habit and was a single father, so we had say... salads three times a week for dinner, TV dinners a couple nights, and ate out a couple nights a week.
So, I've got very little cooking experience, but I've got no problem with learning. :P
Here's how the diet measures up for a day:
700 calories worth of protein
360 calories of dairy
100 calories of fruit
200 calories of vegetable
200 calories of carbs
600 calories of snacks (nuts, fruits, protein bars, workout recovery drink stuff)
Wiggle room for fats and condiments
Which seems fine to me, really. I think we can easily swing the diet and it won't be bad, we just have to find other options than say... a plate full of chips to eat. :P
The suggestion against going all-carbs is a decent one mostly because carbs don't stick with you. Protein (and fat) does, so you can eat 500cal of protein and it'll keep you feeling sated for longer than 500cal of bread (not to mention portion size). Carbs are usually delicious and easy to eat, though ;D
So, for an example, my dinner tonight is going to be chicken flavored with some mashed roasted garlic and herbs (usually oregano and basil, probably some rosemary), and green beans (fresh ones), which I saute with a little butter, a splash of vinegar, and salt.
The thing about keeping dinner interesting while on a diet is to mix up the sauces. Sauces that flavor a meat typically do not add calories -- unless you're using it as a dip, of course. Jerk chicken, mustard bbq chicken, lemon chicken, all of that ends up being essentially the same amount of calories, because the sauce is typically low calorie (5-30 cal per serving) and it lightly coats the meat and hangs out in the pan. Vegetables are similar -- splurge and use butter, as it's a flavorful oil that is so close to other oils, calorie-wise, that you gain more in enjoyability than you do in calories.
Your doctor will probably hate me for this, but usually the difference between bland veggies and exciting veggies is salt and seasonings. If you steam broccoli, but sprinkle some spices on it once it's in the steamer-thing (salt, or skip the salt and use Mrs. Dash), you end up with a pretty tasty veggie w/o having to douse it in mayo or butter.
My wife is on a little diet right now, and we've determined that, unfortunately, one of the easy ways to do it and keep it in interesting is to spend more on food. So we now eat more seafood (scallops are tasty yet very low calorie, same with shrimp) and veggies like asparagus.
Anyway, my point is, there's a lot of plans and diets out there, but the crux is that losing weight or slimming down is simple -- you need to burn through more calories than you consume. A healthful way of doing it is about 25-35% less than your normal daily amount. You can certainly count the allotment of protein, fruit, vegetable, and so on, but you might get really sick of the bookkeeping.
One good way to do it (which you may already be doing) is to get a food scale like this guy and then use caloriecount.about.com (I think that's right). That way you can quickly and easily measure the food you're making a meal with (in grams or oz) and punch that right in -- caloriecount lets you just type in a recipe and it figures out the rest, which is pretty convenient. Having a good scale that works with fine amounts makes actually figuring out what you're cooking easy, and it only takes doing it for a couple weeks before you start recognizing what "trouble foods" are and so on.
1 can (540ml) black beans, drained and rinsed (til the water is clear or darned close to it)
1 can (350ml) corn, whole kernel, drained
1cup grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1cup diced sweet bell pepper
1cup diced mango (easy to omit if you don't like sweet salad or if it's out of season/hard to find)
1/2c chopped green onion (I skip this personally because I'm not a big fan of green onion)
4tbsp minced fresh cilantro (or more, because it's delicious)
4tbsp lime juice (or more if you're a citrus freak like me)
1tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1cup diced avocado
mix all, leaving avocado til last (as it browns easily)
You can add in any veggies you like easily too. I often add in cucumber and put jicama in if there's no mango (a nice crunchy veg that's somewhere between a radish and a sweet pepper, just have to peel the skin off and you can have it fresh or cooked. Super yummy with a touch of sweetness to it)
Whole baked fish:
1 big whole fish, i.e. salmon
Lay it on some tinfoil (should be just over twice as long as the fish's length). Put some butter, lemon juice, and any spices you like (I use a lemon pepper mixture typically) inside its belly. Put a bit more butter, lemon juice, and spices on top. Wrap in tinfoil, taking care to crunch the sides closed. Bake at 350F for 30-50min, until cooked (if you go a little heavy on the lemon juice, it'll be hard to dry this out, so overcooking a bit isn't a big deal). Serve with rice (again, brown rice is easy especially if you have a rice cooker)
For stir fry's I typically pick my favourite veggies and do a stir fry around them, and a sauce I like. I tend to go for things like ginger sauces, orange ginger sauces, etc. Lee Kum Kim (I think that's the name at least) also makes a killer chili garlic sauce that you just need a teeensy tiny bit of to add some heat and flavour. Even just that and a little soy sauce during cooking is yummy. Brown meat first, toss onions in part way through the meat cooking, then the rest of the veggies (things like sweet pepper, sweet peas, tomatoes, and mushrooms I add towards the end, cuz I just want them warmed, not cooked to mush)
Precooked shrimp rings, chicken that's already been thawed, and a nice medley of frozen veggies (you can find some really good ones these days for not much more than yer basic cubed carrots and corn mixture) make this really fast too
Most whole wheat pastas taste like shit. However, I've really fallen in love with Dreamfields. Check it out sometime... it's a bit on the expensive side, but worth it if you're concerned about the carb intake, but still want pasta.
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Then again, some drive-through stuff IS sort of healthy for you.
If I'm on the go, I usually stop at the McDonalds on the way to school and grab one or two Egg McMuffins with ketchup and a large orange juice. I throw away the hash browns.
The McMuffins only have about 300 calories each.
Whatever calories the ketchup has are not really important- ketchup contains lycopene- you know, that enzyme that helps with eyesight and prostate health. Not to mention processing tomatoes into stuff like ketchup and pasta sauce makes it easier to absorb. (Your husband can skip this step, since he's apparently allergic to tomatoes.)
Finally, the orange juice is orange juice. Good all around.
You get to go to McDonald's and eat take-out (which shuts that voice in your mind up) and you don't fuck up your diet (which makes you happy). Win-win.
I'd recommend a copy of a book by the name of Eat This, Not That!, by the publishers of Men's Health. It's helped me cut a lot of garbage out of my diet, and it'll show you good low-impact choices if you ever want to dine out.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
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To put it into perspective, a Whopper Jr. with cheese, but w/o mayo, is 350 calories. If I want junky fast food, I'm gonna get the Whopper Jr. w/ cheese (no mayo). Then you get an actual tomato, actual lettuce, actual pickles ;D
However, your ketchup point is good -- ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, and other sauces when used in moderation is really the best way to spice up an otherwise drab meal. I made a homemade jerk sauce a couple weeks ago and it made chicken cooked with it (note that you have to poke the chicken all over so the sauce seeps in) and it added, I think, 15cal per serving.
My wife is currently on the Port diet, so named because we're drinking port. We named it. It's like a regular diet, but she saves around 150 calories for after dinner, where we each have a small glass of port. It's nicely sweet, so it fulfills her sweet tooth, and it's also nicely alcoholic, so you enjoy yourself without thinking "damn I hate diets."
Seriously though, I think Jayson's larger point is that you can find low-calorie meals at most "junk food" places, if you do a little homework. My wife works very hard to keep her calories low during the day so that she can have dessert (port and/or a small piece of chocolate), and that keeps her from snacking during the daytime. I don't drink sugar sodas, except for the rare occasion where I buy a high quality soda in glass bottles and have a single bottle with dinner. Then it's flavored with actual sugar, which I like more anyway, and I'm not drinking 1000 calories just in liquids.
But if you don't find a way to enjoy yourself during your diet, you're going to get sick of it and come off it sooner than you wish. A healthy diet is one that finds balance in the long-term, so doing a little homework and figuring out what you can eat is key.
I've even found a way to get burgers into my diet- a Quarter Pounder is only about 410 calories. Combined with an iced tea, it's a fairly low-impact meal.
Stay away from deep-fried stuff like fries and fish sandwiches, though, and avoid mayo. Full-fat mayo is just extra padding for your ass. Burger King mayo adds about 80 calories to a Whopper Jr. I just get barbecue sauce on them. Two Whopper Juniors plus a Garden Salad and low-impact beverage like tea or water and that's a good meal.
Do research, avoid hidden garbage, and don't deny yourself, but don't go overboard. A Whopper Junior with barbecue is okay. A whole bag of them is not.
A diet soda is okay. Half a case is not.
Allowing yourself to hit the drive-through and dine-in restaurants once in a while can help save your diet instead of being the method of wrecking it.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Something I do for variety is try to rotate my meats on a two or three day cycle depending on its health factor. Seafood for a few days then maybe one day of beef, then chicken a couple days, then back to seafood. I try to keep the red meat to a minimum but sometimes I gotta make a burger or have a stew.
They're just highish in calories and a they're carbs. No reason not to eat them.
OP, just out of curiosity, is your hubby getting sick when you have pasta and tomatoes, ie spaghetti and red sauce? He might have a gluten problem, not a tomato problem.
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I can has cheezburger, yes?
It was just the tomatoes in his salad last week, I think I'd still be able to cook them into things, but he just generally didn't want them anymore after that. Said he felt really sick to his stomach, so we just haven't bought anymore.
Good ideas here though, I'm going to have to find myself some italian dishes. Is Indian spicy? If so, I'm sure he'd love that.
Edit: To note, he still likes marinara sauce and ketchup, so I don't think it's an allergy. Might have just been bad tomatoes, not too sure.
I'm sorry but this sentence has me laughing so hard here. You had to poke the chicken all over to make sure your homemade jerk sauce seeped in. 15 cal per serving.
Dammit mind, I keep dragging you out of the gutter and you keep pulling me right back in.
I can't vouch for the recipes that don't show the calories, but the ones that do are pretty good.
As for potatoes, they are usually consider bad because their glycemic index ranges from medium to high depending on how you cook them. I don't think they're bad enough that you can't enjoy them with your soups though.
I notice you're counting calories. That's excellent! Have you tried Fitday.com? It's free. I find it pretty helpful. If you can do a little groundwork and enter most of your common meals into your personal database, then counting calories and making meal plans is easy.
I'll have to take a look at these, all I use right now is an Excel spreadsheet. :P
Edit: Holy moly I don't think I'll run outta recipes. O.o That's a huge page, thanks!