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.

We saw a kidney specialist recently for ds, he said 7 glasses of water a day minimum just for healthy kidney function. We've really upped our in take since then, I'm finding it a but hard am having a glass of water with meals which helps me remember.

I find drinking enough water difficult too.

My mum has also had kidney stones removed recently and has really had to up her water intake. I feel like she's always having something to drink, but she's only taking in 2 litres a day. Makes me realise how little I drink!

Hugs to Rummi and Coumarin, hope you're both doing ok, go easy on yourselves.

I am hooked on 2048 too! Got to two 1024 tiles this morning but just couldn't get them together.

I was watching Secret Eaters just now - found out something interesting. You can get a dopamine release even by seeing or smelling desirable food, which makes you crave it. I didn't realise that it was a physical 'thing' IYSWIM. So now if I smell something and want it, I'll just tell myself "it's just the dopamine" :o

Right, off to get the bus to Asda. Haven't done a proper shop at all this week and hoping to just get the bare minimum. I am armed with my notebook.

Also I love water but I still find it hard to drink as much as I should. I definitely agree with just increasing gradually - if you suddenly jump to 2l a day you'll feel really 'sloshy' :o - more sustainable to add even an extra glass at a time, every couple of days maybe.

Falafels are yum, had forgotten about them, may have to get some at the weekend. FD for me today instead of yesterday as have struggled this week for various reasons. Sounds as if everyone is doing fab. Just had lush Waitrose soup, Celeriac, Spinach, Crème Fraiche & Herb for my lunch. Don't normally shop at Waitrose but the Love life soups are on promotion 3 for the price of 2 at the moment.

That's interesting dame, thanks for the info. I don't even drink a single glass unless I've eaten salty food then guzzle water.

2048 has replaced my candy crush addiction.

So glad I can take or leave games, it's just not my thing at all, thank goodness or I'd be addicted I'm sure

I'm craving carbs do having a jacket potato and tuna which hopefully will fill the gap!

Sorry to hear that things are rubbish on the health front for some of you.

Mixed for me today - muesli for breakfast (finding muesli with fruit & nuts is setting me up better than porridge with maple syrup), but then trapped in a meeting all morning so 2 x shortbread biscuits. WHY I can't just say something along the lines of "I'm having some stomach problems at the moment so I need to chug these almonds throughout the meeting" I just don't know but somehow I can't!

Still, just made a yummy salad of tuna, beetroot, cherry tomatoes and avocado for lunch, with a piece of left-over rye bread - very tasty.

Going to write a list tonight for my shop tomorrow morning. I don't usually make one, just have a mental list.

Hope this helps...

Going to try and snack on nuts but I'm not overly keen. Any suggestions for 'beginner" nuts?

Adding raisins to nuts helps me.

and chocolate

I get a mix of four nuts from tesco, it has Brazils, hazelnuts, almonds and a few walnuts. It's a nice variety, I'd get bored eating only one.

Brazil nuts are my favourite. Sadly they are DH's favourite too so we fight over them :o

I take at least ten minutes to chew on one nut normally

Well today I have eaten 3 flakes

No lunch,except a slice of ham, no dinner either.

Is muesli as good as porridge as a start to the day? If so I'm adding to my shopping list as I love it. I'm also adding hummus and cottage cheese to give me healthy snack options.

Risette, what is it about nuts that you're not keen on, taste, texture? I love pistachio nuts, not so keen on Brazil nuts (feel weird on my teeth!).

Almonds are my nut of choice.

Thank you for the well wishes. Feel better today and I started spotting so PMS was partly responsible for my low mood. Still worried but decided to concentrate on positives. Like continuing to eat well.

Hope you are ok Rummi Waiting is the worst.

Slept very late today as I was so tired after yesterday so no breakfast really. I did have porridge at lunchtime though with raspberries on top. Dinner was wholemeal rice, roasted peppers and red onion with chopped chicken and feta cheese. A squeeze of lemon in top too. It was really nice.

What's everyone's opinion in full fat versus semi skimmed/skimmed milk?

I just saw on the breakfast thread that full fat is better for you but unsure of the thinking behind it so thought I'd see what the healthy eaters thought.

Replace all 'in's with 'on'. My phone hates me.

Thanks coumarin, I'm also looking at positives. Being my own spin doctor!

I think full fat milk has more fat soluble vitamins for not much more fat. It's still under 5%. I switch between semi and full fat. Never ever do skimmed.

I forgot to tell you that last night I ate loads of biscuits I dunked then in my tea

Today has been much better.

I am used to semi as that's what I've always had, skim tastes like water and I'm a bit dubious about whole as I'm quite funny with textures etc

But I bought whole milk in asda today so we shall see, if I dare try it. DH likes it anyway.

Yes skimmed doesn't taste of anything does it? It's so thin. I have semi skimmed but switched to full fat during ivf treatment although I can't remember why now. I do remember that it tasted heavenly.

If there's not much in it then I'll stick to semi skimmed. Still getting my head around using proper butter.

Liking the spin doctor approach Rummi

I have semi - skimmed milk - not sure I could stomach full fat! I guess it's also all about trying to eat & drink stuff that has been arsed around with as little as possible! Organic milk is really worth it if you can afford it.

I'm a big fan of muesli to start the day (I don't like eggs) but I make my own so I know exactly what's in it. I usually use jumbo oats, ordinary porridge oats, almonds, hazelnuts, raisins, sultanas and dates - but you could put whatever fruit and nuts you like (or add from a mix).

Big bowl of it just now, followed by rye toast with honey as I'm feeling extra hungry this morning and don't want my tummy to rumble loudly at yoga!

Hi - I didn't get a chance to post here yesterday so I just wanted to pop in and send to Rummi and Coumarin, sorry you are having a rough time. Take extra care of yourselves.

Coumarin, re stress, if you are feeling especially stressed then miso soup or broth like this or proper chicken soup, or, in a rush and if you don't like miso paste then made from 'super green' powder that you can buy from health food stores can be very effective in calming you down. But in general, I'd say avoid caffeine, alcohol and sugar as these will stress your system more than you want and can increase anxiety. Try and prioritise a bit of time in your day just for you as well, even if it is just a five minute meditation, walk or cup of (herbal ) tea on your own in peace

Rummi - I'm no expert on cancer fighting food but have heard that turmeric, cabbage-y veg, mushrooms and green tea can all help a lot and they can only help from a general health point of view. From what I know about your diet you probably include turmeric in your cooking quite a lot which is great. There are also stronger turmeric based supplements around but there are view for and against these in terms of possible side effects so do a bit of research before you decide.

How is your tummy Bram? I'm wondering if it may be worth you trying some fermented foods from a good health food place, may help a bit. Any luck slowing down with meals ?

Thank you for the advice Sleep I already avoid sugar, don't drink and only have water or herbal tea but the dark chocolate sneaks in so I'll stop that. Good food suggestions thank you. I would like to start making soup. Slightly ashamed to admit I've never tried before.

S

Oops posted too soon...

Something I've noticed is how aware I am of what I'm eating now as well as the reasons why. It seems so obvious that we have a choice about what we put into our bodies but when you're tired or stressed it's easy to go into auto pilot and shovel in whatever you're used to.

Also I realised that when I have had an ivf cycle I've been totally vigilant about making sure I get all the right nutrients and avoid anything even slightly unhealthy. Then as soon as I find out it's been unsuccessful I kind of rebel and start eating chocolate and crisps etc. In hindsight I think it's my subconscious way of saying fuck you to my own body for not doing what I want it to do. Plus all the healthy eating and behaviour seems pointless when it doesn't seem to have helped.

Then of course all the sugar, fat and rubbish on top of the sudden drop in hormones contribute to the awful emotional crash that you go through after an unsuccessful ivf cycle. Definitely my own worse enemy there.

That was a ramble sorry. Trying to understand my attitudes to food before we start another cycle.