Thoughts on my eating philosophy?
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sighhhh you do whatever makes you happy. I can see this is going to be a popular thread!
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Nakeshia88 wrote: »To give a little background I'm already on a highly restricted diet due to digestion and fatigue issues - a low FODMAP diet pretty much rules out gluten, legumes, most dairy, added sugars, artificial sweeteners and in my case alcohol - along with onions, garlic, apples and many berries. As I'm already so restricted I'm looking for ways to eat the most nutritious foods I can. 'Clean eating' or sticking to mostly natural and low processed (in my mind processing food is doing things like fermenting, grinding, brewing, roasting, drying etc etc.) foods seems to work the best for me at this point in time. Filling my already restricted meals with 'empty calorie' and convenience foods just seems like a waste.
Wouldn't those things be off limits for you anyway? I'm not understanding why you'd make up a restriction in addition to the low FODMAP one.
Personally, rather than a rather arbitrary distinction between things you COULD make and things you couldn't--like others have said, I could buy a soda maker thing and am not sure I could make proper yogurt--why not achieve the goal of getting the best fuel for your body by simply focusing on the specifics of what you eat. I can make cake, but that doesn't mean that eating lots of cake is good for me. Eating it in moderation on occasion, sure.
But it's up to you, so if it makes you happy or makes the low FODMAP thing more bearable, go for it.0 -
Nakeshia88 wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »Nakeshia88 wrote: »To give a little background I'm already on a highly restricted diet due to digestion and fatigue issues - a low FODMAP diet pretty much rules out gluten, legumes, most dairy, added sugars, artificial sweeteners and in my case alcohol - along with onions, garlic, apples and many berries. As I'm already so restricted I'm looking for ways to eat the most nutritious foods I can. 'Clean eating' or sticking to mostly natural and low processed (in my mind processing food is doing things like fermenting, grinding, brewing, roasting, drying etc etc.) foods seems to work the best for me at this point in time. Filling my already restricted meals with 'empty calorie' and convenience foods just seems like a waste.
Ah, see then the issue lies in your examples. Why use pizza, wine, beer etc as examples of things you could and would have under your philosophy if that was never your intention?
Terrible choice of examples, sorry. Though pizza on a gluten free base with no cheese is still an option for me, albeit not a very exciting option!
Isn't the deal with low FODMAP that it goes beyond gluten since gluten often isn't the issue but something else about wheat? So along with gluten and lots of other things you'd give up wheat entirely? Just wondering about the idea that just being gluten free would be sufficient.0 -
This is a diet and health site. We don't take kindly to people choosing to eat real foods. We promote enjoying the decadence of processed garbage and anyone that thinks different from us must be orthorexic.
I think most people don't care what other people eat. The issue is when people think (or insist) that you must eat 100% "clean" or you have somehow failed. So many people starting out think that they are only allowed to eat chicken breast and broccoli, this leads to the "I had a bite of cake, did I ruin my weight loss??" threads and ultimately to people failing because that type of restriction is unsustainable for many. I think the people who are like, "Relax, have some ice cream. Just make sure it fits into your macros." want people to succeed and know that flexibility is key to sustainability for most people.
ETA: I don't think the OP was saying that her way was the only way to success.0 -
This is a diet and health site. We don't take kindly to people choosing to eat real foods. We promote enjoying the decadence of processed garbage and anyone that thinks different from us must be orthorexic.
I think most people don't care what other people eat. The issue is when people think (or insist) that you must eat 100% "clean" or you have somehow failed. So many people starting out think that they are only allowed to eat chicken breast and broccoli, this leads to the "I had a bite of cake, did I ruin my weight loss??" threads and ultimately to people failing because that type of restriction is unsustainable for many. I think the people who are like, "Relax, have some ice cream. Just make sure it fits into your macros." want people to succeed and know that flexibility is key to sustainability for most people.
ETA: I don't think the OP was saying that her way was the only way to success.
Definitely not saying that. Like I said earlier I'm taking a more holistic view to my diet and health these days, and I truly believe that each and every person has to find and follow whatever works for them. There is no one way, no right or wrong foods or exercises.
Think about it, there are over 7 billion people on Earth, you cannot possibly claim they every one of us has to eat a certain way and do certain exercises. It simply does not work that way.
Find what feels good and keep doing it.0 -
Nakeshia88 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »The only reason you can't make something like Coca-Cola is that you don't have the recipe.
I also don't own a laboratory or a contraption to carbonate water... http://food-handler.blogspot.com.au/2008/02/coca-cola-how-to-make-coca-cola-at-home.html?m=1 I don't think I personally could grow or make caramel colouring, phosphoric acid or whatever instant gum is either, or even learn how to... I don't have a food science degree! But if you could do this then good for you, go for it :-)
Can you make baking power? Can you grow baking soda? What about sugar? What about olive oil? Or any kind of oil, for that matter? Perhaps you like cooking with lard. So many of the foods we eat require some special equipment and knowledge for us to prepare them. Yes, we could go gain the knowledge and learn to use the equipment, as is the case with grinding your own flour, but if that is allowable, then it should be allowable to drink Coca-Cola. Unless you mean you are actually going to make and grow your own stuff. Which is certainly doable, but it requires both land and knowledge to do it.0 -
I think whatever helps you meet whatever macros you are looking for is fine.
I have often thought really romantically about wanting to live on one of those we make, eat and create everything we need communes.
Of course then I want wifi and cable and my romance is over.
The romance dies for me when I realise that I'd want two weeks on the beach and everything would die whilst I was there.
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Your diet, your body. Basically your philosophy is about no artificial stuff. Less extreme than the paleo approach that's increasingly popular.0
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MonsoonStorm wrote: »I think its great.
Over the past few years I have seen MFP slowly trend from accepting others food choices to becoming more militant about 'macros and calorie counts at the expense of everything else'. In my humble opinion it has gone too far that way.
I am a flexible dieter, and keeping my macros in check is my main focus, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to eat more natural foods and less processed stuff. Instead of applying your own experience and biases, just applaud people for wanting to improve their eating habits. Again, there are very few restrictions mentioned in the OP's post, it is all sensible and not very restrictive at all!
If she cant make it work and needs a more flexible eating plan, then let her come back and ask for that advice when its needed.
^ This.
It's *roughly* how I eat regardless. It's not "hard" I actually did it originally more from a standpoint of wanting to support local farmers rather than a "this will make me lose weight!" stand point.
At the end of the day the majority of this forum concentrates massively on CICO and generally neglects the "wellbeing" and philosophical/belief side of things. The thing is, sometimes that extra little bit of morality behind a reasoning can sometimes make it easier for that "system" to become part of your life rather than something you are just going to try because you've tried everything else and have nothing left to lose...
I guess I still haven't quite gotten used to the immediate negative reactions any time someone makes a post like OP.
"Hey! I wish to make some changes to improve my life and help out others!"... followed by "OMG why, CICO noob, you're an idiot"
Why can't people accept that changes like the one that OP stated aren't a big deal, and if OP decides it isn't working out due to time restrictions or whatever then she's hardly about to hurl herself into a vat of Coca Cola and attempt to drink it all until she explodes...
At the end of the day, you've no idea what OP's original habits are... perhaps the only significant difference will be coke, not exactly a massive deal to be replacing coke with something else.
Go for it OP. I hope it works well for you.
*runs off to find a shakeology person to demean to make up for the support given* that's how this works, right?
*edited to add* looks like this philosophy is an extension of a restricted diet you are already on. re: digestion issues... It's a roll of the dice. You keep trying things and once you find something that works, you stick to it. You stick to it because if you don't then life becomes thoroughly miserable. I hope you find your holy grail. Try what you like and give yourself whatever 'ideals' you like to try and figure it out. Whatever helps.
So glad to see I'm not the only one who's been thinking this.
OP, if you think will work for you and keep you healthy, then it's a good philosophy for you. And the great thing is, if it ends up not working for you, you can change it. So long as you're not a person who spirals after something doesn't go the way you hoped it would (sometimes labeled as "failure"), there's nothing wrong with trying out different ways of doing things until you find what works best for you.0 -
Nakeshia88 wrote: »My new philosophy for food is that if you can't grow it, catch it, kill it or make it yourself then don't eat it. For example: I can grow fruits/vegetables/legumes/grains and nuts so these are OK; I can fish and shoot so meat is OK; and I can/could easily learn to do things like grow/grind my own flour, salt and coffee, I can brew beer, make bread and pasta so these are OK - however, I couldn't make something like Coca Cola or anything containing artificial ingredients/additives so I won't eat these things.
So lately when I'm picking up food that's in a tin, bag or box I'll read the ingredients and ask myself, could I grow or kill these ingredients, process and mix them together myself to make this? If so, then I'll buy it, if not, back it goes! What do you think of this philosophy?
I say go for it. What you put in your body is no concern of mine, tbh. I see no health concerns and as long as you are eating a balanced diet you aren't doing any harm. You may find that you really enjoy it and I applaud you for that. You may find it hard to get around some preservatives though. Good luck!0 -
Read Blithedale Farm. ;-) It's never as ideal as it seems it should be.
I used to have fantasies about eating based only on what I could grow, etc. too--the health benefit in reality is that everything is so much less convenient if you have to make it yourself, although I do tend to like many things better when I do that (not yogurt or cheese, though). My problem is that I tend to get obsessive so for me it would always be about what I could actually hunt/grow, etc. where I live--extreme locavore stuff--and that would snap me back to reality as I'd realize what the climate means for much of the year and I'd be all happy about modern times again.
None of this means I don't think about health and nutrition, but that focusing on my personal canning skills really doesn't add much to the consideration of whether something will be healthy if added to my diet or not.0 -
I applaud this approach. Its a great way to get healthy. I feel SO much better getting artificial stuff out of my diet. Those icky chemical foods really wreck havoc on your system. I feel our population in generally misinformed that moderation is key concerning whatever they want to eat. I wish people would stop moderating first and just try eating healthy as a first step. x0
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I think its great.
Over the past few years I have seen MFP slowly trend from accepting others food choices to becoming more militant about 'macros and calorie counts at the expense of everything else'. In my humble opinion it has gone too far that way.
I am a flexible dieter, and keeping my macros in check is my main focus, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to eat more natural foods and less processed stuff. Instead of applying your own experience and biases, just applaud people for wanting to improve their eating habits. Again, there are very few restrictions mentioned in the OP's post, it is all sensible and not very restrictive at all!
If she cant make it work and needs a more flexible eating plan, then let her come back and ask for that advice when its needed.
I think the only push back I ever see is when someone insists that any way is the ONLY way to do something right.
Because honestly, the only way to do this right is to create an energy deficit. The specifics of doing that are personal preference.
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HauteLlama wrote: »I applaud this approach. Its a great way to get healthy. I feel SO much better getting artificial stuff out of my diet. Those icky chemical foods really wreck havoc on your system. I feel our population in generally misinformed that moderation is key concerning whatever they want to eat. I wish people would stop moderating first and just try eating healthy as a first step. x
When you have been stuck in your eating habits for years and years it is not just as easy as going cold turkey and giving up everything straight away to be this shining beacon of health and nutritional righteousness. If you managed it then awesome! But, to disagree with you, people are not 'misinformed' about moderation at all, nope, and it is a very useful tool in getting people on the right track to improving their health and fitness. In fact, if anything I get more annoyed with those people who preach that eating a packet of crisps once a week some sort of nutritional sin!0 -
Do they now? How so?HauteLlama wrote: »I applaud this approach. Its a great way to get healthy. I feel SO much better getting artificial stuff out of my diet. Those icky chemical foods really wreck havoc on your system. I feel our population in generally misinformed that moderation is key concerning whatever they want to eat. I wish people would stop moderating first and just try eating healthy as a first step. x
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fearlessleader104 wrote: »My eating philosophy is if another human being ate it before and did not die within 5 minutes, I'll eat it.
Now this is a good philosophy.0
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