Eating our 10-a-day thread (2)

[Breathmiller]

Hi all

This is our second thread about upping our veg and fruit intake on a daily basis.

We tend to list what we've had to keep us accoubtable and generally chat about how to increase the rainbow on our plate.

We don't always make 10 but anything more than you would normally is great. I like to at least get 5. 10 or even sometimes more is a great day.

All welcome whatever reasons.

So far

Apple/pear juice
Gherkins
Apricots

Going to have a banana with some yoghurt in a bit and maybe a big salad for tea

That curry looks delicious.

One of my favourites is to make up a homemade houmous and have carrot sticks and celery. There's 3 in one go. I often have it with salad leaves and half a roast pepper and that's 5 for lunch.

I'm having leftover green lentil, black bean and red pepper chilli tonight with garlic sweet potato cubes from the freezer.

Not been said on this second thread yet:

Try to eat 30 different plants each week
The wider diversity of fiber-packed plants you eat, the happier and more diverse your gut microbiome will be.

Nuts, seeds, pulses, whole grains fruits, and veggies are all packed with nutrients that support a healthy gut. Garlic, onion, leeks, asparagus, and whole grains are packed with particularly special prebiotic fibers that "good" gut microbes love.

The good news is that increasing the variety and amount of plants in your diet doesn’t have to be difficult, especially once you expand your idea of what counts as a plant-based food to include spices, herbs, nuts, and seeds.
joinzoe.com/post/tim-spector-gut-tips

If you can get in 30 different fruit and veg in a week you either deserve a medal are a bit obsessive. I'm never sure which.

I kind of like the ethos of this thread, aim for 10 and so long as you clear 5 most days you are winning. Curries are an excellent way to get a wide variety in.

Green and white lasagne tonight, it is smelling great.

@Postdatedpandemic I just bought some Brazil nuts after reading somewhere about them, so I'm having 2 a day as my snack at work with dried apricots
Figure it's got to be better than crisps!!

I've also swapped out my usual crisps for plain tortilla chips so less additives and my bread to sourdough. Also taking a multi vitamin, high dose vitamin d and a beauty/hair supplement as my medication causes hair loss
I'm still very fat but I figure I can be more healthy

Today I’ve had apple, dried cranberries in a fruit and nut bar, cherry toms, red pepper hummus, avocado and cucumber.

Do nuts count, as I had nothing-added peanut butter too! 😇🤣

postdated yes, I found the 30 varieties very hard so let go of that. Although I do try to get some variety. The problem is that if I bought a bag of carrots then I am going to have a lot of carrots that week. Or make a veg stew then I'll have leftovers the next day.

@Xmasgetaway I think we bashed this out in the first thread, nuts don't count as part of your 10 a day, olives do though
Nuts do count as part of the 30 a week plant variety. I got some chocolate coated brazils from Aldi at the weekend for 9p, well happy. Does cocoa count?

A healthier diet should steer you away from thatvery @MaybeHeIsMyCat

Breath I bought an enormous head of celery, it is going to be in my list everyday for a week or more.

[quote Postdatedpandemic]@Xmasgetaway I think we bashed this out in the first thread, nuts don't count as part of your 10 a day, olives do though
Nuts do count as part of the 30 a week plant variety. I got some chocolate coated brazils from Aldi at the weekend for 9p, well happy. Does cocoa count?

A healthier diet should steer you away from thatvery @MaybeHeIsMyCat[/quote]
That's the annoying thing is my diet is actually decent (I'm comparing to what I see others eat away from this thread!)
Cake, chocolate and carbs are my downfall
I'm a size 16/18 at 5ft 10 and would like to get back to a 14 that took fasting and 1100 cals a day

Thanks @Postdatedpandemic

Today

Brunch
Green cabbage, celery, onion and mushroom

Dinner
Onion, carrot (yellow ones), pak choi, kale, cannallini beans
red onion, red cabbage

Day 2 for me - woohoo

Breakfast
2 bananas
1 Pink Lady

Snacks
4 dates
1/4 melon
Nakd bar - does that count??

Dinner
Salmon bake with cougettes, red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, capers, olives, spinach

Glass of prune juice

Lunch was a total fail - had bacon with almond/egg pancakes - trying to do low carb at same time so it's a bit tricky.

Dinner

olives/cucumber
onions/radishes
Lettuce
peppers
tomatoes
2 satsumas
banana

1. Dates
2. Courgettes
3. Melon
4. Blackberries
5. Green lentil, black bean and veg chilli
6. ^^
7. Sweet potato
8. Peas
9. Red cabbage

10. Apple

We are trying to clear out the cupboards and freezer so it's getting harder to just grab fresh veg from the fridge. But it does mean I have to get creative.

I don't think I've ever tried dates!

Frozen veg to add to variety
www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/cooks-ingredients-asian-mixed-vegetables/565323-673419-673420

@MaybeHeIsMyCat

I don't think I've ever tried dates!

Ohhh, I love them. They can taste like toffee. I went travelling into the desert in Tunisia on my honeymoon many years ago and dh and I had thr biggest dates and coffee for breakfast every morning. Soooo good.

I like the organic medjool ones from Tesco.

Gosh yes, you’ve got to try dates - I’m on no refined sugar and they are my total cheat - taste like toffee 😀

One day I will make 10, this week I’m going to aim to do an 8!

1. Prunes
2. Plums
3. Carrots
4. Lentils/ onions
5. Kiwi
6. Serving of mixed veggies - carrots/ cauliflower/ peas

1. Satsuma
2. Home made soup - leek, cauliflower and carrot
3. Houmous (with crisps)
4. Mushrooms
5. Kale
6. Leek
7. Peas
8. Onions and garlic

Right, I will add dates to my shop!
I have an online shop booked with Tesco for a change, usually use sainsburys so will have a browse what else there is
I love corn on the cob and rarely eat it!

Mushrooms
Plum
Cabbage
Onions
Brocoli
Carrots
Olives
Last of my Christmas dates

Back with a new name change.
Today:
1 Avocado
2 cherry tomatoes
3 satsuma
4 kiwi
5 cauliflower
6 onion, spinach
7 carrot

Loving your love for kale @PartyOnKale

1. mixed salad leaves incl spinach, kale.
2. sweetcorn/half carrot
3. red cabbage/radishes/jumbo spring onion
4. cucumber
5. tomato
6. peas/mushrooms
7. Brussels/broccoli
8. banana
9. strawberries 9.5) a couple of dates

I'm another who struggles with variety. Fridge produce only seems to taste 'fresh' for a few days so I find myself eating the same things every day to prevent waste, I mainly have my lunchtime salad or stirfry veg. Or veg that I add to evening meals. (I have fussy DC but they enjoy salads and some veg now so I usually get what I know they will also eat!)

There will be more varieties of dates available in a month or two when supermarkets begin targeting their Ramadan observing customers so do keep a look out!

1.) Blueberries
2.) Melon
3.) Tangerine
4.) carrot
5.) celery, spinach and tomato sauce
6.) roasted peppers and onions
7) parsnip
8.) carrot, ginger and orange juice