The Health and/or Diet Thread

[The Magic Pudding]

Doing an experiment right now; cutting all.meats and fried foods. I am eating only veggies (raw) , boiled eggs, saltines crackers, tuna, and  drinking black coffee twice a day.

I want to see if I get resilts  at the end of the water.

Ps- vitamin water zero is my god~

Cooking veggies isn't necessarily a bad thing, or at least that's what I've discerned from the babble.  You get more from a carrot if it's cooked a bit, same with tomato, I've never been tempted to try an uncooked pumpkin or potato.

[Crow]

Amicale take it slow you don't want to stop doing all those things at once, do one at a time and let your body adjust. Its hard enough quitting nicotine never mind adding caffeine, sugar, and salt withdrawal symptoms into the mix. If you don't drink regularly then that shouldn't be too much of a problem if you cut it out but the others all have big effects on how you feel and can last for a long time. Set achievable staggered goals rather than the total cold turkey route that way you are also more likely to stay off the stuff for good.

[Whitney]

Doing an experiment right now; cutting all.meats and fried foods. I am eating only veggies (raw) , boiled eggs, saltines crackers, tuna, and  drinking black coffee twice a day.

I want to see if I get resilts  at the end of the water.

Ps- vitamin water zero is my god~

Cooking veggies isn't necessarily a bad thing, or at least that's what I've discerned from the babble.  You get more from a carrot if it's cooked a bit, same with tomato, I've never been tempted to try an uncooked pumpkin or potato.

Yup, some veggies don't release their nutrients until after they are cooked. I forgot exactly which ones though since I just eat them however I want sometimes raw sometimes cooked.  I think cooked carrots are not that good though.

[Amicale]

Amicale take it slow you don't want to stop doing all those things at once, do one at a time and let your body adjust. Its hard enough quitting nicotine never mind adding caffeine, sugar, and salt withdrawal symptoms into the mix. If you don't drink regularly then that shouldn't be too much of a problem if you cut it out but the others all have big effects on how you feel and can last for a long time. Set achievable staggered goals rather than the total cold turkey route that way you are also more likely to stay off the stuff for good.

Yeah, I'm going to have to take it slow. I'll keep off the nicotine because I've managed it for 2 days so why stop a good thing, lol... if I cave, I cave, but I'll just try again. I want to at least try that cold turkey, though. Couldn't hurt. I'll just cut back on the coffee though, rather than totally quitting it. I use splenda all the time rather than sugar so that's no problem, but I'll really have to eventually work on getting the carbs and the salt cut back. Key word: eventually.  As for the alcohol, no, I never drank regularly. It's just that I liked the occasional glass of wine, and alcohol of any sort interacts badly with meds I'm on, so that's why it's out. You're right about setting achievable, staggered goals for everything though. I will.

Unfortunately I have an 'addictive personality'. Runs in the family, shall we say. So I'm trying to reign it in, as much as I can.

[The Magic Pudding]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=raw-veggies-are-healthier

One 2002 study he did (published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry) found that cooking actually boosts the amount of lycopene in tomatoes.

Cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and many other vegetables also supply more antioxidants, such as carotenoids and ferulic acid, to the body than they do when raw, Liu says. At least, that is, if they're boiled or steamed. A January 2008 report in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry said that boiling and steaming better preserves antioxidants, particularly carotenoid, in carrots, zucchini and broccoli, than frying, though boiling was deemed the best. The researchers studied the impact of the various cooking techniques on compounds such as carotenoids, ascorbic acid and polyphenols.

The downside of cooking veggies, Liu says: it can destroy the vitamin C in them.

I don't like cooked cabbage, baking a zucchini in its skin makes them taste petrochemical to me.
Capsicum, (pepper) tomato, carrot are OK either way.
Pumpkin and potato, raw isn't an option.  I sauté onions and bok choi.
Beetroot comes cooked in a can, it goes with everything, it's an Oz thing I think.
Cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are evil.

[Amicale]

I don't like cooked cabbage, baking a zucchini in its skin makes them taste petrochemical to me.
Capsicum, (pepper) tomato, carrot are OK either way.
Pumpkin and potato, raw isn't an option.  I sauté onions and bok choi.
Beetroot comes cooked in a can, it goes with everything, it's an Oz thing I think.
Cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are evil.

Potato I couldn't eat raw, but I'm one of the weirdos who enjoys raw pumpkin. If you blend it up with spices like cinnamon or nutmeg while raw, it just gets kinda of creamy and it tastes really rooty and great. Especially if you stick it in the freezer for a bit and eat it really cold!

We have canned beetroots here in Canada, they're pretty good.

I also don't like brussels sprouts, but I LOVE carrots-- especially raw. To me, cooking carrots takes the taste out of them.

[Amicale]

Speaking of peppers... sorry, but I couldn't resist...

[reddevil0126]

I am a fish-addict.  I can eat fish 3 meals a day everyday.  My favorite cooking method is baking marinated fish (with low salt soy sauce/chili powder/some mix of spice).  Or boiling in shallow water (no more than a cup in a pot of at least 12 inch) with those ingredients plus a little bit of sugar until almost all water evaporates.   
Shallow-frying is easiest and risk-free way of enjoying fish.

Also found out the frozen salmon from Costco can be used for sashimi (?).  Thaw it in refrigerator until it's still frozen a bit, but easy to cut.  Slice it in pieces of about 1/8 inch thick. ..not as good as sashimi of fresh fish, but it's OK with soy sauce and wasabi + sake.       

I also replaced salad dressing with soy sauce, vinegar or mustard-based.  It feels a lot better than oil-based.   

[Tank]

I do like raw salmon or butter fish. Good quality smoked salmon, with pink grapefruit and scrambled eggs make a super breakfast.

[Sandra Craft]

Bob Harper's Yoga for the warrior kicks my ass...I can get through every other yoga home dvd I've had without much issue no matter how out of shape I have been but the sequencing he uses makes the yoga 'active' and I can only make it about half way through (full program is 1 hour). 

Is there a yoga DVD you'd recommend for an absolute beginner with bad knees?  I'm thinking of getting into it for the various benefits I've read about but I couldn't manage anything ass-kicking.

[reddevil0126]

Bob Harper's Yoga for the warrior kicks my ass...I can get through every other yoga home dvd I've had without much issue no matter how out of shape I have been but the sequencing he uses makes the yoga 'active' and I can only make it about half way through (full program is 1 hour). 

Is there a yoga DVD you'd recommend for an absolute beginner with bad knees?  I'm thinking of getting into it for the various benefits I've read about but I couldn't manage anything ass-kicking.

I would first go to Yoga class and ask a certified and experienced instructor or personal trainer.  I rarely had knee or leg problem other than minor ankle pain when playing soccer.  But at the very beginning, I felt more pain than before when I was running.  In addition, I experienced pains here and there (mostly knees and ankles) during transition from one position to another.  I consulted the instructor, and learned the right way.  Since then, I could better relax muscles.  Another aspect is that there are many different styles in Yoga.  It might be better to try 2 or 3 different instructors and pick 1 or more styles for your condition. 

YMCA in my neighbor offers 3 or 4 different Yoga classes and I can go any class I want.  Not many instructors change their routines and so I go to different classes to add more varieties. 

In yoga, you are touching a lot of other muscles you rarely use actively in daily life.  So it is a lot more challenging than you think.  I am still a beginner in Yoga, but if you are serious about it you may want to start with an instructor.  You'd better immerse yourself slowly with the pace best for you.  I guess that is the part you need instructor's help. 

[Sandra Craft]

In yoga, you are touching a lot of other muscles you rarely use actively in daily life.  So it is a lot more challenging than you think.  I am still a beginner in Yoga, but if you are serious about it you may want to start with an instructor.  You'd better immerse yourself slowly with the pace best for you.  I guess that is the part you need instructor's help. 

I think you're right that one-on-one training is the way to start.  Parks and Rec here has some yoga classes and with any luck, I can find one that meets on the weekend.

[DeterminedJuliet]

I switched from "just peanuts" peanut butter to almond butter and I'm so glad I did. I like it way better! Wee man really likes it too.

I also can't wait for Spring to finally break through. I got a little pudge because I haven't been able to ride my bike in the winter. I'm definitely a "go and do stuff" exercise kind of girl as opposed to the "hit the gym". Walking, biking and chasing the rugrat are pretty much my exercise routine.

[Amicale]

I switched from "just peanuts" peanut butter to almond butter and I'm so glad I did. I like it way better! Wee man really likes it too.

I also can't wait for Spring to finally break through. I got a little pudge because I haven't been able to ride my bike in the winter. I'm definitely a "go and do stuff" exercise kind of girl as opposed to the "hit the gym". Walking, biking and chasing the rugrat are pretty much my exercise routine.

*nods* Same!  At least one can get a workout running around after a kiddo... I think I've went up and down stairs a couple dozen times today.

[Ali]

So now that I'm back on my "watching what I eat" kick, I have been trying to focus on portion control.  To that end, I am loving these things to pack breakfast and lunch to eat at work:

http://www.drugstore.com/ziploc-divided-container-rectangle/qxp220989

For breakfast I have been packing a ww english muffin in the large compartment, some Brummel and Brown (butter like yogurt spread) for the muffin in the smallest compartment, and some cottage cheese and strawberries in the medium compartment.

For lunch one day I took hummus and veggies in the big compartment, pita wedges in the med compartment, and blueberries in the small compartment.  Another day I did leftover rice and beans in the big container, baby carrots in the med compartment, and sliced strawberries in the small.  Point being, they are great for portion control and handy to pack your whole meal in one container.