Healthy eating... Meh...

Good news, two weeks off pop and not planning on going back! Bad news, not much healthy stuff sounds good or tastes good to me... Working on eating 100% better now that I've conquered pop. Any suggestions?
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Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    "healthy" doesn't mean bland and boring...get out the cook book and start cooking...use a variety of spices and flavors...cook with some good oils, etc.
  • TK6299
    TK6299 Posts: 502 Member
    Congrads on dropping the soda. Big healthy step for you. Fresh veggies for snacking, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli. Portion sizes with your other meals, keeping to your limits. You can make it happen.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    pasta with tangy sauce, nachos, chocolate cake, corn on the cob with butter - all of these can be part of a healthy diet in moderation. so can pizza, although you'd need to eat a lot less of it than most of us want to to hang with that moderation thing.

    healthy doesn't mean no fat, no salt and no flavor.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Roasted veggies. Pick just about any veggie, toss with olive oil and salt and put it in the oven or on the grill.
  • MinmoInk
    MinmoInk Posts: 345 Member
    Or just eat what you like and try to make healthier choices with the food groups you like and healthier portion sizes. If you like pizza, eat pizza with maybe mushrooms instead of sausage and go really easy on the cheese. Etc. Sub a sweet potato for fries. Eat lighter stir fry instead of general tso if that's your thing. Don't set up in your mind that "healthy = bad tasting"
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Mix it up a bit. Have some of what you consider "non-healthy" some days.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Healthy doesn't have to be boring.

    My goal is 1800 (never ate under 1650 and lost 80 pounds). Yesterday I ate... pancakes (Kodiak power cakes) with cottage cheese and strawberries, some Greek yogurt and an apple, a chicken enchilada with homemade refried beans, a donut, 1.5 sweet Italian sausage with roasted cauliflower, and I still had a few calories leftover.

    Tasty and not boring.
  • drwilseyjr
    drwilseyjr Posts: 225 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    "healthy" doesn't mean bland and boring...get out the cook book and start cooking...use a variety of spices and flavors...cook with some good oils, etc.

    Seriously, I don't know why people associate healthy eating with "bland" eating. I fire up my grille every day and cook up delicious, healthy meals.

    I doesn't have to be all kale shakes and chicken. Yesterday I grilled some goat meat. This past weekend, I made racks of ribs and grilled asparagus.

    Plus, I just found an excellent recipe for frozen protein peanut butter cups that take five minutes to make and have very little fat and carbs and about 18g of protein per cup.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    It sure could get boring depending on what you think healthy means.

    Why not pick a starchy vegetable you have never tried before and find a recipe for it? Be sure the recipe includes garlic.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    I agree with the others, healthy does not have to be boring. I enjoy food, and if "dieting" meant that I couldn't enjoy my food any longer, I don't think that I'd be able to stick with it. I find eating whole foods, cooked from scratch to be the most satisfying. I know exactly what is going into each meal, I utilize healthy fats and limit "packaged" foods. Spices and herbs are your friend. Different cooking methods from pan frying, baking, broiling, roasting, grilling, etc all help to give you some variety as well. Go to a Farmers Market and buy something you normally wouldn't. I often ask the farmer for cooking tips as well. That's how I learned that carrot greens are edible and now they are one of my favorites to make. Go out and buy some magazines or healthy eating cook books, there are a million and one great recipes out there.
  • MissMonicaC4
    MissMonicaC4 Posts: 279 Member
    Pinterest is awesome for meal ideas!
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Yeah. Healthy stuff is rubbish. Avoid just about all of the suggestions which go in the recipes section here. Just have a burger, albeit a smaller one.
  • drwilseyjr
    drwilseyjr Posts: 225 Member
    eldamiano wrote: »
    Yeah. Healthy stuff is rubbish. Avoid just about all of the suggestions which go in the recipes section here. Just have a burger, albeit a smaller one.

    Yeah, don't listen to this.
  • Joreanasaurous
    Joreanasaurous Posts: 1,384 Member
    Pizza, chicken nuggets, you can make healthier versions of most foods. Healthy is only as bland as you make it
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    Yeah. Healthy stuff is rubbish. Avoid just about all of the suggestions which go in the recipes section here. Just have a burger, albeit a smaller one.

    Yeah, don't listen to this.

    Yeah!!!! You go and eat that appealing cabbage salad!!!!
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    edited March 2016
    Pizza, chicken nuggets, you can make healthier versions of most foods. Healthy is only as bland as you make it

    This - I eat out much less often because I can make the food I love healthier and tastier than any restaurant. You know what is going in. I use tons of different spices and herbs. I buy an all purpose salt free herb blend online by the pound because I use it so much. I am having chicken cordon bleu for dinner tonight. Yes with ham, Swiss cheese, and breading but baked not fried. I also found frozen grilled chicken nuggets that I like better than the breaded ones. Experiment and be adventurous.
  • megzchica23
    megzchica23 Posts: 419 Member
    Pretty much anything you can cook yourself is going to be a lot healthier than fast good and junk food. You can even make your own potato chips. It is really easy to make kale chips or sweat potato chips. You can make burritos or tacos. You could grill chicken. You could even make pulled bbq chicken in the crockpot. Just choose a bbq sauce that has the lowest sugar. Just make sure to eat veggies with your meals. For snacks you can have almonds, yogurt, cheese sticks, veggies and ranch, apples and peanut butter, fruit, fruit parfait. There are tons of options.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    Because healthy eating = cabbage salad?

    @eldamiano maybe you think that "healthy stuff is rubbish" but that is not the general consensus on this board, or even in this post for that matter. Sure, have a cheeseburger if you want it, or have that piece of cake, but that shouldn't be all you eat. And when you do eat "healthy" foods, they don't have to be boring or tasteless.
  • drwilseyjr
    drwilseyjr Posts: 225 Member
    eldamiano wrote: »
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    Yeah. Healthy stuff is rubbish. Avoid just about all of the suggestions which go in the recipes section here. Just have a burger, albeit a smaller one.

    Yeah, don't listen to this.

    Yeah!!!! You go and eat that appealing cabbage salad!!!!

    @eldamiano My diet is full of incredible tasting food that I cook daily. All types of meats, vegetables, and, yes, salads that are delicious. Eating healthy is only bland and boring if you make it.

    You want to fill your body with trash, go ahead. Some people are actually here to get fit. Yes, you can eat donuts and pizza to hit your caloric goal. But hitting your caloric goal does not equal health.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    Yeah. Healthy stuff is rubbish. Avoid just about all of the suggestions which go in the recipes section here. Just have a burger, albeit a smaller one.

    Yeah, don't listen to this.

    Yeah!!!! You go and eat that appealing cabbage salad!!!!

    @eldamiano My diet is full of incredible tasting food that I cook daily. All types of meats, vegetables, and, yes, salads that are delicious. Eating healthy is only bland and boring if you make it.

    You want to fill your body with trash, go ahead. Some people are actually here to get fit. Yes, you can eat donuts and pizza to hit your caloric goal. But hitting your caloric goal does not equal health.

    People dont get unhealthy by eating what you refer to as 'trash'. They get unhealthy by eating excessive amounts... of anything. Pizza, burgers, fried chicken... whatever.... they all have certain nutrients in them too.

    If I want to say that cabbage is boring, I can. It doesnt make you a pariah because you enjoy it, nor does it make me unhealthy if I dont.
  • drwilseyjr
    drwilseyjr Posts: 225 Member
    eldamiano wrote: »
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    Yeah. Healthy stuff is rubbish. Avoid just about all of the suggestions which go in the recipes section here. Just have a burger, albeit a smaller one.

    Yeah, don't listen to this.

    Yeah!!!! You go and eat that appealing cabbage salad!!!!

    @eldamiano My diet is full of incredible tasting food that I cook daily. All types of meats, vegetables, and, yes, salads that are delicious. Eating healthy is only bland and boring if you make it.

    You want to fill your body with trash, go ahead. Some people are actually here to get fit. Yes, you can eat donuts and pizza to hit your caloric goal. But hitting your caloric goal does not equal health.

    If I want to say that cabbage is boring, I can. It doesnt make you a pariah because you enjoy it, nor does it make me unhealthy if I dont.

    Nobody is trying to be a pariah. However, saying that excess is the only thing that effects health is utterly stupid.
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    Yeah. Healthy stuff is rubbish. Avoid just about all of the suggestions which go in the recipes section here. Just have a burger, albeit a smaller one.

    Yeah, don't listen to this.

    Yeah!!!! You go and eat that appealing cabbage salad!!!!

    @eldamiano My diet is full of incredible tasting food that I cook daily. All types of meats, vegetables, and, yes, salads that are delicious. Eating healthy is only bland and boring if you make it.

    You want to fill your body with trash, go ahead. Some people are actually here to get fit. Yes, you can eat donuts and pizza to hit your caloric goal. But hitting your caloric goal does not equal health.

    This ^

    But I couldn't agree more with your first point, I cook all my own meals 5/6 daily the bulk of that, 80% of the time, is the same as the previous day. I'm forever being told that my diet must be boring and bland. I then have to disagree, its fresh, tasty and contains exactly what I want it too.

    Just because you cant cook and have over indulged in packaged foods doesn't mean the healthy foods can't be tasty.
  • DearestWinter
    DearestWinter Posts: 595 Member
    I guess it depends on what you mean by "healthy". What makes a food healthy in your mind and what doesn't? Check recipe blogs and experiment with what you order when you go out to eat. Food should not be boring or unappetizing. If it is then you're doing it wrong.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    Yeah. Healthy stuff is rubbish. Avoid just about all of the suggestions which go in the recipes section here. Just have a burger, albeit a smaller one.

    Yeah, don't listen to this.

    Yeah!!!! You go and eat that appealing cabbage salad!!!!

    @eldamiano My diet is full of incredible tasting food that I cook daily. All types of meats, vegetables, and, yes, salads that are delicious. Eating healthy is only bland and boring if you make it.

    You want to fill your body with trash, go ahead. Some people are actually here to get fit. Yes, you can eat donuts and pizza to hit your caloric goal. But hitting your caloric goal does not equal health.

    If I want to say that cabbage is boring, I can. It doesnt make you a pariah because you enjoy it, nor does it make me unhealthy if I dont.

    Nobody is trying to be a pariah. However, saying that excess is the only thing that effects health is utterly stupid.

    If only I had actually said that....
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
    I would buy some sea salt (I like Real Salt which comes from volcanic rock sediment in Utah or something) and use it liberally on these healthy foods you find bland. Pizza, nuggets, rotisserie chickens... all these foods would be unappetizing if you took out the sodium. It's all in the salt, bro. But use the salt that contains trace minerals.


  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited March 2016
    It depends on what you think "healthy" means and what you are used to. I dreaded starting to eat better, because I imagined it would taste bleh. Of course skinless chicken breast and rice cakes taste bleh. Especially compared to a diet of chips and cookies. But you don't have to eat skinless chicken breast and rice cakes. Everything can be eaten in the proper amounts, but some foods are more satisfying than others, and balance and variety is important. Now I eat better than ever, and enjoy eating more than ever. I even love cooking. Oh, a suggestion. Look up "the pleasure trap".
  • GYATagain
    GYATagain Posts: 141 Member
    I, too, used to think "healthy" equals nasty, boring, and tasteless. I started learning (yep, old dogs Can learn new tricks) that all those veggies, lean meats, fruits and whole grains are delicious! And it has been actually FUN - I was astounded - to find new and improved ways to make meals delicious and interesting. It can be done. My husband and I both quite often ate all 3 meals in a work day going through fast food joints .... Now, we go out maybe a couple times a month total and always to a nice sit down plan what you order kind of restaurant.
    Roasted veggies - perfection! Grilled chicken in all sorts of entree's - Delicious! Fruits for dessert - Yummy! Yes, we also eat burgers, pizza, stromboli, cakes and cookies - but very rarely and not the Whole pizza! Pinterest is my friend! We don't live on kale chips (even though I love them). No more pop in our house either.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    So, I am guessing you dont' own any salt, pepper, garlic or crushed red pepper flakes? or butter.

    Because those are my go to seasonings and I eat pretty well.

    Healthy =/= boring and it doesn't mean straight laced either.
  • drwilseyjr
    drwilseyjr Posts: 225 Member
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    drwilseyjr wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    Yeah. Healthy stuff is rubbish. Avoid just about all of the suggestions which go in the recipes section here. Just have a burger, albeit a smaller one.

    Yeah, don't listen to this.

    Yeah!!!! You go and eat that appealing cabbage salad!!!!

    @eldamiano My diet is full of incredible tasting food that I cook daily. All types of meats, vegetables, and, yes, salads that are delicious. Eating healthy is only bland and boring if you make it.

    You want to fill your body with trash, go ahead. Some people are actually here to get fit. Yes, you can eat donuts and pizza to hit your caloric goal. But hitting your caloric goal does not equal health.

    This kind of stuff baffles me because it assumes there are only two choices - only eat trashy junk food or only eat whole, natural foods. Why not just balance them both out?

    @Sleeper1968 Obviously you can balance out and indulge, but the person I'm replying to has, in multiple threads, espoused "eat what you want" to hit your caloric intake. And if that's not what they mean, then they're doing a terrible job at expressing their thoughts.

    My gripe with the whole "just eat whatever as long as you hit your calories" idea is that it can be extremely unhealthy. And when people are asking for healthy food options and some comes in saying "don't worry about all that eat what you like", I feel it sets people up for failure.

    If you're on here and want to get healthier, changing your diet and making healthier food choices is 70% of the battle. Sure, you can hit 2,000 calories a day on pizza and McDonald cheese burgers, but, as I said, hitting your caloric numbers does not equate to "healthy".

    Balancing and controlling indulgence is key, but so is the intake of nutrients and foods that are beneficial to you and the most efficient for your body. Watching sugar intake is a big one that people tend to glance over, in my experience.

    It's fine if someone wants to indulge here and there, but the whole "eat what you want" thing is rubbish, as far as I'm concerned. You should enjoy what you eat, yes, but to be healthy, it's not a free for all.
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    What is the healthy stuff that looks and/or tastes bad to you?
    What does look/sound good to you?

    I can't suggest anything when I don't know what you mean.