To think there is a poor understanding of a healthy diet?

[LivelyLemonQuoter]

I think most people think they know what a healthy diet looks like, but in reality they do not. I see so many comments on MN that demonstrate this.

The most common one is that fruit should be limited because of its sugar content. This is very bad advice. Sugar in fruit has little impact on our blood sugar levels. And most people in the UK do not eat enough fruit.

The other is concern over eating any carbs. Wholemeal bread and pasta is fine, carbs in pastry and doughnuts is not great though.

And most people need to eat more nuts. Nuts are very good for you and should be part of your regular diet.

I mean what even counts as an ultra processed food.. at the moment I’m having Greek yogurt with berries and a bit of granola for breakfast. But there is conflict over what Greek yoghurt is okay, and I haven’t got time to bake homemade granola, plus wouldn’t have a clue what is okay to go in it!

I do think there is an overload of information.

My way forward at the moment is to focus on things that are ‘single ingredient’. But this means I’m literally eating.. an egg.. or a piece of salmon with peas. Is this what everyone else is doing?! I feel like most people are cooking more complex meals.

Oats for breakfast make me starving too!
I do eat healthy food though and your typical day sounds like some of mine.

I also eat bad things, but most of my shopping is veg and fruit.

And yes, food and nutrition was taught in school as part of home economics!

Acksherlee ... (sorry) Frozen veg and fruit aren't expensive if you stick to the basic brands. Through much of the year, they work out cheaper than fresh. And they're fresher than anything you didn't buy straight from the farm on the day.

Family-pack frozen meat's often cheaper, too. Things like the budget chicken pieces have been adulterated, but they're still a good way to get some decent protein into a time-poor, cash-poor diet.

I'm a million miles from a diet obsessive, but I'm an ex-anorexic and knowing too much of this stuff stays with you for life. While I disagree with the overall tone of threads like this, I do agree that people are generally under-informed about food and nutrition.

Grapes may contain sugar but they’re also low GI and GL so don’t spike blood sugar, as well as containing lots of antioxidants.

Completely agree OP. I wouldnt dream of restricting nuts and whole grain bread, rice, pasta or potatos. I eat up to ten fruit and veg every day and I'm vegan. My meals look very similar to yours and this is the only way of eating that allows me to manage my weight and I'm healthier than I've ever been.

You should probably edit your post to say fruit and carbs are fine for metabolically healthy people. Given that millions of people in the UK are not then your advice is not fine. A banana or box of grapes, or even both together, are fine for me, but my type 2 diabetic husband's blood sugar goes mental if he eats those. Not much difference to having a bowl of cereal and a chocolate bar in terms of his blood sugar response.

I do agree with you to a point though. There is too much "in moderation" talk but I don't think people understand what moderation is.

I would also add that I don't think the benefit of wholemeal over white makes it worth the taste difference for me.

[Don't know what happened - I was quoting someone who questioned 120g of protein...]

But meat and fish are not the only sources of protein!!

What about eggs, pulses, yogurt, tofu, quinoa...

https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/high-protein-foods-the-best-protein-sources-to-include-in-a-healthy-diet

Are you aware of the 'science' behind GI?

They took a handful of men (no women, which is important). Measured their blood sugar, gave them some food, measured the ruse then took the average and called it GI. Sometines one guys blood sugar would do nothing and another one's would rocket but they still took the average.

A blood glucose monitor and some strips will set you back about £20. You can do it on yourself and find out your own personal reactions.

If you are eating enough pulses and nuts, you will get enough protein.
I do eat fish and meat, but try and minimise it.

Thank you so much- this is great

As an endo sufferer I have found eating fruit doesn’t make me feel sick and nuts (it’s on my bowel) I love tangerines and bananas. I’m going to eat strawberries in season and cherries. Never tried flax or chia. Will look into it.

I have found sparkling water helps too.

Just found prunes good too as they help regulate my bowel - but can’t eat lots for obvious reasons.

It’s chocolate I struggle with. At night. I’m cutting down, but if anyone has any ideas to try to replace it I’d be grateful!

I eat prunes too.
Cutting down on chocolate is hard at first. I found sweet fruit like dates and melon helped wean me off eating lots of chocolate.

Sort of. I have PCOS so over the years have been told to eat low GI/GL due to insulin resistance. I’ve never really taken too much notice of it on a personal level though. I also don’t think that monitoring glucose spikes is particularly helpful and is just another fad. It’s normal for blood sugar to raise after eating and as far as I know, is only relevant to those with diabetes. I eat grapes most days. My HbA1c has never been above 29, even considering my PCOS and insulin resistance.

For the PP's 120g of protein that would be a kilo of cooked lentils 💨💨💨💨

And I will ask you again @LivelyLemonQuoter

How are you defining ‘healthy’? And based on what?

BIWI's here! You stand no chance now, OP 😏

Not really true. Just want to know on what basis the OP is making their claims.

(Which is not an unreasonable request)

Ultra Processed People is a useful book if you want to learn about healthy eating.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/ultra-processed-people/chris-van-tulleken/9781529160222

@LivelyLemonQuoter great ideas thank you. Forgot about those and I like them.

Agree with this.. where do you get your so called facts from OP? I couldn’t eat 3 portions of pulses a day

I have already answered this. Read the thread. There is decent academic research about this topic. Healthy is based on what food is best to maintain maximum health. Obviously other actions count as well as food.

120g of protein is more than you need. I20g is 2 and a half chicken breasts a day.
But I am recommending eating pulses, and nuts, and a small amount of fish and meat. You will get more than enough protein.

I have read the thread. Which is why I was asking.

There’s loads and loads of research about food and what constitutes healthy eating. It’s all contradictory, in that you can find any piece of research to support your views.

Healthy is based on what food is best to maintain maximum health. Obviously other actions count as well as food

What does this actually mean? What is ‘maximum health’? What are the ‘other actions’?

Other actions are things like exercise, not smoking, not having too much alcohol.
True academic research is not contradictory. Research funded by food manufacturers is contradictory.

How can you know how much somebody needs without knowing their age, amount of exercise, weight etc? You are not in position to 'recommend' anything.