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Your diet?


 
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#1 serahki

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 01:19 AM

I am generally curious about other people's diets.

If you have the time, will you please give me a run down of what you really eat and drink on a regular basis?

Please, do not feel as if you will be judged by your responses. I want to know what you truly eat and drink- not what you want, plan, or should eat and drink. I really just want to figure out some thing about my own diet, and I hope that this disclaimer will show on my insistence upon honesty within this thread. I look forward to reading your responses. Thank you!

#2 Sandra Piddock

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 01:34 AM

I try to eat mainly fresh foods, cooked from scratch. I have a problem with eating too many processed foods, both from a health perspective, and a 'green' perspective. While some people may argue that preserving foods is ecologically sound, I believe that it uses too many resources, and also that too many harmful substances can find their way into your body without you realising it. Also, it's cheaper to eat fresh produce in season, as well as being more enjoyable.

Don't think that I'm a dietary saint, though, because I'm not. I eat too much cheese - which I love - and I drink more alcohol than is good for me. I've virtually cut out soda, and I drink sparkling water with lime or lemon juice instead of soft drinks. However, I enjoy my wine and vodka. I don't smoke, so I reckon I deserve one vice.

#3 dconklin

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 10:47 AM

We are on a somewhat low sodium diet here because of a family member having very high blood pressure.  We eat salad often, meat every night (could be fish, chicken, pork or beef), some carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta or bread) and a lot of fresh vegetables.  I try to make healthy meals here, but occasionally we do stray away from it and eat something more unhealthy.  My kids even love their vegetables and eat anything I make them.  

The honey and I often drink milk, coffee, water or juice.  The kids drink milk, water and juice.  We are not the model of a healthy eating family, but we do our best to eat pretty good.  I use a lot of garlic and onion to season so we don't use salt.

#4 FamilyTreeClimber

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 02:09 PM

I eat a vegan diet.   I made the change after 10 years of IBS messed up my digestive tract.  Giving up meat, dairy, and eggs was the only way I could get back to eating meals like normal people.  I didn't really miss those things because none of the three were favorites of mine.  I am lactose intolerant to the point that I can't consume any dairy products, even with the special supplements.  I felt so much better since giving up dairy.

I try to eat fresh food as much as I can.  It's a challenge since my arthritis prevents me from cooking over the stove.  I use the microwave for almost everything.   I eat a ton of vegetables every day.  I eat a variety of legumes, also.  I love greens, too.  I do eat some processed foods like rice mixes and Cheerios (it is all I can tolerate in the morning).  I have vegetables and bean sandwiches for lunch, grains and vegetables for dinner.  I love garlic and have that mixed in my vegetables.

I don't use much seasoning.  I have not cooked with salt in over 20 years.

I'm not a snacker.  I love dark chocolate though.  I have some every day.  But, I don't do any baking and I usually don't eat baked goods unless it's a get together.  I won't buy it for myself.  We do have some excellent organic vegan bakeries around here so it is tempting.

All I drink is water.  It's the IBS.  I can't drink soda, coffee, or anything else.  Water is the only thing that doesn't cause me problems.

I sometimes feel like a lab experiment.  It has taken me years to create the right combination of foods so my IBS does not control my life.  I can say my current diet has many more food choices than I ate before the change.  The traditional American diet of the 70s was incredibly limited.  There are so many vegetables and legumes to try.  Recently, I added black soybeans to my menu.  They are delicious!

#5 serahki

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 11:47 PM

View PostSandra Piddock, on 16 July 2012 - 01:34 AM, said:

. . . think that I'm a dietary saint, though, because I'm not. I eat too much cheese - which I love - and I drink more alcohol than is good for me. I've virtually cut out soda, and I drink sparkling water with lime or lemon juice instead of soft drinks. However, I enjoy my wine and vodka. I don't smoke, so I reckon I deserve one vice.

Thank you so much for sharing. I wish I could cut soda from my diet completely. It is greatest dietary sin by far, and I hate that I feel so dependent on it. I am making steps to keep myself from drinking it, but there are some days when it is literally all I want. Cheese and alcohol are also vices of my own. However, I am currently living on a very frugal budget, so I have had to cut both of them out of my diet almost completely more so out of financial availability rather than choice. I don't enjoy the cheaper, processed cheese simply for its taste.

#6 serahki

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 11:48 PM

View Postdconklin, on 16 July 2012 - 10:47 AM, said:

I try to make healthy meals here, but occasionally we do stray away from it and eat something more unhealthy.

What is an example of an unhealthy meal in your household?

It sounds to me like you are making great strides with your low sodium diet- awesome job!

#7 serahki

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 11:55 PM

View PostFamilyTreeClimber, on 16 July 2012 - 02:09 PM, said:

. . . I sometimes feel like a lab experiment.  It has taken me years to create the right combination of foods so my IBS does not control my life.  I can say my current diet has many more food choices than I ate before the change.  The traditional American diet of the 70s was incredibly limited.  There are so many vegetables and legumes to try.  Recently, I added black soybeans to my menu.  They are delicious!

Wow! What a rigorous diet you have! When it comes to the vegan diet, it is hard for me to imagine giving up dairy products. Granted, I do enjoy both soy and almond substitutes. I have tried incorporating some vegan baking techniques into my cooking routine.

Have you ever tried eating carob as a substitute for chocolate? I am a huge fan of dark chocolate as well, but I do not eat it often. I am not much a of a "sweets person" in nature.

#8 Shortpoet-GTD

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 05:07 AM

98% vegan except for farm raised catfish and once in a blue moon-salmon. No shrimp (thanks bp) or tuna (too
many dolphins caught up in the nets and killed or thrown back into the ocean dead.)

Lot's of veggies, fruits, nuts. (Foods that are on the low glycemic index list.)

I try to steer clear of white= white bread, rice, sugar, salt, pasta. When I do buy pasta, it's whole grain wheat or rye.
Fresh herbs (most of which I grow) instead of dried bottled junk-lemon juice or hot sauce for flavoring instead of salt.
Green or mint tea (Iced and hot.) Never did like soda (belching is too rude) :tongue:
Water

#9 Hardison

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 09:26 AM

My diet is a work in progress. I have given up most meat except for fish. Unfortunately, I have recently given up canned tuna because of tuna from Japan reaching the West Coast. I have eliminated most processed food from my diet. I started reading food labels and discovered that there's a lot of hidden sugar and high fructose corn syrup in a lot of foods. It was surprising to me. I drink water and ice tea during the day. I have given up Coke (soda). On occassion, I will treat myself to a chai tea latte from Starbucks.

#10 Shortpoet-GTD

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 01:18 PM

View PostHardison, on 17 July 2012 - 09:26 AM, said:

My diet is a work in progress. I have given up most meat except for fish. Unfortunately, I have recently given up canned tuna because of tuna from Japan reaching the West Coast. I have eliminated most processed food from my diet. I started reading food labels and discovered that there's a lot of hidden sugar and high fructose corn syrup in a lot of foods. It was surprising to me. I drink water and ice tea during the day. I have given up Coke (soda). On occassion, I will treat myself to a chai tea latte from Starbucks.
First off, good for you!
And second (and not to derail this thread, but high fructose corn syrup is in (almost) everything
and with the drought
(that will continue for months I'm sure) prices for many food items will skyrocket, or at least go up higher.
There's no water for the corn crop.

I wanted to buy a raspberry vinaigrette I had at a friends house but you guessed it-hfcs.
Bah.
It's in most salad dressings.
So I'll stick with my homemade extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing instead.

#11 FamilyTreeClimber

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 01:54 PM

Serahki, making changes without motivation are difficult.  I think if you were faced with the health issues I was going through you might not see the vegan diet as such a difficult change.  Health (or the lack of it) can be such a powerful motivator.   When a certain food gives you problems, it's very easy to decide to avoid it.

It's funny.  Now when I look back, I realize that I probably would have at least ended up a vegetarian even if I didn't have all the health problems.  I never really liked meat except for turkey.  I was known as a child for cleverly hiding my meat under other food on my plate, and then, secretly feeding it to the dog under the table.  LOL

I didn't like eggs.  I didn't like cheese or milk.  I only drank milk if it was chocolate milk.  So, from my perspective, most of the things I gave up were things I never really liked anyway.  It's really not much of a sacrifice when you don't like those foods to begin with. When I first made the change around 1990, it was very difficult to find vegan foods.  I had to buy everything except the produce at a health food store.   It was not easy to find the things I needed to make recipes either.  This has gotten so much easier since Celiac's Disease and Lactose Intolerance have become household phrases.  I have a niece who has Celiacs.  We often can enjoy the same products because gluten free items are often dairy free, too.

I have tried carob.  I don't think it's a good substitute for chocolate, but I enjoy things made with carob.  I used to bake with it when I first made my dietary change.  It has a nice flavor of it's own.  It's just not the same as chocolate.

#12 dconklin

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 04:33 PM

View Postserahki, on 16 July 2012 - 11:48 PM, said:

What is an example of an unhealthy meal in your household?

It sounds to me like you are making great strides with your low sodium diet- awesome job!
A great example of not as healthy is the tacos we just had for dinner tonight.  Sure it has veggies, but I won't even look at the label to see how much sodium is in the seasoning.  We do have other not so healthy meals occasionally, but for the most part we do try to keep it healthier.  Being we didn't do so well tonight on sodium, he will drink extra orange juice to at least get extra potassium.  

I realized how bad things were when we first heard of the high blood pressure.  I started looking at labels more and couldn't believe how much salt is actually in everything.  We are making a great progress here.  We always did eat pretty decent so it was not a huge change, just some minor adjustments.

#13 Shortpoet-GTD

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 04:39 PM

It's hard to give up salt, but what I found out?
Once you go through the "junkie withdrawals" for it, you'll start to "taste" the foods as they were meant to taste.
And my BP has been normal to a bit below normal for several years now. Yay.

#14 dconklin

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 05:13 PM

View PostShortpoet-GTD, on 17 July 2012 - 04:39 PM, said:

It's hard to give up salt, but what I found out?
Once you go through the "junkie withdrawals" for it, you'll start to "taste" the foods as they were meant to taste.
And my BP has been normal to a bit below normal for several years now. Yay.
That's great your BP is normal :biggrin:  Mine is often low to normal and I have never been a salt freak (well I never cooked with salt or added it to food), but I realized how much salt was in some of the food I bought! My honey had a crazy high BP, as in 2 different Drs had their eyes pop out of their head just about when taking his BP - 178/100 something.  He is the one that loves the salt.  I have found for now if I use garlic, onion, peppers or no salt seasoning that he can handle not adding salt.  When I make my homemade spaghetti sauce I only buy Hunt's tomatoes because they have no salt added and they have potassium too.  We are getting much better here.  

I always thought we ate a lower sodium diet here until I started reading labels, I couldn't believe how much sodium is in almost everything!!

#15 FamilyTreeClimber

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 11:29 PM

Shortpoet, when I first gave up salt I thought everything taste terrible.  Everything was blah.  Then, I had a transformation.  About 6 months after I gave up salt, I was steaming carrots.  I popped a cooked one in my mouth and I tasted sweetness.  That carrots was so delicious.  Soon, I was discovering the real flavors of food.  My taste buds had adjusted and everything tasted so much better.  I realized that mostly everything tasted like salt prior to my change.  I had become so accustomed to that taste that I didn't know what the real flavors were.  Now I use very little to no seasonings because I enjoy the true flavors of foods.

Here's something weird that I found out about giving up salt.  There were many things I ate at that time (that I don't any longer) that tasted peculiar after I gave up salt.  Things that tasted sweet suddenly tasted salty.  The strangest examples were Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Frosted Flakes.    These were two junk foods that I loved way back when.  I remember that I hadn't had them for awhile and decided to indulge.  And, they were...gross!  Both of them tasted like they were coated in salt.  It was disgusting.  Frosted Flakes were like potato chip cereal and the peanut butter cups were just awful.  It was really odd for me to find that my taste buds reacted so differently once salt was eliminated from my diet.

Did anyone else have a similar experience when they gave up salt?

#16 zararina

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 11:50 PM

We usually have fresh foods since there is a near wet/dry market here as we do not store foods on the fridge. Usual foods we have include fish, chicken and vegetables. Water is the common drink, sometimes I make fruit smoothies or juices and very seldom that we drink soda. We seldom eat cakes and ice creams too.

#17 Hardison

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Posted 18 July 2012 - 11:54 AM

View PostShortpoet-GTD, on 17 July 2012 - 01:18 PM, said:

First off, good for you!
And second (and not to derail this thread, but high fructose corn syrup is in (almost) everything
and with the drought (that will continue for months I'm sure) prices for many food items will skyrocket, or at least go up higher.
There's no water for the corn crop.

I wanted to buy a raspberry vinaigrette I had at a friends house but you guessed it-hfcs. Bah.
It's in most salad dressings. So I'll stick with my homemade extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing instead.

Yes, high fructose corn syrup is in just about everything. I was completely shocked! I think it messed with my taste buds. I got used to everything being sweet even though eating regular sugar gives me a headache.

Sometimes, I make my own salad dresssing, but right now, I am a big fan of Newman's Own. Not HCF.

I have also discovered that partially hydrogenated oil, or soybean oil is pretty rampart in food too. Even at stores I consider to be health oriented. I just read all labels.

I'm not a big salt eater. I let that go years ago. High blood pressure runs in my family. I do remember my doctor telling me to add salt to my diet. She said that I needed salt. So, I use rock salt grinder.

#18 Shortpoet-GTD

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Posted 18 July 2012 - 02:20 PM

View Postdconklin, on 17 July 2012 - 05:13 PM, said:

That's great your BP is normal :biggrin:  Mine is often low to normal and I have never been a salt freak (well I never cooked with salt or added it to food), but I realized how much salt was in some of the food I bought! My honey had a crazy high BP, as in 2 different Drs had their eyes pop out of their head just about when taking his BP - 178/100 something.  He is the one that loves the salt.  I have found for now if I use garlic, onion, peppers or no salt seasoning that he can handle not adding salt.  When I make my homemade spaghetti sauce I only buy Hunt's tomatoes because they have no salt added and they have potassium too.  We are getting much better here.  

I always thought we ate a lower sodium diet here until I started reading labels, I couldn't believe how much sodium is in almost everything!!
I'm sorry, you'll have to repeat that. I couldn't hear you past all the crunching from the potato chips. Oh wait,
I'll wash it down with a high fructose corn syrup cola drink, right after I polish off this candy bar.
:laugh:

#19 FamilyTreeClimber

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Posted 18 July 2012 - 05:50 PM

I've got the lowest BP in the family.  My top number has never been over 120.  It angers my four siblings to no end since two of them are struggling with high blood pressure. :D

Label reading is so important.  You would think that foods you find at a natural food or health food store would automatically be of a higher quality, but they are not.  The products may be made by smaller companies but they are still laden with sugar and sodium.  You really have to be skeptical.

I've been cutting down on sugar for health reasons.  Recently, I was told to add yogurt to my diet because of thrush.  I eventually had to special order unsweetened soy yogurt by the case.  I was completely shocked at how much sugar is in regular yogurt (soy and dairy).  One brand had 20 grams of sugar a serving.  You might as well be eating ice cream or candy bars.

#20 Shortpoet-GTD

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Posted 19 July 2012 - 03:12 AM

View PostFamilyTreeClimber, on 18 July 2012 - 05:50 PM, said:

Label reading is so important.  I was completely shocked at how much sugar is in regular yogurt (soy and dairy).  One brand had 20 grams of sugar a serving.  You might as well be eating ice cream or candy bars.
I know, right?
Their ads make you think that all is well with your personal universe if you just buy their brand. Until you read the label. :huh:

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