How do you decide WHAT to eat?!?

rsouthland

I also eat low carb, higher protein / fat. It works well for me. Basically I decide what I'm going to eat based on what calories, carbs I have left for the day. I know what my target is and I eat to the target.

pdworkman

Different foods and diets work for different people. For general health, I agree with eating as unprocessed as possible, not adding extracted oils, eating a wide variety of plant foods, and watching portion sizes. Those words will mean different things to different people.

That said, if I eat meat I will throw up for three days. No meat for me. Ditto dairy. Never really liked either one anyway. I am also celiac and react to all grains, including rice and corn. Then a few true allergies. And some other foods that I can only eat in moderation or risk triggering my ulcer or hypoglycemia.

So the best diet for me may be wildly different than the best diet for you. It is safe for most of my family and friends, and keeps the tummies of my immediate family members happy (as long as they avoid the additional things that might bother them - hot spices, oranges, seaweed, some beans). But one of my friends with extremely severe multiple allergies is allergic to a lot of the foods that are safe for me - eggs, apples, cinnamon, beans, lentils, black pepper, peppers, quinoa, different nuts than me - so it is a bit harder to cook stuff that is safe for her and me both. Now she is quite overweight and eats a lot more processed and high-calorie foods than I do, and has the accompanying health problems, so she would also do well to make some adjustments for her health. But she needs to find those things herself and find what works for her.

rileysowner

The human body is extremely flexible in handling food of all types. As someone before me said, if someone says eat ONLY this, I simply ignore them. I seek to say within my calories, and get close to my macros more or less. Other than that, pretty much everything I like is up for eating.

wilberfamily

I actually just finished my bachelors in nutrition science last year so I basically apply that knowledge. My take is to eat foods in moderation. I try to buy most of my groceries from the outer perimeter of the grocery store. We do eat some prepared/processed foods but I try not to go crazy with them. I found in the past when I tried to really restrict certain foods or food groups it lead to more binge eating. I do try to eat low fat and really limit saturated fats but I don't avoid any particular foods.

honeydoozy

I believe in Low Glycemic living. Wholegrains, protein, healthy fats. And pairing any fruits with a protein to slow its absorption.
This way of living only eliminates crappy foods, so rather than being a temporary 'diet' it is a very healthy way of life.

^^^ THIS ^^^

Well, that... and avoiding chemicals wherever possible. Meat doesn't scare me. Eggs don't scare me. Dairy doesn't scare me.

BHT/BHA, Aspartame, MSG, and artificial colorings... those scare the crap out of me. :noway:

killagb

I believe in Low Glycemic living. Wholegrains, protein, healthy fats. And pairing any fruits with a protein to slow its absorption.
This way of living only eliminates crappy foods, so rather than being a temporary 'diet' it is a very healthy way of life.

^^^ THIS ^^^

Well, that... and avoiding chemicals wherever possible. Meat doesn't scare me. Eggs don't scare me. Dairy doesn't scare me.

BHT/BHA, Aspartame, MSG, and artificial colorings... those scare the crap out of me. :noway:

Well that's handy on days you're low on fiber. :drinker:

gp79

I do some math as kilagb so eloquently pointed out, to first determine my macros. 230g protein 100g carbs and 78g of fat. Then, here's the tricky part. I dream up all sorts of deliciousness and then I go buy ingredients, make it and eat it till my macros are satisfied. Working quite well actually, it's the consistency where people flail, and fail.

issyfit

I believe in Low Glycemic living. Wholegrains, protein, healthy fats. And pairing any fruits with a protein to slow its absorption.
This way of living only eliminates crappy foods, so rather than being a temporary 'diet' it is a very healthy way of life.

This with lots of veggies. I try to follow South Beach Living guidelines.