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Since you guys seem to know about nutrition..
Raggaholic
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Back in October, I met up with an old girlfriend who looks absolutely great. She told me that she moved in with a boyfriend and all they did was sit around and eat. She got fat, and then made a huge life change blah blah blah... great body that you see today.
Well, I was in a very similar situation (moved in with a girlfriend, sat around and ate, got fat, etc) and I felt as if I could do the huge life change thing too. I changed my diet quite a bit since then.
I stopped eating meat in October and went back in November. I don't eat much of it now, although I do once or twice a week. My daily diet is usually
Breakfast: bowl of raisin bran and, if I have it, a banana
Lunch: PBJ, single serving of chips or peanut butter crackers, one apple
Dinner: single serving of pasta/sauce and a green vegetable.
I've been doing this since October. Now, doing this I've lost a lot of weight (I was never really fat), but every now and then I worry that I'm not getting all of the nutrition I need to be getting. Then I read an article saying how bad it was for men to eat pasta because of the white flour and such.
So, how's my diet? What needs to change?
Well, I was in a very similar situation (moved in with a girlfriend, sat around and ate, got fat, etc) and I felt as if I could do the huge life change thing too. I changed my diet quite a bit since then.
I stopped eating meat in October and went back in November. I don't eat much of it now, although I do once or twice a week. My daily diet is usually
Breakfast: bowl of raisin bran and, if I have it, a banana
Lunch: PBJ, single serving of chips or peanut butter crackers, one apple
Dinner: single serving of pasta/sauce and a green vegetable.
I've been doing this since October. Now, doing this I've lost a lot of weight (I was never really fat), but every now and then I worry that I'm not getting all of the nutrition I need to be getting. Then I read an article saying how bad it was for men to eat pasta because of the white flour and such.
So, how's my diet? What needs to change?
Raggaholic on
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Checking the ingredient list also helps in other areas. If your peanut butter has a lot of partially hydrogenated or trans fats, you can go healthier without adding to your grocery bill by grabbing fresh peanut butter from the deli section instead of mass market stuff. It separates, but you can either spoon off the fat or just stir it up before use, and your body can process natural fats a lot more easily than fucked-with fats. Going for the jelly without a huge amount of added sugar would also help on calories and put less stress on your pancreas.
That's horrible. Your breakfast is OK, but add a glass of Non-fat milk or soymilk. You need calcium. Dinner is fine too, but have some more vegetables (asparagus, spinach, baby spinach, salad, et cetera).
For lunch, try some soups (not cream based, watch for sodium) and have some low-salt, high quality cold-cuts (ham, roast beef) and better bread. Or, try making yourself some salmon fillets, grilling them, and eating it for lunch. Chicken breasts too.
They're all low fat.
Have salad at lunch too, drop the chips, drop the peanut butter and jelly (fat and sugar.)
I actually worked at work on Saturday. Also I went out on a date with a real life girl.
Can you like, permanently break the forums?
Also, what kind of bread and pasta do you use? You can't go wrong with whole wheat pasta or multi-grain bread - they're much better for you than processed, bleached flour, and all the extra fiber is double-plus-good for your colon. Brownberry makes a wide variety of high fiber whole grain breads, I highly recommend "Healthy Multi-Grain" style.
There is nothing wrong with pasta, more to the fact there just isn't much good to it either. I think you can get wholemeal pasta (I think I've never seen it).
Really if you want to expand it a bit (ie eat more) you can't go wrong with fruits, vegtables and low fat nuts.
Satans..... hints.....
Peanut butter is also good, but, like bd said, watch out for trans-fat, and also watch out for added sugars.
How has your weight been doing? Vegetarians, the one who keep track of their diet, anyhow, tend to be skinny. The problem with this is that they tend to lose a lot of muscle, along with the fat. I suppose being a skinny fuck is better than being a fat fuck, but really, you probably want to make sure you're getting enough protein. And exercise would help, too; muscle training, even if it's bodyweight training (pullups, pushups, situps, dips, etc.) can do a lot of good.
What is your goal, anyhow? Is it just to eat healthily? Or do you want to lose weight? Do you want to put on some muscle, too? The advice is going to be different, depending on what your goal is.
My general understanding of how the human body works tends to point toward the combination of peanut butter and jelly actually working out well. The fat in peanut butter actually helps you to maintain your blood sugar level even with the sugar in the jelly meaning you have a constant and good level with none of the jumps and dips.
The biggest and most important part of being healthy and losing weight is to make sure you keep your fats straight and get the right ones. The right ones, like those found in peanut butter are great for you, depending on how much physical activity you get. That said, if you're just sitting around all the time, I'd suggest not eating that stuff, like powerss said.
Most of this knowledge is anecdotal or provided by my brother who's a big nutrition and health guy who reads way too much material about physical fitness. I just think its silly when people say to cut out all fats.
http://www.thelostworlds.net/
The thing is though with PBJ you are super loading your body low quality fats (in PB) and a bunch of sugar, it doesn't matter that the metabolism is running at a decent rate, that's pretty much all you are putting into your body, PB is good for the protein hit but neither of them offer many good vitamins and minerals you would get from having a meat and salad sarnie.
Satans..... hints.....
Add a multi. Everyone should take their vitamins.
Add protein to your breakfast. Meat, meat substitute, eggs, dairy, whatever.
Change the pasta from normal to 'turbo'. Barilla makes a healthier version - more protein, more fiber, omega 3's - and I think it tastes better than normal pasta. http://www.barillaus.com/PLUS_information.aspx
If you wanted to learn more about nutrition, there are few better places to start than here.
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/7habits.htm
Powerss is right about the chips and peanut butter. It doesn't really matter if you move or not, that stuff can't be good for you! Ok true it will rise your sugar level, but so do many things, like bananas.
Always think about how much you eat compared to how much you move. If you don't work out, your body doesn't need as much energy, proteins and somesuch.
Your breakfast is ok, but just ok it isn't great! It is said that the breakfast is the most important meal of the day, for it will very much direct your body's energy levels and so on for the rest of the day. Try porridge with berries, fruits (as you do now), drink something and all of these should be high with fibre.
Always have fruits handy! Bread can be good for you, but try not to eat white bread. Again high with fibre, proteins and low with energy.
Also eat slowly, don't destroy your meal in 2 minutes, eat, talk/read and take your time. This way it's more likely you don't feel need for another plate.
Don't do midnight snacks. When you need a snack in the evening it should be latest as 9 pm. Don't go to sleep with a full stomach. I don't mean you should wait for it to melt, but if you do, you've just broken the advice I just gave.
Also for the love of god move! Go to the gym, for a jog, or make a habit of walking everywhere! Body is made for movement and it will only help in being fit.
And in the shop, when you feel you should buy chips, candy, anything not so good for you, think about do you really need this? Is it nessecary. Don't stack up with that stuff, don't keep it around your house.
And remember, changes take time, it won't happen overnight.
I used to be rather muscular, but back in May, I just realized how fat I was. In October, I decided to do something about it for real. I changed my diet and I hit the gym almost every day (though it's mostly running and cardio stuff). Now I'm skinnier than I've ever been. Even my parents talk about it, and my mother doesn't like it.
I guess I didn't really have a set goal other than "not being a slob." Of course I'd love to say "my goal is to eat healthier," but really I want to eat healthier like I want to "save the whales." In other words, I'd love to do it if it doesn't take too much commitment.
I don't want to be a rabbit, but I don't want to die of heart disease in my 50s.
After being hit with all of the "scare" reports on trans fat via the news, I've been really aware of where it is and where it isn't. The peanut butter I use doesn't have any, and I don't buy anything with it anymore. I'm big on checking the ingredients on things now.
As far as the jelly goes, I have a couple different kinds I've been using. I've really been sticking to this type made at this Amish-type community. Of course, they don't have any ingredients listed, so I have no clue how much sugar is in it.
Yeah, I'm thinking about doing this. My only concern is whether or not it is cost effective.
I've always eaten wheat bread, but it's relatively low end stuff. I'm not grabbing the $4 a loaf bread, and if it's $1, I usually get that. I know it's not the best, but I figure it's not the worst.
The pasta I get is just the generic store brand stuff. If it's not a store brand, it'll end up being Barillo (but the low end stuff) or the one in the green box with the lady on it. Those go on sale often, so I get them.
The other issue here is cost. I have to do the mass majority of this at a very low cost, as I'm in a low income/high expenses stage (and it's not because I've got too many toys/silly expenditures). Keeping the food cost down, which is my largest monthly variable expense, is very helpful.
What do you all recommend for snacking? I've been doing very well with baby carrots and water, but sometimes I want to kill every farmer in the world for not being able to grow something that satisfies that "salty" crave like chips do. I thought about eating nuts for that, but I worry about the fat content of the "low cost" nuts.
Again guys, all of the help is appreciated.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?ex=1166590800&en=2a3f2faa8425762f&ei=5070
very cost effective compared to buying bread.
Almonds are a healthy snack. Go for them. Just don't go nuts eating them.
As for nuts, nuts really aren't all that bad for you. Yes, they contain fats, but they're not bad fats, and it doesn't look like you have many fats in your diet as it is. If you drop some of the sugars (actually, you don't need to drop them, you just need to eat carbs that have more dietary fiber -- wheaty pasta or grainy bread) eating some nuts, like pistachios, should help w/ the salt.
You could also salt your veggies.
Ultimately, though, you don't seem to be eating unhealthfully. You're eating fruits & vegetables, you're watching your fatty foods, and you said you're eating some meat occasionally so you should be fine on protein. How do you feel in the morning? Peppy and alert? Or are you groggy for hours? Are you tired during the day? Do you have trouble staying awake, or do you feel "off" at all? Do you get weird headaches, or fall asleep right away (or stay up forever trying to fall asleep)?
If you don't feel bad, and are generally alert and happy, then your diet should be doing pretty good for you. Whenever I've been lacking in eating something, I usually find out first and foremost by simply paying attention to what my body is telling me. My diet has been very balanced and varied lately, supplemented with manual labor, so I haven't had to worry about supplements or changing things up. I would like to eat more fruits but I eat a good variety of veggies.
You can also buy boneless/skinless chicken breasts out of the meat section, and grill them up all at once on, like, a Foreman Grill. You can use them for sandwiches or wraps for the better part of a week, or just heat them up with some lemon-pepper stuff on them. Alternatively, put them over brown rice.
If you've got a rice-maker, brown rice is good for you, and quite cheap, as well.
I have a huge bulk can of tuna that I'm scared to open because, when I do, I'll be eating tuna everything until it's all gone (being broke means no wasting of anything). Would there be some problem with eating tuna at every meal?
I have a Foreman Grill that I never use anymore. I can't get chicken breasts as cheap up here as I did in Texas, but I may look back into that. The brown rice is a great suggestion, as rice is my favorite food (and I don't eat much of it anymore since I was told white rice is also bad for you). I'll google the differences.
Keep the advice coming guys. This is all good stuff that I'll be putting into action.
If it's albacore, I probably wouldn't.
It's the same as the difference between whole wheat bread and white bread: the carbohydrates in white rice are starches, which are nigh-nutritionless, whereas the carbohydrates in brown rice are fiber, which is really, really good for you. You should be getting at least 25g a day of dietary fiber.
Yes. Believe me, your pooper will thank you for it.
Otherwise, you can do without.
There are some conflicting notions about milk online and, considering how often medical studies get turned over and refuted and even directly contradicted, it's hard to be really sure what's accurate.
I've seen suggestions that flouride causes cavities, heavy milk consumption can weaken your bones (supposedly protein in general is bad for your bones....?) and can cause some serious digestive problems (also, that bone strength is largely decided in youth, afterwards you're stuck), and most recently that hormone treatments being stopped has lowered the cancer rate by 7%, and that not giving your kids any meat whatsoever in their early years reduces their ability to obtain muscle and grow intellectually.
Medical science either has very very bad reporting, or is really really badly done, or both. Also crazy veggans may be involved in many spots.
My assumption is that it may also have to do with many doctors thinking that they are scientists, and many scientists being idiots who don't actually understand their craft.
With most things in your diet, moderation is the key. And, like bd said, there are many other sources of calcium.
They're awesome in how versatile they are taste-wise, of course.
And yeah. I was kind of creeped out when I read that lactic acid was the kind associated with tooth decay from bacteria.
Anyway, that mypyramid.gov dealie actually has pyramids that shift depending on your sex, age, and activity level. You might want to screw around on there for a while and see if you can find anything of interest. There's a lot of serving size info that can come in handy if you think you're deficient in any particular area.
Clarify?
I know the term means, but I'm not familiar with the reference in relation to the topic.
It results in lactic acid formation in muscle tissue.
Basically, calcium is important when your bones are growing. An overabundance isn't going to give you super-strong bones, though; a deficiency may cause issues (although most americans don't need to worry about it). However, osteoporosis is not (necessarily) caused by a lack of calcium in the diet -- we don't know what causes it, at least not specifically.
Overall it's important, sure, but eat some damn spinach. A surprising number of adults are lactose intolerant, so relying on milk or cheese isn't a good idea (especially the older you get), not to mention the calories. You're already eating veggies so it's probably not even an issue; I wouldn't augment your diet for a specific nutrient unless you're obviously deficient somewhere, and you don't seem to be.
The whole APT thing or whatever, yeah.
Or do you mean it's getting all over the bone tissue?
Ok, spinach... my old foe (never liked it as a kid). Can anyone think of a way that I can make it that's a) simple and b) tastes decently. Obviously, the second one is far more important.
Oh, someone suggested eggs in the morning with my cereal. I thought eating eggs often was bad for you due to the cholesterol. In fact, as a kid, my mother wouldn't let us eat them more than three times a week.
beat'd
Give spinach a chance, since our tastes mature(read: tastebuds die) as we get older, a lot of the things we used to hate can be found to be actually pretty damn tasty.
Fish and chicken are easy to cook, and chicken goes especially well with greens.
Also, try another source of carbohydrates like cream-of-wheat in the mornings or couscous with some meat and greens for lunch/dinner.
If you really want to ensure that you're getting your fill of vitamins and minerals, take a shot of wheat grass each morning after breakfast (you can some in powder form to mix with water or juice for about $20).
Also, don't forget your water! Half of your body weight in fluid ounces is the recommended daily dose!
Most eating is a tradeoff of one sort or another. If a food is low in mercury, it's probably high in lead, and vice-versa. High-protein frequently means high-fat. And while sugars/carbohydrates in excess will make you put on a bunch of weight, not getting enough of them will make you put on a bunch of fat. So, it's all tradeoffs, and moderation is the key.
You get most of the water you need in a day from the food you eat.
If it helps you not to eat as much, then more power to you, but you really don't need to go through some special effort to make sure you get obscene amounts of water.
Another way to get spinach into you is in spanokopitas. I don't have a recipe for it but you can probably get one online - it's got feta cheese (yay protein) and phyllo dough, and onions too if you like those.