Healthy Diet?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-29-2006
Healthy Diet?
3
Wed, 09-16-2009 - 12:40am

Hi, I didn't really know where to post this, so I thought this would be the best place. I was actually surprised not to find a board about food or dieting in general, but anyway...

I'm looking to eat healthier. I actually don't want to adhere to a "diet" to lose weight. In fact, I'm a little underweight (not by too much), and would like to maintain this weight or gain a few pounds. I am looking to eat what is good for me, stay away from what is not good for me (except maybe the occasional cookie or piece of cake as a treat), and eat the "just okay" stuff in moderation.

I just don't know the route I should take. I've grown up being told that I'm eating healthy if I stick to the food groups and eat so many amounts of fruit and vegetables each day, a certain amount of grains, certain amount of dairy, etc. But I have a friend who claims that this is actually an unhealthy way to eat. She swears by the blood type diet. Has anybody tried that? Does it actually work? I've looked into it a little, and most of the food suggestions in there are a little bland. I want healthy, but not bland!

She also claims that anything that has been in the freezer is unhealthy. Living alone, I can't afford to buy large quantities of food, then let it spoil soon after. I like to get the frozen stuff (I like frozen vegetables or frozen stir-fry), then defrost and eat it in small bits when I get around to it.

This same girl also swears by eating anything organic. She's saying that fruits/vegetables that are not organic are just as unhealthy as eating fast food, as though the food may be of better quality, I'd still be poisining myself... but with pesticides instead of with artificial flavors, cholesterol, and fat. However, right now I'm a starving student who can't afford to get everything organic. Sure, maybe after I graduate from school...

So should I stick with the normal food group diet? Or should I do it with an organic edge? Should I try the blood type diet? Does anybody have any other suggestions?

I'm not looking to try the Adkins diet or anything like that... again, I'm not looking to lose weight. I just want to maintain what I'm currently at, and eat healthier while doing so. I wanna keep the cholesterol levels down and glucose levels normal.

Thanks! :-)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: iluvmorphy
Wed, 09-16-2009 - 9:25am

Hi iluvmorphy,
Welcome to the board :)


Here is a list of all of our food, diet boards ..
http://health.ivillage.com/messageboards
http://food.ivillage.com/messageboards


Sounds like when you were young you were given the right advice,
Veggies, fruits & eating from the food groups will keep you healthy.
Not so sure I agree with your friend ..
However that doesn't make

          Click & Join the fun!
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-09-2001
In reply to: iluvmorphy
Wed, 09-16-2009 - 10:24am

Hello & welcome.


I feel that eating natural, unprocessed foods most of the time





 




iVillage Member
Registered: 07-06-2005
In reply to: iluvmorphy
Wed, 09-16-2009 - 11:03am

Hi and welcome to the board!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-07-2004
In reply to: iluvmorphy
Wed, 09-16-2009 - 12:38pm

You came to the perfect place. I'm in school to be a dietitian so I will tell you what I know.

Frozen fruits and veggies are perfectly fine. They are frozen at the peak of their freshness preserving many good qualities about them. I would rather you eat frozen over canned. Canned anything has too much sugar or sodium. (Don't get me started on creamed anything, like creamed corn or spinach.)

I can see where your friend is coming from. She feels like what is working for her should apply to anyone. It doesn't. What works for me most likely won't work for most. Especially being that I am vegetarian. None of my friends are and I don't force my vegetarian lifestyle on them. I think it's rude to push like that.

I say listen to you. Listen to your own instincts. You may know what is right for you (but it might not be right for anyone else). I recommend reading about different diets and taking what you need from them. I don't advocate the Adkins diet because of the lack of carbs. Our brains desperately need carbs to live. Otherwise, you might feel foggy, like you can't think clearly. The Zone Diet is a pretty good one, but it's still too this-not-that for my taste. I don't believe in cutting anything out. Moderation is how I live. I might have french fries once a month, if that, but I still have them. Soda is a rare thing, too, but I do drink it once in a while.

So, I recommend going with what you feel is right. If you want more fruits and veggies than is recommended then go right ahead. If once in a while you eat more carbs than your body needs, that's fine, too. Exercise is something we all need and there are many forms of it. Rollerskating, rollerblading, rock climbing, floating (kayak, canoe, raft-if you work at it), walking the dog, playing with the dog, running around a yard or park with kids, swimming, skiing, yoga... the options are endless.

Me and Jeremy Dec 31 2006
To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.
~Joseph Chilton Pearce
Me and Jeremy Dec 31 2006
To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.
~Joseph Chilton Pearce
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-29-2009
In reply to: iluvmorphy
Wed, 09-16-2009 - 12:51pm

Hello ILuvMorphy!


You've gotten the same advice I'd give,
So I'll just say hello,


And invite you to join in our other conversations........

Click & Get Fit & Healthy with friends!

 


yougogirl

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-15-2003
In reply to: iluvmorphy
Wed, 09-16-2009 - 8:26pm

Hi, iluvmorphy, and welcome to the board!


In my opinion, as long as you're eating the whole grains, at least 5 servings of fruits & veggies, and your protein I think you'll be fine.

Nadine - deenie1979

jesussig.jpg image by nadine1979

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2011
Fri, 12-30-2011 - 12:44pm
This is all great advice. I don't know a thing about the blood type diet, but I do know a thing or two about frozen foods as I used to be a Schwan's driver (they have frozen foods they deliver) and they are flash frozen at the peak of ripeness, whereas veggies from the store need to be picked before they are truly ripe due to the travel time to the store and the shelf time sitting in the store. And of course organic is queen!

I do peruse this blog occasionally as they have lots of tips on the newest scientific information. Feel free to check it out:

http://www.ibourl.com/i2e

They have great cooking tips as well - which helps me as I am not very creative.

Happy healthy eating!
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-16-2006
Fri, 12-30-2011 - 9:14pm

Hi iluvmorphy, welcome to the board!

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Community Leader
Registered: 06-16-1998
Sat, 12-31-2011 - 1:05pm

I have a couple of suggestions to add to the great advice that you have already received. What you learned in the past about healthy eating holds true. The different "diet plans" come and go but appropriate amounts of the basic food groups never changes, unless you have a health condition that requires you to eliminate certain substances. I would suggest that you keep a food journal for a while so you know what you are really eating, and how much. That can often reveal places to make improvements. Its also important to know how much of the different nutrients you are supposed to be getting. One source I particularly like is Cooking Light magazine. Its not all about lo-cal, its about eating tasty food without too much salt, fat, or sugar (and they give a lot of other health, beauty, and cooking advice). Near the back of every issue there is a page with a chart of how many grams of protein, fat, etc you should get based on your age group and a 2000 calorie diet. With that information you can analyze your current eating habits to see how they stack up and where you might want to make improvements. Cooking Light also has a website with lots of good info. I'm sure that there are other magazines and websites with similar resources, I just particularly like and know CL.

That's a pretty extreme statement...and it seems to confuse different issues that can't really be compared with each other. Fast food tends to be highly processed and high in sodium and fat. An apple, whether its grown commercially or organically, has none of that. Commercially grown foods may have residues of chemicals which may or may not be harmful to your health, which organic foods will not. But its certainly possible to eat only organic foods and still have an unhealthy diet if you consume too much fat, sugar, and salt. I guess there are different ways to "poison" yourself! Personally, I prefer a more balanced approach to eating because the reality is that we live in a world where a lot of foods are processed, organically raised foods may not be readily available or affordable, and a busy life makes it challenging to make perfect choices every time we eat. Make minimally processed food your goal. Make the best choices you can based on your budget and lifestyle, become informed, and strive to improve over time. JMHO.