Would eating only nuts, seeds, egg whites, fruits, and vegetables be healthy?
Replies
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DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »
Dunno, sorry. I'm not well versed in your diet, so I'm not sure what nutrients you are most apt to be short in (I eat almost the exact opposite of what you are proposing). I'd log foods for a week or 2, then do some reporting on vitamins/nutrients to see how you're doing... then supplement as needed.
If I'm not mistaken, aside from the egg whites, your proposed diet is very vegetarian-ish. You could probably talk to a few vegetarians and see what nutrients they struggle to get enough of, and use that as a basis for what you do or don't supplement.
I am a vegetarian, lol. Egg whites are okay for vegetarians to eat. Usually the main concerns nutritionally for vegetarians are iron and vitamin B12. I have never been deficient in iron, and I already take a B12 supplement. Iron absorption can be increased with vitamin C, too, so I will be eating nuts with fruit to hopefully keep my iron levels in a healthy range.
Ah, then you're probably 75% of the way there.
As I said originally... I don't think it's ideal, but I don't think it's some horrible approach that will lead to the end of our species, either. You mentioned in your original post that those foods are easy and tasty, so that addresses most of the concerns related to adherence and over-restriction. I say give it a go.0 -
I don't think it sounds unhealthy. All those foods are very healthy. Test it for 2-3 days. Log it in your diary and see what the nutrient calculator says. I think your biggest roadblock with it would be that you may get bored and not be able to continue eating like that for long and then quit. Also is it sustainable? Will you be able to eat like that forever and keep the weight off? Because that is the long term goal.0
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I'm probably missing something. You are choosing to have a vegetarian diet because its easier to put nuts, veg and fruits together? Is it that you also are preferring the idea of uncooked foods because, "the rawtrian", site will probably provide you with some good information.
If you are saying cooking meals as your family did is too time consuming and you are looking for something easy with less wasted. I did a search for "Healthy quick easy meals for one" and came up with pages of possible sites, I looked into some and the ideas were quite surprisingly easy, if you have the ingredients available. I find healthy is a movable thing, people can mean different thing by healthy.
If I have totally missed your point, I have looked into nutritional, vitamin/mineral etc. content of foods on several of the sites set up for this purpose. You could find some of the available sites will have done this for you in the way the incorporate different ingredients. Not all nutrients need to be represented each and every day many are on a regular/occasional basis.
I know food should be fun, you meals should be what you enjoy and sometimes shared with friends. I hope you find what is right for you, this is all that matters.0 -
I don't think it sounds unhealthy. All those foods are very healthy. Test it for 2-3 days. Log it in your diary and see what the nutrient calculator says. I think your biggest roadblock with it would be that you may get bored and not be able to continue eating like that for long and then quit. Also is it sustainable? Will you be able to eat like that forever and keep the weight off? Because that is the long term goal.
I am not trying to eat like this for weight loss; I just want to make eating easier and less time-consuming while still being healthy. I think you are right about testing it out and checking the nutrients on MFP.
I don't know if I will get bored or if it will feel freeing. I guess I'll give it a whirl!
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DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »
Dunno, sorry. I'm not well versed in your diet, so I'm not sure what nutrients you are most apt to be short in (I eat almost the exact opposite of what you are proposing). I'd log foods for a week or 2, then do some reporting on vitamins/nutrients to see how you're doing... then supplement as needed.
If I'm not mistaken, aside from the egg whites, your proposed diet is very vegetarian-ish. You could probably talk to a few vegetarians and see what nutrients they struggle to get enough of, and use that as a basis for what you do or don't supplement.
I am a vegetarian, lol. Egg whites are okay for vegetarians to eat. Usually the main concerns nutritionally for vegetarians are iron and vitamin B12. I have never been deficient in iron, and I already take a B12 supplement. Iron absorption can be increased with vitamin C, too, so I will be eating nuts with fruit to hopefully keep my iron levels in a healthy range.
You can get also iron from beans, leafy greens, dried fruits and other vegetable sources.2 -
DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »I don't think it sounds unhealthy. All those foods are very healthy. Test it for 2-3 days. Log it in your diary and see what the nutrient calculator says. I think your biggest roadblock with it would be that you may get bored and not be able to continue eating like that for long and then quit. Also is it sustainable? Will you be able to eat like that forever and keep the weight off? Because that is the long term goal.
I am not trying to eat like this for weight loss; I just want to make eating easier and less time-consuming while still being healthy. I think you are right about testing it out and checking the nutrients on MFP.
I don't know if I will get bored or if it will feel freeing. I guess I'll give it a whirl!
Go for it then! I wish you much success! Also read what @biksy said. I agree with everything.0 -
First you say this.DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »I am tired of worrying about what to cook and what to eat, and nuts, seeds, egg whites, fruits, and vegetables are easy to make and good foods to eat.
Then on page 2 you say this.DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »I am a vegetarian
Which one is it?1 -
DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »See title. And I am not referring to weight loss, just being healthy. Would that be enough nutrients?
I am tired of worrying about what to cook and what to eat, and nuts, seeds, egg whites, fruits, and vegetables are easy to make and good foods to eat. I just want to make sure that I wouldn't be missing something nutritionally important. I would be eating a variety of each (excluding egg whites obviously).
And since I know someone is going to ask why egg whites and not the whole egg, regular eggs make me sick. I can tolerate egg whites fine, though.
Thanks in advance!
Since we don't know what quantities you'd eat each food in, we're all just guessing at what might or might not happen on a diet like this. At first glance, it seems you'd be missing out on some nutritional powerhouses like beans and lentils. Whether or not that becomes an issue is hard to say with the information we have here.
If it were me, I might go log a sample day on a site like Chronometer and see what the nutritional breakdown looks like (since they track more micronutrients than MFP can). Once you know how the way to plan to eat actually looks, instead of basing information off a hypothetical list of foods, then you can work to clear up any missing nutrients.1 -
diannethegeek wrote: »DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »See title. And I am not referring to weight loss, just being healthy. Would that be enough nutrients?
I am tired of worrying about what to cook and what to eat, and nuts, seeds, egg whites, fruits, and vegetables are easy to make and good foods to eat. I just want to make sure that I wouldn't be missing something nutritionally important. I would be eating a variety of each (excluding egg whites obviously).
And since I know someone is going to ask why egg whites and not the whole egg, regular eggs make me sick. I can tolerate egg whites fine, though.
Thanks in advance!
Since we don't know what quantities you'd eat each food in, we're all just guessing at what might or might not happen on a diet like this. At first glance, it seems you'd be missing out on some nutritional powerhouses like beans and lentils. Whether or not that becomes an issue is hard to say with the information we have here.
If it were me, I might go log a sample day on a site like Chronometer and see what the nutritional breakdown looks like (since they track more micronutrients than MFP can). Once you know how the way to plan to eat actually looks, instead of basing information off a hypothetical list of foods, then you can work to clear up any missing nutrients.
I will look into Chronometer, thanks!0 -
DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »See title. And I am not referring to weight loss, just being healthy. Would that be enough nutrients?
I am tired of worrying about what to cook and what to eat, and nuts, seeds, egg whites, fruits, and vegetables are easy to make and good foods to eat. I just want to make sure that I wouldn't be missing something nutritionally important. I would be eating a variety of each (excluding egg whites obviously).
And since I know someone is going to ask why egg whites and not the whole egg, regular eggs make me sick. I can tolerate egg whites fine, though.
Thanks in advance!
You are missing oils and not sure if you can consume dairy but that's good in moderation.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I'd include legumes in there and maybe some fruit. Legumes for protein, fruit for carbs and sugar.
Maybe some oils/fats/avocados to round out your diet, too.
and whole eggs instead of just egg whites...most of the nutrition in an egg is in the yolk...
Frankly, I'd be bored out of my gored...
I would too and I would fail miserably
also it sounds like much harder work to only eat a few items and try to stick with that all day every day.
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DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »
Dunno, sorry. I'm not well versed in your diet, so I'm not sure what nutrients you are most apt to be short in (I eat almost the exact opposite of what you are proposing). I'd log foods for a week or 2, then do some reporting on vitamins/nutrients to see how you're doing... then supplement as needed.
If I'm not mistaken, aside from the egg whites, your proposed diet is very vegetarian-ish. You could probably talk to a few vegetarians and see what nutrients they struggle to get enough of, and use that as a basis for what you do or don't supplement.
I am a vegetarian, lol. Egg whites are okay for vegetarians to eat. Usually the main concerns nutritionally for vegetarians are iron and vitamin B12. I have never been deficient in iron, and I already take a B12 supplement. Iron absorption can be increased with vitamin C, too, so I will be eating nuts with fruit to hopefully keep my iron levels in a healthy range.
I'm also a vegetarian; my opinions about it being more difficult to get adequate nutrition on a more restrictive diet come from personal experience.
Vegetarians do need to look out for things like iron and the B vitamins. We also need to keep an eye on things like protein and calcium. Your diet as outlined excludes a lot of the most common vegetarian sources of protein, including the whole dairy family, tofu, tempeh, seitan, possibly beans and legumes (not sure if you're including those in "vegetables," but I typically think of them separately), and higher-protein grains. I'm not saying that you HAVE to incorporate those foods to have a well-balanced vegetarian diet, but I wouldn't personally automatically exclude them either.4 -
DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »
Dunno, sorry. I'm not well versed in your diet, so I'm not sure what nutrients you are most apt to be short in (I eat almost the exact opposite of what you are proposing). I'd log foods for a week or 2, then do some reporting on vitamins/nutrients to see how you're doing... then supplement as needed.
If I'm not mistaken, aside from the egg whites, your proposed diet is very vegetarian-ish. You could probably talk to a few vegetarians and see what nutrients they struggle to get enough of, and use that as a basis for what you do or don't supplement.
I am a vegetarian, lol. Egg whites are okay for vegetarians to eat. Usually the main concerns nutritionally for vegetarians are iron and vitamin B12. I have never been deficient in iron, and I already take a B12 supplement. Iron absorption can be increased with vitamin C, too, so I will be eating nuts with fruit to hopefully keep my iron levels in a healthy range.
I'm also a vegetarian; my opinions about it being more difficult to get adequate nutrition on a more restrictive diet come from personal experience.
Vegetarians do need to look out for things like iron and the B vitamins. We also need to keep an eye on things like protein and calcium. Your diet as outlined excludes a lot of the most common vegetarian sources of protein, including the whole dairy family, tofu, tempeh, seitan, possibly beans and legumes (not sure if you're including those in "vegetables," but I typically think of them separately), and higher-protein grains. I'm not saying that you HAVE to incorporate those foods to have a well-balanced vegetarian diet, but I wouldn't personally automatically exclude them either.
I should be able to get enough protein. I am thinking I might not get enough calcium, though. I might need to eat a little bit of cheese. The reason I don't have the foods you listed are because of I have sensitivities to them all, including diary, so I hope I can avoid cheese. After a few days of eating like this, I will see what Cronometer and MFP say, and tweak it if needed, like maybe add a gluten-free, fortified cereal or something.0 -
DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »Toxikon, the micronutrients is what I am worried about the most. I think I can get a good balance of macronutrients, but I am worried I might be missing an important vitamin or mineral.
I also think that would be a concern. I'd talk to a registered dietitian or at least log on Cronometer for a while, as that's a better way to see how you are doing on micros.
Why not eat the whole egg, at least?0 -
nevermind... it's not worth the fight.3
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I agree that you could be missing out on some necessary micronutrients. A great way to find out what you would be missing is to track it in the super tracker tool that is provided by the USDA. The only reason why I recommend that one over my fitness pal in this case is that you are able to see if you are consuming an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals. And if you are lacking, you can see what improvements you need to make. Just a thought - good luck
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DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »
Dunno, sorry. I'm not well versed in your diet, so I'm not sure what nutrients you are most apt to be short in (I eat almost the exact opposite of what you are proposing). I'd log foods for a week or 2, then do some reporting on vitamins/nutrients to see how you're doing... then supplement as needed.
If I'm not mistaken, aside from the egg whites, your proposed diet is very vegetarian-ish. You could probably talk to a few vegetarians and see what nutrients they struggle to get enough of, and use that as a basis for what you do or don't supplement.
I am a vegetarian, lol. Egg whites are okay for vegetarians to eat. Usually the main concerns nutritionally for vegetarians are iron and vitamin B12. I have never been deficient in iron, and I already take a B12 supplement. Iron absorption can be increased with vitamin C, too, so I will be eating nuts with fruit to hopefully keep my iron levels in a healthy range.
I'm also a vegetarian; my opinions about it being more difficult to get adequate nutrition on a more restrictive diet come from personal experience.
Vegetarians do need to look out for things like iron and the B vitamins. We also need to keep an eye on things like protein and calcium. Your diet as outlined excludes a lot of the most common vegetarian sources of protein, including the whole dairy family, tofu, tempeh, seitan, possibly beans and legumes (not sure if you're including those in "vegetables," but I typically think of them separately), and higher-protein grains. I'm not saying that you HAVE to incorporate those foods to have a well-balanced vegetarian diet, but I wouldn't personally automatically exclude them either.
I should be able to get enough protein. I am thinking I might not get enough calcium, though. I might need to eat a little bit of cheese. The reason I don't have the foods you listed are because of I have sensitivities to them all, including diary, so I hope I can avoid cheese. After a few days of eating like this, I will see what Cronometer and MFP say, and tweak it if needed, like maybe add a gluten-free, fortified cereal or something.
Are you sensitive to, in particular, Greek yogurt? If not, that would kill three birds with one stone: protein, fat and calcium. A lot of people with dairy sensitivities can tolerate it better because it is already kind of pre-digested, LOL.2 -
So basically vegetarian, without grains and dairy? If vegetables, also includes starchy root vegetables, and beans/legumes, then I don't see a problem. You might get bored with it. Rice and quinoa are pretty easy to cook, and would go great with vegetables. Any reasons for excluding those?0
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So basically vegetarian, without grains and dairy? If vegetables, also includes starchy root vegetables, and beans/legumes, then I don't see a problem. You might get bored with it. Rice and quinoa are pretty easy to cook, and would go great with vegetables. Any reasons for excluding those?
I didn't list rice and quinoa due to laziness. However, I have a rice cooker, so it's not that hard to make. I could include rice. Maybe quinoa sometimes (not a huge fan of quinoa taste-wise). Would brown rice give me something I am missing from the other foods?
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DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »So basically vegetarian, without grains and dairy? If vegetables, also includes starchy root vegetables, and beans/legumes, then I don't see a problem. You might get bored with it. Rice and quinoa are pretty easy to cook, and would go great with vegetables. Any reasons for excluding those?
I didn't list rice and quinoa due to laziness. However, I have a rice cooker, so it's not that hard to make. I could include rice. Maybe quinoa sometimes (not a huge fan of quinoa taste-wise). Would brown rice give me something I am missing from the other foods?
Depending on what vegetables you're including in your diet (not sure how much variety you're planning on eating), brown rice (or other grains) could be useful sources of B vitamins.0 -
DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »So basically vegetarian, without grains and dairy? If vegetables, also includes starchy root vegetables, and beans/legumes, then I don't see a problem. You might get bored with it. Rice and quinoa are pretty easy to cook, and would go great with vegetables. Any reasons for excluding those?
I didn't list rice and quinoa due to laziness. However, I have a rice cooker, so it's not that hard to make. I could include rice. Maybe quinoa sometimes (not a huge fan of quinoa taste-wise). Would brown rice give me something I am missing from the other foods?
quinoa doesn't have a ton of flavor (at least not the few times I've had it), so it would be easy to mix in with veggies. Lentils are probably similar, but have a bit more substance to them, so maybe better in a soup.0 -
perkymommy wrote: »DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »See title. And I am not referring to weight loss, just being healthy. Would that be enough nutrients?
I am tired of worrying about what to cook and what to eat, and nuts, seeds, egg whites, fruits, and vegetables are easy to make and good foods to eat. I just want to make sure that I wouldn't be missing something nutritionally important. I would be eating a variety of each (excluding egg whites obviously).
And since I know someone is going to ask why egg whites and not the whole egg, regular eggs make me sick. I can tolerate egg whites fine, though.
Thanks in advance!
You are missing oils and not sure if you can consume dairy but that's good in moderation.
How is a diet that includes nuts and seeds "missing oils"?2 -
years ago, my diet was fruits, vegetables, lean protein- veg burgers, PB, chicken... the only processed food I ate was dressings to make my veggi's more appetizing and milk/soy milk. I lost 20 # and felt great1
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It honestly sounds healthier than my diet.0
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DumbledoresPhoenix wrote: »Toxikon, the micronutrients is what I am worried about the most. I think I can get a good balance of macronutrients, but I am worried I might be missing an important vitamin or mineral.
Like Calcium seems low. Dairy is great for calcium. But you can get it from canned bone in salmon.2 -
Soy and almond milk are also good sources of calcium.1
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