Deciding to cut out certain foods or food groups

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solpwr
solpwr Posts: 1,039 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’m having some troubles with understanding some apparent inconsistencies with food choices, and I’m trying to learn.

People cut food out of their diet, right? Limiting your intake of Twinkies makes sense, right?

But what is your criteria? Do you decide based upon what the labels say, combined with what you’ve learned about nutrition?

Or do you decide based upon how the food makes you feel after you’ve eaten it? I wonder if some people decide they are gluten intolerant because their digestive system got upset because of the complex carbohydrates. Some people are sensitive to spicy foods, others are not. Yet those same people don’t quit alcohol after having a nasty hangover.

Overeating pasta makes me feel queasy afterward. But is the problem the gluten, or the fact that I ate too much? When I eat too big of a steak, it doesn’t bother my stomach as much, even though I feel stuffed.

If we just went by how we feel during digestion, is that effective criteria? I’m not convinced that it’s not always that easy.

I remember in my early 20’s I could not eat eggs. It hurt me bad when I ate them. I’m talking doubled over, cramps, pain. I quit eating eggs. Years passed, and I tried eggs again. They didn’t bother me anymore. Now I eat them all the time, at least weekly.

Any thoughts about cutting out foods or food groups?

Replies

  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
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    I don't cut anything out...I just choose to eat some things instead of others. I usually go by calorie count and how long it's going to keep me full. Also, I go by if I'm really craving something, will this substitute actually satisfy me? If not, I just go with what I'm craving and adjust from there.

    For me...totally cutting things out doesn't work. Because as soon as I say "I can't have that" I crave it until I binge on it.
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
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    Anything processed - if it comes out of a box you probably don't want to eat it. And I don't so soda, even diet because of all the chemicals. I find that it makes me feel awful if I drink diet sodas etc. Just give me water or tea. After not eating processed for for many months, I tried some kraft shells and cheese (I used to LOVE that stuff). It was the saltiest nastiest thing I had ever put in my mouth.
  • modernmom70
    modernmom70 Posts: 373 Member
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    There are things I eat less often because I don't like it enough to justify the calories, like pasta....much rather have potatoes! Also I very very rarely eat banana's because they upset my stomach, especially if it is empty....which sucks cause I do like them.
    I have cut out highly processed foods completely as well. I will not eat anything with certain ingredients it them and I never eat anything with high fructose corn syrup(or any of the many other names it hides under).
  • JamieDeBree
    JamieDeBree Posts: 15 Member
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    About the only thing I strictly avoid is anything with artificial sugars...and that's because of just how badly they affect not just the way I feel, but the way I think. If I even get a small amount by accident, I'll either feel horrible physically for the next several hours (most sweeteners), or my brain chemistry will change enough that I go into a serious depressive/rage cycle (splenda) - and I'm never *that* depressed. I didn't believe it myself at first, but I did a lot of elimination testing, and it was very obvious. So I work very hard to stay away from artificial sweeteners of any kind, because the consequences are so serious. They don't bug my husband or his family at all, so I have to be especially careful at family dinners where they're likely to cook with the artificial stuff. Keeps me from having dessert or anything sweet there though, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. ;-)

    Corn in certain concentrations makes my nose run...so mild allergy is my guess. I don't even try to avoid it though, I just avoid those foods that affect me the worst. I avoid wine, because the sulfates do nasty things to my sinuses too. But I don't avoid all alcohol (though I don't drink much just because I don't).

    I limit carbs...because when I don't, I have trouble losing weight (or I gain). I've done Atkins, and it worked *great* for me, but it's a boring way to eat and I like carbs. Obviously my body likes to store them as fat though, so I limit them.

    Basically, I listen to my body. If something affects me in a way I don't like or makes me uncomfortable, I avoid it or eat it sparingly. Everyone's going to have a different experience, so that seems like the easiest way for me.

    I don't even turn down the very rare Twinkie. Yummy stuff, preservatives and all... ;-)
  • spngebobmyhero
    spngebobmyhero Posts: 823 Member
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    I cut gluten out of my diet to see if would help the continual gassy and uncomfortable feeling I would have. After cutting it out, I rarely get the gassy feeling any more and I got some other benefits too, such as decreased fatigue, which I have struggled with for my entire life. When I was a kid, I would ask my mom to put me in the carriage for a short walk to the swing in my grandmother's backyard. I have a lot more energy now!

    I think its interesting to eliminate things to see if they have a benefit on the way you feel and if they don't, then eat them again! But if it does make you feel better, you have to consider if it is a food you can live without to make yourself feel better.
  • solpwr
    solpwr Posts: 1,039 Member
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    So I'm wondering if some of the newest diet fads are based upon how people feel after eating, but less on whether something is good for you or not.

    My mom made us eat spinach and brussel sprouts when we were kids, because she said it was good for us. But we hated the taste. I frankly don't remember how digesting the food made me feel.

    but obviously some people cut out processed foods or certain ingredients. I assume that's based on something they've learned (or heard from a friend or read somewhere). There wouldn't be any other basis to make those choices. What if what they've heard is wrong? Or a lie?

    Like "chemicals in Diet Soda". That's controversial. "Chemicals" In chemistry, a chemical substance is a form of matter that has constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. It cannot be separated into components by physical separation methods, i.e. without breaking chemical bonds. They can be solids, liquids or gases. So water is made up of two chemicals, hydrogen and oxygen.

    Often people read ingredient lists and see technical terms for substances, terms they don't understand or are not familiar with, and determine that those ingredients indicate processing. Is that necessarily so?

    All packaged food is "processed", is it not? Even many raw foods go through quite a "process" before making it to the shelf in the store. By that criteria, food obtained from the local garden would always be better. But if I lived in Uganda, is that true? Is a tomato obtained from a neighbor in Uganda better than the one from my local supermarket? The one at the market went through quite a process to get to that shelf.

    These are questions that I have.
  • danifo0811
    danifo0811 Posts: 542 Member
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    I cut out soda pop years ago because of heartburn. I went 6 months where I cut out everything that caused problems (chocolate, raw veggies, any form of tomatoes, citrus, most spices....) it was unsustainable. I had surgery and am all better. I brought back most food but now find pop and fruit juice too sweet so I only drink water.

    I've recently cut out yeast because of digestive issues and it has helped. I started making my own bread so I don't feel deprived.

    I'm trying to reduce our use of processed food where it fits into our life. there are enough options to not use HFCS so we are avoiding them in our daily life
  • Pollywog39
    Pollywog39 Posts: 1,730 Member
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    There are very few foods I have cut out of my life.......I've never liked diet pop or diet ANYTHING, and don't need to watch my sugars for any health reasons (except for the calories ;)

    I have found that ground beef bothers my stomach..........beef in general seems to bug me (although when in Mexico recently, I had a FABULOUS filet mignon that didn't bother me a bit !)

    Fat-free stuff is yucky, so I avoid it. I like butter, and use it sparingly............

    I try to eat real food - but there are just some things that taste too GOOD (like chips and cookies!), so gotta have 'em sometimes!

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