Healthy Eats-Along 2012

[alwaysinmyroom]

Suerreal--I wonder if some of my fatigue might just be from eating some of those things...I feel pretty listless when I eat white rice (a Japanese staple!) and corn!  I am going to not eat those for a week and see how I feel...thanks for sharing...

[edelC]

.I guess I am like a lot of people who want to lose weight and get healthy...I want it to just happen and just work with no effort...

Oh i am so in that club..

sureal that is a PITA that you are reactive to so many foods, but so good that you know exactly how you react and what they do to you. My life tends to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster, so it would be hard to separate out the effects of food/shit happening...but worth a try...

MareMare...sandwich thins?....nah we have nothing like that, it has always struck me when I go into US or Australian supermarkets that there is usually a whole aisle devoted to diet foods, we have some but very little in comparison...and when you go to french or italian supermarkets, there are virtually none. There is a kind of sandwich loaf that has been on the market since the 70s, which is supposed to be a low calorie loaf, smaller slices and i have no idea what else that they put in or take out, but to be honest I prefer home-made brown soda bread, at least I know what goes into it!

[suereal]

Suerreal--I wonder if some of my fatigue might just be from eating some of those things...I feel pretty listless when I eat white rice (a Japanese staple!) and corn!  I am going to not eat those for a week and see how I feel...thanks for sharing...

Just so you know alwaysin, it took me around 3 months before I started to understand what was happening.  I had stopped eating grains because of my diabetes.  It seemed odd to me that the ADA was pushing what looked like a super high carb diet.  The more carbs the more insulin you have to take, and excess insulin causes all kinds of troubles in the body.  Then I read a book by a doc who is a diabetic, and he ate low carb.  I was completely grain free for 3 months then started to add things back in and that is when the mood stuff started to become clear.  I did figure out about the wheat sinus thing in about 2 weeks.  I have always had nose trouble, and I stopped hurting after just a week or so.

[MareMare]

I bet you were so happy when you figured it out!

My almost 7 yo nephew ate more than me at lunch today. And the 4 yo probably did too. Then they came home and ate some more. I'm worried about my brother's grocery budget (the oldest brother wasn't even there, he can eat 4 waffles with peanut butter for breakfast and a yogurt).

[MareMare]

Hey all! I started a bulk cooking thread if anyone would like to join in! Meal planning and cooking larger amounts at one time to stick in the freezer or just for the current week.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=414044.0

[craftylittlemonkey]

Neighbour dropped off a truck load of organic produce from her garden so I did some canning for the first time. A dozen jars of the most delicious salsa now live in the cupboard but not for long, lol. I've been eating it with EVERYTHING! It's super yummy. She tells me she's got loads more tomatoes too, we're gonna have us some kitchen parties! Nothing like homemade for healthy. It's such a feeling of acomplishment too, it really is nice .

[alwaysinmyroom]

I am addicted to Southwestern salsa...beans, corn, crushed and diced tomatoes, green peppers, onions...I eat it almost everyday!  My goal is to eat fresher and with the least amount of processing...I am also cutting way back on wheat products to see if I get any reactions...

Tomorrow, I am making Vietnamese spring rolls with lots of fresh veggies and herbs...

[edelC]

how ironic..I am catching up with this thread while drinking a glass of wine and eating a packet of chips...

*mea culpa*

[white_lilyblossom]

My best tip is just not to buy what you don't want to eat - no ready-made food like frozen meals, no junk food like crisps or chocolate. No coke or juice. Always keep a bottle of cold water in the fridge for when you're thirsty. Always have plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially the frozen kind - they keep for longer and you can add them as is to whatever you're cooking without need to chop anything. I don't buy bread - I make a big batch once a week on the weekend, when I have time. That way I don't eat too much bread and I also know what I eat - store-bought bread is full of awful stuff. Don't buy anything that has ingredients listed and you don't know what they are (all the E-something and so on). Try to get used to drinking coffee and tea without sugar. DON'T buy any of the diet stuff - it's poison and also you're cheating your body into thinking it's getting something but it knows it doesn't and then you just end up eating more. Try to cook ahead - for example make a big pot of brown rice that'll last a few days and then you only have to mix the toppings. It saves time and also means that you have healthy alternatives ready if your really want to eat something in a hurry.
So yeah, these are my tips.

[craftylittlemonkey]

Spent 4 days in the kitchen canning so far, got another day scheduled tomorrow. Quince preserves, green tomato chutney, and possibly apple sauce. Done quite a bit of dehydrating too, lots of dried food in jars in my cupboards! I scored over 5 dozen jars at the thrift store the other day, no rings but still a pretty good deal. I can't believe how many jars we've gone through already! It's astonishing, really really a LOT.
Anybody ever use a pressure canner? We've been doing hot water baths with high-acid foods so far but I'd really like to do some low-acid foods too, no vinegar or lemon. I'm going to look for a pressure canner online, I need some advice about what sort to buy though... too many to choose from!