Do you eat ‘well’?

[fetaccompli]

I’ve been reading the various guidelines about eating well and want to see how MN measures up.

5 a day - definitely every day. Nearer to 9 or 10.
Processed meat limited to x2 a week - less good on this. We often will have bacon/sausage/pate/ham/salami/breaded chicken/fishfingers 3-4 in a week.
14 units alcohol a week - I don’t drink alcohol but DH definitely exceeds this
Fish x2 a week incl x1 oily - only once really and I’m trying to stop eating so much salmon as it’s so awfully farmed
Dairy x3 a day - probably 1 portion of milk in hot drinks and maybe some cheese
6-8 glasses of water - I’m bad at this but I do drink a lot of herbal tea and I think that counts
Red meat 350g week - always have more than this and there’s bowel cancer in my family so I will work on this.

How are the rest of you doing? Any aims to improve?

5 a day - yes, easily. Lots of berries on my breakfast, apple and banana as snack, homemade soup for lunch, veg with dinner as standard, so usually 7-8 portions. Some days it's more fruit heavy than veg but I do try to balance it out

Processed meats - we have bacon and sausages about once a month, DH eats ham sandwiches at work but I don't

Very rarely drink alcohol. I was never a big drinker but we used to have a couple of glasses at the weekend. Since pregnancy and breastfeeding I've hardly drank at all

I'm okay at drinking water, but a lot of my liquid intake comes from decaf tea

We eat salmon once a week and sometimes cod or tinned tuna as well

The only red meat I eat is mince, which I generally bulk cook with lots of veg and pulses to make stews/chilli etc. Unlikely to exceed more than 350g a week

I eat quite a lot of dairy. Milk in tea and porridge every day, cheese with lunch most days, natural yoghurt or kefir with fruit every day, creme fraiche as a sauce maybe once a week

I am really trying this year to cut back on UPFs but it's easier said than done when busy or on the go. I try to take an 80 20 approach across the week so don't worry about one ready meal or dessert across 7 days

@oOmoonhaOo always have carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, broccoli, onions, peppers & tomatoes. Then sometimes I also buy green beans/baby corn/asparagus/spinach/leeks/squash for variety. More salad veg and less root veg in summer. Always have frozen peas in the freezer.

5 a day - Always, fruit at breakfast, (2) salad or soup at lunch (2-3) with another piece of fruit afterwards, veg in the evening meal so usually 7 or 8.
Processed meat limited to x2 I don't buy or eat processed meat since 2012.
14 units alcohol a week - I only drink in school holidays
Fish x2 I live in a vegetarian house so no, sometimes eat fish in restaurant
Dairy x3 a day - Sometimes, I don't drink raw milk but I do eat Yoghurt and eat cheese and butter daily.
6-8 glasses of water - 3 cups of herbal tea and 500mls of water through the work day. More if I go for a run.
Red meat 350g week - Nowhere near see vegetarianism above.

Interesting thanks all. Seems like I’m worse than the average MNetter in terms of processed meat.

I’ve always weighted my fruit/veg consumption towards veg having read at some point that most fruit is too sugary to outweigh the benefits of its fibre. Maybe from Glucose Goddess.

Glad some of you also trying to cut down farmed salmon. Wild is so expensive (and even then I think it needs to be wild pacific/alaskan to be actually better) as is trout. Asked my fishmonger about Char which you see in N. America but he says it doesn’t often make it over here. I do like smoked mackerel but that’s probably veering into UPF territory.

Sometimes yes sometimes no. I’m vegan, and for a few months ate whole food plant based with no gluten or refined sugar and my diet was amazing, but you need lots of time to cook and to never eat out (hence why I did it in lockdown!)

Fruit veg- sometimes 10, sometimes struggle to hit 5.
processed meat- never
Alcohol- none
Fish- none, trying to add more ground flaxseed but I do take omega 3 supplements
Dairy- none, but have fortified soya and oat milk in cereal, tea, recipes, hot chocolate. I am not really a big yoghurt fan.
Water- loads, usually that and tea is all I drink
Red meat- none. I do eat vegan processed mock meats 2-3 times a week. Try to have more beans, peas, tofu, lentils, chick peas, peanut butter etc. The beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas count as one of 5 a day.

I take a multivitamin too.

Why not just buy wild salmon? It's more expensive, so I'd understand buying it less often, but unless people boycot farmed fish the industry will continue (it kills wild salmon populations)

Peas, baked beans, sweetcorn, spinach (cooked up or with other stuff in a sandwich), mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, asparagus or green beans (delicious boiled then fried in margarine), broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, butternut squash (make mac n cheeze with it), carrots, lentils, chick peas.

What actually counts as a portion of fruit and veg, quantity-wise?
Tonight I'm making fish pie, and it has carrot, peas and spinach in it, plus the mash on top is 50/50 potato and sweet potato (according to the nhs sweet potato does count towards your 5 a day). But I'm not sure any of them are in big enough quantities to be a portion. There's also spring onion but definitely not enough to be a portion each.
To be honest I don't really count portions day to day - I consider this a healthy meal with a good amount of veg, so I'm happy. But I'm wondering about the people who eat 10 portions a day? Do you just think "yeah dinner had peas in it so that's 1 portion" or do you make sure that it hits a certain quantity?

Vegan for over 40 years. At least 10 fruit and veg every day, most of it raw or lightly steamed.

No alcohol, no coffee. Plenty of water, herbal teas and the occasional glass of fruit juice. Nothing between 6.00 pm and 8.00 am except water.

Cake once or twice a week if on a long walk. Dark chocolate ditto.

We’re eating more plants and very little upf. I need to drink more water (and less wine!).

A 10 a day day for me would look like:

Breakfast: 1 large tomato and 6 mushrooms fried with 2 eggs. (2 portions)

Lunch: wrap with leftover roast chicken and 3 dried apricots chopped in mayo. Served with 1 carrot, 6 radishes, 1/2 green pepper and houmous. (5 portions)

Dinner: prawn in ginger served with noodles and beansprout with bok choi, baby corn, green beans. (4 portions).

Veg sticks instead of crisps with lunch makes it easy.

Stir fries and roasts are really good for lots of veggies

With a salad I tend to do a chopped one and include as much as possible before I get fed up of chopping - so cucumber, tomato, red onion, pepper, celery, carrot, avocado etc, plus herbs like coriander, dill. This salad goes very well with mackerel which can be strong on its own.

With eg salmon or sea bass/bream, I may cook 3 veggies eg broccoli, beans and peas or carrots

With overnight oats I’ll add as much fruit as I have in and fancy, usually blueberries, grated apple, banana and sometimes add melon and pineapple.

Crudités eg celery carrot pepper radish with hummus to dip good as a snack

Loving blood oranges at the moment

I eat too much bread and dairy though.

No meat, fish or dairy.
Lots of vegetables, beans and pulses.
Lots of water.
A bit too much alcohol.

The problem with wild salmon is the nets scoop up all sorts of other sea creatures who die for nothing. It’s insanely cruel.

Another post reminding us that the average Mumsnetter is not the average Brit 😆

Fruit and veg - some days I'll have 7-10 a day (especially when the kids are around, because I'm far more bothered about them eating well), other days I live on miso soup, eggs and rice, so will have exactly zero.

Alcohol - I go through phases of drinking way too much and others where I'll have none. Currently, I have finished my last bottle yesterday and aim to drink nothing the rest of the month, mainly for weight loss reasons.

Fish - more when the kids aren't around as I have to fight to get 1x/week in with them (which will often involve a form of fish pie or tuna and pasta bake) whereas I'll happily live on fish and seafood, especially in summer.

Dairy - I love cheese and yogurts. Not sure I make it to 3 portions a day, though, especially as I do not eat cereal.

Water - I am not allowed to pee as I want at work, so very little during daytime (maybe 2 glasses' worth). I drink 2 energy drinks per day and will have herbal tea in the evenings, though, so probably make it to 6-8 glasses of fluids. As I said, I love my miso soup, too, so that counts as extra fluid intake.

Red meat - way more thank the guidance, but I'm from a culture where red meat is the basis of many cooked foods.

So, by the guidance set out, I'm crap. I still eat healthier than most people I know and the average person whose shopping I see in the supermarket.

Barely any of my food is processed as I cook from scratch (soup and energy drinks excluded) and live off freezer leftovers when the kids aren't here. I don't do takeaways often. I cook a great variety of vegetables and none of us are fussy eaters. I rarely do cakes, biscuits or sweets.

@fetaccompli Yes, but due to a health scare and rampant cholesterol in the summer. Since when I have lost two stone, and my aches and pains (arthritis) and mild eczema have disappeared.

6/7 a day, I can't get it to 9/10.
No processed meat - at all
I was drinking about 30 units and had 3.5 months dry and now have a glass if we go out, so about 3 units.
Fish once a week in the evening, lunches are now a salad with oily fish
Dairy, fage Yoghurt in the morning with nuts, seeds and berries, a bit of semi skimmed in tea/coffee
Red meat reduced to once or twice a week, if at all. I have substituted turkey Mince for things like spag bol.

I don't drink 6-8 glasses of plain water but do through tea (including herbal) coffee,and slimline tonic. I think the fluid counts but advice varies. My Dr says it does.

I have also cut out all bad fats, all sugar (except in fruit) and all refined carbs. I've switched to gluten free bread and have one small portion of wholewheat pasta every 10 days. It has convinced me I have a wheat intolerance. I have also upped things like pulses.

I have reduced my cholesterol from 7.8 to 5.2 without statins.

I overhauled my diet a year ago and completely cut out refined grains and upf to decrease my blood glucose as my hba1c was getting high.

I now eat about 20 different types of fruit/veg a day although in portion sizes probably only 10. I don't eat any cakes, pastries or added sugar. I also avoid any form of juiced fruit and try to get 40g fibre a day.

I probably eat way to much fish, I am trying to increase my protein without relying on powders which is not easy so I often have a couple of portions a day (generally sardines, mackerel or wild salmon)

My other weakness is cheese although I tend to get the raw milk ones to support my gut.

I don't eat any processed meat and only eat red meat every month or so. I eat chicken a few times a week but make sure it is organic.

I also make sure I have a couple of portions of fermented food a day.

I don't calorie count but since changing my diet my weight dropped 15kg and blood glucose from 39 to 33.

-Recently cut out ultra-processed foods and feeling the benefit. No longer crave crisps/chocolate/snacks.
-Plain Greek yogurt everyday
-probably meeting my 5 a day

• whole grain pasta and rice half of the time
• red meat once or twice a week
• drink 2/3 measures of gin on a Saturday

-cut out the fizzy drinks/fruit juice, but need to drink more water.

I think I probably hit all those targets (though the booze is probably a close call!) except oily fish. I just don’t like it. Any suggestions what I can do to replace it? Or should I just start taking a supplement?

No meat.
No fish.
No bread.
No alcohol.
Limited fruit - a banana or an apple a day maybe.
Veggie 'meat' replacements maybe twice a week.
Yoghurt a day.
Plenty of eggs.
Plenty of green veggies every day.
Trying hard to limit cheese and potatoes as these are my downfall so I tend to eat maybe twice a week.
At least 2l water daily.
Tale a multivitamin and vit D.

I am trying to achieve 30 plant foods weekly as per the Zoe diet.

Processed meat twice weekly. Gave up ham. Virtually teetotal.

Fair bit of water.

Cook from scratch. No readymades and virtually no takeaways.

Need to start baking my own bread but no room in the kitchen for another appliance!

I try to eat sardines weekly but they taste so rank!

The farmed salmon hate on this thread is very weird. Farmed fish is actually helping overfished wild species to recover, and all major supermarkets will follow ethical/ environmental guidelines to the letter.

If you are eating fish for the omega 3 other good sources are flax, chia and hemp seeds and make sure you reduce omega 6 in vegetable oils. Most nuts are high in omega 6 but walnuts have a better ratio than most of 4:1.

It is incredibly cruel. Read up on it and then see if you still think it's ethical.