A bit of rant about REAL food and general nutrition

metalpalace

Once and a while someone hears about how healthy I am eating and the first comment about it is, "Oh god, it must be tough to eat like that how ridiculous when he could be enjoying himself with real food instead of diet food".

First of all, I do not eat "diet" food. I eat REAL food. Secondly, I am intrinsically enjoying my nutritionally sound food more so than those who do not eat nutritionally sound and here is why...

Never mind the fact that I am stronger and healthier than ever before which makes EVERYTHING easier and my quality of life larger than life. Sure that in itself is motivation enough. But sticking to the reasoning of my critics...

I don’t feel deprived at all. Quite the contrary. Its very common for me to have a "food-gasm" with every meal. I'm not kidding, I really love good food. Make me eat something that I do not enjoy and that for me is the equivalent of torture! I do make some sacrifices on certain foods that I would enjoy in the immediate now, but there are always tasty and even tastier alternatives. Its just a matter of researching and educating yourself on whats out there and available. Here are a few examples...

I LOVE beef and I eat a lot of it. I buy 90 percent lean or above instead of the 80 percent. I LOVE chicken and fish so ill bake it instead of bread it and fry it. If I cook with oil its ALWAYS extra virgin olive oil. I LOVE chocolate so ill eat a hersheys bar instead of something that has trans fats or artificial sweeteners. I LOVE pizza! Ill get a whole wheat crust, organic tomato sauce, low fat cheese, and fresh veggies to top it with. I LOVE vegetables so ill buy fresh or frozen instead of canned. I LOVE nachos and cheese so Ill use blue corn organic chips, low fat cheese, greek olives, and diced tomatoes. I love salad dressing on my salad. There are lots of all natural low fat salad dressings to choose from. I like paul newmans dressing the best. I love carbonated soda so when I'm in the mood I will get an all natural soda such as cane cola. MUCH better tasting than a Pepsi, coke, or diet rite and certainly more nutritional. I love to put butter on some of my foods. Its one of the more difficult things to shop for but there are all natural butter options out there which are fine. I can go on and on with examples.

All those examples I listed people generally think of as unhealthy, except for the vegetable example. The way they are typically prepared they are very unhealthy and not even natural with the ingredients used. The alternatives are whole, natural ingredients and foods which taste better and is much more satisfying anyway. "They" say I cannot be enjoying my food as much as "them". I can honestly say that "they" suffer from an under education in nutrition and what REAL food is. "Diet food" is not real food any more than trans fatty baked goods or a chemically manufactured hormone injected piece of beef or high fructose or aspartame and splenda loaded soda pop. When I am criticized for not eating "real" food there is a profound hypocrisy there. It is patently false. Seriously there is not even any grey area here. I don't believe its on purpose, they are just un educated in what real food is.

Here is your first clue something is not real food or nutritious food. If nature doesn't make it, ITS NOT REAL! Your body doesn't want it even if you think it does.

My point is this... I am eating nutritionally. That means I am eating whole foods, real foods, all natural ingredients. I am enjoying my food more than one who eats nutritiously worthless foods ever could and I am feeling better and stronger for it thereby making EVERYTHING I do easier and increasing my quality of LIVING.

My favorite saying to sum this up is, "I eat like a man to look like a god"

In our culture I especially applaud anyone with an open mind to try new things.

-Tom

P.S. Feel freely to post your thoughts and MORE EXAMPLES of how some of you prepare foods that are typically known as "unhealthy" to make it healthy, real, nutritious, and delicious!!!

metalpalace

Once and a while someone hears about how healthy I am eating and the first comment about it is, "Oh god, it must be tough to eat like that how ridiculous when he could be enjoying himself with real food instead of diet food".

First of all, I do not eat "diet" food. I eat REAL food. Secondly, I am intrinsically enjoying my nutritionally sound food more so than those who do not eat nutritionally sound and here is why...

Never mind the fact that I am stronger and healthier than ever before which makes EVERYTHING easier and my quality of life larger than life. Sure that in itself is motivation enough. But sticking to the reasoning of my critics...

I don’t feel deprived at all. Quite the contrary. Its very common for me to have a "food-gasm" with every meal. I'm not kidding, I really love good food. Make me eat something that I do not enjoy and that for me is the equivalent of torture! I do make some sacrifices on certain foods that I would enjoy in the immediate now, but there are always tasty and even tastier alternatives. Its just a matter of researching and educating yourself on whats out there and available. Here are a few examples...

I LOVE beef and I eat a lot of it. I buy 90 percent lean or above instead of the 80 percent. I LOVE chicken and fish so ill bake it instead of bread it and fry it. If I cook with oil its ALWAYS extra virgin olive oil. I LOVE chocolate so ill eat a hersheys bar instead of something that has trans fats or artificial sweeteners. I LOVE pizza! Ill get a whole wheat crust, organic tomato sauce, low fat cheese, and fresh veggies to top it with. I LOVE vegetables so ill buy fresh or frozen instead of canned. I LOVE nachos and cheese so Ill use blue corn organic chips, low fat cheese, greek olives, and diced tomatoes. I love salad dressing on my salad. There are lots of all natural low fat salad dressings to choose from. I like paul newmans dressing the best. I love carbonated soda so when I'm in the mood I will get an all natural soda such as cane cola. MUCH better tasting than a Pepsi, coke, or diet rite and certainly more nutritional. I love to put butter on some of my foods. Its one of the more difficult things to shop for but there are all natural butter options out there which are fine. I can go on and on with examples.

All those examples I listed people generally think of as unhealthy, except for the vegetable example. The way they are typically prepared they are very unhealthy and not even natural with the ingredients used. The alternatives are whole, natural ingredients and foods which taste better and is much more satisfying anyway. "They" say I cannot be enjoying my food as much as "them". I can honestly say that "they" suffer from an under education in nutrition and what REAL food is. "Diet food" is not real food any more than trans fatty baked goods or a chemically manufactured hormone injected piece of beef or high fructose or aspartame and splenda loaded soda pop. When I am criticized for not eating "real" food there is a profound hypocrisy there. It is patently false. Seriously there is not even any grey area here. I don't believe its on purpose, they are just un educated in what real food is.

Here is your first clue something is not real food or nutritious food. If nature doesn't make it, ITS NOT REAL! Your body doesn't want it even if you think it does.

My point is this... I am eating nutritionally. That means I am eating whole foods, real foods, all natural ingredients. I am enjoying my food more than one who eats nutritiously worthless foods ever could and I am feeling better and stronger for it thereby making EVERYTHING I do easier and increasing my quality of LIVING.

My favorite saying to sum this up is, "I eat like a man to look like a god"

In our culture I especially applaud anyone with an open mind to try new things.

-Tom

P.S. Feel freely to post your thoughts and MORE EXAMPLES of how some of you prepare foods that are typically known as "unhealthy" to make it healthy, real, nutritious, and delicious!!!

AugustBaby1973

WOW! I don't know who may have commented on your eating habits, but from what I see you're eating FABULOUSLY! :happy: I, too, hear comments from people about how hard it is to eat healthy, but just making small sacrifices with what you eat is what really makes a difference with not only how you look but how you feel! I'm glad you listed some of the food options you use to make eating enjoyable...and HEALTHY! Thank you!!! :bigsmile:

P.S. I've recently taking a liking to pita bread to use as pizza crust! And I like to put simple tomatoe paste on it and then pile it with grilled chiken, fat free mozzerella and veggies! :flowerforyou:

FletcherChic

great post!! i was raised by a chronic dieter so i never had my real taste of butter until a few months ago! same for milk, oil, sugar, etc....i am slowly trying to re-program my way of thinking and eating so that i can enjoy REAL food instead of all this fake processed "food" - if you can even call it that! ....my nutritionist said "enjoy olive oil and butter - they're so much better for you than a liquid spray :sick: !"...and oh boy - she is so right! real food is so delicious! now i firmly believe that if it didn't grow out of this earth or come from an animal then it can't be good for you...i still need help in this change - there are things i consume that i didn't even realize to be "fake"...like my coffeemate...i always checked the numbers on labels but never the ingredients...i don't even know what those things are in my creamer and have now switched to good old half & half ...who knew! your post is a great reminder to people that REAL foods and whole foods are so much better for our bodies - we must treat it right and feed it well if we want it to work for us!!!! :flowerforyou:

PedalHound

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

I am always SO happy and heartened when I come across other people who are as passionate as I am about REAL, WHOLE foods. I eat like a QUEEN and without a single element artificial or refined and bastardized from its natural state ingredients I manage to enjoy all the same classically unhealthy foods you listed by doing exactly the same as you. I NEVER loved or enjoyed or was emotionally nourished by food before my June 8th 2008 epiphany as I am now! Funny how that goes eh??

Yay for really good, really REAL food :drinker: :bigsmile: :drinker: :bigsmile: :drinker: :bigsmile:

vanessadawn

I respect and encourage healthy eating, so you're post was very interesting. Although I feel tempted to add that you shouldn't take people's comments or criticisms to heart, and often they have good intentions behind it or sometimes jealousy. Because on the other side I know that food should be enjoyed, and should not consume your thoughts and actions. In moderation thinking about your diet is healthy, but can grow to consume you as well. Speaking from someone who dealt with this herself. As long as you are happy and enjoying food healthily, just be proud of your own accomplishments and hope that others are motivated to make changes in their own lives! :flowerforyou:

mommared53

I hear ya. My son always make comments about how he eats "good" food as if my healthy food isn't good. If it wasn't good and didn't taste good, I wouldn't be eating it. Not even to lose weight. :noway: Hopefully my healthy eating habits will eventually rub off on him.

metalpalace

Speaking of real food.... Tonight I had fish with my parents and it was DELICIOUS. I am a big time fisherman so we typically eat fish I catch. Tonight was Lake Geneva Rock Bass fried in omega 3 vegetable oil. The fillets were soaked in eggs and milk, breaded in yellow corn meal, fried to a perfect golden brown! The side dish was steamed fresh broccoli and cauliflower. I fish and veggies.

Fitness_Chick

Speaking of real food.... Tonight I had fish with my parents and it was DELICIOUS. I am a big time fisherman so we typically eat fish I catch. Tonight was Lake Geneva Rock Bass fried in omega 3 vegetable oil. The fillets were soaked in eggs and milk, breaded in yellow corn meal, fried to a perfect golden brown! The side dish was steamed fresh broccoli and cauliflower. I fish and veggies.

Sounds delish Tom! :bigsmile: Great original post by the way...so glad you shared:drinker:

FC

ivykivy

Do you have any leftovers? I'll send you a prepaid fedex package!:laugh:

Speaking of real food.... Tonight I had fish with my parents and it was DELICIOUS. I am a big time fisherman so we typically eat fish I catch. Tonight was Lake Geneva Rock Bass fried in omega 3 vegetable oil. The fillets were soaked in eggs and milk, breaded in yellow corn meal, fried to a perfect golden brown! The side dish was steamed fresh broccoli and cauliflower. I fish and veggies.

jules1984

I often find myself at lunch with a giant cold glass of water with wonderfully seasoned chicken and veggies left over from the night before just sitting there inhaling the heavenly aroma while my coworkers eat their sopping greasy pizza and drink soda and tease me for being "on a diet" and how much it must suck.

"Your pizza is dripping orange. This tastes amazing." I never really know what else to say.

cherapple

All I can say is, "Amen!" You're speaking to the choir with me! :laugh:

No "junk," processed, or sugary food tastes so good in the moment that it's worth giving up your long-term health for it. And once you see how good whole foods make you feel, nothing tastes better!

Fitness_Chick

All I can say is, "Amen!" You're speaking to the choir with me! :laugh:

No "junk," processed, or sugary food tastes so good in the moment that it's worth giving up your long-term health for it. And once you see how good whole foods make you feel, nothing tastes better!

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :bigsmile:

mommachag

great post Tom!.:drinker:


i started my family on eating this way about 2 years ago.
I.Had,No.Idea it was going to be what it has become. (if that makes sense)
I do still have an addiction to sugar that I am working on, but 99% of my food is chemical,additive free. it started with the feingold program and has really taken off from there.

my friends are always making comments about it being to hard for them to do ect. I always say it's harder not to do it and feel gross all the time

GIBride01

Hey, somebody typed a rant that was longer than mine! Woohoo!! It kills me when people avoid "bad" foods, like pizza and hamburgers because they are on a diet and have to eat diet food. My entire reason for being on this site is how much I love real food and going from a full time busy job to stay at home mom gave me way too much access to the real good real food. Hello 20#s! Our bodies are designed to process fats, carbs and protein..but half the stuff on the label of prepackaged box food at the store is unreadable unless you are some PhD in chemistry. I'm with ya...except for the soda,,,I am literally addicted to my diet coke a day....think I need some type of 12 step program.

cherapple

No "junk," processed, or sugary food tastes so good in the moment that it's worth giving up your long-term health for it. And once you see how good whole foods make you feel, nothing tastes better!

Also (adding to my own comment), once you see how good whole foods make you LOOK, nothing tastes better! You can tell how most people eat just by looking at them. If a person eats lots of whole foods, they're going to look whole and healthy. If they eat lots of processed foods, their body will show it. The heavy toll that so-called "irresistible" foods -- desserts, candies, crackers, chips, snack foods, fried foods, white breads and pastas, etc. -- take on the body is not worth any amount of momentary pleasure, to me. Once you make that connection, that you're aging your body faster by eating a lot of non-nutritious foods, your pleasure sensors make a quick switch to preferring natural, real foods!

(Arghh, guilty. :blushing: One rant leads to another. :laugh: )

edleim

I love nachos! I could eat them every day. I buy corn tortillas and cut them into triangles and bake them until crisp. Then I add black beans, avocado, tomatoes, jalepenos and Fage Greek Yogurt. I just like the crunch the hot and the cooling of the yogurt. I actually prefer these to bar nachos, they make me feel satisfied without weighing me down, and a serving is under 300 calories. Can't beat that.