Healthiest way of eating

kwirky112
kwirky112 Posts: 46 Member
edited November 9 in Food and Nutrition
With all the information available online (and much of it contradictory), is anyone able to offer an insight into the healthiest way of eating long term?
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Replies

  • ardavis23
    ardavis23 Posts: 95 Member
    yes, all of this can be extremly overwhemling.
    I have tried every "diet" out there! you name it, and I have done it. then of course I put the weight back on, somtimes even more.
    For me...the only way I could make healthy eating long term, and a LIFESTYLE change, was to prep all my meals for the week. every sunday I would sit down and make a plan depending on my goals and write out a shopping list. Then I would come home and litteraly cooked EVERY MEAL ( 6 meals a day) for the entire week. This left me with ZERO excuses! I always had food ready for me. for me this is easy to stick to. :)
    I have truly changed my lifestyle of eating and staying in shape

    Best of luck to you!
  • daedalus01
    daedalus01 Posts: 44 Member
    I won't tell you IIFYM is the best, I will say I used and still continue to use IIFYM and lost 170lbs. You won't be missing out on the so called "bad foods", the majority of your intake will be healthy, you'll hold on to your sanity and for me, I found it a lot easier to maintain and stay consistent.
  • kwirky112
    kwirky112 Posts: 46 Member
    I have not heard of IIFYM but have googled it so will read up on it. Thanks :)
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    edited December 2014
    ....is eating everything in moderation, your welcome. :D;)

    ETA: Lost 121 pounds doing that.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    Everyone has different needs. So I dont think there is a one size fits all on this. I think the "myplate" template or oldways pyramids are good in helping plan meals/days.

    I personally eat a low fat vegetarian diet,and that is how I like to eat. I count calories to make sure my weight stays were I want it to.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    Some people are totally turned off by the way I eat, (beans and rice! Soup! Potatoes!) and I in turn find some ways of eating that are totally boring and unappetizing to me.

    different strokes and all.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Unless you have a medical condition which requires avoiding certain foods, eat what you want in moderation.
  • NJGamerChick
    NJGamerChick Posts: 467 Member
    There is no such thing as healthiest way of eating. What one person deems healthy could be unhealthy for another. For me? Higher protein and moderate carbs and fat keeps my body balanced and my levels in check.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Figure out a 500 calorie deficit and eat to that number.
    get a food scale and weigh everything that you eat.
    log all your food.
    adhere to marco percent/breakdowns if you care about body composition
    no food is "healthy" or "bad" or insert descriptive here..at the end of the day it is just food that your body uses for energy.
    Do not restrict anything. If you want bread, eat it; if you want ice cream, have it; just make sure you maintain your calorie deficit.
    sugar and carbs are no evil
    work out/move more if you want to, but it is not necessary for weight loss.
    repeat all this until you get desired results…
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Depends on what you can adhere to, if you have any medical co.ditions, if you are training, what you are training for, etc. all have to be considered
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    Healthy vs unhealthy is very subjective. There's also a big difference if we're talking about healthy in terms of weight or healthy in regards to overall wellness.
  • coueswhitetail
    coueswhitetail Posts: 309 Member
    There is all kinds of research showing a plant based diet is great for long term health......check out nutritionfacts.org.....
  • Born_2_Lose
    Born_2_Lose Posts: 59 Member
    Eat as close to the earth as possible...shop only on the outsides of the grocery store. Whole foods, grains, sprouted breads, lean meats, loads of fruits and veggies...no processed or canned foods. Rule of thumb....Eat like our ancestors did (they were farmers). Best of luck to you!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,982 Member
    Meet your essentials (macros and micros) for optimal performance regardless of what you do physically and stay within a reasonable calorie limit. What is considered healthy to some isn't healthy to others. A vegan would deem meat as unhealthy. Paleo people don't do grains. And keto people don't feel carbs are ideal at all.
    IMO, there are no real bad foods, just foods that are less nutrient dense than others.
    But first and foremost, meet your essentials.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    Eat as close to the earth as possible...shop only on the outsides of the grocery store. Whole foods, grains, sprouted breads, lean meats, loads of fruits and veggies...no processed or canned foods. Rule of thumb....Eat like our ancestors did (they were farmers). Best of luck to you!
    I'm already eating on the earth so does this makes me ultra healthy?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Eat as close to the earth as possible...shop only on the outsides of the grocery store. Whole foods, grains, sprouted breads, lean meats, loads of fruits and veggies...no processed or canned foods. Rule of thumb....Eat like our ancestors did (they were farmers). Best of luck to you!

    as opposed to eating on Mars?
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    I like to eat like our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Naked and hairy.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    OdesAngel wrote: »
    Eat as close to the earth as possible...shop only on the outsides of the grocery store. Whole foods, grains, sprouted breads, lean meats, loads of fruits and veggies...no processed or canned foods. Rule of thumb....Eat like our ancestors did (they were farmers). Best of luck to you!
    I'm already eating on the earth so does this makes me ultra healthy?
    Only if you're lying on the dirt outside naked while eating = Uber healthy
  • BodyByButter
    BodyByButter Posts: 563 Member
    ardavis23 wrote: »
    yes, all of this can be extremly overwhemling.
    I have tried every "diet" out there! you name it, and I have done it. then of course I put the weight back on, somtimes even more.
    For me...the only way I could make healthy eating long term, and a LIFESTYLE change, was to prep all my meals for the week. every sunday I would sit down and make a plan depending on my goals and write out a shopping list. Then I would come home and litteraly cooked EVERY MEAL ( 6 meals a day) for the entire week. This left me with ZERO excuses! I always had food ready for me. for me this is easy to stick to. :)
    I have truly changed my lifestyle of eating and staying in shape

    Best of luck to you!

    Could you share what an example of your week's prep might be? I am really interested in doing this.

  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Eat as close to the earth as possible...shop only on the outsides of the grocery store. Whole foods, grains, sprouted breads, lean meats, loads of fruits and veggies...no processed or canned foods. Rule of thumb....Eat like our ancestors did (they were farmers). Best of luck to you!

    as opposed to eating on Mars?
    VENUS! :wink:
  • Kalikel wrote: »
    If you visit a dietitian, though, you can get info that is tailored to you! :)

    FIFY

  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member

    FIFY

    I must ask that you not change my words when you quote me. If you have different advice, please give it. If you think people should skip doctors and should go straight to dietitians, you can post that without altering my words.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    kwirky112 wrote: »
    With all the information available online (and much of it contradictory), is anyone able to offer an insight into the healthiest way of eating long term?

    Define "healthiest". A 300 pound lineman is going to have a different perspective than a 94 pound dancer.

    Define "long term". What makes sense at a hyperactive 21 may not make sense at 51.

  • blueakama
    blueakama Posts: 399 Member
    Blue Zones by Dan Buettner is an interesting read about places in the world where people live longer and healthier than anywhere else on earth. You'll discover there is not one right diet. Lifestyle also plays a large part in health.
  • FixItDuck
    FixItDuck Posts: 112 Member
    I agree it is confusing. I have decided that I have to find what works for me and leaves me feeling healthy and happy - that's more fruit, veg, and less processed food; I don't feel good if I eat large quantities of meat, and in fact would happily not eat it very often, but when cooking for the rest of the family I am not wanting to cook different meals so we all get the same thing.

    I think all the "advice" makes it very confusing!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »

    At least in the US, medical doctors get almost no education in nutrition. I probably learned more about it in high school home-ec than you would learn in med school! The best nutrition info you can get from a doctor is a referral to a dietitian.
    But the links are great!

    OP, as most of the other posts have said, a balanced diet with a combo of protein, carbs, and fat is the key. The specific foods are personal choice based on what you like, and what will keep you satisfied and still hit your calorie goal.
  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
    edited January 2015
    Well, if you define healthy in terms of longest living centenarians, they have a few similar eating habits somewhere along the lines of cooking and eating whole foods (veggies, fruits, roots, meat, seafood, dairy, few processed foods), but not too much (limit calorie intake/avoid overeating) and eating mostly (not all) plants. They also do or incorporate light physical activity into their daily lives like making the time to walk everyday, gardening, biking or even lifting light dumbbells. What I noticed in Japanese culture is that they do not like to sit still at all. For instance, after sitting for awhile, every couple hours, they'll get up, stretch, walk around, do a bit of chores, run errands, visit a friend, etc. They really make use of their time! And finally, you need a good support system. Surround yourself with friends and family, share your feelings and laugh/be merry. Stress is a big no no and have huge negative impact on long term health! Did you know, most centenarians have all their original teeth?! Well that being said, for me, these traits define healthy... It's rehashing a ton of stuff people always say to do for health but then again, we never really listen anyways...
  • kimny72 wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »

    At least in the US, medical doctors get almost no education in nutrition. I probably learned more about it in high school home-ec than you would learn in med school! The best nutrition info you can get from a doctor is a referral to a dietitian.

    It's similar in my country. They receive very basic 'high school level' nutrition education and unfortunately, are known to put people on fad diets which can set them up for failure.
  • sheepotato
    sheepotato Posts: 600 Member
    edited January 2015
    Log everything you eat, then check the reports area at the end of the week. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/reports You can see all of your micronutrients there and you'll get a graph of your average daily intakes. It's helpful to have a visual sometimes.

    Here's the RDA, fnic.nal.usda.gov/dietary-guidance/dietary-reference-intakes/dri-tables It's a good starting place to set nutrient goals, but it's better if you get a metabolic panel done and see if there's something your body is deficient in.

    Some people don't think multivitamins are worth it, but they can be a nice safety net. It's always better to get nutrients from their whole food sources but it's nearly impossible to meet your RDAs of all the water soluble vitamins if you are on a calorie restriction.

    Start small, try to eat a varied diet and don't eliminate anything unless you need to for allergy/medical reasons. If you do have food allergies or medical dietary restrictions try to find some alternate sources for the nutrients from those foods. People have their prefered eating styles where they eliminate or go really heavy with one macro or another but you are usually going to get in more varied nutrients with a varied diet. Don't give up too much or try to change too much at once, just make small sustainable choices and you may find that you start naturally gravitating towards some foods. There's plenty of room in a healthy varied diet for chocolate and things you enjoy.

    You could see a nutritionist to get started, or just start really small and see how it goes.

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