Halx

I'm starting a new life, creating a new me, working with an empty refrigerator and a new (old) job. I am interested in changing my diet now, but I know very little about nutrition. I don't know what foods are good sources of what vitamins, or even what those vitamins do for me. I could pick up a book, but I don't even know how to find the information I'm looking for. What I'd like to do is post a description of what I'm looking for on this forum and have people chime in with tips that they feel will help (and hopefully not overwhelm) me.

Because I am not an expert, nor am I a chef, I just want to know a few things for each meal that will give me the right stuff inside my body for it to function nicely.

Breakfast -

Lunch -

Dinner -

Snacks -

In general, I'm looking for foods that boost energy, mental focus, muscle development and blood flow. I am not looking to be grossed out, struggling to suppress my gag reflex while trying to down my wheat grass smoothie. My goal is to simply be a little bit more conscious about what I eat, not necessarily become a fitness guru.

What kind of stuff should I have in my salad? What kind of meat should I be eating (I'm not giving up meat)? What should I totally avoid?

Thanks in advance.

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[Don't Feed The Animals]

Halanna

I'm not a nutritional expert nor have any training in the field.

I can only tell you what I've learned and my own quirky ideas on nutrition.

Eat plant based for the majority of your calories. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, etc. Then the rest is dairy, fats, sugar, meat, etc.

They say the "average" serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. That obviously would never ever work for a steak so I ignore that when the T-bone or ribeye hits the plate.

I've read in several different places over time that it takes precise planning, weighing and work to make sure you are receiving 100% of all your nutritional needs from food every day. Take a multi-vitamin, it's much easier. If you're not a big dairy drinker/eater, take some calcium with vitamin D too.

I'm not one to ingest chemicals. I don't like anything fat free or that has been modified from it's original form. If I have toast, I use real butter. I don't slather on 4 tablespoons but will use about 1 tablespoon. Butter's ingredients are cream and salt.
Promise Fat Free Heart Healthy and all that jazz has a laundry list of artificial ingredients, preservatives, artificial coloring, monoglycerides and diglycerides which I don't even know what those are . . .

Real sour cream contains milk, cream and enzymes. Fat free sour cream has Cultured Lowfat Milk, Modified Corn Starch,Whey Protein Concentrate, Propylene Glycol Monoester, Artificial Color, Gelatin, Sodium Phosphate, Agar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Citrate, Locust Bean Gum, Vitamin A Palmitate, yuck.

But personally, given the choice, I'll eat something natural, in it's natural form over something manufactured because I think it's better for me then ingesting all those chemicals.

You can make changes to food you already eat by switching the form you eat it in. Change regular english muffins to the whole grain type. Change regular eggs to ones the chickens have been feed grains, no antibiotics, that are high in Vitamin E and Omega 3. Try not to eat the fat off meat, and choose lean cuts. Change white bread to whole grain bread.

Frozen vegetables are supposed to be higher in nutritional content because they are processed and frozen quickly after picking, fresh produce is covered in waxes and sprays and may not be as field fresh as you think. Farmer's markets are great for fresh produce.

Snack on nuts, fruit, raw veggies, protein bars, popcorn, baked chips (baked!) and don't discount dried fruit, some of it is pretty tasty.

Something you can try is get a vegetarian cookbook. All the recipes will be plant based, beans, rice and generally healthier for you. Then you can add chicken breast, or shrimp, fish etc. to recipes that you like.

Here's a list of vitamins and minerals, what they do and the foods they can be found in:
Vitamins and Minerals - what they do and the best food sources

Good luck in your new endeavor!

PonyPotato

According to that list, spinach is like the food of the gods.

Anyway, I don't have a lot to add to the thread. I'm eating a lot of meat this week because I'm planning on trying to go veggie for a month or two to see how I do with it (I'm hoping to improve my skin) and I'm trying to clean out my freezer. I'll be following this thread for sure.

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"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

Baraka_Guru

Halanna has a lot of good advice. I would like to comment on the steak issue, however. The deck of cards as a gauge for meat portions is good, and you should especially do this for steak, as your intake of red meat should be limited. Try to stay away from T-bone and rib eye for a couple of reasons: T-bone has nerve tissue, which can more easily harbour disease, while rib eye is fattier than most cuts (but it sure is tasty). Try not to eat too much ground beef either. In any case, be sure to cook the meat slow and thoroughly.

When choosing steak, the cuts to look for will generally have "loin," "round," or "shoulder" in it. These are the leanest. Buy these at a shop and cook them at home. That way, you can both save money and better portion your servings.

I do still stand by limiting red meat consumption. Try not to eat red meat more than once a week. Once a month is preferable. If you do wish to maximize your meat intake while optimizing your health, try choosing the following: chicken and turkey (white meat), shellfish (deveined shrimp, scallops, etc.), salmon (wild, Alaskan), or cod/haddock.

Your fat intake should come primarily from vegetable sources. Animal fat tends to have higher proportions of saturated fat, plus it contains cholesterol. Vegetable fats such as from olive oil, avocado, and nuts, tend to be unsaturated and may even contain some omega-3s. Moreover, many vegetable sources of fat come loaded with nutrients that are nearly devoid in animal sources.

The key is balance, as always.

Some general tips (some repeated from above):

• Eat whole grain (avoid "wheat" be sure it says "whole wheat)
• Eat a full colour spectrum (dark green, red, yellow, orange, purple...each of these contain unique antioxidants, plus general nutritional balance benefits of eating a variety)
• Cut out needless fillers (if you are consuming calories at all, ask yourself: What nutrients are being delivered by these calories?)
• Keep it simple. (There is nothing wrong with eating a sandwich with a side of raw broccoli. Just stuff it full of veggies and healthy meat or meat alternatives.)
• Soy will not turn you into a girl, nor will it grow you breasts. (It actually protects your prostate from cancer.)

Also pick through here for more tips:
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/tilted-...nutrition.html

This is one of my favourite web sources of all time:
World's Healthiest Foods (list)

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

snowy

Halanna had some good information. What I'll add is that you can get all your nutrition from your diet if you eat a diet based around plants and whole grains. The mistake most Americans make is to eat too much protein; only about 10-35% of your caloric intake daily should be protein (preferably lean or plant-based), 20-35% should be fat (healthy fats), and 45-65% should be carbohydrate (in the form of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables). Clearly there is a lot of wiggle room in those percentages, and that is because everyone is different.

Back to supplementation--the latest research suggests that supplements aren't all that helpful, and that eating whole foods (another of Halanna's great suggestions) is more beneficial than popping a vitamin because the foods themselves contain multiple compounds that benefit health. One supplement I would recommend, though, is the calcium/vitamin D combo. Most people don't get enough calcium or vitamin D in their diet. Yes, your body can make vitamin D, but most people don't get sufficient sun exposure, especially at northern latitudes, for that to work. Vitamin D is used in a variety of body processes. When choosing a supplement, don't go for the cod liver oil; it contains vitamin A as well as D, and can lead to toxicity from the vitamin A. Look for D3 synthesized from lanolin/wool oil; the body uses D3 more effectively than D in its other forms.

A great healthy whole-food oriented cookbook with simple recipes is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. His How to Cook Everything is also great, but with the meat.

When in doubt, I remember Michael Pollan's diet advice: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Above all else, enjoy what you eat.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Martian

This is a big topic. Where to start?

I'm breaking this up into two parts, specifically because it is a huge topic and you've asked not to be overwhelmed. I do suggest reading both parts, but if you'd like you can skip all the whys and wherefores and just get down to the practicalities.

Here we go.

First of all, I don't believe in giving up meat for health reasons. Certain kinds of meat can be reduced, but giving it up entirely is something done for moral reasons or not at all. It complicates diet and meal planning, rather than simplifying it. As to the types of meat you should be eating, lean is better. Fish and poultry are good, red meat is less good. That doesn't mean you should give up pork chops or beef entirely, but they shouldn't be an every day type of thing.

I'm going to give a quick overview here on the fundamentals of good nutrition. I know you were asking more for foods than for the science of it, but it's important to understand why you eat what you eat.

Calories:

Food at it's most basic level is about calories. They are the fuel your body uses to do the things you do -- everything from running a marathon to vegetating on the couch. Just being alive requires energy, which comes from your food.

Your caloric intake comes from three main sources. Those are carbohydrates, protein and fat. It's important to include all three in your diet in order to be healthy. Equally important is how much of each you include.

Carbohydrates include things like sugar and starch, and are found most commonly in fruit, as well as things like bread and pasta and most junk food. The key to carbohydrates isn't the carbs themselves; sugar isn't inherently bad, but what comes with it can be. The North American diet is typically overloaded with carbs, and particularly the 'bad' kind of carbs; the kind that come with very little other nutritional value (these are commonly referred to as 'empty carbs.')

Protein comes from most meats, as well as nuts and some legumes. Protein, in addition to being a source of energy, is used to build and repair things like muscle tissue, and so is important to a healthy diet. If you research this further, you may start to hear about amino acids, or phrases like 'complete protein.' These things are also important, but mostly to vegetarians; they're one of the things that complicates the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, and I wouldn't worry about them just yet.

So that leaves fat. Much maligned and vilified, fat is just as important as the other two calorie vectors to healthy living. The important thing to remember is that All Fat Is Not Created Equal. You've probably heard things like trans fat and saturated fat and gotten the idea that these things are Bad without knowing why. They are bad, but are also nearly impossible to completely avoid. On the flip side, we have unsaturated fat, which you may or may not have heard is Good. This is the type of fat that you want to use to replace saturated or trans fat where possible. Saturated fats are one of the main reasons why red meat is Bad, because they tend to be loaded with them. White meat and fish, on the other hand, tend to carry unsaturated fatty acids which have beneficial effects.

(Pedant note: trans fat is a type of unsaturated fat, but it's still not good. It's the exception to our general rule).

So those are the three calorie vectors. Now, a typical North American male should be consuming on average anywhere between 2000 and 3000 calories each day. This is a very rough number, and can vary widely depending on your natural metabolic rate and your level of activity. Somebody who is highly active may require 4000, 5000 or even more.

The Big Question: How many calories do you need? Should you be keeping track?

Generally, no. Counting calories is a highly useful tool for individuals with specific goals, but it's primary benefit comes in the form of weight management. If you're not worried about gaining or losing weight then you don't need to worry too much about how many calories you're getting. Eat the right foods in the right ratios and let the rest take care of itself; if you find that your weight starts to go up or down and wish to compensate for it, simply adjust your caloric intake level a bit. It's not necessary to stress over the details, and complicating your diet makes it harder to maintain. This is a Rest Of Your Life kind of change, so naturally ease of maintenance is a primary concern.

The magic ratio for caloric intake is 40/30/30; 40% of your calories should be coming from carbohydrates, and 30% each from protein and fat. These numbers are not set in stone and should be used as a rough guide only -- if you start to get into some of the more advanced nutrition you may even end up adjusting them to help you meet specific goals. For now, though, these numbers are a good place to start.

The next question, naturally, is how to achieve this.

Without knowing what your diet looks like currently, it's hard to advise you on where you need to make changes. For that reason, I'm going to assume that you're on the Typical American Diet, and go from there.

Any junk food or fast food should be cut out. Most North Americans are heavy consumers of such things due to convenience and taste, but they're bad all around. They tend to carry large amounts of all the things you don't want without much or any of the things you do. In particular sweets and snacks are bad, because they often have high levels of sugar and fat without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. Ditch the chips.

Junk food is okay as an occasional treat, with the emphasis on occasional. For that matter, so is everything. If you're absolutely in love with that McDonald's Super Bacon Belly Buster burger, having one once a month isn't going to kill you. Having one every day probably will, though.

So what should you be eating?

My shortcut is to stick to fresh foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables taste better in my opinion, and are a direct source of all the tasty tasty nutrients that your body needs. If you eat a good variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, you don't really have to worry about individual vitamins or minerals, as you'll likely be getting everything you need already. Combine that with some good, lean meats and you're probably pretty close to the result you're looking for.

So, in short, it all goes back to what your mother told you. Eat your vegetables, don't eat junk food.

And here I have to apologize. I had intended to get into the specifics of meal planning and such -- what to eat, when and why. Unfortunately, due to the length of this post already I've run out of time and will have to leave it here for now. If nobody's gone over that ground by the time I get home, I'll continue this little essay of mine, but I have faith that one of our other knowledgeable members will be able to flesh out the details for me. For now, I leave a Final Thought:

Don't believe the FUD. There are a lot of ideas swirling around the subject of nutrition, this or that food is Bad, this one gives you cancer, that one eats your babies. Some of it has a basis of truth, but most of it in my opinion stems from the fact that people like Simple Rules, and so look for ways to simplify the subject. High fructose corn syrup is bad because in most cases it comes in the form of empty calories, but I've yet to see any convincing evidence that it's bad in and of itself. If you want to cut it out of your diet to reduce your overall sugar intake, that's a good shortcut; similarly, if you decide to cut it out for reasons relating to the economy of corn farming, that's fine too. I may think you're odd if you use that one, but it's your prerogative. Don't feel the need to cut it out of your diet, however, simply because somebody told you it's Bad without telling you why. Same goes for organic food -- as a rule, 'organic' to me means 'we charge more for the same thing, because the hippies are afraid of pesticides that have been used safely for decades.'

Use discretion, do some research.

EDIT - It appears that while I was off in my dreamland expounding the virtues of veggies, a number of our knowledgeable posters snuck in and beat me to the punch. I'm going to leave this here all the same, and will contribute more still when I can. Why? Because I am Boring, and enjoy talking at length about things nobody cares about.

And spinach is the food of the Gods. Seriously. You can never, ever go wrong with it.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Baraka_Guru

Since you asked for it, here are some suggestions:

Breakfast:

• Quick-cook oatmeal (or instant if you must) with berries and/or nuts
• A glass of milk
• Plus a piece of fruit if you're still hungry, e.g. banana

Lunch:

• Turkey sandwich on 12-grain bread with spinach, avocado slices, and tomato
• Raw broccoli and red bell pepper on the side
• Green tea (or black coffee if you must)

Dinner:

• 3 or 4 oz top sirloin steak (grilled, broiled, or simmered) --or a chicken breast (season each with herbs and/or non-fat liquids, rather than use fatty toppings)
• 1/2 or 1 sweet potato (baked, boiled, or nuked) with tzatziki or other yogurt topping
• Steamed vegetables of your choice (eat lots)--drizzle with vegetable fat and balsamic vinegar if a sprinkling of herbs isn't enough for you.
• Green tea (don't drink coffee past 4 p.m.)

Snacks:

• Roasted soy nuts (whole soy beans, no salt)
• Unsalted almonds (roasted or raw)
• Unsalted cashews (roasted or raw)
• Natural granola cereal with either low fat yogurt or unsweetened soy or almond milk
• Fresh fruit (dried fruit if you must)--use what's in season preferably; but eat a variety regardless: e.g. apples, oranges, cherries, kiwi, banana, etc.
• Fresh cut veggies with hummus or natural nut/seed butter (use what's in season, but eat a variety regardless: e.g. broccoli, celery, carrots, red/green bell pepper, mushrooms, etc.)
• Green tea (or black tea or black coffee if you must)

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

squeeeb

everyone already gave you great advice, do what they said.

and if i may add....

according to a 2009 study from Purdue University, a high protein breakfast will keep you feeling fuller throughout the day and help prevent overeating. two eggs for breakfast, maybe a slice of canadian bacon.

eat throughout the day. raw almonds are a great snack, especially if you stuff them in pitted dates. three dates and a handful of almonds will keep you going.

avoid processed foods as much as possible. if a meal comes in a box, it's probably not nutritionally sound, no matter how "healthy" it claims to be. yeah it might be a bit more work, but cook your meals at night, maybe once a week make a huge pot of chili or something and freeze it in serving size portions so you can have it throughout the week.

eat whole grains as much as you can. steel cut oats may take 30 minutes to make, but they taste better and are healthier than the instant stuff, which has waaaaaay too much sugar. and they make you feel fuller, again helping to avoid overeating and eating bad crap.

there is no such thing as too many fruits or vegetables. eat them all you want, the more the better. from time to time i eat strictly vegetarian (i still eat fish and cheese and eggs, just no meat) for 1-3 months and i always feel so much better afterward, my skin is clearer, i have more energy, i lose weight. but i love a well cooked piece of meat so there is that.

__________________
onward to mayhem!

Baraka_Guru

This is a good point. Don't be afraid to add some oatmeal to that mix as well for the slow-burning carbs. Big breakfasts are king.

And it's true about the steel-cut, but it can be discouraging having to make it. Quick-cook oatmeal is still better than most prepared breakfast cereals, and instant only has sugar if you buy it that way. You can get plain instant oatmeal in bulk.

A tip about steel-cut oatmeal (which is one of the best substances on this planet, btw): cook up four servings and keep the leftovers in the fridge. Just be sure to eat it up on the consecutive days. I think you might even be able to freeze it. I don't see why not.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Hektore

Halx, this might sound a bit ridiculous, but go buy (or checkout from a library) The Abs Diet by David Zinczencko. The guy is the editor in chief for Men's Health magazine and is chock full of good information in terms of what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. Don't think of it as a 'Diet' book but a book that is going to teach you to eat sensibly for the rest of your life. I was impressed when I read it with how much of the information was spot on, and how easily it reads. I feel it will answer your question in spades. It also includes some recipes, and workouts if your into that sort of thing.

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The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game.

Baraka_Guru

Yes, the 12 powerfoods listed in the Abs Diet are highly recommended.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

LordEden

I've been trying to watch my eating and not eat cheeseburgers everyday so I can get all sexified to woo the ladies.

Question here is, is chili good for you? I use lean turkey meat to cook, V-8 juice as a base, dry beans that I cook myself, fresh veggies (onion, garlic, peppers). The only thing "bad" I put in it is 1/4 to 1/2 a lb of pork jawels when I cook my beans. I could cut back on that, but it makes my beans taste SOOOO much better. I could eat it for lunch everyday.

EDIT: Another question, does grits have the same nutritional value as oatmeal? Cause I'm a bigger fan of grits than oatmeal.

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snowy

Haven't read The Abs Diet book itself, but I've read a lot of articles in both Men's Health and Women's Health magazines that have been adapted from it, and I've found them to be full of good information. Zincenko is a good resource. He's also responsible for bringing us Eat This, Not That! which I love.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Zeraph

Not much to add except my personal experience. Eggs are great. Drink lots of water. And fresh greens. Get like baby spinach for your base in a salad. Then figure out some combo of extras that you like and is fairly healthy. You can make really delicious salads that are incredibly healthy. The key to a good diet is experimentation. You need to find what is tasty to you personally, because otherwise you're not going to be able to keep it up. Oh, and nuts are a great healthy snack. Just make sure they aren't processed with too much salt or sugar.

Halx

Woah guys, thanks for all this so far! Thank you for the education, the meal ideas, the literature suggestions. I am going to try to get started tonight. I have never been interested in nutrition before, but I am a bit of a late bloomer. Now I am ready to put in the energy to change my ways. You guys are a great help.

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You have found this post informative.
-The Administrator
[Don't Feed The Animals]

Baraka_Guru

Use low-sodium V-8 and cut out the pork. This will greatly reduce the sodium and saturated fat levels of your chili, which will make it much healthier. Do you use cocoa in yours?

As for grits, since they are made from corn, it pales in nutritional comparison to oatmeal. Oatmeal has a very low glycemic index rating, and also contains a unique antioxidant compound that helps reduce cholesterol like nothing else will. I'm pretty sure the fibre and nutrient content is of much better quality as well. However, there are far worse things you could be eating besides grits....

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

squeeeb

pork makes EVERYTHING taste better. a little won't hurt, but i make a totally vegetarian chili using seitan and tofu crumbles, and i don't use v8. honestly, it was made for me once and i swore up and down there was meat in it. if you start with a few strips of healthy bacon (bacon without all the chemicals, as natural as you can get) it's not bad for you. pork fat is actually kind of good for you, and in chili, all the beans give you tons of fiber.


grits are corn, and oatmeal are oats, so nutritionally they are different in a "corn vs. oats" sort of way. grits have less fiber. but they sure do taste good.

a big thing in eating healthy is to READ THE NUTRITIONAL INFO ON THE PACKAGE.


i wanted a healthy snack from the vending machine at work (no such thing as "healthy" in a vending machine, i'm talking relatively here). there was a bag of peanuts and a bag of m&ms (there were more things, but i narrowed it down to these two). the bag of peanuts were so damn high in sodium, and had 330 calories. the bag of m&ms had 220 (or so) calories and less sodium. and they had tasty chocolate. pretty easy decision there.

__________________
onward to mayhem!

Baraka_Guru

Actually, you should be able to find "veggie bacon" or "veggie sausage" somewhere as well.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

squeeeb

veggie bacon or sausage isn't bad, but it aint pork. and pork is sweet and tasty and oh so wonderful.

__________________
onward to mayhem!

Zeraph

Mhmmmmm...porked oatmeal

Halx

I would like to note that I am not trying to lose weight - I am actually trying to gain it. I have a super-fast metabolism so I am not very worried about foods that will typically make someone gain weight.

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You have found this post informative.
-The Administrator
[Don't Feed The Animals]

vanblah

I soak my steel-cut oats in a covered container in cold water the night before I make them. Drain the water before cooking them the next morning. Takes about 5 minutes to cook depending on how al dente you like them.

Baraka_Guru

Be sure to regularly eat nuts, seeds, and avocados, and don't be afraid to panfry lots of things in canola oil—like eggs and veggies, for example. Consider stocking your fridge with natural peanut butter, tahini, and another nut butters such as almond or cashew butter. Use these on sandwiches, even if it's turkey or something similar.

If you're feeling particularly crazy, stock up on coconut oil to use in protein shakes or to fry your chicken. It's a great source of healthy fats, and it tastes divine. It's the only source of saturated fats I'd recommend.

Eat a lot of whole grains: bread, pasta, cereal.

And don't go more than 4 hours without eating. If you only eat 3 meals/day, consider adding a second lunch, or a "pre-dinner." It's the way I roll.

Listen to Martian's 40/30/30 recommendation.

That's my method too. But I still do up at least 4 servings at a time. I highly recommend doing it this way.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Hektore

If your looking to gain wait you can eat more energy dense foods that most nutrition sites will probably steer you away from. Most of those sites deal with weight loss primarily and so cater to that audience. One example is peanut butter which isn't terrible for you (unless you buy the cheap stuff that is loaded with sugar), most places will tell you to avoid it but if your looking to gain weight it can be a good snack choice on a slice of toast or bagel (whole grain of course) or even carrots or celery. So the lesson is understand why you're being told a food is bad for you so you can decide for yourself it it really is bad for you

2 tbl peanut butter + 2 whole carrots = about 250 calories. To get the same calories out of just the carrots you'd need to eat 5 carrot in addition to the 2 you started with. Which is why weight loss sites tell you to skip the PB.

2 tbl peanut butter + 2 stalks celery = about 200 calories. To get the same from just celery you'd have to eat 2 whole bags (assuming about 16-17 stalks per bag)

__________________
The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game.

CinnamonGirl

I just picked up a book called In Defense of Food that's really interesting. I'm not very far into it, but so far, it seems to be mainly hitting on the fact that we choose nutrients over food. Once you isolate the nutrient, it loses something...the idea seems to be it's the "context" of the nutrient, not the nutrient itself. So just taking vitamins or taking something fortified with a vitamin it wouldn't normally have won't do a lot for you.




Um, squeeb...if you're using bacon to flavor the beans, it's not a totally vegetarian chili!

__________________
"...for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world."


"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

squeeeb

c'mon, i know that. i don't use bacon in the VEGETARIAN chili.

although bacon *is* a vegetable.

__________________
onward to mayhem!

Halanna

I just wanted to throw in here that eating should not be something that you obsess about 24/7.

Read labels, know the ingredients of what you eat, for the most part try and limit the stuff you know is bad for you and temper this with the sensibility to enjoy your food and your life.

If you are invited to a cookout or want to have one yourself, don't sit down and start adding up calories, hunting down fat free smoked cheddar cheese and generally obsessing over it. You can always take a whole grain bun for a burger with you, or provide them at your own cookout, but don't refuse to eat a cheeseburger because it's "bad" for you.

Learn what you can about nutrition and how it makes your body work, but don't forget the pleasure of family or friends coming together for a good meal. Sometimes, that good meal is a ribeye or t-bone steak, baked potato, salad and fresh fruit tart for dessert.

Try to eat foods in their natural form. Try not to eat chemicals or chemically processed foods. But don't loose sight how food fits into your everday life. You need it, can't live without it and you have the right to enjoy it. It's not all buckgrass and mimifruit all day, every day.

There is nothing you can do that will make you live forever. Remember to enjoy.

spindles

I used to live with a guy who was body building (without the drugs). He ate a lot, and as Baraka Guru hinted, it was in about 5 meals a day. All meals were about the same size. He was lifting weights 4 or 5 days a week, though, so make sure you are exercising to go with the increase in food intake.

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who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

Martian

When I'm well enough to manage it, I generally do four meals per day. I also snack regularly, and love fresh fruits and vegetables for the purpose. Celery with a good dip is cheating so hard it's almost criminal. Celery is almost entirely water and what isn't water is calcium and vitamin A. It contains a bit more sodium than you might otherwise want, but if you're cutting any amount of fast food out of you're diet you're still looking at a net loss; fast food is ridiculously high in sodium because of all the salt they use. A low fat or non-fat dip doesn't have a whole lot of calories either, so you can basically munch the stuff at will without worrying about mucking anything up.

A lot of very good advice has been given here in my absence, so I'm going to abandon my plan of working through meal plans and such. I will say this, though: learn to cook. It's fun and interesting and chicks like guys who can cook. It also makes you much more aware of what you're eating, since you're the one preparing it. If that's not enough motivation, I find that there's a thrill involved in taking a bunch of raw ingredients and turning them into something that looks and tastes delicious. The first time I managed stuffed peppers I was absolutely over the moon.

Ground beef is not the worst thing in the world. It's not great, but it's cheap and easy and better than a lot of alternatives. Try to get lean ground beef, or better yet, ground turkey, when you can.

And all of this only addresses one half of the healthy living equation. Eating right is good and important, but a proper exercise regimen is also good, especially given your stated goals. You say you want to gain weight, but what I hear is that you want to gain healthy weight; to do that, you need to have a good diet and you need to exercise regularly. A good strength training regimen will do wonders, as long as your body is getting all of the necessary fuel. Cardio is important because growing muscles need blood and for that you need a strong heart.

For most people these are Major Lifestyle Changes. It looks like you're excited about this, and that's good. At first it's going to be easy, then it's going to get hard. Then eventually it'll be easy again.

Good luck.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Titan_Uranus

Men's Health.com

cadre

Keep in mind that not all proteins are equal. You need to get complete proteins from your veggies if you're not getting it from your meats. Soy has a complete protein but for the most part vegetarians are supposed to pair certain foods based on protein content in order to get the complete thing. If you want more info on this, let me know.

One thing to note is that green tea actually has a pretty high caffeine content. I wouldn't recommend drinking it past 3 in the afternoon (earlier if you are more sensitive).

My note here is to be aware of what is in your salad dressing. A lot of salad dressings contain large amounts of fats and salts. (As stated earlier though, unsaturated fats are usually good, olive oil is great because of this).

Halx, are you exercising at all right now? If not I would recommend doing some weight lifting and adding some protein to your diet. That will help you gain some weight the right way.

Everyone else gave really good information so I don't have a lot to add. I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil and rock salt instead of table salt.

One thing to remember is that you should limit your intake of sugar but limiting your sodium intake can be just as important. Most Americans eat about three times more sodium than they need.

Next piece of advice: Studies show that indulging on occasion can help you stick with a diet program. This means, plan a cheat meal once a week and use that as your time to eat a steak or some bacon. You can also do this once a day instead, for instance, I allow myself just a little bit of ice cream each night. If you try to cut out everything that's unhealthy for life, you won't get very far.

One last thing: High temperatures destroys nutrients. This is part of the reason to avoid fried foods. A good way to get all of the nutrients out of your veggies is to eat them raw. If you can't do that, steaming is the next best thing.

The only thing that I would recommend never eating is trans fat. Other than that, keep things in moderation and you'll be fine.

If you have any specific questions, we're hear to help. Also post up what kinds of foods you like and I'm sure we can come up with some healthy recipes for you.

__________________
My life is one of those 'you had to be there' jokes.

Baraka_Guru

Compared to chocolate maybe. Green tea has 1/8th to 1/5th the caffeine content of the typical home brew drip coffee (which itself is significantly less than the typical Starbucks brew). It even has markedly less caffeine than black tea. You can drink up to three cups of green tea and still be below the addictive threshold of caffeine. If you're concerned about caffeine interfering with your sleep, then cut out the coffee and stick to no more than one or two cups of green tea before 3 or 4pm.

You can even buy decaf green tea. Just be sure to buy the kind that's been decaffeinated using the carbon dioxide method, as this ensures none of the health benefits of the tea were removed, i.e. antioxidants, especially the potent epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

The health benefits of green tea should not be overlooked, which is why I've slipped it in with a sample diet.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

thingstodo

A fantastick book my wife got into several years ago and I have also gotten into more recently is call The 3-Season Diet. The premise is that their are three food seasons. Your body works better if you align what you eat to these seasons because a. genetics and evolution are at play and b. because if you eat based on the seaon you are eating the foods that are the freshest for that period of time. Things also coincide with the cold of winter, the cleansing part of spring and the summer months when you slowy get ready for winter again.

Amazon link:
Here is a reader review:

"As a person interested in nutrition and holistic approaches to health, I read and used concepts from this book and in my opinion it deserves a five start rating! The techniques the author presents work, and the plan is really easy to do. I lost weight and felt better incorporating the "large mid day meal" concept and it works well for my busy household to eat more lightly in the evening, not to mention my digestion. Sometimes I just have to depart from the "seasonal" concept of which foods to select (gotta have that almond butter!), but overall it makes good sense to eat what is in season...it is always fresher and tastier! His recommendations on arising earlier in the morning and going to sleep earlier at night are also solid basics to regain and keep ones health. This book is a definite keeper! "

And another from an athlete:

"The 3-Season Diet is very informative. It helps me on game days, when I need energy most. This book is a winner."
-- Kendall Gill, team captain, the New Jersey Nets

Here is another site that gets into more specifics:

Natural Health Ayurved and Diet by Gary Scott

Here is some from that site that is worth reading to get a better overall understanding:

For 50 years there has been a debate over high-protein, low-fat, and highcarbohydrate
diets that has confused the American people. Each diet is backed by convincing scientific research indicating that it is the best and only way to lose weight. But how can they all be right?

The answer is astonishingly simple. Auyrved says that each one is right, but for only four months of the year! The secret to making these diets work together for a lifetime is to use each one in the appropriate season as designed by nature: low fat in the spring, high carbohydrates in the summer, and high protein (fat) in the winter.

Spring is wet and heavy and aggravates kapha. Autumn and winter being dry and brittle aggravate vatta and the hot summers aggravate pitta. This is why you see outbreaks in crimes of passion during hot summer city days.

For example in spring we should maintain our health by eating to pacify wet, humid weather.

The humidity weakens the digestion. We need to especially practice moderation in spring and eat more pungent foods.

Some of the best foods to eat at this time of year include: apples, blueberries, dried fruits, grapefruit, lemons, limes, pears, sprouts, peppers, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, chicory, chile, corn, fennel, garlic, kale, lettuce, onion, spinach, radishes, turnips, lentil and mung beans.

When summer arrives our diets should change. During the fiery dog days we should take additional care to live and eat in a way that stops a build up of fire (pitta-heat). One way is to reduce the intake of spicy and sour foods. Eat more astringent (lettuce, celery, spinach, asparagus, green beans, etc.) and bitter (lentils) foods.


When autumn and winter come we want to reduce vatta and should eat warm, oily, dense and heavy foods. Winter foods should be cooked and eaten in a peaceful environment avoiding all kinds of stimulations.

Autumn and winter are times for food that is sweet, sour or salty in taste.

Winter foods may include most fresh fruits, pasta, rice, dairy products, avocado, sweet foods and lots of fluids (especially warm drinks). Salads should have a creamy or oily dressing.

This is a time to eat more mung beans, soya beans in tofu, milk and cheese as you eat less kidney, lima, navy, pinto, split peas, white beans and black beans.

Have more warm drinks, herbal or spiced teas, warm milk, fruit and vegetable juice without ice. Reduce carbonated drinks, cold or iced drinks, coffee, tea, alcohol. Eat more dairy except powdered milk and ice cream.

Increase apricots, banana, cherries, fresh figs, peaches, citrus fruits, dates, mango, papaya, grapes, berries, pineapple, plums and reduce dried fruits, apples, pears, pomegranates, cranberries, prunes, melons.

Rice, oats, wheat, pasta are good as you reduce barley, buckwheat, rye, corn, millet, rice cakes, puffed or dry cereals.

The spices one should increase include asafoetidea, basil, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, clove, coriander, sage, cumin, fennel, garlic, ginger, onion, nutmeg, turmeric.

Reduce coriander seeds, fenugreek, parsley.

Eat more nuts in moderation, especially sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Reduce dry roasted or smoked nuts.

Eat more oils, especially sesame, but reduce corn oil.

Have more heavy veggies such as avocado, asparagus, beets, carrots, eggplant, leeks, olives, pumpkin, radish, sweet potato, spinach and zucchini.

Reduce raw or frozen vegetables, peas, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, corn, celery, lettuce, mushrooms, potatoes.

How to Tell Body Type

There are three body types and Ayurved suggests that we should eat both to our body type and especially to help correct imbalances.

Vatta

Vatta relates to movement such as blood flow, elimination, breathing and thoughts.

Some common characteristics of people with Vatta constitution include creativity, mental quickness, imaginative, quick to learn and grasp new knowledge, but also quick to forget, sexually easily excitable but quickly satiated, slender, light, talk and walk quickly, tendency toward cold hands and feet, discomfort in cold climates, lively, fun personality, changeable moods, irregular daily routine and variable appetite and digestive efficiency.

Typical health problems include headaches, hypertension, dry coughs, sore throats, earaches, anxiety, irregular heart rhythms, muscle spasms, lower back pain, constipation, abdominal gas, diarrhea, nervous stomach, menstrual cramps, premature ejaculation and other sexual dys-functions, arthritis. Most neurological disorders are related to vatta imbalance.

Pitta

Pitta represent transformation such as digestion, absorption, assimilation, nutrition, metabolism, body temperature, skin color, vision, hearing and all the other senses.

Common characteristics of Pitta body types include: Medium physique, strong, wellbuilt, clear mind, good concentration powers, orderly, focused, assertive, selfconfident, and entrepreneurial.

They are competitive, enjoy challenges, passionate and romantic; sexually have more vigor and endurance than Vatas, but less than Kaphas. They enjoy strong digestion, strong appetite; get irritated if they have to miss or wait for a meal and like to be in command. Pittas are most easily irritated

Physiologically, these people have a strong metabolism, good digestion and resulting strong appetites. The person of pitta constitution usually takes large quantities of food and liquid. Pitta types have a natural craving for sweet, bitter and astringent tastes and enjoy cold drinks. Their sleep is of medium duration but uninterrupted.

They produce a large volume of urine and the feces are yellowish, liquid, soft and plentiful. There is a tendency toward excessive perspiring. The body temperature may run slightly high and hands and feet will tend to be warm. Pitta people do not tolerate sunlight, heat or hard work well.

Kapha

Kapha represents structure and lubrication. Kaphas have great biological strength and natural tissue resistance in the body. Kapha lubricates the joints; provides moisture to the skin; helps to heal wounds; fills the spaces in the body; gives vigor and stability; supports memory retention; gives energy to the heart and lungs, and maintains immunity. Kapha is present in the chest, throat, head, sinuses, nose, mouth, stomach, joints, cytoplasm, plasma, and in the liquid secretions of the body such as mucus.

Common characteristics of people who have a predominantly Kapha constitution include easygoing, relaxed, slow-paced attitude, affection, forgiveness, compassion, nonjudgmental nature, stable reliable and faithful. Kaphas are physically strong with sturdy, heavier builds. They have the most energy of all constitutions, but it is steady and enduring, not explosive.

Physical problems include colds and congestion, sinus headaches, respiratory problems including asthma and wheezing, hay fever, allergies, and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

Foods

Some excellent websites that describe and help you determine your body types and show food groups include:

Knowing your Ayurvedic body type

What body type are you a Vata Pitta or Kapha

Ayurvedic Body Type Quiz for Health

Basic Principles Of Ayurveda

John Douillard’s book, “3 Season Diet” covers this nutritional science in great detail.

The 3-Season Diet shows how to align our desires with the foods that nature has provided in season for thousands of years. In the winter we naturally crave soups, nuts, warm grains, and other high fat and protein foods such as meat and fish. In the spring we want salads, berries, and leafy greens a naturally low-fat diet. And in the summer when the days are long and hot we require cooling and high energy foods such as fruits and vegetables which are a naturally available high carbohydrate diet.

Of course we are used to four seasons, but in nature one season is typically dormant - a resting season. There are really 3 primary harvests, a spring, summer and fall harvest (that is typically eaten in the winter), thus The 3-Season Diet. In The 3-Season Diet we have classified foods from around the world into winter, summer and spring so you can eat with the seasons but still eat like a King.

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If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves.

Stangers have the best candy.

cadre

I was under the impression that green tea had more caffeine than black tea but less than coffee. Okay, I concede. And yes, the health benefits of green tea kind of outweigh the caffeine issue.

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My life is one of those 'you had to be there' jokes.

Halx

So far I have been using some tips within this thread (not all) and have been exercising regularly. The results have been good. I am feeling much better and my body is filling out (all muscle) and I am excited to see how it continues a month from now.

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You have found this post informative.
-The Administrator
[Don't Feed The Animals]

cadre

I'm happy for you. I hope all continues to go well for you. One thing to keep in mind is (I know this is depressing) your improvements will start to slow down. People who live relatively sedentary lives see huge gains when they first start a diet and/or exercise program. If you keep working hard though, you will continue to make progress. Just don't get discouraged if your rate of improvement slows down.

__________________
My life is one of those 'you had to be there' jokes.