Eating Healthy

[luv1another]

there is so much varying thoughts on health and what we should and shouldn't eat out there people say meat is not good for you others tell you milks not good for you... but then there is always the opposite opinions too.
so how do we know what we should and shouldn't be eating to stay healthy?
I actually want to be eating a well balanced diet... I have gotten slack and Take away is slowly getting more and more into our dinners but when I work out a budget it's actually cheaper for 5 of us to eat say McDonalds than it is for me to prepare a balanced meal
so guys what can you tell me about whats right and wrong to be eating.
and do you have any ideas for CHEAP healthy meals?

[Sir Yap Alot]

I suggest renting this movie http://www.supersizeme.com/

it's a story about a guy who decided to eat nothing but McDonald's for 30 days, And the dramatic effect ii had at his health. His cholesterol level shot through the roof and his liver almost shut down.

I think it's more important to get sufficient vitamins and minerals and enzymes in your meals. A good idea would be to put a teaspoon of brewers yeast in every meal. Also you can grow your own sprouts for pennies and they are packed with vitamins and minerals and especially enzymes.

I buy food in bulk, you can buy bulk brown rice ,bulk legumes bean's etc.

I also use kefir grains to make cultured milk with. kefir is packed with beneficial bacteria, far more than that of yogurt which only has the few.

http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

You can buy kefir already made in a store, but it doesn't have near the amount of beneficial bacteria then that of the kefir you make with the grains at home.

And you can make kefir at room temperature with any kind of milk.

[Piebald]

She saw Super-Size Me. I think that's why she posted this

I saw it too. Good documentary, even if it was a little sensationalistic.

My problem is that I am allergic to a lot of fruits and vegetables. They make my throat and ears itch. . .

[learning]

I came across this Canadian Government web site to do with healthy living. There is a dietitians section here, that has a link on it called 'Great Food Fast Pantry List' that I intend to look into.

Here's the link for the first link, clik 'English' to get into the site (or French if you speak it) and then clik on the left 'Healthy Eating' I found the dietitian link on here, but I'll put it on here too.

www.canadian-health-network.ca

http://www.dietitians.ca/english/men...AppendixA.html
Hey, just looked at the 'Great Food Fast Pantry List' and realize this would be good to print out and just keep handy as a running grocery list, just highlite or circle what's needed!

There's also a game on the 'eating healthy link', where you make up menu's and see how healthy it is.

[anthrogirl]

there is so much varying thoughts on health and what we should and shouldn't eat out there people say meat is not good for you others tell you milks not good for you... but then there is always the opposite opinions too.
so how do we know what we should and shouldn't be eating to stay healthy?
I actually want to be eating a well balanced diet... I have gotten slack and Take away is slowly getting more and more into our dinners but when I work out a budget it's actually cheaper for 5 of us to eat say McDonalds than it is for me to prepare a balanced meal
so guys what can you tell me about whats right and wrong to be eating.
and do you have any ideas for CHEAP healthy meals?

Hi Luv!!!!!!

You may or may not know that I have been very involved with diet/food/nutrition/lifestyle for the past 9 yrs or so (teaching university and community education courses, researching, and some publishing). I am currently designing a course that uses the results from T. Colin Campbell's "China Project"--the largest epidemiological survey ever done. It tracks the health stats of rural Chinese people over 20 yrs. As China has opened to the free market over the last few yrs, diets have started to change--the people are participating in an increasingly Western diet. This is interesting, because disease rates have increased in direct correlation to dietary changes. Anyway, the course I am designing will use the data gathered from Campbell's work to educate students about healthy alternatives. We will cook together, exercise together, and the students will learn to make sense of nutrition labels. Additionally, I will be running a food addictions support group as a supplement to the class.

Here's a couple of links to "The China Project":

http://www.vegsource.com/event/campbell.htm
http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/rep...ll_china1.html

As you learned from the Supersize film, a diet low in fiber and nutrients, and rich in bad fats, excessive protein, and harmful additives can have a pretty major impact on cardiovascular health. I would add that such a diet will dangerously impact all body systems.

As you are beginning your inquiry into lifestyle change, I highly recommend the work of Dr. Dean Ornish (perhaps you've heard of him). Here is a couple of links:

http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/9/3068_9408.htm
http://www.shareguide.com/Ornish.html


And Kaz, eating fast food is not cheaper than buying good bulk foods. Did you know:

"In 1970, Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food; in 2001, they spent more than $110 billion. Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music--combined." (Schlosser 2002:3)

Sir Yap Alot has given an excellent suggestion--you will enjoy not only the financial benefits of buying whole foods in bulk, but your health will thank you for it!

Take a peek at the links I have provided, and if you're still interested, I'd be happy to chat with you here about specific strategies to improve your lifestyle!


((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((kaz))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))


my very best,
ag

[luv1another]

I am still reading the links read the first two but wanted to comment on buying bulk food and costs.
where I live to buy the ingredients to a salad for 5 people and say a chiken and some potatoes or something it costs way more than say Mcdonalds for the night.
to make healthy pizzas with what we want on them costs more than to order them.
I can't buy bulk because I have no place to store it... houses in oz dont generally have cellars or attics so stuff is usually stored around the house and my kitchen is tiny with no spare cupboard spaces
the one place in town that the general public can buy bulk is not that much cheaper... I used to belong to a playgroup and was treasurer and even with a store card there was very little savings about 5-10% in winter I make stews because they are cheap you can make a big thing of stew and eat it over about 4 days and not spend more than about 20-30 dollars.
I live inland so things have to be shipped from Perth 600kms by road so prices go up

[Gabby]

One thing that our church did at one time was organise a group of people who would get together once a week and cook all their meals for the week in one day. The way it worked was they would get together and decide on a menu for the week and then one person would go out and buy eveything they needed in bulk. On Sat. or Sunday they would gather at the church kitchen and cook everything and then divy it up as needed between the families. They saved money because the bought bulk and they saved time and energy at home. I wished I had gotten into it.

chris

[Teallaura]

I was going to suggest something similar - get a group of friends together, decide your menus/needs in advance and go in together to buy in bulk and then split it up. Same savingds, no storage issues.
If an option where you are, why not buy one of those storage houses? They're fairly inexpensive here and would solve that bulk buying issue. (and probably some other storage problems as well...)
Personally, I buy the small TV dinners and take vitamins (have to - gastric bypass). When I cook, it's usually in large amounts which I freeze.

[Abigail]

We usually have supermarket made meals about once maybe twice a week...normally one of their fresh pasta dishes or a pizza. I keep fish fingers and ovenbake chips in the freezer for a quick snack for the kids as my youngest son is really picky and often wont eat what we are eating. At one stage my kids loved chicken nuggets but then I saw an article on them about how they inject the chicken carcasses with hormones and all sorts of gunge to make them swell and then they soak them in water so that they absorb the maximum water and then they make them into nuggets...skin and all uggh. After that I only bought my kids organic nuggets.

One meal I make which both my kids like is soup and scones. I just dice up a huge onion, big butternut and 2 potatoes into quite tiny blocks and then sautee those together until the onion is translucent (sometimes when my husband is not in for tea I will put in some curry powder). Then I just add some vegetable stock and boil everything together and then use the potato masher to bash out any lumps (so my kids dont know veg are in it )and we have that with scones.

[Sheepdog]

My problem is that I am allergic to a lot of fruits and vegetables. They make my throat and ears itch. . .

you should probably not be sticking fruits or vegetables in your ears.

[Jedidiah]

As you learned from the Supersize film, a diet low in fiber and nutrients, and rich in bad fats, excessive protein, and harmful additives can have a pretty major impact on cardiovascular health. I would add that such a diet will dangerously impact all body systems.

I have some problems with this statement and would appreciate some clarification. Let me restate your sentence and tell me how it differs in impact, please.

A diet low in fiber and nutrients, and rich in bad fats, and harmful additives can have a pretty major impact on cardiovascular health.

I think we would all have to agree with this. But . . . what is "excessive" protein, and what does a high protein diet add to the harm of my modified statement?

I have been on a high protein, low carb diet for several years and my overall health has drastically improved.

Comments please.

beeman

[BeHereNow]

Luv, I'll make a suggestion for easy, cheap food: dry beans. Man, I can't get enough beans. You can go to the grocery store and buy bags of beans for like 80 cents, soak them overnight, and simmer them for a few hours. Get some kidney beans and cook them with a lot of cumin, drain, and serve as burritos, maybe with rice and tomatos on the side. You're talking about a very cheap, healthy meal that tastes good and doesn't make you feel sick after you finish.

I've found that granola (not granola candy bars, but actual loose oats) can make a great snack throughout the day. Go to a health food store, they'll have it. And while you're there, pick up some unsalted cashews, pecans, or whatnot, which are healthy, cheap, and yum.

I just do stuff like that. Beans, rice, some noodles, lots of cheap vegetables like potatos, tomatos, greens. Your kids, if they're used to typical American diets of high sugar and fat, may hate it at first. But, whatever happened to the days of making the kid sit at the table and finish their Brussels sprouts?

Cheers

[decoski]

I suggest you do what I do: buy a juicer and juice say 3 to 4 carrots, 1 apple and a handful of whatever other veggies may be in the refrigerator. This will give you an easy way to get all the daily nutrients you need from fruits and vegetables in one serving. And it is tasty too!