“HELP!” What exactly is “Healthy”?

slifter16
slifter16 Posts: 53 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
As someone who has never grown up on vegetables and fruits, it’s kind of a challenge, 20 years later, to start a habit I’ve never once in my life had. I grew up on of course fatty and unhealthy foods. Fried chicken, pork chops, pizza, chilli dogs, cheese fries, donuts, cookies, everything you can name. And still to this day I have an issue with controlling myself around unhealthy food and being STRESSED and DEPRESSED doesn’t make anything better also. So I ask, what exactly is “HEALTHY” food? I’ve watched a documentary on Netflix called “What The Health” and even though they were giving great facts about the benefits of veggies and the disadvantages of meat, I can’t see myself being a complete vegan. So what can I do? I heard about Keto Diets in which I heard it’s just a low carb high fat diet which can actually be dangerous because your body needs fat. Then I hear about liquid diets, vegan diets, etc etc. But are these diets really necessary?? I hear different things about “Healthy” food all the time. It shocks me to find out that the things that I think are healthy are not healthy AT ALL! I hear carbs are BAD then I hear carbs are GOOD. I hear Sugar is bad, and then I hear SUGAR IS GOOD! WHOLE GRAIN IS BAD, WHOLE GRAIN IS GOOD! And I’m just to the point where I give up! I don’t know how to eat healthy simply because I never did. Are diet supplements necessary? Are protein shakes necessary? I have been struggling with my weight all my life and I am 365 at this moment and I am only 20 years old. I’m ready to take control of my life but how can I do that if I simply don’t know the RIGHT FOODS TO EAT!

Replies

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Eat the foods that you like and that are easy to prepare/cook: pork chops, hamburger meat -- whatever you like.
    If you like certain fruits and veggies, eat those. The same with dairy products -- eat those if they work for you.
    Eat rice and bread and potatoes as long as they fit into your calories for the day.
    Consider creating an account on Pinterest for pictures of food ideas.
    Also this: https://www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/beginner-dinner-recipes?utm_term=.scdQm8LGBM#.qjXMmA0QDw
    Check out this forum for cooking ideas: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/recipes
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Healthy eating and weight management is really simple. You just have to start with the basics and learn to ignore fads. So your first challenge is to find out what's real facts and what's garbage - and that's difficult because scams are often very convincing. They make your heart beat faster, you get a sense of urgency. The truthful and effective often looks boring and unimportant in comparison. Compare MFP's setup and food diary to any diet commercial. Which one catches your attention most?

    The truth: There are no right or wrong foods. All foods can be eaten in moderation. But some foods are easier to moderate than others. A healthy diet is varied and balanced, it provides you with all the nutrition you need every day, and not too much of anything over time. The easiest way to have a healthy diet, is to eat a variety of foods from all the food groups. This means that you will have to cook. But cooking can be done really simple and easy.

    Healthy eating is a healthy diet and a healthy attitude towards food, eating and your body. You take care to feed yourself properly, but you also seek and allow yourself enjoyment in food. You feel in charge and trust that you are able to make good decisions for yourself.

    I agree that national nutritional guidelines is a good place to start (I am one of the people who has some reservations).
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    Mornepro has it perfectly! Avoid any fads and avoid excluding things for the sake of it (or because you read it online/in a newspaper!). If you can cook from scratch then do, as much as possible - its easier to work out what you are eating, and there are less likely to be hidden sugars which will increase the calories without any real benefit. However, there is nothing wrong with a jar of pasta sauce, just watch out for ones which are high in fat (I've seen some which have a layer of oil on top - yuck!), which can be because they have parmesan in them (much better to add the amount of parmesan you need added on top). Ignore "eating clean" as most people have no idea what they mean by it, its just another way to demonise random ingredients. >:)
    My top tip is to get a food scale and weigh things, especially those which are hard to judge (pasta, cereals) or which you find it easy to eat too much of (in my case, cheese!!). I find logging helps me to not eat certain things sometimes, but if I really want it then I will either cut out something else or exercise to give me the "spare" calories.
  • NadNight
    NadNight Posts: 794 Member
    edited January 2018
    I think in the simplest terms eating healthily means not eating anything in excess. You can eat a burger or cookie whilst still eating healthily- just learn to reduce your portion size. All the shout about one particular food being bad changes ever other week like you say, but in a way they're all right! Sugar will make you gain weight...if you eat too much. So will fat. So will wholegrain!

    Like other people here have said, lots of peoples diets these days are high in saturated fats, added sugar and salt and they are what you need to look out for because often we aren't aware of how much we're actually eating them. For weight loss, you need to burn more calories than you put in. Fats and sugar are calorie dense so people tend to eat less of them when they're trying to lose weight, whereas vegetables aren't so calorific so they can eat more of them.

    Look for leaner cuts of meat vs fatty ones. If you like chicken and burgers then experiement with flavouring and grilling your chicken rather than frying it or look for lower fat burgers.

    Try and find fruit and veg that you genuinely like (watch out for tinned fruit though, go for things tinned in juice not syrup). Veg is great for bulking up pasta or cous cous dishes too.

    Don't drink lots of empty calories and sugar in the form of fizzy drinks and such. Water is amazing, keeping hydrated means you're less likely to mistake thirst for hunger and I've found sometimes I eat just out of boredom and wanting something to do so having a water bottle to hand helps with that.

    Be aware of cooking oils too- people can forget to log oils and are eating a lot more calories than they realise

    Basically just be aware of what you're eating, look at foods packaging for added sugar and sat fat content (things like cereals and sauces often have high quantities). Where you can, cook from scratch or as close as possible so you know what's going in. You don't have to cut out oils and condiments but just be aware of how much of them you're actually eating (like sauce on a burger).

    Personally my method of 'healthy eating' is to eat a rainbow (though not in skittles). If you've ever watched these food programmes looking at peoples diets where they keep a food diary for a week and then they lay out all the food on the table, you'll see a lot of beige. White bread, pasta, pastries. It's pretty bland and offputting to look at! But if you imagine a table of luscious green leaves, peas and broccoli, orange sweet potatoes and carrots, purple beetroot, blueberries, succulent red berries and juicy tomatoes, a crispy golden loaf of wholemeal bread, flaky coral salmon and creamy white cod...you get the picture. Variety= nutrients= healthy eating.

    Embrace all the food groups, maybe try making your own sweet baked goods on occasion instead and enjoy the product of your hard work instead of buying packaged ones from the shops so they're less of an easy convenience food? I think healthy eating isn't just about eating low calorie but also about eating what makes you feel good and satisfied. I'm pretty sure anyone who says they're happy eating soggy salads twice a day is lying!

    Weigh your pasta, oats, cous cous (it's so easy to make more than you need of these) and choose wholemeal options where available- eat a fistful of protein in the the form of lean meats, eggs, greek yoghurt- eat fruit and veg to your hearts content- let yourself indulge occasionally because as long as you're eating lower sat fat, sugar and salt 80% of the time, the odd treat won't do any damage

    The last thing I wanted to say is that people often seem to think that healthy eating means dieting and eating boring food. I don't know if that's true for you but my mum always says how she doesn't want to eat healthily because it's boring and she doesn't like the food and she also associates 'healthy' eating with eating less, being restrictive and generally being miserable. She's so wrong about it though. You can technically lose weight on a healthy or unhealthy diet (eat 8-10 packets of crisps a day and you're probably eating few enough calories to lose weight...not very nutritious though is it?). But 'healthy eating' and weight loss or dieting aren't synonymous and I think if you have that mental outlook then you need to change your mindset from 'I'm banning all this delicious food I love in favour of tasteless celery sticks and soggy spinach' to something like 'I'm increasing the variety of delicious food my diet and giving my body a range of nutrients'. Just like on an unhealthy diet, eating fewer calories than you burn will make you lose weight, eating the same will make you maintain and eating more will make you gain
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    slifter16 wrote: »
    Fried chicken, pork chops, pizza, chilli dogs, cheese fries, donuts, cookies, everything you can name. And still to this day I have an issue with controlling myself around unhealthy food and being STRESSED and DEPRESSED doesn’t make anything better also. So I ask, what exactly is “HEALTHY” food?
    Increase fruits and veggies. Veggies are usually low calorie.
    Learn to cook chicken and pork chops without adding cooking fat because that has calories.
    Save the cheese fries, donuts, and cookies for once in a while and on days that you planned to fit them into your calories.

    Here are some pork chop recipes. :)
    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/19273/ingredients/meat-poultry/pork/chops/



  • Rosemary7391
    Rosemary7391 Posts: 232 Member
    It sounds like you're a little bit overwhelmed from your post, and I'm not surprised since there is so much information out there!

    The thing is, you don't have to be perfect. Just start with where you're at, and try to make next week healthier than the last. As you need to lose weight, probably the best place to start is to eat exactly the same sorts of food as you are now, but in appropriate quantities so you start losing weight. This app is great for that :) Once you've got that down pat, pick something else to focus on - maybe add a portion of fruit every day, try it for a week or two. If you like it, stick with it, if you don't then try something else. Don't try and climb the mountain all in one go :)
  • mowu
    mowu Posts: 245 Member
    Taking a look at the Food Pyramid and the guide to it may help - it is a tool that's generally recognized, but like all other tools you need to know a bit about how to use it to really gain effect from it......and like all other thing it does contain simplifications and assumptions.

    But to get a general impression of what is generally considered as a "healthy and varied" way to compose your diet I think it is quite good and simple to use.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    Starting out, just concentrate on your daily calorie goal. You'll quickly find out that high calorie foods eat up your budget. So, you'll find yourself looking for lower calorie alternatives--leaner meats, less condiment, more vegetables, more fruits, less cheese, less dessert, and so on. Slowly you'll be nudged in the right direction, and discover new recipes on here. It' a process. Try to eat a variety of foods. You'll do fine, and be "healthy" to boot.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Healthy eating in a nutshell: a variety of nutritious foods but not too much of anything and a diet that is enjoyable enough to keep up. Tune out any info clutter about any single food or food group being good or bad. No single food is good or bad in a vacuum without context. It all depends on your overall diet and your own issues and preferences. Forget all diets that have names, all documentaries, all cleanese, potions, powders, dieting schemes, blog posts... everything. Just start from the most basic thing: a variety of foods that taste good to you.

    A couple of steps that may help you get started:
    1. log what you are currently eating, don't diet, just log. Notice your eating patterns. How is your protein doing? Too little fiber? What foods contribute to the majority of your calories? Just observe for a short while and get comfortable with the habit of logging food.
    2. After you have logged for a while and have an idea of your eating patterns, what things can you change or tweak to make your diet better? Are there ways to cook some of the foods you love that result in something enjoyable but lower in calories? Are there ways to introduce other foods that fill a nutritional gap for you? You could use any official food guideline you like to get an idea of the foods you feel curious about introducing. It's important not to reduce your calories too much at this point, as you're still learning and drastic changes could be overwhelming, especially if it's all new to you which appears to be the case.

    After that, things gradually get easier. You'll learn what foods fill you up for fewer calories, you will find yourself wanting to experiment with things, you'll slowly start to form your own healthy diet that you enjoy based on your own experiences and preferences, not based on what others want you to eat because they want to sell a book/a documentary.

    Cooking is a useful tool, too. If you don't cook, it's time to learn. You can eat well without cooking, but it's much easier to do if you cook and it doesn't necessarily mean slaving over a stove for hours. Most general cookbooks tend to have a variety of nutritious options. It's easy to weed out things that are too heavy on calories - if it contains too much oil, butter, nuts...etc, you can either modify it to include less of these if possible, or skip it to the next thing you find appealing.

    You can always ask for help here if you need it.

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