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Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Nutrition & HIV => Topic started by: maddeuwch on August 23, 2006, 01:23:14 pm

Title: Is my diet ok?
Post by: maddeuwch on August 23, 2006, 01:23:14 pm
this is my normal diet give or take a few things sometimes.

breakfast:-----huge bowl of muesli and rice krispies with mixed seeds and raisins sprinkled on top,a banana and a mug of peppermint tea.

a mug of nettle/ginger/green/peppermint tea mid morning with another piece of fruit.

lunch:-----4 or 6 slices of white bread (sometimes toasted) with cold meat or some pasta salad....plus a  plain bio-yogurt and a couple of bananas.

mid afternoon i'll have another herbal tea and something sweet like a cake/biscuitchocolate bar which is usually full of 'e' numbers/additives and preservatives and a host of other shit.

dinner:-----a big plateful of lasagne/cannelloni with salad and dressing or steak or another piece of meat with lots of vegetables....then about a litre of cheapo ice cream,then another tea.

and just before bed i'll probably have some more fruit or a snack of some sort.

add to that 10-15 cigarettes a day.....and that more or less is my daily diet.

I just don't have any idea what to eat and what not to,so I'm just sticking to what i usually eat but adding some fattening-up foods because i'm desperate to put on weight.

What does your diets consist of...i'd be interested in different ways to look after myself so any ideas would be great.

cheers....Paul.

Title: Re: Is my diet ok?
Post by: penguin on August 23, 2006, 06:03:38 pm
Hi paul,

You doing some things really well, & this isn’t a bad diet by any means, not in comparison to most peoples..

Brownie points (or should that be “banana points”?) for including lots of fruit and veg, you want to be trying for 5 portions/day, the brighter coloured the better. you could try including things like avocado, sweet potatoes, mango/papaya/guava, any type of winter squash, mushrooms (the cool ones like shitake, oyster etc..they‘s very good for boosting immune function)..if you are prone to dodgy tummy, make sure you’re cooking/steaming. Lots of fresh herbs, spices too - coriander, ginger, mint, cinnamon etc

Good that you’re avoiding caffeine, lots of antioxidants in green tea, and peppermint etc will help the digestive problems. Try Rooibos too..south African tea, very good for calming colic, packed full of good stuff.

Breakfast - muesli, shop bought, tends to be full of sugar and other crap…either try making your own, or lose that and the rice krispies (something tells me they don’t fill you up anyway) and go for something like porridge (full cream milk, maybe some honey and dried fruit too) or do whole-grain toast/bagel + a poached egg, or some cream cheese..

Mid morning snack, go for a banana, or a yogurt, or a non-sugar laden cereal bar, or some unsalteded nuts/seeds, esp walnut, almond, pumpkin, brazil…

Lunch - mr, we got to talk about this bread issue  :) white bread is just sugar + simple starches,  not goin to give you fibre, or a sustained energy supply either..go for granary, or something like Burgen, with soya & linseeds etc…there are so many fancy things out there, enjoy experimenting!
You could have wholemeal pitta bread, toasted, with some houmous or some grilled haloumi and salad; a multi-seed bagel with some tuna, or chicken etc; greek salad, with feta and olives; chicken&  mixed bean salad with some walnuts; frittata made with courgettes/sweet potatoes/peppers…
good the yogurt, calcium and pro/pre-biotics, & the fruit too. Maybe some juice (fruit or vegetable), or just water too.

Afternooon snack, again, maybe a variation on the mornings one, most people tend to get afternoon energy slumps, so try including something with protein/slow release carbohydrates, like some cold cooked chicken, nuts/seeds, oatcakes, cheese etc

Dinner - maybe some oily fish, like salmon, trout, mackerel etc…very good source of the omega-3’s, good fats too…or some beans/pulses…baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, brown rice, couscous, quinoa…maybe try exploring some different carbs than white pasta? 

Some ideas - fajitas, with chicken, peppers, salad…maybe some guacamole & salsa too; north African-type stew/tagine with chicken or lamb or chickpeas, with some couscous; stir fry with wholemeal noodles, chicken/tofu/prawns & lots of colourful veg; stews/tomato based curries/risottoes…and if you like lasgna, how about a seafood & fish one?

Red meat, like steak, lots of people find that’s quite hard for their body to process..so maybe try more of the fish, chicken etc?  again, well done with the veg. Not sure the litre of cheapo ice cream is gonna be giving you much..how about some rice pudding (made with honey, not sugar) and some grilled peaches?  greek yogurt and honey? Fruit crumble?

Basically, you’re going for quality, not just quantity - you could also try adding a couple of milkshakes/ensure/complan, just to boost up the calorie/vitamin intake. Some exercise too is good, to help build muscle mass…

Do you see a nutritionist/dietician? Might be worth asking for a referral if not - they can help you plan out a diet sheet that meets all your nutritional needs

There is a bit on nutrition in the lessons section of this site too. Sorry, this has turned in to a rather epic reply hasn't it..

Kate

And *cough* please note, no lecture on the fags… :)
Title: Re: Is my diet ok?
Post by: Christine on August 23, 2006, 06:50:03 pm
Hi Paul,
Kate gave an excellent post. Adding more lean protein; chicken breast, lean pork, fish to any meal. Tuna fish, or canned salmon, eggs are also good.

If your crashing mid day, adding some protein will help to stabilize your blood sugar. Try to decrease some of the sugar-any sweet processed food is going to be loaded with sugar and bad fats.

You can make your own muesli or granola. Go on Allrecipes.com and do a search for muesli or granola. I make my own sometimes, it is not hard, and it makes a lot.

Adding healthy fats to your diet will help too. Olive oil, nuts, avocado. Beans are another good option for protein and fiber.

When I make dinner, I usually make enough for leftovers. So I will eat that for breakfast. It is sort of odd, but it gives me protein,  veggies and some carbs to start out my day.

A book I like is Body for Life by Bill Philips. It is sort of a nutrition/ weight lifting diet/ weight lose book. I used it a few years ago when I was lifting weights. I gained about 10 lbs in muscle. He does a good job of explaining proper nutrition in an easy to read fashion.  You can easily add more healthy fats, larger portion sizes to help increase your weight.

There is also a free web site that I used. It is called fitday.com,  you can plug in what you eat, and it breaks it all down into carbs, protein, fats, calories...etc. It might help you to see what you are eating, and then you can adjust where needed.

Have you talked to your doctor about going to see a nutritionist?

The teas, fruit are excellent choices. Overall I would say try to add more lean protein, decrease the refined sugar.... and maybe try to limit the cigarettes.

Christine

edited to add my signature, which I forgot....I think I am loosing my mind sometimes....:)

Title: Re: Is my diet ok?
Post by: allopathicholistic on August 23, 2006, 07:21:21 pm
Hi there. The below comments are my opinions only
 
I've always associated ice cream with diarrhea, a condition you mentioned is a problem for you. If you don't want to eliminate it completely and abruptly, I would suggest your reduce your portion size by half.

Processed cold meats are called "cold cuts" in the USA and they have many additives unless you are referring to normal meat that is cold in temperature?

I agree with Kate about white bread

I myself eat organic live sauerkraut, organic yogurt - you know, foods with "probiotics". Probiotics are also called "gut flora" or "friendly flora" (Google any of those terms if you want more information). When I say live sauerkraut that simply means it is never exposed to temperatures above 110 degrees farenheit at any stage. My sauerkraut is grown in Quebec Canada

A pasta brand I like tremendously is named Bionaturae. It's a whole grain pasta i.e. not white

I am against white sugar

Best of luck to you - and keep us posted
Title: Re: Is my diet ok?
Post by: J.R.E. on August 23, 2006, 08:40:45 pm
Hello Paul,

 I love my breads, But have given up "white" bread for the whole grain or wheat, A long time ago. It's better for you. I also avoid sugar as much as possible. 1% as far as milk goes ( i will not cut that out of my diet.) Yogurt products...always good for ya. Salmon, good for ya. I really get into reading the nutritional labels.


Just my thoughts----Ray
Title: Re: Is my diet ok?
Post by: cubbybear on August 28, 2006, 09:17:00 am
Thanks guys, this thread has been really helpful to me also.  Kate your post was awesome, thanks for giving me heaps of ideas.

Cheers
Cubby
Title: Re: Is my diet ok?
Post by: aztecan on August 29, 2006, 12:13:59 am
OK, I take a little different tack on this becasue I have food issues (gluten intolerance). I never eat anything made with wheat, oats or barley. Many people say they couldn't live without wheat, oats or barley. But, believe it or not, it isn't that difficult and you really don't have to leave anything out, just make it out of different ingredients.

Breakfast: Try waffles made with rice, soy or tapioca flours. I must add a protein source to avoid hypoglycemia problems, so usually it is something like a slice of ham or, occasionally, bacon or sausage (usually only on Sunday).

I also like scrambled tofu, sauteed with a little olive oil, green chile, onions and, once in a while, a little cheese on top just for fun. I usually have a piece of toast made with homemade bread, with butter and jam, and a bowl of fruit (fresh when I have the time.)

Lunch usually consists of something like homemade turkey vegetable soup, homemade lentil soup, homemade split pea soup, homemade green chile stew, homemade Bruinswick stew, etc., usually with a slice of homemade bread containing soy, fava bean, potato, rice or quinoa flours.

Mid-afternoon: 64oz. limeade, sometimes with some nuts or fresh dates.

Dinner: Grilled meat (usually pork or chicken), or, quite often, fish, with either steamed rice, a baked potato, baked sweet potato or winter squash (the latter drizzled with butter and honey). Lightly steamed vegetables (I am especially fond of greens, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, artichokes and asparagus.)
Dessert usually includes either fruit, sorbet or homemade cookies, brownies or cake (gluten free), homemade rice pudding, homemade bread pudding, or homemade tapioca pudding.

Midnight (So I can take my Niaspan) Organic yogurt, a banana or other fruit, or a PBJ made with natural peanut butter.

If you notice a lot of homemade things, its because I am unable to eat most preoared foods, including regular commercial yogurt, which contains wheat.

One nice thing, I can be sure of what ingredients are in my food.

HUGS,

Mark