Tag Archives: eat healthy

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How am I supposed to lose weight when my family eats unhealthy?

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Ask:

There’s never really any fruits or vegetables in the house, only junk food, which I’m going to be tempted to eat.
I really want to lose weight, and my mom just doesn’t understand.
Can you give me healthy meals that I can stick to for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
I’m begging you for help.

Answers (2):

Answer 1:

As far as overall health goes diet and exercise are both important but as far as specifically weight loss goes, diet is actually up to 80% of the problem (or solution).
So exercise is very important, don’t get me wrong, and it’ll definitely speed up the process. But you are right that motivation is the biggest part of the battle, so your situation becomes rather sticky. But I’m a little confused. Does your mom refuse to buy anything healthy for you? Or simply refuse to join you in your dieting?
In either case, I suggest doing research and coming to your mom with concrete science about the dangers of being unhealthy AS WELL AS the benefits of being healthy and some tasty looking healthy recipes. If your mom has been refusing to buy you healthy food then that should definitely be enough to change her mind. If she has just been refusing to join you, it may or may not get her on board depending on how convincing you are with your research and recipes.
Since most healthier meals require cooking, you may develop a hobby out of it.I’m no expert, but I know waay more than the average person about nutrition. So hopefully this helps:

What recent research has been showing is that there is a certain rule of thumb that natural or “whole” foods are almost always the better choice. For centuries humans have eaten what they can hunt, find on the ground, or grow, and then we sometimes hold it over fire. That’s how we’ve eaten forever and thats how our bodies evolved to eat, it’s what we’re meant for.
That being the case, there have been many cultures which eat only natural foods without any chemicals and they have very low obesity rates. Even Eskimo people ate pretty much nothing but seal meat, which is very high in fat, they were relatively healthy.
Why? Because our bodies are designed to eat natural foods, not fake preserved foods with unnatural chemicals like hydrogenated oils and processed sugars like corn syrup. Our bodies don’t have a problem adjusting to high fat diets as long as they are totally natural. Now, it may be easier to split the different between a high fat natural diet and a low fat fake one. So you ought to split the difference. Eat any whole food, but you can speed up the process by eating whole foods which are low in fat and high in vitamins. Avoid starchy types of foods like white potatoes (sweet potatoes are alright) and breads, but don’t completely eliminate them from your diet, and given the choice, always pick that over something unnatural. Even if it says “diet” on the front, the whole food is still better. Avoid high sugar foods but especially avoid corn syrup. I can’t stress that enough. Natural sugar makes you WAY less fat than processed corn syrup, and corn syrup also can give you cancer later in life.

AVOID SODA. Even diet soda, diet soda is a huge scam, it does virtually nothing better for your body than regular soda. Soda is basically like drinking candy. Dropping soda is a huge stepping stone. A 12 oz coke can has 40.5 grams of corn syrup. That’s almost as much as an entire package of skittles, which are pretty much made up entirely of sugar.
AVOID RED MEAT like Pork and Beef. They are not lean meats. Chicken, turkey, and fish are much healthier and are a great substitute for your sources of protein (especially fish, salmon is like a miracle food – low in fat and chock full of just about everything your body needs. Mahi mahi is pretty good for you and catfish isn’t the best, but it’s still better than beef or pork).

Also, most people think the vegetarian diet isn’t good because it lacks protein. I’m not saying go veggie but you should know that this is a myth. Very rarely do vegetarians lack protein because people need a lot less protein than most think. You do need it, but very few people in the U.S. are anywhere near needing more. You will get the right amount. So don’t ever worry about trying to get more in your diet. It will just slow you down in weight loss.
Two more things:
Portion of food is a huge factor in weight loss. Sometimes overeating healthy food can be worse than eating the right amount of a food that is not quite as healthy. Overeating is definitely something to avoid. And I know you’re probably hating to hear that because you don’t want to eat a meal that doesn’t satisfy you and leaves you hungry but a good way to make sure that doesn’t happen is to eat more slowly. Your body takes a while to process the idea that it is no longer hungry, so if you eat more slowly, you will start to realize that you are full before you think you would be full, meaning you can eat less and still be satisfied.
Drinking lots of water actually helps speed up the weight loss process quite a bit.

Also, just to clarify, when I say natural foods, that doesn’t mean you can’t cook them. I count cooking as a natural process. I’m just saying that fruits, vegetables, and lean meats are much better for you than anything frozen or preserved that you find at the store.

Source(s):

My mom is a total health nut and knows all kinds of stuff that she talks about all the time. She has been vegan for 9 years actually and really knows her stuff. She also keeps up to date with whatever medical science finds out in nutrition, so I’m up to date with the latest knowledge too.
Answer 2:
It sounds like you’ve already given up. You know what you like to eat. Well figure out how many calories it contains and reduce the amount of it you eat. Do you eat enough vegetables and fruits? No. Well, then eat more.I know the whole weight loss battle, and I kept expecting other people to do the work for me. But you’ve got to actually be interested in helping yourself. Go to the library and get a health book so you understand how many calories you should be eating from different food groups and why. Then think about what you like to eat, and tweak your menu until it is good.

Second pick two days to work out and DO IT ! Whatever activity you like.

In two weeks, maybe add a third day on and extra time.

Tell your whole family your plans to lose weight. I hope they are supportive, but if not it don’t let it bother you. You are going to do it for you. Possibly see if you can find someone else to work out with you. I suggest having an ipod or Mp3 player to workout.

If you have a job, buy your own food and label it. Don’t touch any other food in the refrigerator besides wheat you bought.

I mean there is so much I could tell you, if you are interested in knowing more please email or IM me.

Ask and Answer

How much should 1 person cost & healthy grocery list?

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Ask:

How much money on average do you guys (literally, guys) spend on one week’s worth of food?

And people who consider what they eat healthy, what do you buy per week?
Please break down for me a list of what you normally buy. How much does it cost you?

Answers (2)

Answer 1:

Yep…$50 a week should be enough for a guy (if you like pasta).

The price of groceries is such a big variable that nobody could really help you or give you an accurate idea, unless you’re doing some kind of survey and just want data from people.

Using coupons can slash down any price by half, if the store doubles it. If it does not double it, you’re in the wrong store to use coupons, because in this economy, most of the stores double coupons when the competition does it. I love this bad economy as stores now even accept online coupons that you can print on your printer. They’re everywhere. On advertising websites with coupons or on the actual website of the company making the product(s).

First, (a few years ago) stores would accept online coupons, then they did not because they were too many fakes and now they do accept them again because the competition does so they don’t care about fakes anymore but about keeping you as a customer.

Do you grocery shop at Wal-Mart, Bi-Lo, Publix or Whole Foods Market? (Wal-Mart is cheap…Whole Foods Market is expensive).

Where you shop can slash down any grocery bill by half as well. My favorite store is Publix as they have great service and good products and it’s closer to my house. If I don’t see my cat’s favorite particular flavor in that brand of cat food (my cat is hard to please) that I can buy at Bi-lo but then I tell Publix about it…sure enough, a few days later, it’s there on their shelf. You can also special order any food and they have a special shelve for those. They also have great butchers. If I want to cook Osso Bucco, they will special order the meat (as veal shanks are very expensive so it’s not a big sale and they don’t want to keep it around). And don’t believe any passing-by customer telling you that ox tails are as good as veal shanks to make Osso Bucco.

If you drink alcohol, like wine or beer, those will drive up your grocery list quite considerably…just one beer is like $1 (on sale, or bought in a discount store). I also use cognac to flambé my crepes, cherry in one of my chicken recipe, rum in my rum raisins cake…if you’re tight on money, get away from those.

I drink and even if I did not, I would still need white wine for my onion soup and red wine for my beef burgundy and I enjoy a beer with any pizza or any German type dish that involves sausages and sauerkraut/potatoes…not really on the healthy side, except when it’s winter, it’s cold, and your body wants you to make fat reserves for insulation so you get cozy and save money on utility bills because you’re not shivering skinny and cranking up the heating system.

I’m very lucky, Publix is the closest store and the one where I shop the most (check your mail, they send you $5 coupons all the time and they also have great sales and store coupons) but a couple of miles farther, I have a Bi-lo, next to a Wal-Mart, across the street from a Whole Foods Market!! There’s the trifecta!

A grocery list is not just about food but about toiletry, OTC meds and cleaning products…want to be at Wal-Mart when stocking up on those.

Great organic meat and fruits/veggies…Whole Foods Market is great for those…if you have money or occasional cravings for gourmet cooking. When I get a craving for my Brussels Sprout Parmentier (it’s Brussels Sprouts with roasted potatoes and garlic…goes great to accompany pork chops), Whole Foods have those amazing Brussels sprouts stacks….like a one foot long thing and the Brussels sprouts are still attached to it so they’re very fresh and you don’t have to peel off layers of leaves. It’s very instructive too if you want to know how those grow.

I do not eat a lot of eggs and chicken so when I do it’s organic, free range and more expensive. But it’s just a couple of dollars on your grocery bill as eggs and chicken are pretty cheap (the cheapest source of protein). It’s not just because it’s healthier (more vitamins, less cholesterol, more omega-3…), tastes better, and don’t have all those freakish extra hormones but because it’s a stand against caged animals, caged chicken…which is my idea of Hell…you reincarnate and become a caged chicken, with half a dozen other chickens, stuck there for your whole life with no way out and the stench of the excrements (you can smell a battery house miles away)…my mother once got a good price to rent a house for vacation, but it was a few miles downwind from a chicken battery house! We got used to the smell after a few days and I went there on my bicycle and peeked at this gruesome place (in the middle of nowhere) and each time I see a movie or a documentary about the treatment of Jewish people in concentration camps…I think of those chicken…and they had to lay eggs too! If only the Jewish people had to lay eggs, they would have been properly fed.

Answer 2:

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Ask and Answer

How do I eat healthy in high school during the school year?

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I’m a teenager and I want to focus on eating healthy this school year. When I look on the internet, I found back to school recipes and ideas, but I don’t think they are tailored to the needs of a teenaged girl (ya know, iron, potassium, and all that stuff.) And my taste is a little more sophisticated than a little kids. But I still want good, healthy food this year. Anyone have websites/recipes that they recommend?

Thanks!

Answer (1):

Peace be upon you, my friend:
First of all, I am a fifteen-year-old girl. I am at a normal weight, and I am really attentive to what I put inside my mouth. So, I will tell you how to eat healthy because I know that eating healthy is very important to prevent any diseases, such as heart diseases, brain diseases, and so on.
1. Eat breakfast
2. Never try fad diets: they won’t support your brain or your body, you will only temporarily lose weight, and will, very, very soon, gain more than your original weight!
3. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables daily. Eat a variety because all types are good
4. Make sure you eat whole grains, like whole-wheat bread instead of white bread, oatmeal, and brown rice rather than white rice. Bran is also very filling, so you can put 1 teaspoon of bran on top of your yogurt
5. You should limit your intake of sugar as well as of processed foods, lke: fried foods, pop, sugar cereals, and french fries
6. You should make sure you get plenty of servings from each food group. This is what I do (and do not worry, I do not gain weight because this is considered a very good healthy, balanced diet) You need to get some protein which is found in meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, or soy products
7. You need to get about 2 servings of dairy per say such as: cottage cheese, yogurt, or milk
8. Do not cut on the fats, you should eat some healthy fats each day, such as: olive oil, canola oil, nuts, and fish)
9. Fish is really, really healthy. You can eat about 2 fish a day. It will definitely improve your memory, your mental abilities, and a lot more. You should be eating about 2 meals of fish each week. If not, you can try “Omega-3 pills”: they are for general health and well-being. I take one twice a day during meals to reduce cholesterol and to make me more attentive, and more fresh!
10. Spread out your calories
11. You need to drink LOTS of water
12. You should eat salad, because it consists of vitamins as well as minerals, which are rich in nutrients and so beneficial for your health and well-being. I make a simple salad that consists of only cucumber and tomatoes. Sometimes, I add some carrots and lettuce to it
13. You can get your favorite treat every now and then. Make sure you do not deprive or starve your self. I promise it would lead to binge-eating (Don’t remind me of the regretful feeling I have after binge-eating. It is a feeling that sucks!)
14. You should exercise 3-4 times a week. I personally do some home exercises. For example, I do the squats 15 times, I jump the rope for 10 minutes, I do some crunches for my abs, and so on.
15. If you do so, then you are going to stay healthy and fit

So, let me give you a simple example of what I eat:

Breakfast:
2 boiled eggs
1 whole-wheat toast with cottage cheese
1-3 cucumbers
Milk with cappuccino, OR tea with milk, OR skimmed milk with oatmeal (I use skimmed milk)
* I can use lite yogurt instead of skimmed milk

After 1-2 hours from breakfast, I treat myself with 1-2 pieces of different fruits, like a banana and an apple, an apple and a peach, 15 pieces of grapes and a peach, or with an apple, etc.

Lunch:
Grilled beef or chicken with green salad
A slice of whole-wheat toast

Dinner:
1 yogurt (lite)
1 piece of whole-wheat toast with cottage cheese
1 boiled egg

What do you think?
P.S. You do not have to follow this balanced diet, I am actually trying to lose a bit of weight 🙂

Ask and Answer

What process is the main energy provider in low-carb diets?

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I’ve heard that people on low-carb diets start out feeling without energy, because the body is still accustomed to providing energy through glycolycis, but later in the diet have plenty of energy to spare. If it’s not glycolysis that’s providing the energy(how could it be, where is the glucose) then what is it?

Answer:

Glucose provides quick energy but dietary fats provide sustained energy. Coconut oil if the only fat that provides quick energy just like a carb but without insulin or blood sugar reactions.
The core of Atkins program is converting the body from glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) to ketosis (burning fat as fuel). Dietary fat levels need to be at >65% of total calories, if not, the body will still remain in glycolysis by converting 58% of excess protein into glucose (via gluconeogenesis).

Glucose is the bodies preferred fuel (if you want to get technical, it actually burns alcohol most efficiently, but that doesn’t make it any healthier for the body than carbs), the body can convert 100% of carbs, 58% of protein & 10% of dietary fat into glucose. The body can also be fueled by fat (dietary fat & fat cells) but only in the absence of carbs. Your brain actually prefers* to be fueled by ketones (part of the fat burning process), it does require glucose also, but glucose can be easily converted from excess protein if needed or dietary fat.

I think that ketosis is not the back up fuel plan. I think ketosis was meant to be primary fuel plan, that is easily overridden (one bite) by ingestion of carbs (or alcohol). The body is rarely allowed to become fully fat adapted, especially in these days of people using processed food formula to feed infants instead of breast milk. Carbs were never supposed to be available year around, only seasonally during harvest. The body can easily handle carbs even in excess occasionally, just not continuously. The body can also be fueled by protein (via gluconeogenesis) but long term protein synthesis creates the byproducts of ammonia & nitrogen. The body can easily handle clearing out these byproducts but if gluconeogenesis is used as the primary fuel source for long term, the body can be overwhelmed (poisoned) by the excess ammonia & nitrogen. It’s all contingent on balance but the body functions at optimal levels on more dietary fat & suboptimal levels on less dietary fat. Continue reading What process is the main energy provider in low-carb diets? →