Healthy Eating Thread

[BigSqwert]

Oh hell yeah. I'd slather that on anything.

[Leonard Zelig]

Hummus might be the greatest thing in the world

 

Killer hummus recipe. Depending on who is eating it with me, I may cut back on the cayenne.

[iamshack]

Hummus might be the greatest thing in the world

I prefer penetration...ohh...wait.

[Reddy]

I need to get a food processor to make homemade hummus, it's one of my favorite foods.

 

What do you eat it with? Veggies or pita bread? When I can find it, I buy Flatout bread as a Pita replacement.

 

I was just doing it with veggies - trying to stay away from too much processed wheat products (yes I'm a crazy person)

[bigruss]

I was just doing it with veggies - trying to stay away from too much processed wheat products (yes I'm a crazy person)

Makes sense, I was more wondering if you had some crazy delish combinations that I may not have tried before

[Y2HH]

so... while you're right and mass-market granola bars are awful, that pizza muffin thing ain't too great either.

 

but at least that way you KNOW what you're eating vs the lies on the granola bar wrappers. haha

 

I'm not the one that suggested the pizzas, though.

[Rowand44]

Clif Builder Bar Choco Mint is delicious

I get em for free at work and ya they're absolutely delicious. I ended up dropping them though because as Reddy said there is a ton of sugar in them.

[Jake]

On the note of protein bars, I'll have to pimp my overall favorite brand: Quest. They started up a couple years ago IIRC and they put out a high quality product. The great novelty is they use a special modified sugar that happens to be a prebiotic fiber as part of the sweetening system. There is what looks to be a large amount of fiber in the bars due to this, but it isn't harsh on your system like something like oat fiber would be. There is good research behind this stuff for positive pooping outcomes (seriously, someone measured old people's poop size in these studies). Each bar is 170-210 calories with 5 or fewer net carbs, all with 20g protein from whey protein isolate and milk protein isolate. A lot of bars use the useless hydrolyzed gelatin to boost protein content, but not these ones.

 

They also have an all natural line that swaps out sucralose as sweetener for the benign, natural sugar alcohol erythritol (no stomach upset, almost no caloric value) as well as stevia and lo guan ho for sweetener.

 

They don't have as ideal of a texture as things like clif do, the texture is much more like a more tolerable powerbar. They taste very good though and have lots of flavors. I like cinnamon roll (natural), apple pie, and several others. A lot of my friends are obsessed with coconut cashew, but I've never had it.

 

They've also recently released a line of peanut butter cups (!) and crunch bars. They aren't exactly authentic candy, but they knock it out of the park for what they are. These have a bit more fat than their protein bar counterparts, but still 20g protein at about 240 cals for one crunch bar/two peanut butter cups. The PB cups are really good.

 

questproteinbar.com for more info, I'm sure they make the case better than me.

[Jake]

On the note of protein bars, I'll have to pimp my overall favorite brand: Quest. They started up a couple years ago IIRC and they put out a high quality product. The great novelty is they use a special modified sugar that happens to be a prebiotic fiber as part of the sweetening system. There is what looks to be a large amount of fiber in the bars due to this, but it isn't harsh on your system like something like oat fiber would be. There is good research behind this stuff for positive pooping outcomes (seriously, someone measured old people's poop size in these studies). Each bar is 170-210 calories with 5 or fewer net carbs, all with 20g protein from whey protein isolate and milk protein isolate. A lot of bars use the useless hydrolyzed gelatin to boost protein content, but not these ones.

 

They also have an all natural line that swaps out sucralose as sweetener for the benign, natural sugar alcohol erythritol (no stomach upset, almost no caloric value) as well as stevia and lo guan ho for sweetener.

 

They don't have as ideal of a texture as things like clif do, the texture is much more like a more tolerable powerbar. They taste very good though and have lots of flavors. I like cinnamon roll (natural), apple pie, and several others. A lot of my friends are obsessed with coconut cashew, but I've never had it.

 

They've also recently released a line of peanut butter cups (!) and crunch bars. They aren't exactly authentic candy, but they knock it out of the park for what they are. These have a bit more fat than their protein bar counterparts, but still 20g protein at about 240 cals for one crunch bar/two peanut butter cups. The PB cups are really good.

 

questproteinbar.com for more info, I'm sure they make the case better than me.

 

Also, these are now sold at GNC so you can pick one up without too much markup before picking up the entire box. Don't think GNC is carrying the candy line yet, though.

[Reddy]

Quest is good. Pure Protein is too - but I dig the ingredients you mentioned in Quest.

 

Nice.

[nickofypres]

I'm trying to lose weight.

 

If it isn't a problem, can anyone give me some tips on what to avoid (similar to the small discussion about granola)?

 

Thanks.

[Reddy]

I'm trying to lose weight.

 

If it isn't a problem, can anyone give me some tips on what to avoid (similar to the small discussion about granola)?

 

Thanks.

 

if it's in a box, a can, a wrapper, a bag, etc - then you need to carefully look at ingredients and avoid:

 

1) High fructose corn syrup

2) High amounts of sugar period

3) Avoid most saturated fats (except for avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, nut oils, nut butters, etc)

5) Avoid partially hydrogenated vegetable oil

 

 

basically a good simple method is this: 80-90% foods with ONE ingredient and 10-20% whatever else you enjoy, like, whatever. I go for 90/10, but most people aren't as health-nazi-ish like me.

 

If you want to count calories, I can give you more detailed info

Edited January 22, 2013 by Reddy

[nickofypres]

Thanks, Reddy.

[Jake]

if it's in a box, a can, a wrapper, a bag, etc - then you need to carefully look at ingredients and avoid:

 

1) High fructose corn syrup

2) High amounts of sugar period

3) Avoid most saturated fats (except for avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, nut oils, nut butters, etc)

5) Avoid partially hydrogenated vegetable oil

 

 

basically a good simple method is this: 80-90% foods with ONE ingredient and 10-20% whatever else you enjoy, like, whatever. I go for 90/10, but most people aren't as health-nazi-ish like me.

 

If you want to count calories, I can give you more detailed info

 

Comes down to the last point you make IMO.

 

Counting calories can allow you to work in some small amounts of those bugaboo foods, but for a lot of folks that's just way too much effort, stress, whatever.

 

If you don't want to count, and I can understand not wanting to, I'd suggest like Reddy to completely abstain from the types of foods he mentioned. I would advise you to not worry about an occasional cheat, though. This can easily be overdone, but don't miss out on a fun time now and then. Likewise, I don' t want you to feel bad just because you have a bad day with eating -- in the long run, a single day/meal here and there just isn't a big deal.

 

[Reddy]

Comes down to the last point you make IMO.

 

Counting calories can allow you to work in some small amounts of those bugaboo foods, but for a lot of folks that's just way too much effort, stress, whatever.

 

If you don't want to count, and I can understand not wanting to, I'd suggest like Reddy to completely abstain from the types of foods he mentioned. I would advise you to not worry about an occasional cheat, though. This can easily be overdone, but don't miss out on a fun time now and then. Likewise, I don' t want you to feel bad just because you have a bad day with eating -- in the long run, a single day/meal here and there just isn't a big deal.

 

absolutely.

[nickofypres]

I appreciate the input, you guys.

[Marky Mark]

Figure out your basil metabolic rate and determine your cutting caloric input based off that. I'm cutting right now and eating about 1500 calories a day, when my BMR is about 2000. You've got to count calories, and it isn't really that hard. You'll get used to it quick, and their are so many nutritional resources out there today (ex: myfitnesspal.com) that will give you an idea of what you are putting in your body. Not counting calories when trying to change your body is like not looking at your bank account ever.

 

1 pound of fat = 3500 calories

500 calorie deficit/day = 1 pound of fat lost per week.

 

Presto!

 

A few low calorie meals I like when cutting:

 

Chicken breast/black beans/salsa/cilantro/garlic in crock pot for 4 hours. Eat portions that fit your caloric needs.

 

Chicken or turkey chili (make sure your turkey is lean, otherwise it may not be that helpful in terms of calories)

 

Lean ground beef burgers (Less than 10% fat)

 

 

Instead of chips and salsa, do cucumbers slices and salsa

 

Sugar free low calorie jello

 

 

Figure out what kind of timing for your meals suppresses your appetite the best. I find that personally during the week I need to spread my meals out throughout the day to keep from being too hungry, whereas the weekends I take an intermittent fasting approach and trying to eat all of my day's food around the same time of the day.

 

Take a picture of yourself shirtless either once a week or once a month. Looking at those pictures will be very motivating if you can be consistent about your diet for a few months. Also it won't deceive you like a scale may.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Markbilliards

[Steve9347]

I'm trying to lose weight.

 

If it isn't a problem, can anyone give me some tips on what to avoid (similar to the small discussion about granola)?

 

Thanks.

It's kind of a no-brainer, yo. Avoid fast food, eat things that fill you up - no empty calories. The best thing you can do is get your metabolism going again, which is rather easy to do. I don't know your work situation, but wherever you work you can pack food for the day... it really is true that you should eat little things all day long vs two or three big meals.

 

Breakfast is a must. Here's an example of a weekday's eating for me:

 

6:30 Protein shake at gym

8:30 Overnight oats - these are f***ing delicious (150g greek yogurt, 13g chocolate protein powder, packet strawberries/cream oatmeal, 6 frozen strawberries, almond milk - let sit overnight)

10:30 protein bar

noon sandwich, cheese stick, almonds

2:00 greek yogurt

3:30 apple, protein bar

5:30 dinner

 

Once you get your metabolism going (ie, eating like this on weekdays), you burn calories much more efficiently - and that's the key... calories out > calories in to lose weight. It'll fall off of you. Once you get to the weight you want, you can really eat/drink what you want within reason and moderation while doing this and you won't gain any weight back. Then you can even ramp it up to add muscle.

 

Oh, and I repeat, overnight oats are the f***ing s***. I look forward to them every day.

[Steve9347]

Figure out your basil metabolic rate and determine your cutting caloric input based off that. I'm cutting right now and eating about 1500 calories a day, when my BMR is about 2000. You've got to count calories, and it isn't really that hard. You'll get used to it quick, and their are so many nutritional resources out there today (ex: myfitnesspal.com) that will give you an idea of what you are putting in your body. Not counting calories when trying to change your body is like not looking at your bank account ever.

 

1 pound of fat = 3500 calories

500 calorie deficit/day = 1 pound of fat lost per week.

 

Presto!

This isn't exactly accurate, but it's a good start.

 

Also, the above doesn't even take into account any working out. In early 2011 I went from 212 lbs to 185 in like a month and a half by working out and eating like 1800 calories/day. That combined with activating a dormant metabolism works wonders!

 

Now I'm flirting with 175 with a lot of added muscle - and I drink plenty and eat what I want within reason - but I've also tuned my brain to not want complete garbage unless said garbage is of the dessert variety!

[Reddy]

yeah nobody's BMR is 2000. but more or less the right idea

[Jake]

This isn't exactly accurate, but it's a good start.

 

Also, the above doesn't even take into account any working out. In early 2011 I went from 212 lbs to 185 in like a month and a half by working out and eating like 1800 calories/day. That combined with activating a dormant metabolism works wonders!

 

Now I'm flirting with 175 with a lot of added muscle - and I drink plenty and eat what I want within reason - but I've also tuned my brain to not want complete garbage unless said garbage is of the dessert variety!

 

At 212, especially if you were doing a lot of work in the gym, you may have been burning over 4000 calories a day. That would make your big weight loss make sense. A lot of 200 pounders will have a BMR of 3000+. When I was at my best physique, before injuries etc etc I was a lean 190 and had to eat 3500 cals to maintain weight. I was doing zero cardio at this point as well.

 

Also, the best way to "awake" a metabolism is resistance training! Steady state cardio is great and something I will always do, but doesn't touch the body composition and metabolic effects of resistance training or interval training. Some mixture of course will probably work best.

[RockRaines]

It's kind of a no-brainer, yo. Avoid fast food, eat things that fill you up - no empty calories. The best thing you can do is get your metabolism going again, which is rather easy to do. I don't know your work situation, but wherever you work you can pack food for the day... it really is true that you should eat little things all day long vs two or three big meals.

 

Breakfast is a must. Here's an example of a weekday's eating for me:

 

6:30 Protein shake at gym

8:30 Overnight oats - these are f***ing delicious (150g greek yogurt, 13g chocolate protein powder, packet strawberries/cream oatmeal, 6 frozen strawberries, almond milk - let sit overnight)

10:30 protein bar

noon sandwich, cheese stick, almonds

2:00 greek yogurt

3:30 apple, protein bar

5:30 dinner

 

Once you get your metabolism going (ie, eating like this on weekdays), you burn calories much more efficiently - and that's the key... calories out > calories in to lose weight. It'll fall off of you. Once you get to the weight you want, you can really eat/drink what you want within reason and moderation while doing this and you won't gain any weight back. Then you can even ramp it up to add muscle.

 

Oh, and I repeat, overnight oats are the f***ing s***. I look forward to them every day.

See for me thats no enough caloric intake. I get super faint and light headed during my workouts if I dont have something fairly substantial for lunch/snack. I then do a light dinner and usually a fruit or veggie/hummus snack later on.

[Steve9347]

See for me thats no enough caloric intake. I get super faint and light headed during my workouts if I dont have something fairly substantial for lunch/snack. I then do a light dinner and usually a fruit or veggie/hummus snack later on.

I work out in the mornings - changes s*** up I guess. I do feel a bit like s*** after lifting until I chug the protein shake.

[RockRaines]

I work out in the mornings - changes s*** up I guess. I do feel a bit like s*** after lifting until I chug the protein shake.

One reason why I cant in the morning. I've tried to run without digesting a meal and I barely made it home before seeing stars. I wish I could, it would be really helpful, im up for suggestions.

[Cali]

I stay away from Meat and Dairy (sans the occasional Pizza and Fish -- I'm not a hardcore Vegan by any stretch haha)

No refined sugars (or HFCS obviously)

No GMO's

I try to stay away from Oil's and only cook with Coconut Oil if It's needed for a recipe

Cut out bread and pasta... bread is the worst one for me haha

Try and make all my meals at home and on rare occasions dine out -- It saves $$$ and you know exactly what is going into your food.

 

I do eat lots of greens, and fruits. Fresh nut butters (Almond and Cashew in particular). Make lots of hearty vegetable based soups/chili. Whole grains and brown rice. And most importantly LOTS of Water...