To be fed up with food?

[Beatrixpotterspencil]

I'm one of those irritatingly healthy eaters, love good food and never had to diet. But the past year or two I seem to have just gone off everything. I have a normal appetite, but just so so sick of everything I cook.

We (just myself and DP) cut out most processed food long ago, so tend to make everything, plus sauces, any baking, etc from scratch. We like doing it so that's ok. But 80% of my plate is basically vegetables, the rest protein. Sounds good, but I am just sick to death of it.
I have tried all manner or recipes, from all cultures, and am still fed up.

I gave up bread many years ago and I can't recall why. Pasta and noodles also. Possibly due to hearing they were empty calories so didn't need them.

So there was this revelation when a friend made me a toasted slice of sourdough with a healthy topping of asparagus, mozzarella, mushroom, pepper, garlic, spinach - and it blew my mind with the taste! I can't recreate this without bread - i tried and tried and it isn't happening. It was the last thing I truly loved to eat and it made the veggies so delicious.
A week later, inspired by my reaction she made me another sourdough slice with a poached egg, avocado, cress, asparagus and mushrooms. Again I was in utter heaven, my head blown off with the taste.

When I roast vegetables with chicken breast, or make a soup, or various other healthy veg recipes I am so bored, uninspired and unsatisfied. And I am a good, adventurous cook! It's puzzling me.

Since we don't eat processed (hydrogenated oils) much I have shied away from sourdough and pitta. But it's like life is too bloody short to be this repressed. I suppose somewhere along the line I have been swept up in the 'good food bad food' evangelicalism and I just want to eat healthy but with more joy and variety than this!

So you google sourdough and it's all about glycemic index and baaaaaad calories. I am slim, otherwise healthy, I am sure eating some fucking grains a few times a week won't hurry me off to the undertakers.

Sorry, needed to get that out

Are you Victoria Beckham? (Joke).

David B said recently that Victoria has lived on Fish and veggies for 20 years. I think he said it as in 'look at how kooky my wife is' but in reality most people have suspected that she has an undiagnosed eating disorder. She even had a 'cake' made out of carved melon for her birthday.

I think that you have convinced yourself that bread/carbs/rice is processed and therefore 'unnecessary ' but they aren't. They are key to a balanced diet. And key to taste!

Honestly....life is too short for this.

It sounds to me that you've been missing out on a combination of;

Savoury/Umami
Bitter/sulphurous
Salty
Sour
Charred
Fat

because those meals are absolutely loaded with those tastes, whereas a chicken breast with roasted vegetables is largely neutral-sweet tasting.

Maybe stop avoiding stuff and experiment with creating depth of flavour and balance, rather than just 'healthy?' Baked chicken is bland - try adding well seasoned chicken to a tomato sauce made with caramelised onions, garlic, anchovies, chilli and black and green olives and adding the roasted in olive oil, herbs and sea salt, vegetables and a slice of toasted sourdough on the side. Soups can be full of flavour or taste like the water you boil the veg in - adding potato for thickening, some lovage, salt and some pickled beetroot vinegar to cooked beetroot - you could add a dash of wasabi at the end for some heat and have with a slice of toasted bread.

With attention to creating full flavours, even simple things - like tomatoes on toast - turn from bland and disappointing to something amazing with the addition of all the extra flavours.

I am sure eating some fucking grains a few times a week won't hurry me off to the undertakers.

Indeed. I subscribe to the Michael Pollan ‘How To Eat’ philosophy. Real food, not too much, mostly plants. Sourdough counts as ‘real food’. Enjoy your toast!

Totally agree with what's been said about orthorexia. I've known loads of people like this who technically eat "healthily" (in that its all fresh, dominated by vegetables etc) and in a lot of cases the "healthy" food intake masks a highly unhealthy mental attitude to food which follows many of the same patterns as as more outwardly dangerous eating disorders. Ultimately you are doing more damage to yourself with this really limiting approach to food than you would be by eating a vegetable-based diet but having something processed once in a while for variety.

I've always found this preoccupation with bread and other slightly processed cars as being very odd in particular. There's nothing intrinsically unhealthy about bread in moderation and sourdough is not even particularly processed.

I think your body is basically rebelling against this highly restrictive diet and you should listen to it.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the odd processed carbohydrate every once in a while and if it makes the healthy vegetables you eat taste better its doing you a favour.

I didn't know that consciously eating and enjoying healthy food was a disorder now?

You're not consciously eating and enjoying healthy food though, you're refusing to eat basic foods like bread and cheese. That's hugely restrictive and it's really not a normal way to live your life.

Bread, carbs and processed foods are all perfectly fine as part of a normal, balanced diet. What bad things do you think will happen if you have some toast occasionally?

You're not consciously eating and enjoying healthy food though, you're refusing to eat basic foods like bread and cheese. That's hugely restrictive and it's really not a normal way to live your life.

This. Plus the obsessing and planning (and disruption) needed to maintain this diet is probably far worse for you overall than having the odd bit of bread.

OP, I eat very much like you (again, naturally slim so not for weight loss, just for health and because it makes perimenopause symptoms better). The difference is that I eat whatever the hell I like. Admittedly, that is usually protein and veg, but if I want bread or an ice cream I just have it. This morning I made myself some fried bread because I wanted it. I didn’t die.

I figure that I eat really healthily 80% of the time so it’s totally fine. I never get bored!

I don’t generally eat bread either (in my case it is for weight loss) but sourdough (proper sourdough not most supermarket varieties) is good for gut health and doesn’t spike blood sugar like other breads. You can enjoy guilt free.

P.S. I don’t think you need a label like ‘orthorexia’ or whatever. You don’t have a disorder! You just need to relax a bit 😀

I didn't know that consciously eating and enjoying healthy food was a disorder now?

this isn’t what you’re doing though.

you even say yourself you aren’t “enjoying” food, you’re finding your diet boring and restrictive.

everything you’ve posted flags eating disorder to me. Getting so worked up about whether to eat bread isn’t normal, cutting out everything except veg and protein is very restrictive and also not normal.

honestly, if you can’t eat some bread without all this angst, posting on mumsnet, thinking you’re ruining your healthy diet, that’s a problem.

Life is far to short for this. I'm sat here crunching my way through a bag of Mccoys crisps thinking I may be fat but I'm happy.

Make your own sourdough, it isnt hard and there isnt anything bad in it. Its flour salt and water..

The only bit i will object to is the 'obsessing and planning', we have enjoyed cooking healthy food for years, it has not felt restrictive and has had tons of (non processed) variety. It has never been stressful or restrictive, and we eat a lot of fat.

Sadly i have changed and am truly fed up of it. It's that simple. I don't enjoy my food now so wish to change it.

I would love to make own bread but have tried in the past and failed hilariously.

Apart from the bread, what about legumes? Like a good mixed bean salad with a vinaigrette? Or home made baked beans? Very satisfying, carby and healthy.
( I avoid bread like the plague tbh but I do this consciously so I can have a couple of glasses of vino instead. A worthwhile substitution in my view. I have probably 2 slices a month, the rest of the time, it's fish/meat/vegetables. I do not do this when I go out to eat and so had a pizza yesterday at local Italian pizzeria as that's where family wanted to go)

Bread is not an unhealthy food. Relatively low calorie for how filling it is and low in sugar and fat. I don't understand why it's become the modern evil 'avoid at all costs or eat as an occasional treat' food. I had anorexia in the late 80s - mid 90s and a bread roll was one of the few things I felt were 'safe.' Hard to believe now bread has been demonized so much.

As you say, life's too short and you're slim and healthy - eat whatever you like! It sounds like you have a natural taste for healthy, whole foods so you're unlikely to end up with am unhealthy diet by following what your body and brain craves.

What about grains? I make salads with quinoa with pesto mixed in, sun dried tomatoes, avocado, feta, pickles, whatever you want

I don't enjoy my food now so wish to change it.

Drop the guilty feelings about it, then. It’s fine. Eat an ice cream, have a sandwich, try not to stress about a piece of cake. Everything in moderation is the ultimate ‘diet’.

Some people deprive themselves of joyful eating and still die young. Others have an unhealthy diet and live long.

There's no way I'd refuse myself pasta and bread if I didn't have a very specific and pressing reason for doing so. It's not worth the sacrifice of flavour, imo! Bread and pasta aren't automatically or always evil foods. Many people have lived long, healthy lives with bread as a staple in their diet.

Buy a bread maker. That way you can choose what goes in it and make it fresh.

Or stop being so controlling with your diet and go to a decent bakery.

Sadly i have changed and am truly fed up of it. It's that simple. I don't enjoy my food now so wish to change it.

And that's fine, but it shouldn't cause you so much angst and stress. If you want to eat bread, just go out and buy bread.

I'm sick of all food. All I want to do is travel, eat in top restaurants all over the world. I'm so fed up of standing in sainsburys planning on cooking yet another spaghetti and meatballs. I know not what the answer is.

Sounds like you have disordered eating. Just have some bread

When I roast vegetables with chicken breast, or make a soup, or various other healthy veg recipes I am so bored, uninspired and unsatisfied. And I am a good, adventurous cook! It's puzzling me.

Hardly the most difficult case to crack, is it?

Bread IS a healthy food

We've been eating good sourdough as humans for years

You're a long time dead 💀 lass ..