Thread for those who are trying to eat "better"

[Octopus37]

Following on from yesterdays thread "Do I eat too much", which I posted on, I was unsurprising told that what I eat is crap. Have been feeling pretty crap the last few weeks, not enough energy low libido, sluggish, wound up, down - so have decided to see if changing my eating habits can shift things a bit. I'm not overweigh 5ft5, 8st6lbs, (slightly on the heavy side for me), but would be pleased if I did loose a few pounds, trying not to make weight the focus. Have decided to take a vitamin pill with iron every day, last year had v low ferratin levels so had to take iron tablets for a while. I'm not promising to do well every day and cut out sugar completely as I feel that I would be destined to fail. However, I am going to try to I improve. Today have eaten:
1 pack of Belvita biscuits
1 Actvia extra creamy yoghurt
1 large apple
1 Danone (high protein yoghurt)
3 Oatcakes
Some cashew nuts
I am planning on sweet chilli chicken & rice (ready meal cause of money diet) with some stir fried veg for tea and plan to eat some red grapes afterwards. Also may have some sort of a treat on school run. Also aim is to replace the Belvita biscuits with oatcakes for breakfast and maybe eat them with some cheese. Know I'm not doing perfectly but I am making an effort. Buddies welcome.

Oh and are wraps the same as tortillas?

Still no idea what to put in them but I bought done anyway.

Went to Subway and had a 6 inch Chicken Tikka sub with the 9 grain high fibre bread. Had cheese on it and salad, no sauce. TBH not feeling great, feel like a junkie on withdrawal (sorry if that sounds flippant to anybody genuinely fighting drug addiction). Really hoping that this gets a bit easier in a few days. Have made a birthday cake for my Son (haven't eaten any) and it smells heavenly. Wondering if anyone has ever tried those crave patches and whether they are effective. Sorry for winging

Great idea.

I am just trying to eat 'cleaner' as a family, so less artificial/processed stuff.

On the documentary Fat v Sugar the man who completely gave up sugar became borderline diabetic as it totally messed up his own insulin production, everything in moderation

Bloody hell you can't win can you

Feels like that sometimes! But I think the message is to cut down but not cut a food group out entirely, try and eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible

I was just thinking I need to sort out my diet. This was prompted by the realisation that I have Kit Kats for breakfast several times a week and even when I have toast I have to have a couple of squares of chocolate for 'dessert'

I managed to eat quite well while I was pregnant, cut right back on sugar etc, but has all gone to hell now I have DS. It doesn't help that I'm a fussy eater; eggs are out, the only meat I can eat is chicken/turkey and beef (and not keen on them cold), and the only fish I like is cod which I can't afford except for in fishfinger form! Don't like porridge either... In my defence, this is loads better than when I was younger, I basically lived on potatoes until I was 23!

At my healthiest this was a typical day;

Breakfast; Tea (1 sugar, never managed to kick it completely), 2 slices brown/wholegrain toast with proper butter.

Lunch; Jacket potato, beans, cheese, salad, butter. Can of coke (full fat because diet is foul, and felt like I needed the caffeine!). OR Cheese and salad sandwich on brown/wholemeal, bag of crisps.

Tea; Chilli with white rice (don't like brown), or spag bol, or chicken breast with salad and potatoes, or beef stew.

Usually still had a bar of chocolate as a snack at some point too, and a couple more cups of tea. I'm thinking of trying to get back to something like this, anyone any suggestions for improvements bearing in mind I'm a bloody nightmare, and also on a maternity leave budget?

Its really had isn't it, healthy eating on a budget. Am wondering if the trick is to eat smaller portions or ready meals that seem healthier with salad or stir fried veg from the reduced section. I am similar to you, don't like eggs, milk, but have started eating meat. Tomorrow I am going to do a roast chicken dinner with some veg. Tonight we are going to Pizza Hut for my DS's birthday, will try and pick a reasonably healthy option and have lots of salad, actually really like the salad bar which is a start.

What veg do you like Lady?

I want more energy and better skin

Today's meals
B - total ff yoghurt, vanilla powder, raspberries
L - roast chicken (cold), baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes, spring onion, Parmesan shavings, Caesar dressing
After workout - shake with almond milk (unsweetened), peanut butter, protein powder, banana, flaxseed powder
Tea will be the left overs from lunch

Oh I forgot my pomegranate!

2tired I'm not bad with veg, I like most though not courgettes, aubergines, celery or sweet potatoes. There could be more but those are the ones I tend to avoid in otherwise tasty looking dishes. The veg is always my favourite part of a roast dinner though...that and the yorkshire puds, which are the only real 'eggy' thing I eat...

Not sure how I ended up as a fussy eater who loves sprouts and broccoli, but there you go

I think my main issue is with texture actually, anything cold or slimy isn't great, so for example pasta salads tend to be ruled out...

Urgh pasta salad sounds revolting, I've never got my head round reading that

Wrt honey-it's got to be better than refined white sugar? A tiny bit won't hurt but don't kid yourself it's good for you as you pour lashings of it over your breakfast

Today I've eaten, 2 boiled eggs and a cuppa with soya milk. Home made carrot soup with brown bead. Dinner will be salmon, baked potato and salad. Snacks were satsuma, banana and grapes.

Hope I can keep this up,I feel much more clear headed and 'brighter.'

Have just eaten loads of chocolate birthday cake with frosting, know its not great but going to try and have a healthy dinner tonight. So hard, to be honest reducing sugar so far has made me feel worse. Will buy peanut butter and almonds, will continue trying to improve, just so hard.

Octopus I keep going through a cycle of cutting down on sugar and then it gradually creeping back in. It's really hard and you do feel crap at first, but then you don't really miss it once it's out of your system and the habit's broken! I tend to get drawn back in by nice desserts in restaurants and by DH, who is a bad influence. Stick with it!

I've made a kind of three bean chilli thing tonight, doesn't seen very substantial but not sure what to have with it though...rice, I guess, or a jacket spud?

Can I join?

I'm trying to cut out gluten and lose a bit of weight if possible.

But mainly I just want to eat well.

Can someone have a look and tell me if this sounds ok for a typical day?

B - two slices gluten free toast with butter and marmalade

L - jacket spud and cheese, some grapes.

D - good sausages, peas, homemade mash with milk and butter, homemade onion gravy.

Snacks - oatcakes and cheese.

Lady if it's got beans in it then that's enough carbs, have green veg with it . Looking at your 'healthiest' diet I'd still say too many white carbs. White and processed carbs (that includes brown bread) are great if you need a burst of energy for exercise but if they don't get used for that almost immediately then they are mostly empty calories. Compared with protein or fat which are needed and nutritious calories that don't give you the same sugar highs/lows.

Octopus, you are spot on with the addict/withdrawal analogy, make no mistake, sugar is addictive. Don't go for ready meals!

I need to cut back on sugar too - nearly 12 weeks preggers and all I've wanted to eat is sugar and carbs! Feel like I'm addicted to it now.

Today has been a bad day. (But nowhere near the worst day!)

Two slices of toast with honey,
(Big) Bag of toffee popcorn and 1/2 bag of cola bottles (cinema!)
Subway for lunch - 6 inch Italian BMT
Jam doughnut
Some mango
Having curry for tea

WILL start being good from tomorrow (maybe Monday, once I've been shopping!)

I'd like to join in too please. I've just got an oven after having just a hob for 4 years so am able to roast and bake things which is good.

I'm a really lazy sod so am trying to walk 30 mins most days. I know that is nothing but it's better than doing bugger all think.

Today I've had:

Oatibix with blueberries.
2 slices bread.

Apple

Tin of sardines and some homemade cauliflower, courgette and rice soup.

Roast veg with mozzarella, pine nuts and couscous.
Plain yoghurt with a bit of honey and a spoon of dark chocolate chips stirred in.

So that's not too bad. I am trying not to eat Cadbury's chocolate every day because that is my major weakness.

Sleep I'm a complete carb addict, a meal doesn't feel right without stodge! I don't exercise, but have never gained weight easily (bmi currently 20 and this is the highest its been when not pregnant) so have never had any incentive to cut back...apart from feeling crappy when I overdo sugar. Any ideas for replacing some of the carbs? And is brown bread any better at all than white?

So instead of thinking that I need to lose weight, I'm trying to turn this on its head and say I'm going to nourish my body.

I like that :) I have a chronic illness/disability and am starting to see how important diet is. It won't cure me, but it will make it a lot easier to cope.

I'm focusing on including more good things but I have been really surprised how quickly this has naturally led to me genuinely not wanting as much processed stuff. Partly because I notice how it makes me feel (eg much as I really love kids' chocolatey cereal, I always get a dodgy tummy after). Partly because I am starting to really resent the amount of shite that's added to it.

I look at things like margarine type spreads, or anything with sweeteners added, and I now automatically think "FFS that's NOT food!".

I really need to bite the bullet and have better breakfasts with protein. I'm just so used to thinking breakfast=carbs, but actually I really like eggs. I think maybe I will start by having eggs on non-work days during the week as I'm not in such a rush.

I love the idea of eating mindfully. I have inadvertently been doing this a little, because I started refusing to eat 'on the go'. No more will I grab something to eat on the bus home. I will have something when I arrive if I need it, and I'll enjoy it a lot more. I do need to stop eating while watching telly/MNing though!

I've also stumbled into a minimalist mindset - both literally in terms of trying to declutter, but generally the 'less is more' mindset (highly recommend the book Simplicity Parenting BTW if anyone's into that sort of thing). I think I've applied that to food too - I refuse to eat food now unless I really love it. I KNOW I could never give up chocolate for example but I've stopped buying cheap stuff (that in some cases like dairy milk isn't even real chocolate!) and just wait until I get something really really lovely (but smaller because of being more expensive) and I truly savour it.

I think switching to wholegrain has to be a bit better - if nothing else, it's much harder to overeat it. For me anyway. I could easily eat 4 slices of white toast (eat two then go back for more ) but two or more often one slice of wholemeal seeded bread is plenty.

Nikki have you tried cocoa nibs? I tried some on a chocolatier course (hen party :o) and they were nice, like M&Ms but without the sugar, and they are satisfyingly crunchy. The guy teaching us actually said he has them stirred into porridge.