What is the biggest issue in my diet?
Replies
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Don't be afraid to find and visit a local food pantry. They tend to be very nice and some of them offer fresh produce boxes with veggies and fruits that are in season. You don't need to be on SNAP/food benefits in the USA to qualify for a food pantry visit. Also, if you're in the US be sure to check if you're SNAP eligible, even single people qualify for this aid, which is rare.
One of my local food pantries offers a frozen young chicken, butter, shelf stable milk, frozen ground turkey, deli meat, fresh produce box (you don't get to pick what you want), canned meat, canned fruits & veggies, items like shampoo, laundry detergent, toothpaste, cleaning products, etc. too. Yes, all that is FREE to you and doesn't cost you a dime. As a matter of fact, this pantry wishes more people would come and utilize their pantry.
Also, I recommend Leanne Brown's Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4 a Day cookbook. She talks about how to set up a food pantry for yourself in your home, the kitchen equipment needed, and provides basic recipes anyone can do to learn to cook. She also offers the cookbook in Spanish with even more recipes in it. The PDF version is FREE on her website. My local library has a copy so yours might too. If you buy a copy, a copy gets donated and provided to a family in need. https://www.leannebrown.com/ and a direct link to the pdf version: https://books.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf in English. https://books.leannebrown.com/bueno-y-barato.pdf in Spanish.
ETA: Also, I recommend losing the liquid calories and eating real food. I've never found liquid calories to be all that satisfying, not for long anyway. They should be an occasional treat, not an everyday one esp at 380 calories. If you're gonna do that, I suggest maxing your nutrition by drinking boost/nutrition drink or a protein drink instead.
Also, SNAP Eligibility in the USA: https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/recipient/eligibility
Also, a lot of veggies don't require cooking to be edible, they can be eaten raw. Cooking just makes them taste better.
If in doubt, google it to find out if it can be eaten raw.
Also, try googling cooking veggies in the microwave for recipes. You totally can do this. Sometimes it destroys nutrients, but sometimes it increases nutrients too. Same as cooking on the stove/oven.5 -
Speaking of food pantries, for older people on a limited budget reading, I volunteer at a senior center and we have lots of food to give away for free. We collect donations from local businesses and give away shelf-stable food all week and have an official "shopping" day on Fridays.3
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My food for the day
Was hoping to find a can of peas when I looked through my cans today. Was horrified to discover the only canned vegetables I have are carrots. So just went with chicken and rice soup instead. Need to buy canned veggies soon.
I will probably eat a biscuit with jelly in a bit as a snack.
Edit: I just realized that almost all of my sodium intake for the day was just from the soup. Wow. That sucks because I really enjoy this soup and I have 4 more cans of it. Guess we now know why I like it so much. I am going to stop buying it.
Edit 2: It makes no sense for me to eat a biscuit with jelly as a snack. My diet is horrible and I need to change that. I will have canned fruit instead.6 -
My food for the day.
Edit: I just realized that almost all of my sodium intake for the day was just from the soup. Wow. That sucks because I really enjoy this soup and I have 4 more cans of it. Guess we now know why I like it so much. I am going to stop buying it.
Edit 2: It makes no sense for me to eat a biscuit with jelly as a snack. My diet is horrible and I need to change that. I will have canned fruit instead.
Unless you have blood pressure issues for example, fixating on sodium isn't necessary. But if you can find a lower sodium option, go for it, obviously.
Also, what strikes me is your very, very low protein intake. That really isn't enough to be healthy. Boiled eggs, canned chickpeas, tinned fish,... Anything like that would be good. And if you go with tinned fish, choosing a fatty type of fish will give you a bonus of increasing your fat intake which is borderline low as well.2 -
I appreciate all the responses even if I don't respond to each one individually!
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@Lietchi I never would have guessed my protein was lower than average, much less very very low. I guess I always assumed I didn't have to worry about protein since I eat meat every day. Even today I ate meat twice, turkey in my wrap and chicken in my soup. I figured only athletes/gym buffs and vegetarians/vegans needed to pay attention to their protein.
If anything, I've had a weird worry about eating too much protein. My best friend recommended that I drink protein shakes the other day if I'm looking for something quick and filling in the mornings. I responded to her that I thought people should only drink protein shakes when they're about to do heavy exercise.
Guess I'll have to reevaluate that thinking.
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@Xerogs The bottles I drink are 16.9fl oz. It's hard to keep track of my water intake exactly as half of my water intake comes from the cafeteria, but I would guess that I drink about 60fl oz of water a day.
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@kshama2001 No, I'm taking seroquel. I too sometimes will take a "substance that is legal" (which sounds very suspicious in quotes). But that makes me binge way more than the seroquel does, unfortunately. I'll check out that link!
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@littlegreenparrot1 My sleeping schedule is completely out of whack. I do know a proper sleep is important, but my insomnia is severe, and all my attempts at establishing a consistent sleeping schedule have failed. It's an everyday battle. I'll have one good week here and there on occasion, but there will always come a night where I can't fall asleep and it throws everything off. I would say I only sleep consistently/healthily about 10% of the time. Sometimes I will get only 4 hours of sleep in 3 days, other times I will sleep 12+ hours a day for 5 days in a row. The longest I've ever slept at once was 23 hours, waking up only to pee and eat and then go back to sleep.
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I noticed something: Some of your nutritional information doesn't have macros. Thus your protein might look completely different, and be higher after all. Are there better database entries with full macros, or is this an entry you made based on a guess or canteen information? Maybe better info is available somewhere.0
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I noticed something: Some of your nutritional information doesn't have macros. Thus your protein might look completely different, and be higher after all. Are there better database entries with full macros, or is this an entry you made based on a guess or canteen information? Maybe better info is available somewhere.
The only items that are missing are milk and the wrap. I probably only used about a third a cup of milk (put it into my cream of wheat). This is about 3g of protein.
The wrap is one I customized at the cafeteria, so I have no idea what the macros are. It was a jalapeno tortilla, turkey, onion, lettuce, mayo, and cheddar cheese. (I know someone suggested I go for parmesan cheese instead, but parmesan cheese hurts my stomach.)0 -
I noticed something: Some of your nutritional information doesn't have macros. Thus your protein might look completely different, and be higher after all. Are there better database entries with full macros, or is this an entry you made based on a guess or canteen information? Maybe better info is available somewhere.
I just noticed that as well, the wrap with turkey has no protein according to that entry. I would suggest logging the individual ingredients instead of generic entries for prepared foods like your wrap, that would be more accurate. For example using some food database entries from supermarket chains.1 -
The wrap is one I customized at the cafeteria, so I have no idea what the macros are. It was a jalapeno tortilla, turkey, onion, lettuce, mayo, and cheddar cheese. (I know someone suggested I go for parmesan cheese instead, but parmesan cheese hurts my stomach.)
Just ignore that suggestion, no reason why parmesan would be better than cheddar.1 -
I noticed something: Some of your nutritional information doesn't have macros. Thus your protein might look completely different, and be higher after all. Are there better database entries with full macros, or is this an entry you made based on a guess or canteen information? Maybe better info is available somewhere.
The only items that are missing are milk and the wrap. I probably only used about a third a cup of milk (put it into my cream of wheat). This is about 3g of protein.
The wrap is one I customized at the cafeteria, so I have no idea what the macros are. It was a jalapeno tortilla, turkey, onion, lettuce, mayo, and cheddar cheese. (I know someone suggested I go for parmesan cheese instead, but parmesan cheese hurts my stomach.)
What if you doubled the turkey and left out the cheese? Turkey is lean meat, cheese is high fat. And as for the mayo, do they offer lowfat mayo or mustard instead? I've found I like Dijon mustard on my wraps, gives me a tang.1 -
@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
BTW @ppaliwa I suggest as well logging every single ingredient, if you don't know the exact quantity just try to guess it (there are a lot of guides on google on how to estimate the weight of portions by their size). In any case, I wouldn't focus only on calories right now, rather on cutting out processed food. And of course you have to work on your sleep, that is a very impacting element on your weight and diet!0 -
@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
Well, being from Belgium, I also prefer 'real' cheese to the industrial stuff that passes as cheese, so we agree there. But it was a bit of an assumption with regards to the cheddar being 'industrial' (similar to your comment about chicken being better than turkey, also presuming the turkey was processed versus unprocessed chicken).
Considering the particular situation of the OP, I think just focusing on adequate (healthy) fats, adequate protein, sufficient vegetables/fruits and an adequate amount of calories is plenty to get her started. Obviously cooking from fresh would be better (less sodium etc) but I think it would be tricky in the current circumstances.3 -
I noticed something: Some of your nutritional information doesn't have macros. Thus your protein might look completely different, and be higher after all. Are there better database entries with full macros, or is this an entry you made based on a guess or canteen information? Maybe better info is available somewhere.
The only items that are missing are milk and the wrap. I probably only used about a third a cup of milk (put it into my cream of wheat). This is about 3g of protein.
The wrap is one I customized at the cafeteria, so I have no idea what the macros are. It was a jalapeno tortilla, turkey, onion, lettuce, mayo, and cheddar cheese. (I know someone suggested I go for parmesan cheese instead, but parmesan cheese hurts my stomach.)
What if you doubled the turkey and left out the cheese? Turkey is lean meat, cheese is high fat. And as for the mayo, do they offer lowfat mayo or mustard instead? I've found I like Dijon mustard on my wraps, gives me a tang.
Well . . . some cheese is high fat, and I know a lot of people here avoid cheese for that reason, but:
1. On the day shown, OP's fat total is too low by quite a lot (could also be a problem with the database entries chosen), alongside protein total being way, way too low.
2. There are some relatively calorie-efficient cheeses, such as some goat cheeses (light Jarlsberg swiss has more calories from protein than fat, for example).
I'm with you on the mustard vs. mayo, too. I like mayo, but not enough more than mustard to make the huge calorie differential seem worth it.3 -
I appreciate all the responses even if I don't respond to each one individually!
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@Lietchi I never would have guessed my protein was lower than average, much less very very low. I guess I always assumed I didn't have to worry about protein since I eat meat every day. Even today I ate meat twice, turkey in my wrap and chicken in my soup. I figured only athletes/gym buffs and vegetarians/vegans needed to pay attention to their protein.
If anything, I've had a weird worry about eating too much protein. My best friend recommended that I drink protein shakes the other day if I'm looking for something quick and filling in the mornings. I responded to her that I thought people should only drink protein shakes when they're about to do heavy exercise.
Guess I'll have to reevaluate that thinking.
(snip)
As a decent starting point on evaluating nutrition, take a look at your "daily goal" line. On the day depicted, your protein goal is 100g, and your total eaten is 26g. That's not enough! Protein and fats should be thought of as minimums. You don't have to be exact, but close, most days, on average, is nutritionally a good plan.
That is tempered by the possibility that some of the database entries are incomplete, so the totals may not be correct. The turkey wrap is an example: It certainly had protein, fat and carbs, but none are shown. (I doubt that it had enough protein to get you to 100g - usually if the cafeteria offers a serving of turkey, it wouldn't be a huge one. If you picked the turkey amount yourself, it could be more than if they picked the serving size . . . but it'd have to be a pretty big serving to get you near 100g for the day, even with the milk's protein added in).
And yes: Everyone needs to get enough protein, not just vegetarians (I am one, BTW). Eating meat/fish makes it a bit easier to do that on reduced calories, but some people don't eat enough meat to get sufficient protein. The amount of meat in commercial (canned) soups is pretty minimal.0 -
It isn't necessarily what you eat, it's how much you eat that is the issue.
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@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
BTW @ppaliwa I suggest as well logging every single ingredient, if you don't know the exact quantity just try to guess it (there are a lot of guides on google on how to estimate the weight of portions by their size). In any case, I wouldn't focus only on calories right now, rather on cutting out processed food. And of course you have to work on your sleep, that is a very impacting element on your weight and diet!
FYI, cheddar is real cheddar. Kraft Single type cheese is called "American cheese."3 -
kshama2001 wrote: »@Lietchi let me disagree. I suggested parmesan because I assumed the cheddar she is getting in her salad or wraps isn't even "real" cheddar, rather processed slices like Kraft Singles...these are just nasty! I would recommend getting any fresh cheese but again, I live in Italy where we have plenty of healthy choices and if you ask for cheese, you get real cheese and not singles or cheese-based products instead. My suggestion was just an example, I think her meals are ok but can be prepared with healthier options, no mean to demonize any food item. Clearly switching cheddar with another cheese won't change her weight, I really agree on this with you, I was just trying to provide less processed options
BTW @ppaliwa I suggest as well logging every single ingredient, if you don't know the exact quantity just try to guess it (there are a lot of guides on google on how to estimate the weight of portions by their size). In any case, I wouldn't focus only on calories right now, rather on cutting out processed food. And of course you have to work on your sleep, that is a very impacting element on your weight and diet!
FYI, cheddar is real cheddar. Kraft Single type cheese is called "American cheese."
I'm always kind of amazed that people who live outside of the U.S. think that Americans only eat processed Kraft cheese. Or that it would be common as a salad topping.
No, when someone says "cheddar" they mean real cheese. And if you ask for cheese in America, you get real cheese, just like in Italy. Kraft Singles is not the default.9 -
Hi! You’ve gotten a lot of good replies, but just coming from a similar sort of diet back when I was a student I think your biggest issue is probably sugar (and protein as a few other people mentioned).
From personal experience, sugar drinks are a huge calorie sink and make it hard to get enough nutrients within the rest of your calories. Pay attention to how many grams of sugar are in a drink—a grande caramel Frappuccino has 55g!! And coke or other soda is similar. Energy drinks are my poison, I’ve tried to stick to sugar free versions, but I do still like the Starbucks doubleshot canned drinks. They have like20g of sugar which is too much, but it’s half of some other energy drinks and it has a minimal amount of fat/protein. Check other foods you eat for sugar too, even stuff like pasta sauce can have a lot added.
Try cutting back on those and eating more good stuff—you’re a student so it’s tough but doable. Some easy cheap dorm foods that are pretty nutritious:
Baked potato with beans or chili
Frozen steam in bag vegetables
Tuna pouches or canned fish
String cheese
Oatmeal (plain not sweetened oats) with peanut butter
Brown rice or whole wheat pasta (if you have a kitchen, sometimes there are microwave bags though)
Quesadilla with black beans
Cottage cheese or yogurt
Veggies and hummus/Greek yogurt dip (carrots, bell pepper, cucumber, broccoli)
Protein bars or shakes with less sugar3 -
If you need help with getting food, there are food pantries everywhere that have very nutritious choices. Including vegetables and protein. So when you move out of the dorm, that could be a big help.0
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When I was 230lbs and clueless about food choices - I found it easier to follow a guided plan.
There are so many free ones online where you can find one to match your style of eating.
And along the way I learned about calories, macros, what types of food that kept me satiated etc..
Take small steps, at first have a calorie goal and weigh everything religiously so you can learn portion sizes.
Log everything that has calories.
The biggest game changer for me at first was cutting down my drinks calories.
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