What does " eat healthy " actually mean ?

[897tgigvib]

Shopping cart trader gets home with groceries, dutifully paid for and all...


Unloading bags in kitchen...

Oh boy! Looga the raspberries! mmm, and 2 bunches of bananas!

ok, green pasta. I'll figure it out. oh boy! 10 pounds of tomatoes. Guess I'm gonna be making tomato sauce, cuz, here's 7 cloves of garlic.

...wonder what that lady was gonna make...

Oh nice. A big hunk of mozarella. must weigh in at 3 pounds! Loogit all these bags of spices. i'll be eatin like that lady's husband!

ohhhhhhhh, what kind of flour is this? oh man, here's a lifetime supply of fleischman yeast. i get it. she was gonna be making breads! 2 pineapples? How'd she find these little tiny cuts of steak? oh, here's a can of sardines. musta either been a treat for her husband, or else maybe for her cat.

whart's this? ohhhp! one of those silly national enquirer things. i guess there really are people who read those. emergency spare kindling for the woodstove...

Hmmm. maybe that's how i'll do my grocery shopping! serruptitiously switching grocery carts with a lady...

 

[so lucky]

Now Marshall, with your charm, I bet you could get a woman to walk along side you and tell you what to put in your cart. Women like to tell men what to do, and you would get nutritious food. A win-win!

 

[Ridgerunner]

"Women like to tell men what to do" Who would have ever thought?

I'm lucky that I can eat about anything without getting a reaction, so I just try to eat a balanced diet. A little bit of a lot versus bingeing out on one thing. Key word "try". I don't always succeed.

My wife however has serious problems with her digestive tract. She has to be very careful with what she eats. Seeing what my wife goes through helps me understand how serious this stuff really is to some people.

The medication you take can have a huge effect on what you can eat without digestive problems. Some medicines can really help you out while others can make you very sensitive to certain foods. If you see a change in what you can eat look for a link with a change in medication.

 

[Lavender2]

@marshallsmyth , you are hilarious! Hey, you could start a business, 'food escorts' for hire! Available at the cart corral, they will slap you every time you attempt to put something unhealthy in your cart.
Your cart swap idea may work, but you will start peeking into carts to make sure there is coffee in there.

We had an unintentional cart swap episode, caused by DH and his flatulence. ... ditching me in the isle, people walking by with that 'EWE' look! In my haste to exit I grabbed the wrong cart, we were done shopping so didn't notice until we got to the checkout. I told him, you go find our cart, I am NOT going back to THAT isle! OMG we were dying laughing!

A healthy diet to me is variety, moderation, and eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. Our bodies change as we age, so must our diet, sometimes it's easy changes, sometimes not. If they ever take my coffee away, just push me in the hole.
And never make your kids eat everything on their plate.

 

[Lavender2]

I think one of the issues here is, there is a difference between 'eating healthy' and 'special diet'...a diet where there are certain foods you cannot or should not eat because of a health issue.

My mom has been on the diabetic diet for about 15 years, when she we diagnosed with prediabetes. It was easier for her since she never really enjoyed sweets and always favored vegetables. On this diet she actually ate more than she previously had eaten and she lost weight. She credits the weight loss to always having a protein for breakfast and small meals/snacks throughout the day, rather than her habit of skipping breakfast and going long periods without eating. She watched her sister battle diabetes, so is very careful and determined.

My older sister was a vegetarian for about 10 years, ran in marathons and was extremely active, age 40-50. She started having issues with her cholesterol and blood pressure.... and started researching different diets. Much research lead her to diets very similar to the diabetes diet.
Mom is 83 and very healthy, big sis is on the diabetes diet and feeling great, so far everything is under control.

It's not easy, but small gradual changes can turn into a healthy lifestyle, and if you screw up once in a while, make tomorrow a better day.

 

[journey11]

Now Marshall, with your charm, I bet you could get a woman to walk along side you and tell you what to put in your cart. Women like to tell men what to do, and you would get nutritious food. A win-win!

This had me in stitches!


Healthy for me means trying to avoid processed foods and eating whole foods (variety, in moderation) as close to their natural state as possible. Most of your convenience boxed/bag/frozen foods are going to have added sodium, sugar, hydrogenated oils, msg, preservatives, artificial colors, etc. We don't need that in our bodies. That is one of the main reasons I raise meat chickens. I don't like flavor, texture or added sodium from the solution they brine store-bought chicken in (or paying more per pound for the brine. )

Does sound like you need some protein with each meal, @bobm . And try eating smaller, more frequent meals, like every 2-3 hours eat something. This is good for your metabolism and also if you aren't eating huge, infrequent meals, the size of your stomach (the organ, not your belly ) will shrink up some and you'll feel fuller quicker. It may be too that you are having some stomach acid issues or reflux that is making your stomach feel pangs as if it is empty although it is not. You may want to talk with your doctor about that. Certain foods sit on the stomach longer than others as well, which is why you want the protein which digests slower. I think if your meals contain a combination of things from each of the food groups, you can sneak those veggies in there and still feel full. Need to fit in those colorful fruits and veggies for your health and preventing disease.

 

[so lucky]

Lots of good advice here. I just marvel at the vast amount of knowledge (and silliness) that we collectively have on this forum. Yea for us!

 

[bobm]

This had me in stitches!


Healthy for me means trying to avoid processed foods and eating whole foods (variety, in moderation) as close to their natural state as possible. Most of your convenience boxed/bag/frozen foods are going to have added sodium, sugar, hydrogenated oils, msg, preservatives, artificial colors, etc. We don't need that in our bodies. That is one of the main reasons I raise meat chickens. I don't like flavor, texture or added sodium from the solution they brine store-bought chicken in (or paying more per pound for the brine. )

Does sound like you need some protein with each meal, @bobm . And try eating smaller, more frequent meals, like every 2-3 hours eat something. This is good for your metabolism and also if you aren't eating huge, infrequent meals, the size of your stomach (the organ, not your belly ) will shrink up some and you'll feel fuller quicker. It may be too that you are having some stomach acid issues or reflux that is making your stomach feel pangs as if it is empty although it is not. You may want to talk with your doctor about that. Certain foods sit on the stomach longer than others as well, which is why you want the protein which digests slower. I think if your meals contain a combination of things from each of the food groups, you can sneak those veggies in there and still feel full. Need to fit in those colorful fruits and veggies for your health and preventing disease.

I butcher my own for meat. I have been to dietitions , however their "help " is of little help as they give you a standard " healthy " menu that includes cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt as well as peanut butter ... things that I just can't stomach . I eat small meals 6 times per day for the past 5 years. I mostly eat the same things daily which include meat protein in almost every meal, and only limited small amount of rice and pasta very ocationaly for the last year, but for some reason ( 2nd time this past 2014 year ) my blood sugar spikes 2+ x fold within an hour and a half for some reason for the last week. Example : yesterday morning the test showed 120, ate a bowl of 1/2 cup oatmeal with a little honey and a glass of milk, just over an hour later, I started to get a headache, felt dizzy ... blood sugar was 297.( The day before I had the same breakfast blood sugar was 133 , but rose only to 148.) I left a message to my Doctor to refer me to an Endochrinologist . We will see what happens next.

 

[thistlebloom]

Sorry about your diet troubles Bob. My mother in law has been diabetic for about 25 years, and I know she started having similar problems like yours with controlling her blood sugar. She now checks her blood about every two hours and then eats something accordingly. Are you on insulin?

I hope you get some help soon.

 

[journey11]

That is rough, Bob. I am sorry you are having so much trouble with your blood sugar. I hope the docs can get you some help. Certainly you are eating "healthy" but your body is working against you. Let us know how this goes.