How can I change to eating healthy?

[Bakemaster]

The dose indeed makes the poison.

Right, but the real question here is: is eating crops that are roundup ready actually harmful to your health? As I don't believe there are any plants that actually secrete roundup, I doubt eating a (washed) crop would be an issue.

While there are definitely issues to be thought of when using herbicides and pesticides (but I can't afford organic stuff if I actually want fresh fruits and veggies) I don't think that eating a roundup ready crop is really that problematic.

Problematic from a health standpoint? I don't believe there's any evidence for that. Though it's worth noting that Monsanto won't exactly be beating down the walls to get more studies done once they've got one that says it's all good. The bigger concerns in my mind (with GMO crops in general, and certainly not every GMO crop) are ethical and environmental. Not something to get in a panic about at the supermarket (we've all been eating kiiiind of a lot of GMO soy and corn for kiiiiind of a long time now), but definitely not something to ignore.

And people wonder about the soaring cancer and autism rates....

If you say one word about vaccines, Wayne Brady is going to have to choke a bitch.

[skeptical scientist]

You keep making a whole lot of claims with no sources at all. Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence. You've provided none. Please consider backing up what you're saying with more than your opinion.

Here, I'll help you out by pointing out exactly where you've made factual claims without evidence in your latest post.

Yes, eating roundup ready crops and most other genetically modified foods is very dangerous to your health.^{[citation needed]} Even animals that are fed GM foods are dangerous to eat.^{[citation needed]} You should definitely look this stuff up. You wouldn't believe the kinds of stuff that gets put into our food. Almost NOTHING in the supermarket is totally free from poisons.^{[citation needed]} And people wonder about the soaring cancer and autism rates^{[citation needed]}.... Meanwhile the FDA and DEA team up to conduct swat team raids on organic food producers (mostly the Amish).^{[citation needed]} You'd think they'd have better things to do in the name of food safety but no. You also might want to look up the FDA and some of its recent new employees.

I'll even give you a head start by providing a reliable source for the rise in autism diagnosis rates: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/the-increase-in-autism-diagnoses-two-hypotheses/.

[PAstrychef]

Not to mention that the Amish farmers being charged by the FDA are selling raw milk, which is illegal in the US. They aren't being charged with growing or selling organic produce. If a giant dairy conglomerate were to start selling raw milk the FDA would arrest them too.
Whether or not raw milk is hazardous is a whole other debate.

[KestrelLowing]

If you say one word about vaccines, Wayne Brady is going to have to choke a bitch.

You just made my day

[gmalivuk]

Vaccines aside, skepsci makes a valid point that actual rates of autism may not be any different now than they have been in the past. It's just a more common diagnosis now for a number of reasons, none of which necessarily bear any relationship to a change in public health.

[SecondTalon]

Everyone, disengage. Alexander Falco has 16 hours to produce reliable sources. Until then, just pretend the comments don't exist.

[Bakemaster]

Everyone, disengage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg_cwI1Xj4M&t=210

[Sartorius]

To get this back on topic, I have another suggestion for breakfast.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with milk
...
or unsweetened yogurt with fruit (I like the Greek stuff)

Or combine these and make muesli! Take some rolled oats, throw in some dairy (I like to use both milk and plain yogurt to get a certain consistency) and your favorite fruits. An easy substitute for cereal, and delicious!

I personally have enjoyed this thread a lot, and have found the suggestions helpful as well.

[Роберт]

Next change: Whole grain pasta (but I have to finish the stuff I've got now) and actually starting to exercise. Sadly it's really warm here (85F - too warm for northern me!) and I'm very prone to heat exhaustion (to the point where I have to wear sunglasses, a hat, and sometimes long sleeves, and carry my 1L Nalgene, if not my 3L camlbak on nearly every outside thing I do) so it will probably just be walking or very tame biking.

Good job so far, Kestrel! I'd like to encourage you on the switch to whole grains. Initially, pastas and breads will taste "different" to you as 100% whole grain, but as you get used to them, you will probably end up preferring them in taste and texture to the white stuff.

I like oatmeal for Breakfast as well. I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to oatmeal: bulk, steel cut oats. The are filling and satisfying. But they take while to cook.

[Sheikh al-Majaneen]

How much oatmeal do you make every morning, robert?

/also eats steel cut only, goes with 1/4th cup directions on back of tin

[Роберт]

How much oatmeal do you make every morning, robert?

/also eats steel cut only, goes with 1/4th cup directions on back of tin

No idea, my wife makes it, I wake up, shower, and it's ready and I eat it.

[cerbie]

Next change: Whole grain pasta (but I have to finish the stuff I've got now) and actually starting to exercise. Sadly it's really warm here (85F - too warm for northern me!) and I'm very prone to heat exhaustion (to the point where I have to wear sunglasses, a hat, and sometimes long sleeves, and carry my 1L Nalgene, if not my 3L camlbak on nearly every outside thing I do) so it will probably just be walking or very tame biking.

Good job so far, Kestrel! I'd like to encourage you on the switch to whole grains. Initially, pastas and breads will taste "different" to you as 100% whole grain, but as you get used to them, you will probably end up preferring them in taste and texture to the white stuff.

I like oatmeal for Breakfast as well. I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to oatmeal: bulk, steel cut oats. The are filling and satisfying. But they take while to cook.

Note: Bob's Red Mill has steel cut oats that take no longer than 'old fashioned' rolled oats. They are just cut finer than the others.

Also, maybe try just eating the grains. I can't get used to whole wheat pasta and the like, but there are great foods to make with whole wheat, barley, millet, triticale(sp), and others, and pretty much all grains work as rice substitutes for soups.

[podbaydoor]

Just came across this thread (as well as the lollertastic interruption) and it looks like I'll be killing the muffins that I have for breakfast.

My problem is lunch. I ate almost nothing but typical ham sandwiches every day for months last year (a couple slices of deli meat, slice of cheese, lots of lettuce, some kind of condiment) and I grew so sick of them that I would have trouble even looking at sliced bread for a while. Since then I've seriously fallen down on the healthy lunch front - a lot of going out to Subway alternated with guilty salads from the salad bar. I'm stuck on creating a healthy lunch without spending more than 15 minutes packing it in the morning since I'm usually rushed.

[PAstrychef]

If you're good at making dinner,then it's easy to make an extra serving for lunch. Or you can re-purpose parts if dinner for other things. Make a dish with beans? Roll them in tortillas with a bit of lettuce. Extra roast chicken? Chicken salad can be made with many different flavors, from apple and walnuts to spicy curry.
I make up big batches of rice, and will use that as a base for lunches. Add any cooked vegetable and a bit of sauce and you're good, or you can add cheese and a bit of butter and have a protien thing on the side.

[PictureSarah]

If you have a lot of down time where you can snack, I find separate tupperwares of easily munchable things to be good in lunches. Container of shelled edamame. Container of celery and peanut butter. Cup of yogurt. You get the idea.

[KestrelLowing]

If you have a lot of down time where you can snack, I find separate tupperwares of easily munchable things to be good in lunches. Container of shelled edamame. Container of celery and peanut butter. Cup of yogurt. You get the idea.

I've found this works great for snacks around the house. If I have healthier options I enjoy easily available, I'll eat those. However, after eating an entire bag of rice cakes yesterday, I think I may need to start portioning things out as well.

I've got the same problem with lunch - sandwiches just don't do it for me anymore. I've pretty much had 5 sandwiches a week for the past 15 years. I'm over sandwiches.

Leftovers are obviously the best (except when your stupid housemates decide to throw them out.... grrr! It wasn't even an hour old and they threw it out![/rant]) but some other things I like are rolls (I love hard rolls plain, but I know this is really boring for some), crackers and cheese or some sort of spread (a lot of people like hummus), a decent salad (buy the pre-ripped stuff in the bags with lots of veggies and if you can remember the night before, cook a chicken breast somehow and take some dressing), I've occasionally done hard-boiled eggs, and sometimes I'll default back to a peanut butter sandwich, but put something different in it (banana, nutella, marshmallows). While this stuff isn't the most healthy ever, it's certainly better than going down to Burger King.

The thing I have to actively plan for now is variety. I'll force myself to get something different each week, even if I don't know if I'll like it.

I tend to do the smaller munchy things now, simply because it's really easy to throw together. Also, if I pack fruit and veggies, I eat them so that's always a bonus.

Also, quick question: can you buy a bunch of peas in a pod and just eat them? I just got a 'veggie lovers' pre-made salad thingy and it has pea pods in it. They're really good. Do they just sell them?

[PAstrychef]

You should be able to find both peas that you take out of the pod and pea pods that you eat whole. If there's a farmers market near you try going to it. The vendors will be able to tell you things about how to cook the stuff you don't recognize.

[Elle]

Unfortunately, the most tasty junk foods are basically, killers.

Nothing like addictive MSG, salt, sugar and fat. Once ensnared, few people can resist these evil and destructive "foods."

Fresh, raw organic fruits and vegetables ARE healthy. Sprouted nuts, seeds, and whole grain sprouted breads, too. But few people would choose to eat these nutritious natural foods when JUNK and FAST food is so easily and readily available. And CHEAP.

Cereals in boxes are puffed grain with fat, salt, sugar and / or nicely addictive flavor enhancers as well.

Most people pay no mind... they were all raised as "consumers." The idea of gardening in the back yard, growing greens in containers, or any other healthy options are lost arts.

The major food corps own the public. And then, when the public gets ill, the medical industrial subsidiaries wring even more profit from the masses.

People are sheeple. Isn't it lucky for the smart, rich and savvy who can foist crappiola upon the great unwashed?

IF someone wanted to do themselves a favor, they might consider making blender drinks of apples, greens and carrots. Maybe some banana and orange. And cutting back on Sodden Detritus Fed Meats and Dairy.

Grassfed meat, humanely treated, pastured chicken eggs. The old farms of yesteryear knew the deliciousness of rightly raised food.

~~~

all imho.

[Bakemaster]

Nothing like addictive MSG, salt, sugar and fat. Once ensnared, few people can resist these evil and destructive "foods."

Perhaps you'd like to brush up on basic nutrition and then rephrase the above.

[Роберт]

Nothing like addictive [...], salt, sugar and fat. Once ensnared, few people can resist these evil and destructive "foods."

And water!

[Heisenberg]

Prepackaged healthy tip:

1. Buy a dozen eggs.
2. Hard-boil them.

I have them for breakfast, or a light snack, or chop them up and put them in salads and things. It's awesome!

[podbaydoor]

What is with this thread and its penchant for attracting railing demagogues?

Pastrychef, those all sound like great ideas. Looks like I'll have to get used to cooking dinners again, so I can have leftovers. Luckily, as a single person living alone, it's really difficult for me to make a single-portion meal, so I'm going to get leftovers most of the time, I'm guessing. PicSar, that also sounds like a great idea, and maybe a fast thing I can throw together when I don't have time to pack a proper meal.

[Decker]

You should be able to find both peas that you take out of the pod and pea pods that you eat whole.

Snow peas are a favorite of mine that you can leave in the pod. Great in stir fries.

I gained an immense amount of weight in the nine months I was living by myself. One of the biggest ways I lost that weight was to learn to stop eating when I wasn't hungry anymore. Sometimes It's as simple as getting a small or a medium instead of a large when you eat out.

I also learned to eat protein and eat it slow when I snack. Nuts, jerky, that kind of stuff. The "I'm full" signal takes a little time to hit your brain.

I...realize that this is less about what to eat and more how to eat, but that's what worked for me. I lost sixty pounds.

I do like the "Eat this, not that" series of books a lot.

[podbaydoor]

Yeah, I realize that my diet is high in sugar and simple carbs, and I need to increase my intake of protein and leafy vegetables. But cookies taste so good!

[SecondTalon]

Unfortunately, the most tasty junk foods are basically, killers.

Nothing like addictive MSG, salt, sugar and fat. Once ensnared, few people can resist these evil and destructive "foods."

Fresh, raw organic fruits and vegetables ARE healthy. Sprouted nuts, seeds, and whole grain sprouted breads, too. But few people would choose to eat these nutritious natural foods when JUNK and FAST food is so easily and readily available. And CHEAP.

Cereals in boxes are puffed grain with fat, salt, sugar and / or nicely addictive flavor enhancers as well.

Most people pay no mind... they were all raised as "consumers." The idea of gardening in the back yard, growing greens in containers, or any other healthy options are lost arts.

The major food corps own the public. And then, when the public gets ill, the medical industrial subsidiaries wring even more profit from the masses.

People are sheeple. Isn't it lucky for the smart, rich and savvy who can foist crappiola upon the great unwashed?

IF someone wanted to do themselves a favor, they might consider making blender drinks of apples, greens and carrots. Maybe some banana and orange. And cutting back on Sodden Detritus Fed Meats and Dairy.

Grassfed meat, humanely treated, pastured chicken eggs. The old farms of yesteryear knew the deliciousness of rightly raised food.

~~~

all imho.

Don't use Sheeple. Ever. I shouldn't have to say this

[Angua]

Yeah, I realize that my diet is high in sugar and simple carbs, and I need to increase my intake of protein and leafy vegetables. But cookies taste so good!

I like just snacking on crispy lettuce and (raw) red cabbage (I started by buying a premixed bag of greens from the super market and feeling too drained to cook properly). Also, carrots (baby or just cut large ones into sticks yourself) are good for just snacking. (I'm sure this advice about carrots has probably already come up). Nice dips can be made by mixing a bit of curry paste into yoghurt.

I like things like making your own tacos and wraps - you can put in as much salad stuff as you want, but it doesn't really feel like eating salad, as well as requiring little preparation (making the meat or flavoured beans is often a case of leaving them to simmer on the stove or just frying for about 15 minutes - and if you make a lot in one go then it just requires microwaving later on-, while the rest of the chopping for the fillings can easily be done in front of the tv or something).

Also, healthy deserts like date squares, chocolate tapioca (this makes a great chocolate pudding if you let it set in the fridge), and just fruit with maybe a sprinkling of sugar works.

Healthy-ish breakfasts for when you're feeling indulgent:
My mother also used to make muffins out of granola, which at least had a lot of fibre in them (as well as the fruit pieces from the granola) and they seemed fairly healthy, though I'm not sure what else went into them. Also, if you're making pancakes, it's pretty easy to mix in fruit (we always used the bananas that had gone black and mushy in the fridge) - this is obviously for hte american style pancakes (which are thick), but if you're doing the crepe's type things then you just put the fruit on the inside. My dad also used to make rice pancakes (sprinkled with icing sugar and butter, but that bit isn't really necessary) which was basically left over rice, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla all mixed up (am unsure of proportions, but you want a fairly thick consistency) and then fried like a normal pancake.

[Decker]

Yeah, I realize that my diet is high in sugar and simple carbs, and I need to increase my intake of protein and leafy vegetables. But cookies taste so good!

I hear ya.

I usually keep a jar of peanuts at my desk for snacking during work.

Speaking of sugar, another thing I did is stop drinking soda. At all. You probably don't have to be that drastic, but there isn't a whole lot of value to soda besides a short lived energy boost and tasting good. Sweet iced tea and lemonade and stuff like that isn't much better.

I invested in a Brita filter pitcher thingy (technical term). Also if you want a hit of sugar while you're eating out and you like iced tea and lemonade, you can ask for an Arnold Palmer, which is half unsweetened iced tea and half lemonade. Most places will know what you're talking about.

[SecondTalon]

I should probably try an Arnold Palmer at some point just to see, but the combination just seems.... yeeearrrrgggghhhh

[Роберт]

I should probably try an Arnold Palmer at some point just to see, but the combination just seems.... yeeearrrrgggghhhh

If by yeeearrrrgggghhhh you mean "yum", than I agree! Tasty drink.

[Decker]

I should probably try an Arnold Palmer at some point just to see, but the combination just seems.... yeeearrrrgggghhhh

If my assumptions about your location are correct, your biggest problem is going to be finding unsweetened iced tea. =P

[PAstrychef]

Since cookies taste so good, allow yourself a limited amount per day/week. You can either get a bag of the kind you like and break it down into small packages, or get some of those 100 calorie pakcages. The hard part is getting to the point where you don't grab "just one more" portion.

[Angua]

Oh, I forgot - another good tip is hot drinks, especially tea. They have the advantage of tricking your stomach into thinking that it's fuller than it actually is, and if you don't have any milk or sugar then it's pretty safe to drink as much as you like (and tbh, milk isn't that unhealthy if you want it (make sure you let it cool down a bit though - milk really helps make it cool enough to drink). Decaf or herbal if you don't want caffiene.

[Sartorius]

I invested in a Brita filter pitcher thingy (technical term). Also if you want a hit of sugar while you're eating out and you like iced tea and lemonade, you can ask for an Arnold Palmer, which is half unsweetened iced tea and half lemonade. Most places will know what you're talking about.

Most places in the Midwest, you mean. I hadn't heard of it until I moved to Ohio (from Texas). I agree that it's quite delicious. Make sure the tea is unsweetened though, unless you want diabeetus.

[Decker]

I invested in a Brita filter pitcher thingy (technical term). Also if you want a hit of sugar while you're eating out and you like iced tea and lemonade, you can ask for an Arnold Palmer, which is half unsweetened iced tea and half lemonade. Most places will know what you're talking about.

Most places in the Midwest, you mean. I hadn't heard of it until I moved to Ohio (from Texas). I agree that it's quite delicious. Make sure the tea is unsweetened though, unless you want diabeetus.

Considering I live in the northeast...not really?

[Bakemaster]

Here in California they sell them in tall boy cans at the grocery store. If it was ever a regional thing, I don't think it is any more.

[podbaydoor]

I don't drink soda at all, so that hasn't ever been a problem for me. The problem is probably more like, I skip meals frequently, and right now I have two cookies on my desk.

[Sartorius]

Here in California they sell them in tall boy cans at the grocery store. If it was ever a regional thing, I don't think it is any more.

Apparently Arizona Iced Tea makes them now. I guess I'm just out of the loop.

[Decker]

Here in California they sell them in tall boy cans at the grocery store. If it was ever a regional thing, I don't think it is any more.

Apparently Arizona Iced Tea makes them now. I guess I'm just out of the loop.

Yeah. They do make them and they are decent, but I think they don't really taste like an actual Arnold Palmer. Too sweet.

[PictureSarah]

Well, in the ideal Arnold Palmer situation, you'd be brewing the (unsweetened) iced tea yourself, and making the lemonade yourself (from scratch), so you'd have nobody to blame but yourself if it was too sweet, since you would be administering the amount of sugar and the iced tea/lemonade ratios.