idk what im looking for on labels? good/bad foods? help plz lol

Jakep2323 wrote: »

I agree with the girls above - nothing really bad but stay under your calorie goal for starters and try and limit sugars and fats if you can for weight loss - keep it simple so not to overstress yourself

Meh.. I haven't limited sugars and fats...almost 100# down.
I find my moods and digestion are better if my fat intake is on the higher side.

jess427 wrote: »

Any other meal ideas where yall use alternate healthier options in your ingredients to replace in your already regular meals would be greatly appreciated:) for example hadnt thought to use skim milk instead of regular milk in actual recipes because 1st of all not big milk drinker other than cereal or in recipes or using spinach in smoothies (since you cant really taste it much anyways). All good ideas learning from using this app. since my main trouble is incorporating and substituting to slowly change our nutritional intake.

If this helps with the skim milk issue, I don't drink it myself, either. I buy it powdered specifically to use in cooking. I don't think I could stand to drink it straight but powdered milk doesn't go bad and I can't tell the difference in recipes. Sam's Club sells a box that makes 22 gallons for around $15. That's 68 cents per gallon, which is much cheaper than buying it fresh, and you aren't wasting any; you just make up what you need at the time. When I was a kid, my mom used to buy whole milk and mix it half and half with the skim milk she made from powdered milk. Nowadays you can easily find 2%, of course, but that was one way my mom cut down on both calories and the grocery bill.

As an adult, if I'm buying fresh milk for my family it's 1%. If you're still buying whole milk, switch to 2%. Lower in calories and when I made that switch years ago no one in my family noticed a difference in taste. If you're currently using 2%, try 1%. That switch wasn't noticeable either, once we were used to 2%. I don't know that we could have made the jump directly from whole to 1%, though.

If you're looking for ways to incorporate more vegetables into your family's diet you might try making a bit of a game of it. Each week find a different fresh vegetable in season at your grocer. You can usually tell which ones these are because they are on sale. Do a little research on ways to prepare that vegetable and then one night for dinner make it two or three different ways (raw, steamed, roasted, grilled, baked in a recipe, etc.). For example, zucchini you could have some slices of it raw in a small green salad, grilled and steamed. Have everyone try it and see which way(s) they like it. Keep note of which ones everyone likes and you'll slowly build a repertoire of different vegetables you can serve that you know no one will turn their nose up at and might even really, really like.

jess427 wrote: »

Thanks will have to switch to 2% secretly and see if they notice lol because the hubster is pretty adamant on sticking to whole milk

For your child, I would consider talking to a pediatrician about making the switch. The several studies, fat and vitamin D helps with the calcium absorption, which might be needed for growing bones. Also, most things fortified with vitamin D are fortified with D2, which is definitely an improvement over nothing, but is not as easily absorbed over D3. You and your husband should be fine. Not a doctor though, so I encourage you to talk to your child's pediatrician.