HELP! Going shopping at the weekend and need to buy healthy foods!!

[tammybear]

Ive put on almost (half a stone) and I am determined to lose weight. I need to especially with the summer coming up!! I want to start eating properly, and exercising, anything to get rid of the weight that I put on, and hopefully a bit more too!!

Im going food shopping on sunday, but I want to start eating healthier, but dont know what to get. Any suggestions? Please help me!! lol

try some low fat alternatives to your normal faves. Which shop do you normaly shop from?
cherries are in season now and make a good sweet snack.

i usually shop at tescos and i think they do a healthy living selection so im going to go and have a look at that

salads with fish or lean meat
stir frys
get some olive oil spray for frying
Get nice snacks like mini tomatoes, sugar free jelly, fat free yoghurt etc

Don't buy any biscuits, cakes, crisps etc - you'll only be tempted if they're in the cupboard. (says the woman who ate her son's easter egg when he was having a nap one day...Lots of fresh fruit made into a salad is good on these warm days

Could try steaming some green veg - i always thought it sounded really depressing but so far am surprised with how tasty they are. bung finely chopped veg into sieve over pan of small amount boiling water (or anything else that is cooking) put a lid on and leave for about 4 mins. Leeks and courgettes have gone down particularly well. Obviously not a main course but certainly adds healthy bulk to the meal. sorry if obvious.

did curried kidney beans last night which was popular and cheap once you've bought the spices - soften onion and garlic in a few sprays of oil, add ground coriander, cumin, garam masala and tumeric and cook for a little; add half a can of canned tomatoes and cook for 5 mins; add can of kidney beans in their water and cook for another 10 mins. All on a fairly gentle heat.

tammy, are you doing weight watchers? if you are the point values are on the back of the healthy eating range.

no im not. i would do but i cant afford it lol

Lots of fruit - fresh and frozen. Don't laugh, but sucking on a cube of frozen pineapple instead of an ice-cream is just as effective on a hot day. And there are virtually no calories in things like melon, strawberries and raspberries (or at least few enough that you can eat loads without it really mattering). Low-fat natural yoghurt to have with your fruit in lieu of cream or ice-cream. A variety of Low-cal salad dressings, as otherwise you'll get really fed up of plain sald really quickly. Get some unusual (for you) veg. Water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, babay corn and bean sprouts for example make a good basis for a low-cal chinese style meal. You can do grilled peppers or mushrooms, or roast veg (mushrooms, peppers, courgettes, aubergines sprayed with oil spray instead of cooked in oil). Think in terms of different types of fish - salmon, trout, tuna steask, smoked cod, etc - and try to do fish at least as often as meat.

Hi Tammy. I did ww for a few months last year. Cheese is a big baddy as is butter. When you're counting points you get tiny amounts of bread, pasta and even rice, but quite large servings of potatoes. Normal foods like mince, stews or ham are fine with potatoes (just go for lean cuts or lean mince) and no butter with potatoes. Tinned beans aren't bad either, or tuna. Watch out for chicken dishes in tesco with really heavy cheesy sauces, but most chicken things you might make at home would probably be fine - turkey is seriously low in cals. I love avocados - but they're VERY naughty. The trick generally seems to be to have breakfast, drink loads of water and fill yourself up with loads of fresh fruit and veg. (Home made soups are good too, usually.
Check the saturated fats on ingredient lists as well as cals to get a rough idea. Generally the more processed something is the worse it is - e.g. sausage rolls and pastry in general = bad. Wouldn't waste your cash on healthy eating range at Tesco - found most of it pretty tasteless. Happy shopping.

know what you mean about money tammy. I cant afford to do ww officially but am doing it on own and with advice from other mnetters.

frozen prawns is a good thing to have in the house, great for salads, stir fry's, curries all kinds.

I am on a diet at the mo and below are some standards from it.

Rapseed Oil or Olive Oil for cooking
Low fat Margerine pref Omega 3 instead of Butter
Almonds for snacking
Lots of fruit (but not bananas)
Heaps of things for salad - cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, capsicum etc.
Very lean beef, chicken breast, salmon steaks - frozen ones are good.
Omega 3 Eggs (but try to use less yolk and more whites in omlettes etc)
Lo fat lo sugar yoghurts - heaps
Go easy on bread (one slice of wholemeal per day), for rice use basmati, halve your normal portion size of boiled potatoes.
HTH

Hi Tammy, Must be the name - i have also put on half a stone recently (mainly because i eat loads of fatty and sugary foods) and am determined to lose it. Am on day 3 of my diet - it is going really well am bl**dy hungry, but the hunger pangs are getting better and i feel much healthier in myself and have mor energy. If it is any help here is what i have had in last 3 days

Day 1

Breakfast: Apple and nectairine (cut up)
Lunch: Green salad, tomato, whole advocado cut up
Dinner: Jacket potato and salad

Snack: Those Ryvitas with the raisins in

Day 2

Breakfast: As above
Lunch: Jacket pot with tuna and sweetcorn/ Salad. Low fat yogurt
Tea: Chicken and Veg stir fry with Brown rice
Snack: Fruit

Day 3
Breakfast: As above
Lunch: leftover stirfry with rice
Snack: Half an advocado 4 ryvitas 2 beetroot
Tea: Jacket potato with salad

I am trying to totally cut out Bread and cereal and only snack on fruit and veg. When i have just half a stone to lose i have to be quite radical to get it off

Drinks: Cant cut out tea, but apart from that water and a glass of white wine in evening

Hope this helps
XXX Good luck

lose rice, potatoes mince and dairy...
good things are couscous!!!!
And do not believe anything a supermaket tells you about fat....

are crackers okay?

Can I add that in 1 week on this GI diet I have lost 2kg (I only want to lose 6) and haven't been hungry at all and even have had 2 'special' occasions where I had to eat cake etc. I don't think that people should feel hungry hungry when they are dieting - to me it is a sure sign that the minute you stop the diet the weight will come right back.

Depends on the type of cracker if you see what i mean - Rice cakes, ryvitas or krispbreads are probably ok - but then i am sure most crackers are ok in moderation - better than bread