Where to get basic food leanrin

dmikhail
dmikhail Posts: 4 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Only been a member for 10 days or so. So I wanted to get some pasta and make some turkey meat sauce. I have heard over and over that pasta is no good because of carbs, and then read up that brown pasta is better. So I went to the store and started comparing boxes. And of course there are 2 types of brown pasta, whole wheat, whole grain, ok that plus white, 3 types. All three have almost the same carbs, sugar and whatnot! So I give it all up and come up. I read up on wheat vs grain, vs white. So just the number of carbs wasn't the problem, but the kind, which the product info doesn't say on the nutrition grid. OK so I learned one thing, and wonder just how much more I'm completely ignorant about. Is there someplace I can start out for these basic facts?
So confused!

Replies

  • vraehn
    vraehn Posts: 1,008
    Whole wheat add fiber to your diet. White pasta tends toward sugar when digested. :flowerforyou:
  • picketts
    picketts Posts: 1
    The "Eat This, Not That" books have great information in them and they're simple and easy to read. It gives you a good starting foundation and they have a book just for grocery shopping. They pretty much have a short summary for almost everything you would buy. Hope that helps! :drinker:
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    Here are some pretty basic food-label reading rules:

    1. when presented with two choices that seem similar, pick the one with the most fibre and the fewest ingredients.

    2. try to do most of your shopping on the outside of the store. The middle aisles are where the processed food lives.

    3. avoid added sugar, fructose, and corn syrup whenever possible.

    There are lots of "rules" but these are a good start, and the ones that I still stick with.

    HTH:flowerforyou:
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    I've learned a lot about nutrition this past year as my husband was diagnosed as a "pre-diabetic" so I scrambled to learn as much as I could because I would really like to keep this man around for as long as possible.
    I found that there really isn't one place to go to for ALL details, the canada food guide is a good place to start, but some basics of things I've picked up from a nutritionist in our doctor's office and the canadian diabetes site. Logging your food on a daily basis on this site is an excellent tool also as it helps you discover what works, and what doesn't. I've customized my food page to include tracking sodium and fibre. If you are too high in fibre or protein it is good but try to stay within the allowable limits for carbs and fat.

    Basically anything "white" is a no no. White bread, white pasta, white rice . . . it is all refined or "processed" carbs that have virtually no nutritional value and just turn to sugar in your bloodstream. Any wheat or grain option is better as they will contain more fibre, which has more nutritional value and has the benefit of making you feel full longer. To choose between these options I take note of the portion size of each Vs. the calories, fats, and sodium.
    Many products have a LOT of hidden sodium so I tend to just shop the outter areas of the grocery store and do not buy any prepared foods. A lot of the ladies at work eat those frozen lean cuisine meals and similar types but if you cannot pronounce everything in the list of ingredience it is a good bet to stay away from it. There are an awful lot of really bad things for you in those processed (or prepared) foods so Im happy to say that I've turned off some of them from eating those.

    Your best bet is to take the time to prepare all of your own meals. I typically spend the day in the kitchen on Sunday cooking chicken breasts to put in my salads for the week, or hard boiled eggs. I cut up veggies so we can just grab them and thow them into a ziploc container for the day, portion each mornings oatmeal, and often make a few dinners that we can freeze so I won't be tempted to grab something unhealthy if I've forotten to take something out for dinner.

    We have found that it does cost a bit more to eat healthy because of the cost of the fresh fruit and veggies, and it does take more time and effort to prepare them. I consider it an investment in our future . . . we contribute to RRSP's but how much do we really contribute to our health for a long life?

    It takes a bit of time and a few bumps but keep at it and figure out what things you like . . . we have tried many different things, veggies we've never tried, ways of cooking, new spices and herbs. It has been a year of new discoveries but SO worth it.
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