Healthier Food?

i totally understand your issue with being dependent on your mom's grocery list. it's unfortunate that she doesn't want to buy healthier food items. is she overweight, too? this will probably seem too extreme but what would she do if you actually refused to eat those foods? i completely changed my diet and lifestyle in college (i went from living on cheeseburgers and chocolate milk to being an enthusiastic water-loving vegan) and i lost over 60 lbs. after seeing my success, my mom went vegan and weighs less than she did at her wedding.

if you really can't avoid your mom's unhealthy food, drink a lot of water to help flush the toxic junk out of your body. teas are also cleansing, particularly green, oolong, and mint. also, eat as little of the food as possible: like, eat half of a frozen meal or use one cup as a portion size. if you can't regulate the type of food you can at least regulate the amount of food. also sushi is great but remember that rice does have a lot of calories. not trying to ruin your fun! just something to keep in mind if you're trying to lose weight.

 

Well, have you tried going grocery shopping with you mom? I am dependent on my parents for food still, but I pretty much go with my dad grocery shopping weekly (mom rarely does the shopping). I used to rely on whatever they bought, but they were pretty open to me going with them and picking foods I want. If you can go with them, that may be a good way to slowly change your pantry. My whole family has adopted some of the healthier habits too. If money is the issue and it's cheaper for frozen or unhealthy foods, maybe start looking at the grocery store advertisements and finding good deals on fruits and veggies. (For example, fresh broccoli crowns recently were on sale for 59 cents a pound when they normally are about $1.50 a pound) It's not that hard to find good sales if your supermarkets have a catalog with the sale items (that's how it is here). Now, if you still cannot go to the grocery store or something, see if your parents will let you make a list of what you want.

It sounds like you already know what to do... cut down portions and eat healthier. Some important big things to avoid would be sodas, juices, refined grains (anything that isn't whole), and some other things I can't think of.

Also most fast food is unhealthy (I think), and I doubt the asian fast food that you eat is healthy. Might be a little less unhealthy since it may typically have veggies, but I don't think the meat is the best usually, the rice is usually refined, and it probably still has a ton of salt. Guess it really depends.

 

I would suggest that you make a list of things you want your mom to pick up for you. Let her know that you want to eat healthier and ask her to support you by getting some (if not all) the stuff on your list. Ask her for simple changes, like buying pasta with extra fiber and protien in it.
Try and cook a meal a week for your family... you like asian? Chicken stir fry with peppers, carrots, onion, and pea pods with a low sodium soy sauce based sauce on brown rice.

 

Maybe ur meals have too much salt. That can make u feel bloated.

 

Too much salt is definitely a possibility if you are really into asian foods as those tend to be loaded with sodium.

On the topic of frozen foods, not all frozen foods are bad for you. Very often, frozen vegetables and fruit are healthier than fresh. This is because they are flash frozen while they are fresh. Vegetables tend to lose their nutrients as they age on the shelf of the grocery store, but frozen, they retain all of their vitamins and minerals much better. Also, many companies who produce frozen foods are getting on the health bandwagon. Even with frozen foods, there are many low-fat, low-sodium, no-trans fat alternatives.

Also, if you load up your meals with vegetables and swap a fruit for a snack, then that will help you feel more full without consuming a larger number of carbs, fats and other foods that can add calories to your meal.

Hope that helps. I lost over 50lbs a few years ago on my own changing workout and diet habits, so msg me if you need any more help.

 

true, flash frozen veggies are delicious. and sadly big grocery stores often sell "fresh" produce that has actually been frozen and thawed, which makes it taste dull and feel mealy in your mouth.

 

Really? Wouldn't you be able to tell? Once food is frozen the texture is usually different after isn't it?

 

whatever happens during flash-freezing keeps the texture closer to fresh. regular freezing yes, it messes with the texture and the nutrient contents.

 

If you must eat that stuff, drink as much water as you can, even better squeeze a whole lemon into you water in the morning, drink it as soon as you wake up, drink as much water as you can when you wake up. try to eat as much raw food as you can, like fruit and veggies. baby carrots are great. If you are having a salad skip the dressing and just squeeze some lemon on it, taste is amazing. lemons are also great at cutting back on stress levels. plant some tomatoes or peppers, some can even be grown in pots.

---------- Post added 15th Mar 2012 at 11:59 AM ----------

Rice has little to no cal's from fat on the other hand, try brown rice, better complex carbs

---------- Post added 15th Mar 2012 at 12:01 PM ----------

sprouted grain bread is the way to go, the glycimic index is much better than traditional whole grain bread

---------- Post added 15th Mar 2012 at 12:03 PM ----------

Frozen food requires you to heat it, unless you have time to defrost, cooking food especially produce kills the enzymes that you are eating them for in the first place

---------- Post added 15th Mar 2012 at 12:11 PM ----------

dried fruit especially cherry's retain a lot of the nutritional value and taste great, apricots are the same way, dates, prunes ect. and are inexpensive. If you can try cutting dairy out of your diet, for the most part anyway. try to find unsweetened versions of your favorite drinks (not ones with fake sugar) like unsweetened soy milk has something like 30 cals per serving

---------- Post added 15th Mar 2012 at 12:13 PM ----------

use natural sweeteners (not sugar) like locally farmed honey. also real maple syrup.

---------- Post added 15th Mar 2012 at 12:14 PM ----------

try muscle building exercises the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest

 

Texture changes from freezing is due to the water inside the cells of what you are freezing expanding, causing the cell to burst. If they are frozen very quickly then the ice doesn't expand nearly as much, minimising the damage to cells and maintaining the texture/taste/nutritional value of the food.

 

Hmm. Do they really freeze fresh produce though?

 

Well, it depends on the manufacturer. Some have portable freezers they can drag into the field and have it done only a few minutes after picking, but I'm sure there are also some that have them sitting around for a few days before freezing.

 

I'm talking about produce that they sell "thawed" or whatever. Like if you bought a broccoli crown, an apple, etc. Not frozen food. Someone up there in this topic said they freeze fresh produce and then thaw it. I was just asking if this is common?

 

i don't know how common it is, but i know that where i am both farm markets and super markets do it. they store them so they can sell produce that's out of season without having to do too much special shipping.

 

To me it seems like a lot of this advice is about completely revamping your diet, but it sounds like you have little control over this. And a lot is about perfecting your diet, but don't worry if frozen vegetable are more or less healthy than fresh. If you can get some vegetables and fruits in your diet, some whole grains, replace fatty protein with lean protein, and cut out fast food (and soda) from your diet, you will be well on your way to feeling healthier about what you eat.

Sushi is actually pretty healthy, in comparison to the multitude of other options you might eat. (Sushi versus pretty much anything you can get at a fast food place) Is sushi perfect? no. But I have found that the biggest challenge of changing your diet is trying to feel satisfied with what you eat while being healthier. Besides, I don't buy a lot of modern diet advice. The controversy over cholesterol is a good example of something that is being pushed by pharma companies. Another is the idea of skim milk. Vitamin D is essential to calcium absorption, but is itself a fat soluble molecule and so if there is no fat in the milk or the meal, calcium absorption is lowered.

One thing I have found effective is changing what I snack on. I am a habitual stress eater, and I have recently taking to eating raw vegetables and fruits instead of other snacks. Because they are high in fiber, they tend to fill you up without being terribly caloric. Oatmeal is another really cheap really healthy option you can ask your mom to buy for you. One of the challenges of high school is that in my experience you only get one real meal a day and so by the time you eat dinner you are really hungry. Snacking can reduce this as well as drinking water.

I would also suggest that when you are eating, eat slowly, and be aware. it takes a while for your body to realize that you are full especially if you start very hungry, and knowing this, one thing that is effective is to limit yourself from the start. I do this when I go drinking, I only drink X amount of beer and after that I stop. It is a routine I have gotten into, and so I know I need to pace myself. Similarly with dinner, if you want to eat for a half an hour, change the pace at which you eat rather than the amount you need to eat in order to eat that whole time.

A final thing I might suggest is learning to cook with your mother. Go shopping on weekends, and volunteer to make dinner. Show your mom that cooking healthier can be tasty and cheap. Below is a healthy and easy soup to make. Beans are healthy, filling, delicious, and easy to make.

Ingredients

2 T olive oil
3 onions, chopped
2 C carrots, sliced
3 medium stalks of celery
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb. (2 1/4 C) red lentils
8oz. frozen spinach
12 C chicken broth (OR 12c. water plus 1 Tablespoon salt)
2 Bay leaves
1 t dried marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sized stock pot, cook the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in the olive oil until tender (about 5 minutes).

Add the lentils, spinach, chicken broth, the bay leaves, and the marjoram. Simmer for 1 hour or until the lentils and vegetables are tender.

 

If you are looking for good vegetables and fruits, go to farmers markets or CSAs. with a CSA you can even get some good exercise

keep your meals to a minimum and eat smarter and less (I know this is simple but it works, especially once you are used to it)

you do NOT need to clean your plate!

stay active, do not do the bare minimum, make extra efforts, start an exercise regimen, even if you start slow with walking. getting up from dinner before you eat too much and taking a walk is a great way to lose weight.

get a weight loss buddy and set small goals. reward yourself (without food) when you reach your goals.

I've lost over 100 pounds in the last few years and am more than willing to help with anything you might need, feel free to ask.

 

this! yes! moms love to tell their kids they have to eat everything on the plate, but no you don't! eat until you're satisfied, not stuffed. my mother will still ask me if i'm full after a meal, and i tell her that isn't the point of eating.