Overwhelmed

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CheyH92
CheyH92 Posts: 35 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I have recently started learning a lot of new stuff about food and nutrition and have noticed that there is so much you need to know about food and such. Such as certain foods can cause cancer, and alarming facts such as that. I feel like its hard enough trying to figure out which foods are healthy and contain "good" vitamins, carbs, sugars ect for your body now we have to try to decode those crazy nutrition labels to find out if it is harmful to our health.ugh how do people do it? how can you stay on top of EVERYTHING you need to eat and do to be healthy. HELP!!!

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  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    So I have recently started learning a lot of new stuff about food and nutrition and have noticed that there is so much you need to know about food and such. Such as certain foods can cause cancer, and alarming facts such as that. I feel like its hard enough trying to figure out which foods are healthy and contain "good" vitamins, carbs, sugars ect for your body now we have to try to decode those crazy nutrition labels to find out if it is harmful to our health.ugh how do people do it? how can you stay on top of EVERYTHING you need to eat and do to be healthy. HELP!!!

    You can't. So, embrace it.

    You can learn a little of a lot, or a lot about a little and then connect with people who have complementary sets of knowledge.

    Learn the basics, and go from there. Start with what is good, what is bad, what is "healthy". Read a lot. Learn to love pubmed or google scholar. Learn to question EVERY opinion from an expert who is not talking about their peer reviewed journal articles.
  • royvor
    royvor Posts: 271
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    I hear you. You have to do the best possible. No one is perfect. We are all a work in progress. I learned little by little what Macros were I was unaware. Now I know protein first, carbs can be complex or simple. Know you are not alone this was all new to me too. But as in anything new and worth obtaining you have to work hard and reaserching little by little you will build your knowledge base and be better equip to fuel your body with food that will keep you feeling fuller longer. Knowledge is power keep reaserching and trying to add in little by little the information your are learning. Hope this helps.
  • Anport
    Anport Posts: 12 Member
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    Well don't pay attention to food labels that tell you they are Diet or Healthy, because despite that, they're still full of preservatives and other unnecessary ingredients. Know where your food comes from. If you have a local farmers market or co-op, that's usually a good place to start. It's just a matter of eating more natural foods. I admit, I still eat stuff despite the fact that it's not healthy for me, because its cheap and convenient sometimes. A lot of 100 Calorie packs are stuffed with sugars but it's on the go and I don't have time to eat if I'm in a rush, but I do cut back where I can and when I can. If I'm baking, I use applesauce instead of oil. I try to use honey or agave nectar instead of sugar or zero-calorie sweeteners in my tea and desserts. Don't feel so overwhelmed, it's really hard to avoid unless you have the money to always buy the more natural or organic brand (I'm a college student so those options are usually more expensive for me). But try to look at clearance isles. Sometimes when I'm lucky at Albertsons, they'll put older breads at discounted prices and sometimes they have hearty multigrain bread and I grab whenever I can! So don't worry, it's kind of unavoidable but being conscious of it is the most important part.
  • CheyH92
    CheyH92 Posts: 35 Member
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    Thank you guys!! Im a college student also so kind of hard to afford all the organic healthy foods, but I do my best!!
  • jamiek917
    jamiek917 Posts: 610 Member
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    try to mainly stick to the perimeter of the supermarket (fresh food and mostly not processed) and u will already be eating healthier than the majority of the country.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    It sounds like your getting boggled down by myths.

    The only thing about food you need to pay attention to is the calories, protein, fat, and carbs.

    That and make sure you're getting adequate fruit and vegetables in your diet.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    Please don't be so concerned. Anything including water will kill you if you drink too much so just have everything in moderation. Eat mostly fresh fruit and veggies, protein and some carbs preferably not overly refined. Stay away from trans fat and not too much sugar. You don't have to eat organic.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    It sounds like your getting boggled down by myths.

    The only thing about food you need to pay attention to is the calories, protein, fat, and carbs.

    That and make sure you're getting adequate fruit and vegetables in your diet.

    This. Please keep it VERY VERY basic and simple. You might wanna learn more later but I've been on this site for over an year and this is pretty much all I need to learn in order to succeed
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    It sounds like your getting boggled down by myths.

    The only thing about food you need to pay attention to is the calories, protein, fat, and carbs.

    That and make sure you're getting adequate fruit and vegetables in your diet.

    This. Please keep it VERY VERY basic and simple. You might wanna learn more later but I've been on this site for over an year and this is pretty much all I need to learn in order to succeed

    x2
  • CheyH92
    CheyH92 Posts: 35 Member
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    Thank you for the help guys!
  • auteurfille22
    auteurfille22 Posts: 251 Member
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    It sounds like your getting boggled down by myths.

    The only thing about food you need to pay attention to is the calories, protein, fat, and carbs.

    That and make sure you're getting adequate fruit and vegetables in your diet.
  • marygee1951
    marygee1951 Posts: 148 Member
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    Think about what you were eating before! :sick: Don't get overwhelmed. Like you, I'm learning a lot. I try to read about healthy eating. I've read a few books on Intuitive Eating. Right now I'm reading Dr. Phil's book The Ultimate Weight Solution. These are books about not dieting, but changing your eating habits. :flowerforyou:
  • CheyH92
    CheyH92 Posts: 35 Member
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    That sounds like an interesting book, I might have to get it!
  • seif0068
    seif0068 Posts: 193 Member
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    So I have recently started learning a lot of new stuff about food and nutrition and have noticed that there is so much you need to know about food and such. Such as certain foods can cause cancer, and alarming facts such as that. I feel like its hard enough trying to figure out which foods are healthy and contain "good" vitamins, carbs, sugars ect for your body now we have to try to decode those crazy nutrition labels to find out if it is harmful to our health.ugh how do people do it? how can you stay on top of EVERYTHING you need to eat and do to be healthy. HELP!!!

    One thing at a time - that has been my mantra.

    First, I just started keeping my food journal so I could see what I was taking in.

    Then, I started portion control and reducing my overall intake.

    When I had a handle on that, I decided to cut down my pop intake to 1 can/day.

    After that, I started trying to swap processed snacks with fruit or healthy snacks.

    Then, I started trying to eat more vegetables.

    Then, I started paying more attention to my macros, lowering sodium, etc.

    A lot of people try too much, too soon and it's hard to stay on track. Over the course of 6 months I have totally changed my eating habits, one small thing at a time. My diet is far from perfect but it is leaps and bounds healthier than where I was when I started this process!
  • CheyH92
    CheyH92 Posts: 35 Member
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    That's really great advice, I should try that..because yes like most I try to do it all at once..which leaves me overwhelmed!
  • swbabe33
    swbabe33 Posts: 21 Member
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    I don't think you can check every label. List the foods or combinations you regularly eat and check a few at a time. Focus on you and what you want to do. I live in California where restaurants have to list the calorie and nutrition counts for everything they serve. That was depressing because some of my favorite foods (I like chicken nachos at Islands) were really high in calories, fat, you name it. I have cut back and rearranged my foods so that I eat the right foods first and if I slip up, it is when I'm nearly full or the bad stuff is easier to resist or have a lot less of. Keep at it, focus on you and what you want. Be selfish, your effort is for you and your future. You will do it.
  • swbabe33
    swbabe33 Posts: 21 Member
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    Good for you. I like the one thing at a time. It is too easy to be overwhelmed by all the little things. I have to find ways to consume enough food to lose weight, but it has to be something I can swallow easily, due to an illness I have. Great going to be down all those pounds.

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