Ideas for eating healthier

[sk8fool]

I eat tooo much crap food. Lots of fast food burgers. I'm so used to it I needs some ideas for eating healthier and am contemplating vegitarianism for now. That would be a way to wipe out the greasy burgers and what not. I am not overweight (25 years old 6' 150lbs) although I get heartburn also it is better for my body and qi.

[Vash]

1. Stop Eating Garbage.

2. Eat More Vegetables, Fruits, Lean Meats (red, fish, and poultry - not fried, either)

3. Repeat as necessary.

[BibitClerus]

first, man
you gotta see whats avalible to you
do you eat out? mcdonalds and such?
what are the other restaurants around? any cool buffet with lots of variable stuff around?
do you like fish? tuna?
is there any veggie you like the most?

[littlelaugh]

I would start by cutting out all processed/fast/franken foods. After eating this way for a while you can see how you feel; how your heartburn is doing. If you are still feeling yuck you can eliminate from there.

The best way to stick to a diet change like this is to make sure that you stock up on healthy foods before you start. Go shopping and get easy things if you don't have a lot of time or will for cooking. Scope out restaurants in your area for healthy options.

Easy to prepare things that have helped me are: baby carrots in a bag, salad in a bag, bulk nuts and dried fruit, tuna in a pouch (no mess), peanut butter, etc. I also will cook ahead easy things like hard boiled eggs or a pack of chicken breasts. Just slap a little olive oil and salt on the chicken, cook and store in fridge. For lunch I would put salad in a tupperware thingy with chicken breast on top to take to work and put salad dressing on just before eating. Also, one of my favorite meals is just an apple and peanut butter sandwich. I would keep a loaf of whole wheat bread and a jar of pb at work. You are more likely to make good choices if the food is easy and at hand.

Also think about the fact that eating vegetarian doesn't automatically mean healthy or healthy for you. Listen to your body and if you do go veg make sure you are getting sufficient protein. Wheat meat (seitan) is a great thing.

Cheers,

Laugh

[sk8fool]

thanks for the advice. I do like fish and tuna(not to thrilled on salmon though) and pb also. Yea the junk food is definately one of my downfalls. Easy to prepare foods, and cooking ahead of time will also help with my schedule. Atleast untill I get used to the change. My main goal right now would be to cut out the fast food and start bringing healty lunches to work.

[Vasquez]

Originally Posted by Vash

1. Stop Eating Garbage.

2. Eat More Vegetables, Fruits, Lean Meats (red, fish, and poultry - not fried, either)

3. Repeat as necessary.

LOL I see you don't eat carbs.

[Chief Fox]

Go to http://www.fitday.com, set up a free account and start tracking your meals. Within a few days you will see all the bad food you're eating. Then find healthy replacements for those foods and you will be on your way.

[ewallace]

Originally Posted by Vasquez

LOL I see you don't eat carbs.

Interesting, I was unaware that there are no carbohydrates in fruit.

[Reggie1]

Something that I did that was really easy is to cut WAY down on processed foods.

Go to Subway or a sandwich place instead of getting fast food. If you do go eat fast food, find the low-fat option on the menu.

Eat brown rice instead of white. Eat 100% whole wheat bread instead of white.

And what Vash said--eat lean meat, and eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies.

[whitefox]

Originally Posted by Reggie1

Something that I did that was really easy is to cut WAY down on processed foods.

Go to Subway or a sandwich place instead of getting fast food. If you do go eat fast food, find the low-fat option on the menu.

Eat brown rice instead of white. Eat 100% whole wheat bread instead of white.

And what Vash said--eat lean meat, and eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies.

Good posts.

If you like chicken here is a tip if you want to cut down on the time it takes to cook. Just take it from the freezer and put it into a pot of boiling water it for about ten minutes give or take, then spray pam with non stick cooking spray and bake your chicken with whatever seasonings you like. Just watch out for the sodium content of you spices. Doing this saves me a few minutes when i'm in a rush. Just make sure to get skinless, boneless chicken breast.

[ewallace]

Another idea, and this is a personal preference, not scientifically proven (or information provided to me by my master ) for success, is to make gradual changes as opposed to just undergoing a drastic change in diet. Like "they" say it takes approx. 19 days for something to become a habit. For instance, I cannot stand non-diet soda now, because it makes me feel rather bloated. Of course diet sodas aren't that much better for you, but if you drink soda on a regular basis I have found it's much easier to go to diet and then none at all as opposed to cold turkey. To each his own I guess.

I too was subjected to a regular diet of fast-food because of work/family schedule, with a few dashes of laziness. After certain circumstances, I began to cook more, and eventually it led to a real noticible difference in the way my body felt after eating some greasy nasty food as opposed to a good home-cooked meal. Not only that, but it took less to cook/prepare than it would have to drive anywhere to pick something up, and a lot of the food I used to eat makes me feel somewhat ill now. Lunch is probably the most difficult for me. I usually either don't eat it, go to Subway, or pickup a real (ie: big thick meat) burger as those places are within walking distance. I also need to get back into the swing of cooking more portions at night and bringing that food to work the next day. But I admit that I am a left-over dodger, as well as a salad dodger.

A lot of diet problems relate to routines and habits just as much as bad food itself. I personally have adopted the slogan "don't go on a diet, change your diet". Of course this does not apply to specialized cutting or mass-building diets.

[littlelaugh]

I agree, ewallace. It's much better to "change your diet" than go on one. For me I call it a lifestyle change. It's a change in how you think about what you're eating and how you treat yourself: mind, body and soul.

One of my biggest changes has been giving up sugar. It's my demon. It's been about 4 years now. When I stopped, I instantly felt like a new person and people around me noticed how much happier I was. I endulge every once in a while, but know that it can never part of my lifestyle again.

[Vasquez]

Originally Posted by ewallace

Another idea, and this is a personal preference, not scientifically proven (or information provided to me by my master ) for success, is to make gradual changes as opposed to just undergoing a drastic change in diet. Like "they" say it takes approx. 19 days for something to become a habit. For instance, I cannot stand non-diet soda now, because it makes me feel rather bloated. Of course diet sodas aren't that much better for you, but if you drink soda on a regular basis I have found it's much easier to go to diet and then none at all as opposed to cold turkey. To each his own I guess.

I too was subjected to a regular diet of fast-food because of work/family schedule, with a few dashes of laziness. After certain circumstances, I began to cook more, and eventually it led to a real noticible difference in the way my body felt after eating some greasy nasty food as opposed to a good home-cooked meal. Not only that, but it took less to cook/prepare than it would have to drive anywhere to pick something up, and a lot of the food I used to eat makes me feel somewhat ill now. Lunch is probably the most difficult for me. I usually either don't eat it, go to Subway, or pickup a real (ie: big thick meat) burger as those places are within walking distance. I also need to get back into the swing of cooking more portions at night and bringing that food to work the next day. But I admit that I am a left-over dodger, as well as a salad dodger.

A lot of diet problems relate to routines and habits just as much as bad food itself. I personally have adopted the slogan "don't go on a diet, change your diet". Of course this does not apply to specialized cutting or mass-building diets.

Atkins diet is good - load up on protein but I would detox every few weeks

[Reggie1]

Originally Posted by Vasquez

Atkins diet is good - load up on protein but I would detox every few weeks

Atikins really isn't a diet for martial artists. If you work out a lot, avoid Atkins. Besides, Atkins isn't natural. The guy isn't looking to lose 10 lbs. He's looking to eat healthier.

[Vasquez]

Originally Posted by Reggie1

Atikins really isn't a diet for martial artists. If you work out a lot, avoid Atkins. Prolonged time on Atkins can be murder on your kidneys.

LOL that's why you need to detox!