Good nutrition and a balanced diet-I need tips!

[iheartscience]

I just posted about this in the Weekly thread, but I am really not a balanced eater and I need to be! So I would love some tips from the health gurus here about eating a balanced diet.

I don''t cook at all, and as a result I don''t think I eat right.

I know I don''t get nearly enough vegetables. Anyone have any quick and easy ideas on how to eat more veggies?

What else...I do get a fair amount of protein because lately I''ve been getting sushi for lunch almost every day, so I think I''m good on that front.

I''m not a big fan of most carbs, so I don''t have too many of those, especially in the summer.

I eat bananas pretty often-they''re my favorite fruit, but I know they have a lot of sugar in them. I do like cereal and I have it fairly regularly (usually Special K or Crispix or Kix) but I usually have it with soy milk because I''m lactose intolerant.

I''m not a huge fan of red meat-I probably only have it a few times a month, and when I do I get beef and broccoli from a Thai restaurant that''s close by.

Anyways, that''s probably too much random information, but I really want to improve my eating habits and get a better mix of food groups, etc. in my diet. So again, any tips about how to keep a balanced diet, how to keep track of it, etc., would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Skippy123]

Well a super easy way for me to get veggies in is to take time one day and make a huge pot of vegetable soup or just cut up veggies. It takes about an hour, but you can freeze it in 1 cup bowls and take it with you to work. I will make the veggie stock and then fry up some carrots, onions and garlic and then throw it in the pot and add green beans, zucchini, (or anything you want) and whatever else sounds appealing, throw in some spices and bay leaf and simmer.

I like to prep food on Sunday to have ready all week. I also love the prepackaged foods which make life easy. I love Trader Joes cheese sticks for snacks, cut up carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and celery, (bell peppers), and a light veggie dip.

Do you have a Costco? I buy the sliced up fruit bowl, pinapple or papaya and eat that during the week.

Great thread Thing, it will be fun to hear the other's ideas!!!

 

[monarch64]

I guess my best tip would be to try to snack on veggies and fruits if you don't usually incorporate them into breakfast, lunch and dinner. I like mini carrots, snap peas, celery sticks, cherry or grape tomatoes, etc., to carry with and snack on if I'm working or on the go. Otherwise I like to have a big salad as a snack and add fruit to it. I usually do dark leafy greens and add some kind of berry or mandarin orange segments and then sprinkle on sliced almonds or walnut pieces.

If you don't cook at all (I can relate, I cook sometimes but not often), consider ordering the veggies as a side when you go out to eat, or do vegetarian dishes when you dine out. Ordering pizza? Get half with veggies instead of just cheese and meat. Always try to add a green salad, and ask for light dressing on the side, i.e. vinaigrette or house italian.

I agree with Skippy that prepping a large amount of veggies for a stew or something in the crockpot is a great way to get veggies. If you do it once a week, you're only looking at a small amount of time spent slicing and dicing or whatever, and then you can eat from it all week long.

I stated in Gypsy's thread on "What's For Dinner" over in Hangout tonight that we love to grill veggies on skewers and serve them with a little rice or noodles. We slice up zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers in all colors, onion, mushrooms, etc., spray with a little EVOO, add spices/seasonings, and grill. voila! If you do two of each veggie (zuch, squash, peppers, onion,) and a 12 oz carton of button mushrooms you will have enough to last a few days for snacks or lunches as well.

Also look into using flaxseed for added fiber in your diet. You can add it to pretty much anything, yogurt, cereal (if it doesn't contain a ton of fiber) smoothies (blend your morning banana with a few tbsps of plain yogurt and some berries), etc. It does wonders for the digestive system!

 

[monarch64]

Oh, and as far as keeping track of your daily diet needs, you can always use one of the websites like sparkpeople.com, as well as others (google "diet websites" or something), so you can get a profile of your health needs, and then you can plug in your intake numbers and see what you need to do from there. Also, you can always ask your doc for a recommended diet plan for your age group, and maybe set up an appointment or two with that hospital''s dietician to make sure you get on track and stay there. Normally when we are not experiencing health issues we don''t think to do those things, but I''m all in favor of taking advantage of any preventative measures in life!

 

[trillionaire]

Okay, this is probably not the advice that you want, but if you want to lose 20lb in 6 weeks, and not be on an unhealthy fad diet, get the book "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman. It''s a lot of good information, and a very healthy way to eat. My mom just did this for 6 weeks, and is about to go off of cholesterol meds, her blood sugar has stablized, and her doctor said her numbers look phenomenal!

I plan to start in a few days! Good luck to you, and me too! )

 

[iheartscience]

Thank you Skippy and Monarch-you both gave me a lot of good tips!

Skippy, I don''t know if I can make soup, but I can buy prepackaged veggies!

My fiance cooks occasionally, but it''s just the two of us so it''s sort of not worth the trouble, you know? I know he can make soup, though, so maybe I''ll ask him to help me make a pot next Sunday! I do love vegetable soup.

Monarch, so many good ideas! I definitely need to start at least going to the grocery store on a regular basis so I can stay stocked on basics like yogurt. I could totally do things like grill veggie skewers and the smoothie is a great idea, too.

trillionaire-I''m not really trying to lose weight because I''m pretty thin already, but thank you for the book recommendation anyways and good luck to you!

 

[Lorelei]

Thing, maybe consider investing in a juicer. My SIL has one and loves it, she feels her health has improved since she has been juicing, so it might be a way to get some extra fruit or veggies if you find it hard to eat as much as you should.

 

[sumbride]

I don''t know if you''re near a Trader Joe''s but for the ultimate in simplicity, they have pre-washed, pre-cut veggies in microwavable bags in the produce refrigerated section. My DH buys them when he''s feeling lazy (he does the shopping) and though it''s not the cheapest way to eat healthy, it''s pretty easy! Snip the corner off, microwave for a few minutes, then maybe squeeze on some lemon juice for a bite. They have all sorts of veggies packaged that way.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/17/2008 8:50:10 AM
Author: thing2of2

Skippy, I don't know if I can make soup, but I can buy prepackaged veggies!

My fiance cooks occasionally, but it's just the two of us so it's sort of not worth the trouble, you know? I know he can make soup, though, so maybe I'll ask him to help me make a pot next Sunday! I do love vegetable soup.

Thing, what I don't eat I freeze in the Ziploc twist n seal containers and then pull them out and warm to eat. You can drink V8 if you like it but it does have a lot of sodium. The thing about juice is that the fiber is striped away which is super good for flushing your system which is why it is best to eat raw fruits and veggies for the added fiber benefit.

I guess getting them in one way is better then not getting them in at all.

 

[Fancy605]

I don''t cook things that require many steps either, but since it is summer, and I have extra time on my hands, I am attempting to learn how to make sure I have a nice balance of healthy foods. Here''s what''s been on the menu this week based on the ingredients I bought:

Mixed greens salads (including baby spinach, which is OH so good for you) with avocado or smoked salmon or both, dried cranberries, almonds, and a nice strawberry vinegarette. Sometimes I use fresh fruit instead of the salmon or with it. SALAD is a GREAT way to get in vegetables IF you use the right kinds of greens. You could even eat a small salad on the side with your main dishes.

Omelets with smoked salmon and a little cheese. I have contemplated tossing in some avocado as a vegi. (To make it healthier just use the egg whites, no yolks)

Cereal with fresh strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries (Heaven!)

Tortellini with Marinara sauce and mushrooms (it doesn''t sound healthy, but it''s much healthier than my former life of Alfredo....PLUS marinara counts as a vegetable with all those yummy tomatoes)

Snacks of fruit with light whipped topping

1/2 wheat beagle with cream cheese and smoked salmon

Cold Stone ice cream (BAD. I couldn''t help it though, and I split it with DH)

That seems pretty balanced to me. Lots of protein, fruits, vegis, and some good whole grain carbs. Dairy in the milk for the cereal or the icecream

Am I missing anything important?

I was also thinking: when you get sushi do they offer steamed vegis? I know our local Japaneses places tend to have vegis on the menu. Maybe you could eat an order of those if they have them.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I am BAD with veggies, so here are the two things I do to get at least a few into my diet.

1. Snack on them. Instead of chips, I will take a handful of black olives which I love. I do the same with nuts, both can give you a salt fix with a little more health than chips or fries

2. Add veggies to things you normally wouldn''t. I started adding mushrooms to my grilled cheese sandwiches, and now I like it so much I won''t eat it any other way.
You could add peas, tomatos, pepers, etc to mac and cheese or pasta. my brother likes to add corn and carrots to almost any kind of soup, etc

 

[iheartscience]

Thank you for all the tips, Lorelei, sumbride, Skippy, Dancy and b_i_h! I''m sorry I haven''t checked back in until now-I''ve been going crazy with school and work and soccer 4 nights a week! But I really do appreciate all the great ideas!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Ditto Skippy on making large batches of veggies to put in the fridge or freezer and then you can add them later on to other stuff.

I''d consider trying to learn to make at least a couple of veggie side dishes you actually enjoy, so you''ll stick with eating them. Almost any veggie, cut into bite-sized pieces and sauteed with garlic, olive oil, and some salt and pepper until crisp-tender is pretty tasty. Ditto with oven roasted veggies - toss with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and optional garlic, and roast around 450 F until browned on the edges and crisp-tender.

Our favorites are broccoli and zucchini.

 

[phoenixgirl]

For really easy, you can get frozen microwavable veggies. You just put this package in the microwave for 4 or 5 minutes and then eat. Sometimes I make a bowl of peas or corn for a snack or to go along with lunch. I usually eat half and put half in tupperware in the fridge to eat in the next couple of days.

I almost always order vegetables as a side when eating out instead of fries. All these little changes add up.

 

[akmiss]

If you don't cook, are you eating prepared foods? Or eating out?
Some of the most healthy things are very simple to make. Like broiled salmon and steamed veggies. Zip-lock has steamer bags that you can just pop in the microwave. We also eat large salads and throw imitation crab meat (already cooked) or shrimp(very easy to cook) on top.

Also consider taking a multi-vitamin. I bought a book years ago that helps, it was "The Idiots Guide to Good Nutrition." Stay away from fads!