I'm realizing that so much of my food/diet knowledge is just to minimize calories, that I'm having a hard time figuring out what is a "healthy" diet. I'm looking for recommendations of a books, podcasts, anything that helps me plan what to eat in a day. Or just what you have that works.
I notice that I'm starving from 9-2 every day then really couldn't care less about eating after that besides something small for dinner. I think I need more protein, but see anywhere from 46 grams to like 200 as recommended in a day. Ideally, I just want someone to tell me what to eat lol.
I really don't want to count calories, pretty much refuse to. Macros I might be able to try? I'm relatively active, workout 5 mornings a week, work a desk job, but get as much movement in as I can.
Basically I'm just looking for advice, someone else who feels a little lost, personal insights.
Post by followyourarrow on Aug 1, 2024 8:36:25 GMT -5
I'd really recommend seeing if your health insurance covers a visit to a dietician. Or see if your employee assistance program offers that. I'm diabetic and take a Glp1 medication, so my nutritional needs are different and my dr and dietician have worked with me to figure those out. In general, I think the DASH diet or Mediterranean diet are the best way to go because they are lifestyles, not actually diets. For what it's worth, I only count protein grams, I refuse to track calories because it makes me nuts.
I second the recommendation to look into Mediterranean diet. I was starving and running out of energy in the late afternoons so a dietician recommended shifting protein consumption to lunchtime. It made a huge difference!
If you workout in the morning and you’re starving from 9-2 to you may need to shift your protein consumption to breakfast/ post-workout snack.
Post by wanderingback on Aug 1, 2024 8:52:26 GMT -5
A registered dietician is a good start.
Otherwise for simplicity the rule about buy most of your groceries from the perimeter of the grocery store is a good place to start. Fruits, veggies, eggs, meats, etc vs the aisles of chips and cookies. Nuts and olives are a good snack as well.
I don’t have time or desire to track anything so that’s what I focus on mostly, eating "Whole Foods" as much as possible.
Post by dutchgirl678 on Aug 1, 2024 8:55:14 GMT -5
Check out Dr Sarah Ballantyne and her new book Nutrivore. It talks about the nutrients in food and gives a ton of information without talking about bad vs good foods. It’s not a diet.
But I agree that it might be a good idea to talk with a nutritionist as well to create a plan that works for you.
I follow the Mediteranean Diet as well after it was recommended by my endocrinologist.
The research just makes the most sense and I feel my best on this lifestyle. Plus it's fairly easy to follow and stick too for me. Eating out is challenging but I just make the best choices I can. HTH
I've found protein for lunch gets me to dinner much easier than other things. If I don't eat protein then I'm starving by 4pm and end up not hungry for dinner because I grab something quick and easy for a snack (read not the healthiest).
I aim to eat protein, carb, fat and fiber at each meal. Carbs I aim to have a whole grain. You probably will need to just try things to see what works best and what you like.
I usually do Greek yogurt (protein) with berries (carb, fiber) and a high protein cereal (protein and fat).
Lunches I do leftovers or a turkey sandwich on Dave’s killer bread. Or a salad with grilled chicken and some dressing. Fat will help you absorb vitamins and minerals and helps me feel satiated.
My Mom is a dietician and I took nutrition in college so I absorbed a lot of this throughout my life. A few sessions with a dietitian would be great for you.
Yep--an RD is a good start. If you are an athlete or athletic, I'd try to find someone that works with athletes. Their needs are different than someone who is sedentary. I know a few RDs that do this if you want to DM me.
Otherwise for simplicity the rule about buy most of your groceries from the perimeter of the grocery store is a good place to start. Fruits, veggies, eggs, meats, etc vs the aisles of chips and cookies. Nuts and olives are a good snack as well.
I don’t have time or desire to track anything so that’s what I focus on mostly, eating "Whole Foods" as much as possible.
This is also my strategy. It sounds simple, but I try to eat more fruits, veggies and proteins than anything else.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
Like others have said, I try and focus on eating whole/minimally processed foods most of the time. I aim for ~30g of protein per meal (especially breakfast) along with some fiber and healthy fats (I find eating enough good fats is the key to keeping me satiated). I always try to add a veggie and/or fruit to all meals/snacks.
This is a "typical" day: Breakfast- plain 2% Greek yogurt (18g protein) with fruit, a little honey, vanilla, cinnamon, chia or flax seeds and 2 HB eggs (12g protein) Or a protein shake (cottage cheese, coconut water, frozen fruit, frozen avocado, spinach, chia seeds, protein powder) Lunch- salad with leftovers (chicken, steak, taco meat etc) or some turkey lunchmeat. I make sure to add lots of stuff to not only fill me up, but make the salad interesting- nuts, raw or cooked veggies, a little cheese and make my own dressing with olive oil and vinegar. Or lately I've been into a turkey sandwich on sourdough with a side of raw veggies and hummus and some fruit. Sometimes I even have a few potato chips. Dinner- now that it's summer, we grill a lot. Meat and veggies/potatoes all on the grill. Today we are having center cut pork chops that H will throw some bbq sauce on, with grilled sweet potatoes (I put them in the microwave for a few minutes to start the cooking and then slice in large discs, season with lots of spices and olive oil and then grill) and a tomato/cucumber/onion salad with fresh mozz.
I don't snack much during the day, since I'm eating enough for meals. But sometimes I'll have some cheese and crackers, apple and PB etc. I also love a sweet treat at the end of the day so I'll have a few spoonful's of Ben & Jerry's, a piece or 2 of chocolate, a couple cookies etc. Not every night, but probably 3-5 days a week.
Doing this for the past year or so, I've lost about 15lbs without really trying. I still go out to eat, drink alcohol a few days a week, get fast food once in a while.
I try to make a lot of our dressings, marinades to avoid processed bottled stuff. Buy plain yogurt and add my own fruit, stuff like that.
Any favorite mediterranean diet recipes? I get the general gist, but curious what a typical day looks like?
Well, a weekly rotation my family loves are greek chicken bowls.
Brown rice, greek grilled chicken, village salad (cucs, tomatoes, red onion, marinated about 20 mins in red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and greek seasoning), feta, hummus, tzaiziki, kalamata olives. Sometimes I add green beans or some baby lettuces to the bowl. I will post greek seasoning recipe we all love.
I love this website. She is a little heavy on Parsley and it's not my favorite so I sometimes swap that out or lower amount recommended: She had a great tip on soaking red onion in red wine vinegar to remove a bit of the "bite" so I do that often.
Id try out a couple recipes and just swap out some items to start. I started by eliminating butter and only using evoo. And using fresh herbs when possible and really avoiding seasoning packets.
One of the other things I enjoy about MD is you don't need to feel guilty. You can have a piece of birthday cake or an ice cream on occasion. It's ok to still enjoy your favorites once in a while. It's about making better choices most of the time for a happy balance.
We are all having to undo a lot of the diet culture damage that was done in the 90's, I still have to remind myself that full fat is usually better and that bread doesn't have to be the devil.
I will echo the suggestions to meet with a dietician, there is so much actual great food science that can guide you far beyond any traditional diet advice.
2 things I found very manageable to learn and implement & really passed the test of time, as in, I continue to eat this way.
1- I 100% agree with the Mediterranean diet. Which is not a diet as much as a a delightful way to eat when you have access to a climate and culture that grows & cultivates fresh, wonderful food.
2- Choose whole foods - as in, choose, prepare, and eat foods in their most natural state as found in nature. You probably already do this in lots of ways - a piece of fruit, chicken breast, etc. I found that really, strongly putting priority on “is this food found in nature this way” Really opened my eyes. So, I am hungry - eat a potato, not potato chips; eat a chicken leg, not sliced deli turkey slices. And then pay attention to all the stuff we put on top of the food or dip, or any extra. The eye opening part was how often and easily I reached for processed foods when I really looked at it. It’s everywhere. That’s where the calorie counting became necessary. When I am just eating food in its natural state I make good decisions, don’t feel denied, don’t need to count the calories, and generally feel good.
Agree with everyone who said focus on protein. I try to add a fruit or veggie to every meal. Usually a fruit with breakfast and lunch and a veggie with dinner. I'll use vegetables to bulk up meals because I like to eat large quantities, lol. For example, the other night I made homemade chicken meatballs to go on pasta, and I gave myself a small serving of pasta but also sauteed zucchini and mushrooms to mix in, which made it seem like a lot more food. Another example is that I made an orzo dish with chicken sausage but I added corn, spinach, and sauteed peppers/onions for more heft. I have to do this on the side because my H doesn't like cooked veggies, but its not a huge deal for me.
Agree with everyone who said focus on protein. I try to add a fruit or veggie to every meal. Usually a fruit with breakfast and lunch and a veggie with dinner. I'll use vegetables to bulk up meals because I like to eat large quantities, lol. For example, the other night I made homemade chicken meatballs to go on pasta, and I gave myself a small serving of pasta but also sauteed zucchini and mushrooms to mix in, which made it seem like a lot more food. Another example is that I made an orzo dish with chicken sausage but I added corn, spinach, and sauteed peppers/onions for more heft. I have to do this on the side because my H doesn't like cooked veggies, but its not a huge deal for me.
Same here. On Tuesday night I made a recipe I found online for Pesto Shrimp & Mushrooms, but added a zucchini and a yellow bell pepper. And as I've been eating leftovers, I've added a handful of spinach for even more bulk. And today I added 2 eggs.
ETA: All that to say that you can add a TON of veggies to your meals to help fill you up, both immediately and throughout the next few hours.
lust2hart, probably TMI but sometimes I go a little overboard on this and it's not kind to my stomach, lol. Like all the broccoli I had in a salmon bowl last week. Oh well.
Any favorite mediterranean diet recipes? I get the general gist, but curious what a typical day looks like?
I signed up for a Mediterranean Living 6 week program created by an RD, Bill Bradley. It gave me the nuts and bolts of how to do mediterránean diet while living in the US.
He has some free YouTube videos to give you some ideas of his style. I like that he really genuinely enjoys food and his videos make you want to try the recipes. Youtube video of what I eat in a day. This is where I admit that I do more batch meal prep than he does and buy some packaged foods (like TJ lentil salads, pre-marinated salmon] that fit the general idea.
Not sure this is what you’re looking for, but I try to cook from scratch as much as possible and get a lot of my recipes from Skinny Taste blog. I trust that they’re healthy especially since it’s mostly fresh veggies and protein. I have never been one to stick to any kind of diet/calorie counting so I focus on eating whole foods and limiting processed stuff.
I like to bake though so that often counteracts my other healthy habits. 🤐
These are the things that help/helped me the most early on: --Focus on proteins/whole foods (as people already said). In the beginning, that was as simple as just making sure I had a protein in every meal. (Like, I don't just have a bagel w/ butter for breakfast or penne vodka at a restaurant ... I'll have a bagel with eggs scrambled with cottage cheese or penne vodka with chicken.)
--Focus on addition, not subtraction ... in my examples above, I didn't swap out the bagel or pasta, but instead simply added more protein. Same goes for cravings ... have the thing you crave but add to it to make it more balanced and not have your blood sugar spike as much. I think this helps make the changes more sustainable over the long term and break the diet culture focus on calories/fat (instead the focus is on being satiated/satisfied).
--Identify what being thirsty feels like to you. I'm horrible at drinking water, and what I realized is that when I crave a specific food, I want that food. But when I crave *something*, but have no idea what or nothing sounds good, I'm actually thirsty. It's a really specific feeling, I don't know if it's the same for everyone or not? So when I find myself looking in the fridge and pantry and back again, I drink something and go do something else for 20 min. 9 of 10 times I don't want anything anymore.
--Those last 2 things ^^ actually ended up reducing cravings and binging. Because nothing is off limits and I eat the things I want, I end up eating, for instance, a couple of pieces of gummy candy and don't want more vs. eating the whole bag because welp, today is "ruined" anyway, so might as well eat them and get rid of them so I can get "back on track" tomorrow. Swearing off candy was never going to be a lifestyle change for me.
--I eat when I'm just starting to get hungry or even before I get hungry. I used to wait until I was starving and then end up eating while I'm cooking or on the way home from the grocery store, or eating way more. When I'm satiated, I'm setting myself up for success. I can make good choices and take the time to prepare food so it's most enjoyable.
One note I'll mention about dietitians as I saw a couple over the course of my journey to get healthier. I'm sure there are so many good ones out there. But there are still some who focus on a low-fat diet, traditional meal plans, etc. I think I'd actually favor someone who has graduated more recently. Maybe my experience is atypical, but just some food for thought.
I think those are the main starter pieces of advice ... as you get into it, you'll evolve more but take it slow. Try to introduce one change at a time. The slow road is the fast road, as least for me! The fast road just leads to me losing and gaining the same amount of weight over and over.
I'm a registered dietitian. A good rule of thumb is to eat 3 meals per day and add snacks if you're going longer than 3-4 hours between meals. Aim to include carbs + fiber, fats, and proteins at meals.
If you're starving in between the hours of 9-2 then I would first be curious to know if you're eating enough overall. If you're meeting your caloric needs overall then I would want to know what your breakfast and morning snack look like, specifically (1) are you eating enough at these meals, (2) are they rich in protein and fat and (3) are you having a morning snack if you're going more than 3-4 hours in between breakfast and lunch.
For general nutrition, adding fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts/seeds where you like them is a great way to add in nutrients and fiber.
For your question about protein, the average woman needs 15-30g of protein per meal and it's helpful to have 5-10g at snacks. If you're really active 5 days per week then you may be on the mid to higher end. I kind of view the new social media trend of trying to get 150-200g protein per day as a newer extension of diet culture. Most people don't need that much, and if you're getting that much protein then you're probably not getting enough carbs or fat.
It's also okay to not just shop the perimeter of the store. Things like frozen fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are in the middle of the store and those can be really dense in nutrients, too.
Also for anyone who is interested, the dietetics profession is currently having a discussion about why labeling a way of eating as mediterranean may be problematic for a variety of reasons.
Here are some articles about it if you're interested in learning more:
I eat chickpeas for a late breakfast several times per week. Im the type that likes to have a meal prepped and ready to go. So I roast a huge pan of grape tomatoes, add chickpeas and olive oil and spices and eat that almost daily. You can add a fried egg, or whatever else you have in the fridge (salad, leftovers, etc).
I swear by ww - It helped me eat more balanced. It’s not restrictive in the least and helped with “food noise”. It helped me understand that fats are good for my body and that the more protein I eat, the more gulll I’ll feel.
Sort of a take on what others have said. Eat real food instead of ultra processed stuff. Skip the "tastes like butter" and get the real butter (Hint: should be just cream or cream +salt). If you can't pronounce it, try to avoid it.
Don't think that processed is necessarily bad. Most food we eat is processed in some way--even if it's just washed or washed and cut up. Very few of us eat truly unprocessed food...but the closer to nature as it can get is less processed. (You cooked that meat, right? That's a form of processing.)
I'm a registered dietitian. A good rule of thumb is to eat 3 meals per day and add snacks if you're going longer than 3-4 hours between meals. Aim to include carbs + fiber, fats, and proteins at meals.
If you're starving in between the hours of 9-2 then I would first be curious to know if you're eating enough overall. If you're meeting your caloric needs overall then I would want to know what your breakfast and morning snack look like, specifically (1) are you eating enough at these meals, (2) are they rich in protein and fat and (3) are you having a morning snack if you're going more than 3-4 hours in between breakfast and lunch.
For general nutrition, adding fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts/seeds where you like them is a great way to add in nutrients and fiber.
For your question about protein, the average woman needs 15-30g of protein per meal and it's helpful to have 5-10g at snacks. If you're really active 5 days per week then you may be on the mid to higher end. I kind of view the new social media trend of trying to get 150-200g protein per day as a newer extension of diet culture. Most people don't need that much, and if you're getting that much protein then you're probably not getting enough carbs or fat.
It's also okay to not just shop the perimeter of the store. Things like frozen fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are in the middle of the store and those can be really dense in nutrients, too.
Ha, the 3 grocery stores I typically shop the frozen fruits and veggies are more on the outer part of the store and not in the middle.
Obviously every grocery store layout is different! There could of course be chips, cookies, etc on the perimeter as well But I think the concept is to shop for whole foods which historically aren’t in the middle aisles but of course your layout could be different.
I recently paid money and did a program which I ended up loving. But the main takeaways from it were: 20g protein per meal Eat every 3-4 hours (this has seriously changed my life) Eat 4 meals a day Plate is half veggies, 1 serving protein, 1 serving fruit, and 1 serving fat. Eating that 4 times a day every 3-4 hours has seriously changed everything for me.
I typically eat breakfast around 6/6:30, and then like you was starving by 9 or 10. But I always felt like that was too early to actually eat lunch so I'd snack trying to wait the time out, not be that hungry at lunch time, but then be hungry around 2/3 which was then too close to dinner to eat a meal.
A typical day of eating for me is: 6:30am - oatmeal with scoop of protein powder and 1T peanut butter or omelet (2 eggs and 1/2c egg whites) with spinach, tomato, and onion inside. Berries or fruit on side 10am - usually dinner left overs, but I eat a full meal here. So like today I had pork tenderloin, cauliflower, and quinoa with a pan sauce. 1pm - coffee smoothie: iced coffee, protein powder, riced cauliflower, peanut butter, half banana blended up. 5pm - dinner following the protein/veggie/fruit/fat from above. I just plug stuff into that formula and it helps make it easier. Tonight it was a mojo chicken, sweet potato, and spinach salad.