Health Food Beginner

[mme]

I've become a bit of a health nut recently. I was constantly getting severe stomach pains after meals, so I went to the doctor and was told I have indigestion. After years of eating junk, it's all getting back to me.

Now my stomach rejects any spicy, oily, or unnatural foods (I also can't have coffee or sushi ). But I guess it's a good thing. I feel I have more energy these days, and I feel healthier! I snack on fruits, nuts, seeds, and sometimes salads or chicken. And I've always been the "hippie" in my family, so I still opt for organic foods. I eat slower, lighter, and more often so that my stomach is never over/under working. I read labels carefully, but am not on a diet. Basically the most important thing I've learned is to listen to your body.

 

[helmut.newton]

This may or may not be related but a lot of 'health food' isn't that healthy at all. It's based on the premise of the label of 'health' but isn't actually good for you at all.

I used to eat a lot of dried fruit, but then when I began to research it, I realized that it actually had more sugar than a chocolate bar!!

Basically what I've learnt is that anything pre-packaged or pre-made is not going to be 'healthy' for you, even if it claims so.

The healthiest food you can eat is what is naturally occuring on earth (vegetables, fruits, nuts)

 

[Couturierdiva]

Great thread. I'm kind of a health nut!

 

[LetThemEatCake]

animals - eat protein, (except I wont eat red meat, but I do eat white like chicken and turkey and pork, but never the kind in a package) and stay away from processed food. anything man made will make you nothing but fat.

 

[*Bianca*]

Has anyone read "The Yeast Connection" or read about Candida bacteria overgrowth?

Supposedly there are many nasty symptoms of having too much "bad" bacteria (caused by too much yeast, sugar, alcohol, or taking antibiotics or birth control), including headaches, brain fog, lethargy, fatigue and overall blue moods.

So what's your experience with carbs in relation to mood? I feel much energized when I'm taking probiotics (fighting the yeast) and eating more lean proteins.

Yes, I've read about this. I have a skin condition (Keratotis Pilaris) and there's no known cure, but some people think it could be caused by Candida bacteria overgrowth. There's some sort of 'spit test' that you can do to see if you have too much of it, and I did it - and if the test is right then I definitely have too much bad bacteria. So I've contemplated going on a diet to kill the bacteria but I can never seem stick to diets where I'm cutting out something specific (wheat, sugar, diary etc) I've also just started on birth control so that doesn't exactly help.

 

[weirdolove]

i love this thread, i'm one of those people who buy a big mac and like a diet coke, so i'm hoping this thread will help me out

actually, i've been on a water diet for a couple months now, do you think it's a good diet to keep? i'm thinking about expanding to tea cause i don't even drink that.

and should i abstain from drinking cold water? that's what i'm used to but i'm down for trying drinking warm/ room temp. water if it's better for me

 

[*Bianca*]

There's never wheat in chocolate .. ?

I guess it really depends on what type of chocolate you are eating. Often chocolates people eat these days are not pure chocolate so to speak, e.g some chocolate bars can have a variety of stuff in them.

Cadbury (Australia) has a page on which of their chocolates contain gluten, trace amounts or are gluten-free.
http://www.cadbury.com.au/Products/Gluten-Information.aspx

Also gluten and wheat are kind of the same, gluten is its protein I think.

A wheat allergy/intolerance is not the same as a gluten allergy/intolerance.

Gluten is found in other grains than just wheat, so people with a gluten allergy have to cut out more food than just wheat-containing ones.

 

[Belowen]

Without intending to, I've managed to cut bread out of my diet completely I no longer have toast for breakfast, I have big bowls of cereal & I never have it with meals anymore... If I have anything other than Japanese for lunch (lol) I have either a salad or a chicken wrap in a spinach tortilla. To be honest I haven't noticed a huge difference, but I've been eating healthier anyway lately - because I'm pregnant and need to be careful with what I'm consuming.

 

[Miwi]

Blah, I had pancakes before. But I'm not giving up, it was my first sinfull food since I started with my new plan.
I need a piece of advice, I'm new to this.
I'm going to the gym again and I'll have to start eat beakfast, but I'm not really used to it.
Usually I have lunch break at school at 10.25 AM and after lessons I'm going straight to the gym, where I usually do 1h of cardio and then some exercises (I've heard it's not recommendable to eat carbs 3-4hours before workout, that's why I'm planing to eat breakfast and skipping lunch). I want something healthy and simple (getting up takes me too much time anyway). Any ideas? Maybe fruit or cereals (I like Kellogg's Special K, is that ok? I'm not sure how much sugar do they contain though) with skim milk? Unfortunatelly I'm not big fan of rice or soy milk.
And what about after workout? I'm usually very hungry and I eat what's for dinner, but I don't think that's good idea, because I want to avoid carbs after 5-6 PM.

 

[haute femme]

Yes, I've read about this. I have a skin condition (Keratotis Pilaris) and there's no known cure, but some people think it could be caused by Candida bacteria overgrowth. There's some sort of 'spit test' that you can do to see if you have too much of it, and I did it - and if the test is right then I definitely have too much bad bacteria. So I've contemplated going on a diet to kill the bacteria but I can never seem stick to diets where I'm cutting out something specific (wheat, sugar, diary etc) I've also just started on birth control so that doesn't exactly help.

Hey, thanks for the reply! I've heard many skin conditions are fungal.. eczema etc.. though even if not it wouldn't hurt to try. I did the spit test too and that turned out positive, but I read it can't be completely accurate since it could possibly be other things like coming down with a cold..

Either way, cutting out gluten has helped many people, and it's amazing what it'll do for energy and mood. I've noted by getting healthier I've almost cured the foggy head I get, almost always when standing up.. and I used to have some really bad chronic fatigue too. I haven't gone on any 100% elimination diet, but I went a long time without wheat (though still had rice, corn, etc.). I think cutting down is great as well, it doesn't have to be all or nothing, no matter what some may say to scare people! And it's good to keep in mind that there are natural anti-fungals in nature, like grapefruit (available in extract form GSE), garlic, oregano and other herbs.. mostly pungent ones.

Good luck!

 

[Couturierdiva]

Speaking of splenda and diet sodas, i think it's hilarious when i am out to get some burgers and fries (which is rare) and i see a fat person ordering large amounts of food and then asks for a diet soda. it cracks me up. i want to say "do you think that diet soda is REALLY gonna make a difference? you might as well go for the real thing"

LOL

Now, I feel less guilty about doing the same. But I don't just do it to fat people, I think it's silly to go on a splurge and then order diet soda in general, unless you are diabetic.

And I've always believed diet soda makes you fat anyway.

Most of the people I know that only drink diet soda regularly have these protruding guts, even if they are really skinny!

 

[Couturierdiva]

This may or may not be related but a lot of 'health food' isn't that healthy at all. It's based on the premise of the label of 'health' but isn't actually good for you at all.

I used to eat a lot of dried fruit, but then when I began to research it, I realized that it actually had more sugar than a chocolate bar!!

Basically what I've learnt is that anything pre-packaged or pre-made is not going to be 'healthy' for you, even if it claims so.

The healthiest food you can eat is what is naturally occuring on earth (vegetables, fruits, nuts)

That's absolutely true!

Technically, vegans can eat twinkies. And that's not healthy AT ALL

 

[[vogue]]

Blah, I had pancakes before. But I'm not giving up, it was my first sinfull food since I started with my new plan.
I need a piece of advice, I'm new to this.
I'm going to the gym again and I'll have to start eat beakfast, but I'm not really used to it.
Usually I have lunch break at school at 10.25 AM and after lessons I'm going straight to the gym, where I usually do 1h of cardio and then some exercises (I've heard it's not recommendable to eat carbs 3-4hours before workout, that's why I'm planing to eat breakfast and skipping lunch). I want something healthy and simple (getting up takes me too much time anyway). Any ideas? Maybe fruit or cereals (I like Kellogg's Special K, is that ok? I'm not sure how much sugar do they contain though) with skim milk? Unfortunatelly I'm not big fan of rice or soy milk.
And what about after workout? I'm usually very hungry and I eat what's for dinner, but I don't think that's good idea, because I want to avoid carbs after 5-6 PM.

Hi there! Sorry for the super late reply - just got on here not too long ago! I think it's really bad NOT to eat any carbs before a workout - especially when you're doing cardiovascular workouts. A good meal to eat before a workout is: a banana, a handful of nuts and a glass of skimmed milk - carbs from the banana provides enough energy to last you through the exercise, nuts provide protein and omega-3/6/9 that's good for you, and skimmed milk has got loads of protein too.

Why do you have to eat before a workout? >>> Blood glucose gets utilized by your body first, then the glycogen gets converted from your liver to produce blood glucose. But when the glycogen levels get too low, your body burns muscle to fuel your body...

A good after workout meal is one that has got medium to high percentage of protein, low to medium percentage of carbs and high percentage of fresh fruit + vegetables.

Whatever you do, do NOT skip meals - it makes your metabolism drop like a lead balloon!

 

[Snow-White]

I had cut out bread completely from my diet for a long time
But it was sooo difficult to find healthy things to eat ... as an experiment I have gone back to eating bread. I am perfectly fine with it. Having said that - I only eat bread at breakfast.

 

[Milfbutsingle]

Without intending to, I've managed to cut bread out of my diet completely I no longer have toast for breakfast, I have big bowls of cereal & I never have it with meals anymore... If I have anything other than Japanese for lunch (lol) I have either a salad or a chicken wrap in a spinach tortilla. To be honest I haven't noticed a huge difference, but I've been eating healthier anyway lately - because I'm pregnant and need to be careful with what I'm consuming.

I don't understand the mentality of cutting bread out "completely"? If you are going to eat complex carbs (made with whole grains per se), then why cut out whole grain bread? My bread I eat is 35 calories a slice, which is beyond low! I sometimes think about eating it for every single meal and possibly losing a lot of weight lol. I mean, I am and have been a health nut for a lonnnng time and always try to eliminate any white starches (which is very easy these days)...so why no bread? Id love to know

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ We all need carbs ... doesn't matter if you don't get any of it from bread, but obviously whole grains are best. And the wholer the better ... barley better than whole wheat flour, for example ...

I eat bread, but I want it to be worth it. Either homemade or from a good bakery. My mother would always refuse to eat crummy bread, and now that I no longer have the metabolism of a gazelle I know why I see people eating nasty storebought white rolls or buns spread with margarine and I'm like

 

[[vogue]]

The body is designed to crave on every single food group out there - including carbs and yes, fats.

fashionsta-ta: I love how you put it! It's either good bread or nothing at all!

 

[Deleted member 36123]

I find it hilarious when my friends go "OMG you are eating almonds & avocado!? They are soooo fatty" and then they tuck into a bag of chips & a coke. I mean come on people I study nutrition I'm not an idiot

 

[ChloeFrancoise]

The almonds and avocado are a lot better for a person than chips and coke.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I find it hilarious when my friends go "OMG you are eating almonds & avocado!? They are soooo fatty" and then they tuck into a bag of chips & a coke. I mean come on people I study nutrition I'm not an idiot

Same thing with the idea that one shouldn't eat fruit because "it's just sugar & water"