Because I don't know what the fuck to eat anymore!

[MissusWrex]

I'm almost ready to give up.

It's in the news today that a high carb low fat diet is bad for you and that a high fat low carb diet is the way to go with lots of protein.

Though not too much red meat according to the stories a few months ago.

I suppose you could have eggs? Are they bad or good I can't bloody keep up anymore!

I know I know. The advice I should listen to is to just have a healthy balanced diet but I've never had that. I had a terrible diet growing up and still have a very poor relationship with food.

So asking me to just follow a 'healthy balanced diet' is the equivalent of asking me to build a rocket to Mars using only the contents of my bin.

Ive tried to research what exactly constitutes a healthy diet but there is so much contradiction...

I've a few stone left to lose but have been following the low fat high carb route ( no low fat or sugar foods though, I cook from scratch as often as I can)

Will someone more knowledge my that me just tell me what's good and what isn't in a easy to understand format that won't change tomorrow.

Is that too much to ask?!

Yep I hear you op . Paralysing isn't it

The key issue that is pointed out with processed low fat foods though is that they tend to be overloaded with added sugars to make them tolerable thereby massively increasing individuals sugar intake which in turn 'in some studies' would suggest why there is a huge peak in T2 diabetes.

So you are essentially eating a low fat high sugar diet ....

By all mean eat low fat but eat unfucked up low fat items.

I try to eat food that is as natural as possible and I rarely - if ever, eat a 'diet' food.

Yy to the pp who said everything in moderation.

The word not to miss is EVERYTHING.

Even eating seventeen heads of broccoli at one sitting isn't a balanced diet (but it wont do you as much harm as seventeen packets of biscuits lol)

I avoid refined sugar and go easy on fruit juice. I am also an inveterate snacker so i figured out rather than try to deny myself, id find a nice healthy snack. I think i prop up Tescos unsalted nut section sales.

Hang on Epona fruit is bad now?! Not for your colon ... the issue is 'one agenda' studies (weight loss OR sugar OR antitoxiticty or...).

Every food will pass/fail on a single agenda.
If you're breastfeeding or gaining weight following illness and need calories, 'high/empty calorie' foods might legitimately be recommended. If you're dieting, not so much.
If you're anemic iron is the key. But too much no.

I have and will continue to not cut out any whole food group, eat mainly vegetables with some carbs and proteins. Broadly speaking keeping everything is varied and being very aware how lucky we are to be able to do that. Avoiding too much processed rubbish (and i do eat food I cannot pronounce, because I like Japanese and Chinese food and am lousy at languages ).

I read an interesting article on the mental toxicity and market scam of 'clean eating' but have lost the link. A real eye opener.
Most new/faddy health messages are sent our way to sell something, long term health tends towards a balanced diet with no cut out food groups - worldwide. Also studies have shown the enjoyment women in particular eat with does help with vitamin/mineral absorbtion so variety also helps with this.

'eat what you want. not too much. mostly plants'

is what I follow. everything else is just confusing.

Also remember there is no one answer. Different bodies react differently to different diets (lower-case-'d'. Diets are almost always short term effective, long term regressive). Why not treat yourself to a one to one consultation with a nutritionist?

(but it wont do you as much harm as seventeen packets of biscuits lol)

Actually given I'm underweight and fill up quickly due to anxiety, in my case it might! Exactly the thing I have to avoid in fact as I subconsciously do it a lot (well, I'd not be told to bulk up with biscuits but a nice portion of meat and potato with olive oil would probably be better as when I was full I'd have eaten more calories and iron).

Ok so pasta isn't great but is whole grain rice as bad?

I do eat plenty of veg, bits of fruit and nuts but my meals are quite carb heavy, usually involving at least a third of a plate of pasta/rice/potato etc.

Hence the slight freak out at hearing carbs were bad and might make my heart explode.

I think whether you believe low fat or low carb high fat high protein is best, the one thing that is consistent in both ideologies is that sugar, alcohol and processed food like crisps, chocolate, pizza and rubbish like pot noodles should be a very minor part of the diet.

I believe that what you do 80% of the time is most important, ie eat the good stuff as much as possible but don't worry about the odd bad day or bad meal.

But portion sizes and overall amount should also be reasonable - a lot of food from cafes, restaurants, pubs, fast food places are simply too large to serve as a meal for an average person. So if this sort of food makes up a large part of your diet, you are likely to gain weight.

Similarly if you drink a lot of calories in pop, smoothies or sweetened coffees for example - lots of sugar, likely to lead to weight gain.

So you are left with what SlimCheesy has said - eat loads of fruit and veg, a bit of whole grains, no refined carbs, good quality oils like olive and sesame oils, a little bit of dairy, meat and fish and to drink mostly water and herbal tea - this is probably best for weight stability and health.

People often argue about bread, which is low fat, but obviously high carb. I think the problem is that modern bread is often a world away from traditional bread and there is a tendency to eat quite a lot of it, eg toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch etc. So small amounts of wholegrain or rye bread is probably better.

I just eat everything and count the calories.
I eat fat, but found cutting carbs and sugars seems to make me loose weight better.
Fat and protein make me fuller for longer. So a couple of eggs and one slice of butter toast lasts me a long time, and is more satisfying.

If you're trying to lose weight, you need to find out what works for you, because it isn't the same for everyone. So you might need to try different things.

Low carb and moderate (not high) fat works well for me because I have insulin resistance. Also, I simply WILL NOT lose weight unless I exercise, but my DP can simply cut calories, eat carbs, and abstain from exercise and he loses weight. Human bodies don't all work the same way.

Low carb isn't the same thing as Atkins. I cook fairly traditional stuff - meat and veg (usually three or four veg because I can't fill up on carbs and I don't want to eat 200g of broccoli). My partner has potatoes with his; I have a spoonful of butter on my veg but no potatoes. I eat quite a lot of fruit - the sugar isn't a problem when I eat it in fruit, but would be a problem if I drank fruit juice. I asked my GP about it and she said something about bioavailability but I'm not sure what evidence there is for this.

The bottom line is that we're not all the same: we're not simply machines that burn calories. That makes it quite difficult to answer your question - sorry! But by all means try the low carb thing and see how you feel: it's quite easy as long as you fill up on veg and not fatty stuff, but you have to plan lunch because no sandwiches.

I have never been on a diet and to be honest, it would probably have been the wrong diet if I had! Just eat as much "real" food as you like and try to avoid processed/ready meals as much as possible and you won't go far wrong.

I have to add that I am 3 stone overweight but have been following my nutritionists's advice for 5 days and already feeling a difference.... healthier, more energy. Stomach less bloated.

(I realised that when I actually considered a tomato and herb mugshot to be 'not too bad' because it had green bits in it that something was going drastically wrong in my head. )

For instance, what I have eaten so far today:
salami on toast, 2 cups of tea
1 cup of coffee
water
2 biscuits
2 sausages and beans
2 apricots
Tonight:
wholewheat pasta and tomato and basil sauce, parmesan
some fruit and yoghurt

And don't count calories but don't have massive portions. Have a look at the portion sizes here if you are not sure: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/apr/25/problem-portions-eating-too-much-food-control-cutting-down

I'm also breastfeeding so that has some added confusion in to the mix.

My health visitor said to eat lots of proteins and fats.

Which I was unsure how to do 'healthfully' (that's not a real word is it) so just added in some more eggs and unsalted cashews!

It's exhausting and so conflicting, I agree, OP!

There are so so so so many rules for different diets, it's hard to even to know where to begin. The market is flooded.

Lose weight! Get strong! Eat clean!

Where is the middle-of- the-road balanced advice for maintaining a healthy weight and taking enough exercise for general well being? It's all so extreme.

I try to make sure most of my diet is as unprocessed as possible. I don't buy jars of stuff or ready-meals, but that's a luxury because I have time and energy and inclination to cook each night. Most friends don't.

I also try to make treat stuff like cheesecake, crisps, dips and snacks from healthier stuff, so instead of buying shop-bought hummus and guacamole we make it, so it's immediately less full of junk.

I also exercise every day. Some days it's only an hour or two's dog walking early in the morning or late at night but I swear it's that which has kept me slim after two hefty DCs.

John Oliver recently did a really good report on last week tonight about scientific reporting in the media and how the results of individual studies are basically meaningless due to small sample sizes and the fact that most of the studies are not backed up by secondary studies to see if the findings are repeatable. This is largely due to an unwillingness to fund secondary studies because although scientifically essential they're not breaking new ground. It's only when aggregating all of the studies as a whole that you can start to see if trends emerge. However none of this is as headline catching as farts cause cancer or whatever else they're peddling as news this week.

How do I get hold of a nutritionist?

Through the GP or do I need to see one privately?

I'd love a chat with one but money's very tight.

my idea of a healthy diet is what my grandparents used to cook - meat (stewing steak, liver etc) and 4 different kind of home grown veg for dinner and stewed fruit with cream for pudding. Nothing sumptuous, just plain decent food. Seemed to treat them well and my mother and I have good eating habits and good health. Oh and don't let yourself get hungry cos then (if you're like me) you'll crave fatty stuff.

green I love that quote - very sensible, and alegretto I agree.

I started a similar thread the other month under a different user name.

I wanted to know exactly the same as you. What do I eat to be healthy and lose weight.

I am now doing slimming world but a clean version of it as much as I can. So no muller lights or fry light oil. I am 11lb down so it is definitely helping with the loss.

Am I eating healthy food? I think so. A lot more fruit/veg and.salad and a lot more fish. And it's fairly sustainable long term I think.

My taste has changed drastically in 4 weeks. And I feel better. No bloating or cramping and I have more energy so I assume what I am eating is good for me.

It's so bloody confusing though.

As others have said, aim for close to nature and you wont go far wrong :)

Also, stop thinking about food as "good or bad" and "in my diet and not in my diet". ALL food should be on the menu, you should not assign guilt or emotions to food, it's just food!

Everyone is focusing on the fat-carb thing from that bit of research published today when the real news was that calorie counting and restrictive diets don't work at all. That's because you should be letting go of emotional feelings towards food not encouraging them.

Even eating seventeen heads of broccoli at one sitting isn't a balanced diet (but it wont do you as much harm as seventeen packets of biscuits lol)

You'd probably end up being able to jet-propel yourself all the way to work. And I shudder to think how it might contribute to global warming.

I honestly think it is very simple, try to stick with unprocessed food as much as possible. Nobody can think a big mac every night is great, or a packet of biscuits daily.

Eating food in as close to it's natural state as possible makes perfect sense. Also, we tend to not work physically hard these days, even housework is made easier with sprays and gadgets, we tend not to spend hours beating rugs and scrubbing floors, it makes sense we don't need loads of carbs for our energy when may of us sit behind a desk and drive the kids to school.