How to not get bored with eating healthy

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Replies

  • Blueeyed1985
    Blueeyed1985 Posts: 40 Member
    Thanks for the wonderful responses!
  • Shoechick5
    Shoechick5 Posts: 221 Member
    I agree, healthy doesn't have to mean boring. You just have to find ways of keeping it interesting and not live off lettuce. I've been craving wings so tonight we're having faux wings made with boneless skinless chicken thighs and lots of Frank's hot sauce.

    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/homemade_hot_sauce.html

    You can make you own hot sauce without all the salt.
    Ingredients
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1 cup diced onion
    2 medium chile peppers, such as poblano, New Mexico or Anaheim, diced
    2-4 habanero peppers, or other small hot chile peppers, stemmed, halved and seeded (see Tip)
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    1 pound tomatoes, diced (about 3 cups)
    1 cup distilled white vinegar
    2 teaspoons salt
    1-3 teaspoons sugar


    Preparation
    Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, chile peppers, habaneros to taste and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
    Reduce heat to medium. Add tomatoes, vinegar, salt and sugar to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 5 minutes.
    Carefully transfer the tomato mixture to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot ingredients.) Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; pour the pureed mixture through the sieve, pushing on the solids with a wooden spoon to extract all the liquid. (Discard solids.) Let the sauce cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.

    Thanks for posting, I'll give it a try.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    I make healthier versions of favourites.. eg on fridays i like fish.. instead of having battered fish with oven chips and mushy peas (less cals than chip shop but still not healthy) I do plain coley fillets baked in oven with either parsnip chips or sweet potato chips and green beans... today had it with carrot & swede mash and mixed broccoli and spouts instead.

    I do chilli with cauli in place of rice, a low cal chilli sauce and quorn mince instead of beef mince (although I do eat meat) and a corn tortilla wrap instead of wheat one. Also use same soft corn tortilla's for wraps or in place of naan bread/chapatti's with home made curry.

    I'm thinking of trying Quinoa next, but keep forgetting to add it to my shopping list! I found making adaptions to my favourites so can still have them ie i found gluten free choc brownies and rhubarb crumble with oats on instead of a pastry crumble so can have favourites whilst still cutting high amounts of wheat out of my diet.. I've stuck to it 6 months.. most successful diet I've ever tried!
  • anyonebutmehaha
    anyonebutmehaha Posts: 174
    We are not depriving ourselves by avoiding junk food. We are rewarding ourselves by avoiding junk food

    ^^^ THIS.:smile:
    if you eat 100% truly "clean" or whatever you want to call it- you will find that your sense of taste will change over time and no longer want or crave "junk" food. there is no depriving oneself going on. (you should see the rocking all organic meals here- full of lovely tastes and colors = excellent, not depriving)
    imho, if you use "junk" food as a reward then you're forever forcing yourself to live in a state of having an unhealthy relationship w/ food.

    ps. eh, the link posted on this thread "the dirt on clean eating" was written for mainly body builders and professional athletes which the vast majority of ppl on this forum are not.... plus doesn't everyone have an instinctual inner sense what constitutes "clean" vs "junk" eating? (i don't know the answer to that- maybe the typical modern diet as been so corrupted that ppl really do not?) the only useful takeaway line from that link that i saw was : "If someone strives to consume 0% of calories from any food that’s been processed or refined from its original state, then that’s perfectly fine – as long as this is the person’s genuine preference, and not a painful battle of will." that is correct. the trick is to change your taste buds by eating 100% "clean" until you find that things like McDonald's or whatever truly taste just plain old gross and is not something you ever want and your body will not feel right if you are forced to eat that.

    every last one of us is worth more than anything in aisle 6 (ya know the one i mean) at the typical grocery store. :flowerforyou: your (and your family's) health is the most important thing you can own.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    ps. eh, the link posted on this thread "the dirt on clean eating" was written for mainly body builders and professional athletes

    Actually, I believe it was written for anyone who is rather dogmatic about clean eating.
  • mellymclaughlin
    mellymclaughlin Posts: 29
    I agree, healthy doesn't have to mean boring. You just have to find ways of keeping it interesting and not live off lettuce. I've been craving wings so tonight we're having faux wings made with boneless skinless chicken thighs and lots of Frank's hot sauce.

    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/homemade_hot_sauce.html


    Thanks for this, I'm going to try it!
  • weaverfit
    weaverfit Posts: 124
    Try a culinary 'trip around the world.' It'll take some google-ing to find great dishes that sound interesting but think of it this way, while you're searching on the computer, you're not eating. Indian food, largely vegetarian, has some great flavor profiles and ingredient combinations, even for standard veggies found in the average supermarket (nothing exotic). There are all sorts of alternatives to rice or noodles that you may be tempted to use for filler too - like carrot or zucchini spaghetti. The goal is to make your new fare so interesting and so flavorful that you won't miss your all standbys. Pump of the Flava!
  • mellymclaughlin
    mellymclaughlin Posts: 29
    My trick is that I give myself three meals, anytime during the week, to eat whatever it is I want. I lost 40 pounds last year doing it this way. This way I don't feel like I am depriving myself.

    I think it's really important to allow yourself to have whatever you fancy every now and again. Even though I aim to lose more weight and eat less crap, nothing will stop me enjoying good food and I wouldn't want to.I

    As for getting bored - I find cooking for myself is what keeps me interested in healthy food. I find the whole process interesting - picking the ingredients, analysing portion sizes etc and when you make something that is healthy, tasty and all your own work, there's a sense of pride as well (for me anyway).

    Keeping garlic and chilli in the house is pretty important too! It's amazing how much difference some chopped up fresh chilli or garlic to make to an otherwise plain dish. I've recently got into vegetable soup in a big big way and it's partly because I've realised how great it tastes when seasoned. Normally I assumed soup was just to be eaten as it is. Sooo wrong!
  • SarahBrown1979
    SarahBrown1979 Posts: 229 Member
    BUMPING TO READ LATER, HAVING THIS ISSUE TOO!
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    You really have to make meal planning part of the whole weight-loss concept.... To avoid getting bored, why not designate each day of the week with a dish from another country?

    Monday - Mexican
    Tuesday - Thai
    Wednesday - Italian
    Thursday - American
    Friday - Asian..

    ...yadda yadda yadda...

    Look up recipes based on that culture, and give them a try! I gotta tell you... Chile Rellenos are freakin' AMAZING! They can be made reasonably healthy or ultra healthy - its all up to you and what you like. Ive made chicken-stuffed poblanos - relleno style with some zesty vegetables on the side. Ive even made a breakfast style chile relleno, stuffing the roasted pepper with a scramble of eggs, onions, peppers, tomatoes, salsa, cheddar-monty shredded cheese, did a quick pan-fry on them once they have been dipped in egg again.... side of ham and OH MY GAWD they are awesome!


    EDIT: you can change up the different countries week-to-week, OR if you really get hooked on one particular country, keep it going!

    Tomorrow we are doing up steak fajitas with a homemade chimichurri sauce on the side, fresh made tortillas (low-carb for me), lots of vegetables to choose from..... and of course, cheese! LOL!

    I bet you could have some fun with this!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Try not to get caught up in eating exactly the same things over and over. When my hubby was dieting he would only eat chicken and broccoli and I was SO sick of it that I had to start making my own food. :) I also second trying to make substitutes for your favorite foods that are healthier. There are tons of recipe sites where you can learn substitutions and you'll learn your own with practice.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    There is no reason to get bored! There is a wealth of healthier eating recipes out there to try. I literally have 100's of lower calorie recipes between cookbooks, magazines, and online resources. Plus, once you learn the tricks of swapping things out (by using recipes you find), you can start experimenting on your own.

    I also refuse to eat the same things over and over again. So each week has a mix of meat free, red meat, chicken, seafood, and pork. I also mix up how things are prepared. Really, it is all about having resources and planning ahead (in my opinion).

    OP, I also sent you a message!
  • anyonebutmehaha
    anyonebutmehaha Posts: 174
    ps. eh, the link posted on this thread "the dirt on clean eating" was written for mainly body builders and professional athletes

    Actually, I believe it was written for anyone who is rather dogmatic about clean eating.

    huh? from a site called "WannaBeBig- serious about muscle" w/ pics of extreme body builders all over home page? sorry but i *think* that is a site aimed at body builders, certainly isn't on the average person's bookmarks.

    oh please on the "dogmatic" crap, the question was about how to not get bored w/ eating healthy and the response i gave is what has worked for me the 51 years i have been on this planet.. i'm not allowed to do that w/o being labeled dogmatic? maybe you believe like that link that eating healthy 80% of the time and "rewarding" yourself 20% of the rest of the time w/ "unhealthy food" is a good way to live, i happen not to believe that, to me it sounds like a horrible way to spend the rest of your life and maybe even destructive to the vast majority of the ppl on this forum that already have an unhealthy relationship w/ food. maybe why most ppl fail to keep weight off after losing it is because that 20% reward turns into 30% and 40% etc.? i dunno, i'm no expert on that, i've never had to deal w/ weight issues before in my life (and only am now because of the accident and immobilization for so long and being unable to shop/cook/eat like i normally did) so maybe what you had to do to lose weight w/ a reward system of unhealthy food is what worked for you, even though it makes no sense to me.
    maybe it just stems from a life philosophy that good behavior (for some of us 'eating clean' isn't just about our own health but includes the carbon footprint we leave on this planet) is a reward unto itself and doesn't need some external reward, esp not something ("unhealthy food") that in my world would feel like a punishment :sad: not a reward. just a different way of living. but its all good- you live in your world, i'll live in mine and our differences is what makes it all interesting. :smile: just please refrain from calling someone's life choices 'dogmatic' and the negative connotations that implies if they opine on what has worked for them. thank you.
  • margojr4
    margojr4 Posts: 259 Member
    I can never get bored, I love to eat! haha We plan meals ahead of time, sometimes make in bulk and can be creative with leftovers. (garbage quiche anyone? lol) I like what the previous poster said about designating days for meals. Sometimes we'll have 'meatless Mondays' or 'Stir fry Saturdays' stuff like that. Make it fun!

    If you have a favorite food that you crave, say a cheeseburger - just prepare it leaner? We can get two burgers for the caloric intake of one fast food burger!? More food for the calorie buck? Heck yeah! French fries? Make them fresh? Buy generic frozen and add seasonings. My favorite 'healthy' food is taco salad - SO much food for little calories! *nom nom*

    There are so many yummy healthy food options out there! Just gotta search for recipes and prepare :)
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    I can never get bored, I love to eat! haha We plan meals ahead of time, sometimes make in bulk and can be creative with leftovers. (garbage quiche anyone? lol) I like what the previous poster said about designating days for meals. Sometimes we'll have 'meatless Mondays' or 'Stir fry Saturdays' stuff like that. Make it fun!

    If you have a favorite food that you crave, say a cheeseburger - just prepare it leaner? We can get two burgers for the caloric intake of one fast food burger!? More food for the calorie buck? Heck yeah! French fries? Make them fresh? Buy generic frozen and add seasonings. My favorite 'healthy' food is taco salad - SO much food for little calories! *nom nom*

    There are so many yummy healthy food options out there! Just gotta search for recipes and prepare :)

    My grandparents used to do that.. it was always fun to come up with ideas with them!

    Tonight I did some bulk cooking on the "American" side of things.... Found a honkin-HUGE deal on fresh turkey that the butcher cut in half... I bought two full turkeys-halved at .99 cents per pound! Im breaking it down here in a few minutes and will get the stock pot going with the roasted-turkey bones for fresh stock, will break the meat down for future meals, but will be cooking up a nice Turkey-Cordon Bleu casserole and freeze it into individual meals.... I also plan on prepping up my vegetables (MAJOR mise en place) for that meal, and for future meals including tomorrow..

    For our dinner tomorrow, we are having Argentinian with some gorgeous well-seasoned steaks accompanied by homemade chimichurri sauce to go with it, roasted vegetables, garlic-mashed potatoes for my husband, Ill have a faux noodle side dish made with zucchini....
  • vs1023
    vs1023 Posts: 417 Member
    The idea that occasional junk food is ok can work for most but dont let it be an excuse.

    An excuse for what specifically?

    that eating healthy is too hard or too boring or that "I am depriving myself if I dont eat that twinkie" and those types of excuses. IMO, they are not reasons to eat unhealthy, they are excuses reinforced by the idea that its ok. I am not saying that occasional junk food will ruin your health. I am saying that eating junk is not necessary to sustain a long term healthy diet.

    The main justifcation to eat junk on most health sites is the self fullfilling prophecy that "if I deprive myself of my favorite treats I will get bored or mad or whatever" . That does not have to be true. Again...I am not anti junk food per se. But it isnt required to maintain this lifestyle unless you allow it to be.

    We are not depriving ourselves by avoiding junk food. We are rewarding ourselves by avoiding junk food..

    Couldn't agree more. It's a mindset though and I don't think many people can handle it for whatever reason and i think that making your mind up about it is probably 80% of the battle. I'm not perfect at all, but I choose to eat a certain way for my health.
  • vs1023
    vs1023 Posts: 417 Member
    ps. eh, the link posted on this thread "the dirt on clean eating" was written for mainly body builders and professional athletes

    Actually, I believe it was written for anyone who is rather dogmatic about clean eating.

    huh? from a site called "WannaBeBig- serious about muscle" w/ pics of extreme body builders all over home page? sorry but i *think* that is a site aimed at body builders, certainly isn't on the average person's bookmarks.

    oh please on the "dogmatic" crap, the question was about how to not get bored w/ eating healthy and the response i gave is what has worked for me the 51 years i have been on this planet.. i'm not allowed to do that w/o being labeled dogmatic? maybe you believe like that link that eating healthy 80% of the time and "rewarding" yourself 20% of the rest of the time w/ "unhealthy food" is a good way to live, i happen not to believe that, to me it sounds like a horrible way to spend the rest of your life and maybe even destructive to the vast majority of the ppl on this forum that already have an unhealthy relationship w/ food. maybe why most ppl fail to keep weight off after losing it is because that 20% reward turns into 30% and 40% etc.? i dunno, i'm no expert on that, i've never had to deal w/ weight issues before in my life (and only am now because of the accident and immobilization for so long and being unable to shop/cook/eat like i normally did) so maybe what you had to do to lose weight w/ a reward system of unhealthy food is what worked for you, even though it makes no sense to me.
    maybe it just stems from a life philosophy that good behavior (for some of us 'eating clean' isn't just about our own health but includes the carbon footprint we leave on this planet) is a reward unto itself and doesn't need some external reward, esp not something ("unhealthy food") that in my world would feel like a punishment :sad: not a reward. just a different way of living. but its all good- you live in your world, i'll live in mine and our differences is what makes it all interesting. :smile: just please refrain from calling someone's life choices 'dogmatic' and the negative connotations that implies if they opine on what has worked for them. thank you.

    Yes thank you! Couldn't agree more and I agree with the line you quoted in that artcile that people always throw out the instant someone mentions "clean eating". When I eat that way I never feel deprived. I bought cold cuts the other day and it tasted bad to me. McDonalds makes me gag.

    Anyway, thanks for this post :)

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