Come forward EatBetterers and unite - it's the second happy healthy eating thread!

[fuzzpig]

Here's the previous thread where it all began!

EatBetterers are trying to improve the diets of ourselves and our families. No weighing, restricting, calorie counting etc - just finding joy in nourishing ourselves by making positive changes one step at a time. All welcome! :)

But I dont much like milk[see yogurt!], so use cereal to get the milk down me.

Ah, I see where the confusion comes from. No I dont like it much, but I think it is good for me, so it stays.

Thanks for the alternative suggestions though.

Not sure about the chickpeas and lentils though Sleep. I get the odd bout of ibs (used to be very painful) and eating these is a big no no as they induce wind which makes the condition even worse.

Thanks for clearing that up Rabbit. Sleep was wondering why you felt it was good for you though ?

Honestly, no one needs milk. Take a calcium tablet if you're concerned

Ca

Grr! iPod! Now, can anyone help me griddle veg better on one of those ridgy pans? I do ok with peppers but rubbish at courgettes. They go too soft. I don't even understand if I should use oil or not!? I used wraps to make pizzas. They were khobaz wraps from morrisons. I checked the ingredients and was surprised no e-numbers. Just whole meal flour, water, salt, yeast. Used those as a base and piled griddled veg and roasted toms on top with a bit of mozzarella. Popped it in the oven and then piled salad leaves on top. Kids thought they'd come from the supermarket! (offended)

Still-needs to be really hot and oil the meat or veg not the pan. Heat it up well before putting food in.

Dame! I nearly

dame! I nearly namechecked you in the question, but didn't want to presume! Thanks for the info (have now wrestled the laptop off dp)

I bought the Mnet cookbook - tried sea bass tonight - was easy and tasty. Basically garlic, chilli, 2 tomatoes skinned deseeded and chopped, parsley, white wine, olive oil and sea bass. Missed the crispy skin you get if you fry sea bass but the flavour was lovely- and healthy overall.

Not a milk person really but do drink it in tea...

NatashaBee do you mind me asking what type of arthritis you have? I was interested that you said you found dairy to be a trigger. I have rheumatoid arthritis and some people say that certain foods can aggravate it whereas my consultant says it is not affected by foods at all.

I'd give it a go Jemster, just a couple of weeks off gluten and dairy can often tell you a lot. What do you have to lose ?

Re dairy, I'm not convinced we should all ditch it, as with everything some people tolerate it well and others don't. But if you don't like it then I wouldn't force it down rabbit, plenty of calcium in foods such as oranges, almonds, sardines, tinned salmon, steel cut porridge oats and kale. For best absorption take a vitamin D supplement (a good idea through the winter months anyway).

DH cooked dinner last night (lovely in itself!), Jamie Oliver's stuffed Cypriot chicken with cabbage salad. It was great. I loved the cabbage salad, so fresh and crunchy with the chilli and herbs. Like naked coleslaw. Another veg I prefer raw....who knew!

Jemster - we have a friend who has had rheumatoid arthritis for years - if she has dairy she's in bed for days.

It is confusing, there are so many different diets going around and such conflicting advice from different sources as to what is healthy

So for example -
Quite a few friends are on the 5:2 and keep talking about the benefits of fasting on your body, and seem mainly concerned with calories.
My sister is on the Paleo which seems to be about not having gluten or wheat or pulses or certain types of food or processed food, but lots of protein.
My other friend asked me if I wanted to go to Weight Watchers with her but I am reluctant as I think it is just about calories.
Then there was that ridiculous Change4Life leaflet we got from school which said things like choose low-spread and sugar-free drinks.
Another friend said she was following the NHS Eatwell plate www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/eatwell-plate.aspx - but when I looked at it, it suggests lots of pasta and bread, and low fat food. And there are plenty of other diets I won't list here.

Fortunately I don't tend to follow fads. I like to find my own way. So I am just trying to pick a healthy happy way through this lot of conflicted information - with the aim to be healthy, lose weight and most of all enjoy meals with my family. I think this seems to be the right place for that.

PS last night another healthy dinner success.
Chicken stew with onions, carrots, herbs, potatoes, stock, baked in the oven. First time I have ever made this.
Vegetable bake (courgettes, sweet potato, onions, leeks, potatoes and veg stock with a bit of yoghurt mixed in) with a crumble topping made from spelt flour, ground almonds, butter, cheese and sunflower seeds. also baked in the oven.
Green beans on the side. Bread to dip for DH and DCs.
Everyone happy!

Dame, that's very interesting about your friend. I am on medication to manage my condition and it would be too severe to not take it. Due to this I generally feel quite well and it doesn't cause me too many problems. I'm still interested in changing and improving my eating habits though as it's important I look after my overall health.
I discovered my work canteen offer natural yoghurt with almonds, raisins, etc in the mornings so this week I'm going to get a bowl of that each morning before I start work. Would still like my marmite granary toast first thing! Is granary ok or is bread in general not good for breakfast?

Don't - I agree! I originally came to the first thread here because I was irritated by lots of advice equating "healthy eating" with calorie counting and low fat. Particularly the NHS info, which is WAY too focused on low fat high carbs and completely clueless IMHO.

There was quite a good article in Good Housekeeping this month on what they called the "British Mediterranean diet" - like the Mediterranean diet but with an emphasis on local, seasonal food. That's pretty much what I try to do I think.

Since being on this thread I have revolutionised my attitude to fat and protein - previously I thought I was being healthy but I was eating way too many carbs (even if they were "healthy" carbs) without fat/protein. Now I try to make sure I get some protein and fat into every meal or snack - even if that's as simple as nuts with breakfast, or cream cheese on an oatcake - which has left me feeling fuller for much longer.

For anyone interested in the connection between food and disease, this article about Dr Hyman's work is interesting. As I said, it can be a punishing few weeks but if you are suffering and think there may be a solution in diet then it's worth looking at. I definitely support the whole ethos of listening to your own body, rather than any 'expert' advice on what we should be eating, instinctively it feels 'right' to eat mostly real, fresh, and where possible, local food and that would definitely fit with the ''Mediterranean diet'".

Bramshott - same here. The protein is trickier as I don't like meat but I do eat fish, eggs, nuts, cheese. I realised that I was eating too many refined carbs and sweet snack foods.

Also an update on how the change in eating has helped me - you may remember I posted a couple of weeks ago that I felt bloated and a mum at school asked if I was pregnant . Well the bloating has gone down, I think my gut has got used to the change in diet. I am still carrying too much weight around my middle which is proving stubborn to shift - I am doing some exercise DVDs but this is mainly helping my bum and arms so far. I am not doing this to lose 'weight' (I don't own any scales) but I would like to be able to get back into some of my clothes without feeling embarrassed about my spare tyre and wobbly bits!
Also when I first starting 'eating better' I got a load of spots! They have cleared up and my skin is quite good now.

I still have ups and downs - for example took DS to the hairdressers and she gave him a bag of sweets and I absent mindedly found myself chomping away on them. But when I realised what I was doing I stopped, didn't give up on the day, just carried on, didn't give myself a hard time about it and just aimed to do better for the rest of the day.

Sleep although I do eat dairy Im not convinced that it is a food we would naturally eat as we would have to milk a cow before we could eat any of it and then process that milk. As I mentioned before, the cows milk and everything that is in cows milk is meant for calves not humans. Human milk is meant for humans. Maybe that is why so many people get ill from dairy.

Oh I get that completely bindi, my feeling is that there's a lot of people who don't tolerate it well and don't realise/care but I also accept the possibility that others have evolved to tolerate it well. Ultimately though, if an individual feels totally healthy and happy on a diet of daily coke and Big Macs then who is anyone else to say that should change? We've all heard the stories of the people who smoke/drink/abuse their bodies yet live healthy til 110 ...genes, luck, pickling ? Most of us have various health or weight issues though and diet is obviously a good place to look at cause and effect.

I agree Sleep I was just pondering how some people seem to be finding their bodies are better after removing trigger foods. Its interesting. I think that its only sometimes when your body starts showing signs of dis-ease that we then look for answers and start to see food as medicine rather than as an energy source. Of course we should eat whatever we want as long as we are happy with our choices though.