What foods should I be eating?

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Pandlove
Pandlove Posts: 8
in Food and Nutrition
Hello! I am new to dieting and was wondering what kind of foods I should be eating? I started out having a smoothie for breakfast, lean cuisine for lunch, and salad for dinner but was way under my calorie intake and lost 6 pounds in under 2 weeks. Now I am trying to eat a little more but have noticed that my sugars and fats are always too high, and my carbs and proteins are always too low. What kind of foods should I be eating that will give me enough calories without having too much sugar or fat? (Fruits and veggies are really high in calories so I don't know what to do T_T)

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  • vaironika
    vaironika Posts: 36
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    Its very good that you are including lots of veggies and fruit but to reach your daily calorie intake try to incorporate more nutrient dense foods such as quinoa which is a great complex carb and also a source of protein without the fat. You can mix in some beans as well which are fat free but contain a very good amount of protein, iron and fiber. Edamame beans are my favorite, and black beans and chickpeas are good as well. Also try some healthy fats such as avocado with your salad which will help your body absorb the nutrients from your veggies and it also helps your body to not absorb fat! just stick to a 1/4 or a 1/2 an avocado. Raw nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, chia, hemp, and flaxseed are very nutritious too and supply all the healthy fats and proteins for your skin and heart and will also curb your appetite and trim down belly fat. As long as you eat healthy fats in moderation your body will metabolize them properly so they won't store as unnecessary excess fat. If your a fish and egg eater try some eggs or salmon as a protein source as well. Oatmeal is also a great carb packed with dietary fiber to help with digestion and control your hunger throughout the day if you have some for breakfast after your smoothie.
  • epie2098
    epie2098 Posts: 224 Member
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    Fruits and veggies are not high in calories. Even if they were, they contain an abundance of nutrients that you need for good health.

    In general, here's how I eat:

    breakfast - smoothie. I use 1 cup frozen fruit, a big handful of spinach or kale (you may need to work up to this), a scoop of vanilla protein powder, a tablespoon of chia seeds, and about 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk. On weekends, I like poached eggs on gluten-free toast.

    snack - varies, depending on if I did healthy baking (slice of banana bread), or it's fruit, or trail mix (my favourite snack).

    lunch - almost always a balance between 1/3 each carb (quinoa, rice, millet, potato, sweet potato, rice noodles, soba noodles etc.), a protein (egg, tofu, cheese, black beans, edamame), veggies (whatever looks tasty!), with a small amount of healthy fat, eg. salad dressing over the whole thing, pine nuts etc.

    snack - usually a protein bar, but I workout after work so need fuel!

    dinner - again, 1/3 each.

    MFP cannot tell the difference between sugar from fruit and refined sugar. Don't worry about it, as long as it's coming from fruit not refined (eg popsicles, sugar in coffee/tea, baked goods etc.)

    Your fats may be too high because you're putting too much salad dressing on, or you're including higher-fat items on your salad (a boiled egg, some grated cheese, and a few bacon bites if you're not veg will add up). I can't see any other reason why fat would be too high.

    My diary is open to friends, and my lunch blog is veggiebentolove.wordpress.com if you're interested.

    I've lost 80lbs, kept it off for years, and finally have 12 more I'd like to see gone!
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    Protein and fats are necessary for muscle development and organ function. Carbs give you energy. You need all three within a certain calorie limit.

    Don't limit yourself to what you think of as diet foods. You can eat anything you want so long as you are getting a good ratio of protein, carbs, and fat to meet your goals.

    I love lean meats cooked any way I like them
    avocados
    breads, preferably whole grain so I get more fiber
    any fruit or vegetable that I like
    any pasta that I like
    any sweet that I like
    basically any food that I enjoy eating that I can eat within my calorie goals.

    You should stop thinking in terms of "dieting." Get rid of the yucky lean cuisine stuff and enjoy a nice piece of chicken with some couscous and red bell pepper, for instance. Or some puttanesca. Pretty much anything you want to eat, measured and weighed with a food scale, can be eaten when losing weight.
  • Rkasil
    Rkasil Posts: 13 Member
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    My niece and nephew added me to Instagram to follow them. Well, I got bored following them, as they don't post that often.

    I started following people who eat clean. That's when I really started to change what I eat and I've lost 40 pounds. It helped me so much. It has given me great ideas and recipes to follow. If you have a Smart Phone, open an account today and start looking around at food pictures. It's amazing!! Also, looking at 'friends' diaries here on MFP helps a lot too.

    And I HAD to change my mind set. This isn't a diet. Diets are set up to FAIL.
    I look at this as my new lifestyle. I've been doing this since January and will for the rest of my life. I've finally got this figured out!!
    And it seriously is because I'm not calling it a diet!!

    GOOD LUCK!!!

    OH---I have also gotten rid of all processed food, ie Lean Cruisine type foods.

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