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I eat a terrible diet, I know this. Most of what I eat comes in a box with directions. Add water, milk, butter, and consume! LOL!
I very rarely eat fresh fruits and veggies, usually they are canned or frozen. When you live in the concrete jungle it’s hard to get anything fresh and when you can it’s crazy expensive. If I had more sense I could go to the organic food store, but between the triple to quadrulpe prices and the enevidible stomach twisting going back and forth from good food to bad food, it’s just easier to stick to what my body is used to. I guess it makes me a little lazy, but at the same time, I’m a believer in your system is used to one thing and your body will adapt to what you live on. Does it make it a healthier choice? Certainly not, but do I think one thing is gonna kill me faster then the other, meh… not really.
My grandmother lived on bacon, pork grinds, and fish fried in fatback her whole life and died of Altzheimers in her 90s. Other then her mind going south she was always very healthy. When she told her doctor her diet he almost fell over. She also smoked like 4 packs a day on top of all that, she was a chain smoker in a half!!! It was just how she always was though. If she suddenly went organic I think she would have shocked her system and given herself a stroke! LOL!
I applaude those who go the extra mile to get really good and wholesome food rather then trying not to think about the pink slime their eating. I do sort of think it’s a little bit of a scam, but I’m all for eating healthy if you can. I wish I did it more often.
I think it’s all in what you train your body to tolerate more so then what you put in it. What is gona be good for one person could kill the person next to you. Everyone’s genetic tolerances are different.
Honestly though, even with my terrible diet, I’m quite healthy myself. I have awful breathing issues, but that’s due to second hand smoke my whole life from my chronice smoker family. We have to have blood work and an annual physical at work and every year my numbers are always all in the green. *shrug* Pass the Mac and Cheese please! ^_^
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Dreamscape, Orion, Poison Dart, Fireberry, Spangler + Tigerberry DragonsI’ve enjoyed reading this thread! Food is such an interesting thing – health, culture, socioeconomics – it threads into everything! My husband grew up in a ‘meat and potatoes’ family with lots of white bread and milk, and it’s been fun slowly working him over to a healthier diet. He used to be a cola addict, and now rarely drinks any. I’m really proud of him. Two things I can add to the conversation, followed by a question:
First, I love grains! Although they can take longer to cook (unless you use a parboiled or quick cook product), brown rice, steel cut oats, farro, quinoa – it’s delicious! Whole grains often have a nice nutty flavor and a slightly toothsome texture that keeps us chewing longer, so we can’t eat as fast. I second the bulk bin buying strategy, it can be surprisingly inexpensive vs. the fancy boxed packages. Same goes for nuts! I’ve been trying to swap out whole grains for pasta and white rice where possible.
Second, I love to grow my own food. Even though I don’t have a garden! We rent, and we’re lucky to have a deck that allows space for plenty of pots. But even when restricted to just a windowsill, I’ve grown my own herbs and lettuce mixes. For most of my pots, I’m using self-watering planters I’ve made from plastic storage bins. Instructions for these awesome EarthTainers are available for free here: http://www.earthtainer.org/. They are comparatively inexpensive and amazing – this spring I planted nine tomato plants between two containers and grew enough tomatoes to eat fresh, can an entire winter’s worth of sauce, plus lots to give as gifts, and they’re still growing! The flowers have kept the bees and hummingbirds happy too. I think people underestimate the food production capabilities of their yards and window boxes both for humans and wildlife.
Finally, a question! One sticking point with my husband is fish – he hates it! I have always loved fish and we now live in a place where we can get sustainable, locally-caught native fresh and saltwater fish. He really dislikes the fishy smell and mushy texture of most fish. Can anyone recommend a good ‘starter’ fish to get him hooked on?
Thanks all!
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Bass.My favorite.It is sweet,clean and caught fresh everywhere.If it is fishy smelling it is more than likely not fresh.Store bought,Tilapia.It is good and clean.I preseason mine for a while in fridge before baking or frying.Baking is healthier but hard to beat fried.Just a little bit of olive oil and drain well.I use a flour mix coating of instant potatoes and self-rising flour,dip in egg,coat,cook,enjoy..
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Male Hearth....one day🤞Dream on.Yea, there are a good amount of fish that aren’t fishy, as long as they are fresh. I find mostly white fish (haddock, tilapia, etc.) seem to be good starter fish. I love Salmon, but my sister hates it because she thinks it’s fishy.
You could always go for a sword fish steak, see if he likes a meatier heavier fish like that.
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Dreamscape, Orion, Poison Dart, Fireberry, Spangler + Tigerberry DragonsYou know, you don’t have to go all healthy, all at once! In some people, it only takes that one healthy thing to make a huge difference…
Like bread, for example. Just changing from white to whole wheat, or from wheat to any other type of bread.
Instead of juice, drink water and eat the fruit.
Cut back on one type of junk food you eat.
Try a new type of snack.
Little things can make a huge difference! And they make changing your general diet a lot less intimidating.
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http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmI’ve been a vegetarian for around 17 or 18 years (I’ve lost count in my old age =P ). I’ve tried multiple times in the past, unsuccessfully, to go vegan, though once again, I’m trying. I’ve been watching some vegan cooking shows on PBS’s Create channel, so I’m feeling optimistic this time =)
I love vegetables, beans, and tofu, but hate taking the time to cook >.< If I found a love for cooking I'd probably have far more nutritionally balanced and tasty meals.
Thanks Bodine and drag0nfeathers for your suggestions! We’ve tried swordfish once (to no avail) but something freshwater like bass might go over well! I’ll have to experiment 🙂
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Might also try rainbow or brown trout. My brother-in-law doesn’t care for fish, either, but his family does alot of fishing and he’ll eat what they catch if g’ma prepares it. She rolls the fish in cornmeal then wraps it in a slice of bacon and then either bakes it or fries it just using the fat from the bacon to keep it from sticking to the pan. I like it and so does my picky brother-in-law. Fresh tuna steaks seasoned with rosemary, a little garlic and lemon juice is also very good. ‘Course I also like my tuna as sashimi – yum!
twindragonsmum 🙂
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My biggest problem with vegetarian diets is… I don’t like greens much at all! The only way I can eat a salad is if it’s covered in ranch. And the only green I ate growing up was broccoli. Again, needed ranch. Same with fruit… I just don’t have a taste for any of it at all. There are fruit that I do like, but I just never buy any because I know I won’t eat it. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I mostly eat asian noodles lol. People would probably be surprised if I actually wrote down what I ate day to day haha. I love potatos though. I heard those are bad if eaten raw though. Plus I tried once and ick. I’d love to try the Okinawan sweet potatos, but I don’t know where to get them around here.
Hah! This makes me smile, because I have been vegetarian my entire life and I don’t like greens very much either. Salad? ICK! You don’t have to eat tons of greens to be veg… it IS better if you do but personally, I can’t stand many raw vegetables, especially raw broccoli. Now, steam that sucker and I say YUM! And actually, I don’t eat very much fruit either and (kinda ironically) I only tolerate fruit raw. Preserves are grossss! (And I grew up with a mother who cans fruit! STILL DON’T LIKE IT!)
However, ever since I moved out (though I have since moved back in haha) from my parents I’ve been striving to get at least three vegetables in every meal and since I contracted Irritable Bowel Syndrome (I blame all the spaghetti and Mr. Noodle that I ate in university for that) I’ve been doing my best to eat a different grain every night and avoid wheat as much as I can. (For example, rice noodles make an excellent alternative. We had some rice lasagna noodles a while back and we could not tell the difference between them and the normal ones!) Avoiding white bread is no problem because my Mom raised me on whole wheat and thanks to that I find white bread absolutely disgusting. (Seriously, it’s like eating foam!) I enjoy fair trade quinoa (always try to buy fair trade whenever possible), amaranth, brown rice and buckwheat groats. I’ve started adding buckwheat flour to my favourite cookie recipe and there’s no taste difference between it and when I only use whole wheat.
Basically, eating vegetarian is not as hard as people think! Just cut out the meat (it’s bad for you in the amounts that most people eat it in) because it should only be a treat if you eat it at all. (And the animals should be humanely raised with love because they are living things which DO feel pain.) It’ll surprise you to know that protein can be found in most grains and vegetables – where do you think the meat you eat gets its protein from in the first place? PLANTS! Legumes like lentils, peas and beans in particular contain a lot of protein and they’re excellent sources of crucially important stuff like magnesium. One of my favourite recipes is lentils and rice made with soya sauce or animal-free boullion – there is no meat in it at all, yet it provides plenty of energy and definitely fills the gap!
For iron, green veggies and mushrooms are great sources – you do not need to eat meat to get enough of it!
I’m still learning to eat better. I am currently addicted to cheese (though I don’t overdo it like I used to) and I would like to try cheese alternatives but I just haven’t yet. (My family is financially challenged, let’s just say that.) One of the biggest things which has helped me out with my IBS, more than taking probiotics has been taking a tablespoon of fair trade organic whole chia seed every morning with my supplements (which I take to combat my anxiety disorder – my taking them has nothing to do with my vegetarian diet.) A small bag lasts me about a month and costs $9. Over the past few months I have noticed a real improvement in my energy and a few weeks back when I was walking to work I spontaneously started running – something I haven’t done since I was a highschooler, when I used to run to school every day. I really feel that this is a reflection of my better gut health thanks to the chia! (Remember: FAIR TRADE!) As my next step, I’m currently looking into the benefits of consuming organic mature alfalfa (which is superior to alfalfa sprouts nutritionally.)
I need to write a caution for you guys – agave isn’t natural or good for you. It’s heavily processed with chemicals and like artificial sweeteners so it shouldn’t be used. Here’s an article about it-> http://realfoodforager.com/why-i-never-use-agave/ I also want to note that green stevia powder is better for you than white stevia powder as it is less processed.
I cannot imagine ever eating meat. Asking me to eat meat would be like asking me to eat a rock – it’s just not edible. I also don’t drink milk – I’m sure raw’s good but the other stuff can do serious damage to your digestive tract and chew on this fact – humans are the only species to drink the stuff after infancy. It’s actually a mutation to be lactose tolerant! (Lactose intolerant people are actually the normal ones!) This should be a clue that this isn’t something that we should be taking into our bodies. I prefer almond milk and I find that it is an outstanding milk alternative! Same smoothness, good flavour and it doesn’t make my cereal taste funky, plus it works well in baking.
Also, tofu is awesome, especially if you marinate it! (With something like soya sauce mixed with fresh home made orange juice.) As for holiday meals, Tofurkey is a delicious alternative to turkey or ham. Home made real baked beans made with blackstrap molasses are also fantastic and very satisfying.
My family grows as much as we can in the summer too. 🙂
That new milk x almond milk product ‘Amore’ drives me insane. It defeats the entire point of almond milk, grrr. Such a stupid product!
I want to note that avocado rolls (sushi!) are godly and one of my favourite foods. SO. Freaking. Good! (You really don’t need to eat any meat or fish to love stuff like sushi, see? Veggie tempura is also amazing!)
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Excellent!
I have researched diet and foods very heavily since this thread started and I posted last. My family on both sides is riddled with medical conditions and cancers, and in my opinion (and I am not a medical professional), diet is the number one thing, that we can control (we can’t control environmental factors very well) that has the biggest impact on what happens to our bodies.
The reoccurring theme, no matter which way I’ve looked, has been to focus on real, whole food ingredients. Ditch as much processed stuff as you possibly can, and research your food sources whenever possible. And reduce your sugar as much as you can– if you need a sweetener, consider natural sugars especially local raw honey or if vegan, maple syrup (REAL maple syrup… this might take research as they can cut it with corn syrup!!).
Beyond that, the rest is personal choice.
Personally, I hardly go to the grocery store anymore. I grow what I can, and keep chickens for eggs. This is not enough for us, of course, but it supplements. Beyond that I have purchased a Farm Share– this is where you get weekly veggies for a cost. I researched farms and last weekend we drove an hour to pick up a quarter of a highland cow, raised solely with love (I got to see them, they were obviously healthy and happy) on pasture. These practices doesn’t make me better than anyone else and it was hard– I had to save for a year to afford the farm share + beef, but the beef will feed us for about a year and the farm share will feed us for as long as the produce .. procedures! After that I have a lot of my garden veggies frozen and canned, and I bought extra from the farm market when it was still open so that I’d have reserves. My garden only goes so far! But the feeling of eating nearly totally locally, with food I KNOW where it came from, from people I know work hard and love what they do, and none of my money is going into the oil industry (transport) or nasty commercial farming practices.. it’s all very rewarding. It sucked to be living so sparsely while I saved the money to do this. I really wanted to get to travel to the West Coast for business/tiny vacation but it is what it is. Again I don’t think that this makes me better than anyone, I only share din case it can inspire someone! 🙂 It took reading about my friends trials and tribulations on their organic farm to inspire me to try harder.
Here are some resources, if anyone is interested. It is harder in some areas than others, but think– even if the farm is an hour away, if you can buy a lot at once it might still be cheaper than the grocery store. Especially stores like Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck!!).
I found out about local farms I had no idea even existed on this page, and I have lived in this area most of my life! This is a GREAT resource!!! No matter if you are vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore, you will probably find things through this!
http://www.localharvest.org/This one is more for people that are looking to find meat locally that has been raised with care and on pasture, unlike most of the commercial meat you find at the grocery store:
http://www.eatwild.com/products/If you don’t find anything here, try your local Craigslist (some farmers are out there but don’t know to share on the localharvest websites).
If you can find a farmer’s market or even an online forum for farming or gardening in your area (google!) you can ask around and see if there is anyone local that grows/makes/produces the item(s) you are after. Creating a local network is pretty awesome. I barter my extra chicken eggs for veggies now!
For those advocating fish, the oceans are one of the most exploited ecosystems on earth, but no one notices/cares because out of sight is out of mind. Some fish are much better to eat than others, environmentally. Unless you are coastal and can go to the wharf and buy that way, the fish you get might be coming from halfway around the globe, too. Check out your favorites here:
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My art: featherdust.comI know most food available to us Americans is utter crap, but honestly I try not to dwell too much on it. I think about it somewhat and purchase accordingly to an extent, but to *truly* eat well and healthy (not to mention taking consideration of animals’ well-being when buying meat) takes a lot of time/research, often special resources, AND money.
My diet really could be better, but it’s better than a lot of those around me seems to be, lol. For things that I have the option of buying whole wheat/whole grain, I do (bread, noodles, tortillas etc.). Plus cereal like Grape Nuts or shredded wheat most mornings.
I do sometimes go the route of quick/ easy, ultra- processed dinners that come in boxes with directions but I also cook real meals with meat and veggies. My husband and I like our meat but we often do a couple or a few meatless dinners a week and we eat poultry more than pork or beef. We’re not opposed to having a dinner of just salad sometimes.
I drink soda somewhat rarely, just when I have something that it goes really well with like pizza or fast food. Yep, I indulge in those demon foods sometimes. My worst habit is probably ice cream. I’m always stocked on ice cream in my freezer and have some close to every night, although I’ve been cutting back on my ice cream portions lately instead of having big ol’ bowl fulls, lol! I love my ice cream!
I at least tend not to have junky snacks. I wouldn’t even enjoy eating a bag of chips by itself. For my snack I have fruit between meals most days, my favorites being basically the most common: oranges, bananas, apples.But yeah, I kinda mix it up with the junk and the healthiness, heh.
I wish my husband wasn’t so addicted to Pepsi (drinking at *least* a few a day), and he has fast food a little more often than I do, too. 🙁 Maybe someday my nagging about that will take effect…I’m a big believer in exercise though! I’m a fan of walking, jogging, weight-lifting and situps.
And how I ever managed to type that much about my un-interesting diet is beyond me.
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I don’t have a ton to add, like a few others I used to eat really poorly and have changed my diet in the last year and a bit. In doing so I’ve done a lot of research on nutrition and exercise so this topic is interesting!
I want to point out, since I live in Canada, that regulations here are very different than in the States. Once in a while I go grocery shopping in the States and I’m terrified of buying meat and dairy. Someone mentioned organic chicken being a scam because they don’t use hormones anyway… in Canada hormones are only given to beef cattle, so chicken, pork, and milk is all hormone free anyway. I think with milk, literally the only difference between organic and not is that the cattle that produce organic milk are fed more organic grain or something.
Also I have not researched this in much detail, but I often like to buy things in the states because of cost and I buy in bulk because I’m not there too often. I like that kashi cereal and bought a few boxes of the same type I get here and noticed the calorie content per serving size was different. On the american package it was 170 calories per cup and on the canadian package it was 210 calories per cup. I didn’t dissect the ingredient list but it was interesting! I’ve had people here tell me not to shop in the states because “it’s legal for the companies to lie on packaging there”, I’m sure it’s an issue here too but I find it interesting. It’s something I would need to research a lot more though!
I just moved into downtown toronto and they have this Food Terminal supply system that is really neat. (you can read about it here: http://www.oftb.com/ ) Vendors go to the terminal and haggle with wholesalers to get their produce for the day, so prices tend to be super super cheap. There’s a family run asian fruit market by my house and they have organic fruit and veg for 1/2 the price the grocery charges for non-organic (keeping in mind Canadian prices tend to be higher than American as is). Like you can get a massive, lush, gorgeous organic kale bunch for $2, organic raspberries for $1.50, etc. It’s amazing! I’ve saved so much money there that when I do buy meat I can splurge on the really expensive better stuff.
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