The Healthy Eating Thread!

[Pickle]

Remember a few months back we all got overly enthusiastic about shining our sinks? How about a thread to get us all enthusiastic about eating healthily now that the sun is starting to shine and hiding under big coats isn't so much of an option :)

I'm not looking to lose weight, but am trying to get myself back into a healthy eating frame of mind after a few months of health problems and cold weather meaning I've resorted to the "sod it, I don't WANT an apple, I will eat chocolate" diet.

Who's up for it? Let's try and motivate each other to get healthy and fabulous before the summer holidays are upon us!

To start it off... small steps... today I've only had one cup of coffee and plan to drink only water and herbal tea for the rest of the day.

[pebbles]

I'm in

I've got a lot of weight to lose

Did a triathlon last year and lost an enormous amount of weight. Have put it ALL back on due to not training basically since I completed it - oh and EATING LOTS!!!

My aim is to do healthy eating through weight watchers - have joined online this morning - and also training to take part in a 40km cycle around Whipsnade Park - www.cycletta.co.uk - it's a woman's only event on closed roads so trying to get the novices to take part - it looks fab and doable

Am also going to start training for the 5km Goodrich fun run in Dulwich Park.

Come on, we can do it :)

Have just had a pint of water after reading Pickle's post

[KateW]

Good idea Pickle, small steps indeed. I've swapped milk chocolate for dark chocolate (!) as I vaguely remember reading somewhere that a small bit of dark chocolate each day is good for the heart! Oh, and I've cut out my piece of toast smothered with butter first thing in the morning which was a lovely habit I got into just after I'd had my little girl. Personally, I love the 'Sandi Toksvig' half diet in which she just eats half of what she used to (half the doughnut instead of a whole one, half an eclair etc etc). Love it!

[snowboarder]

I didn't manage to shine my sink but this I NEED desperately!! Currently starving due to rubbish 'have new baby not managing to eat so stuff face with chocolate throughout day' diet. Is not good. I'm actually thinking weight watchers - for me it's not just healthy eating it's lose weight too.

So - help - how does one eat properly with 2 to look after (my next thread when I get 5 mins is HELP how does anyone cope with 2. Watch this space.).

[ryedalema]

Good on you Pebbles and Snowboarder - I lost 58 lbs last year on Weight Watchers!

Go go go!!! Oh and if you need any advice I'm sure Pickle and I can help! :));-)(tu)

[Pickle]

*shines halo*

Just made it through lunch without my customary bar of chocolate. Even ate a banana. My body doesn't know what's hit it!

[supergolden88]

I was going to post a thread about suggestions for healthy lunches that take no time to prepare but haven't had the time! I would love to lose weight and eat sensibly but I have tons of work on so either I dont have lunch or I have leftovers or snack on bread etc.

I need to diet but am still breastfeeding

[pebbles]

supergolden88 - you can do ww while breastfeeding. from memory they add 10 points for breast feeding mums - this may have changed as i know the points system has changed recently

quick and healthy lunches - i'm a soup person for lunch (well i say that, i'm only a soup person when on a diet cos when i'm not on a diet i HATE soup as it only reminds me about dieting!!!) - however it's easy peasy and most of them healthy. the other thing i do is cook a big roast chicken so that i can have cold meat and salad for lunches???

[ryedalema]

Supergolden - I did ww while breast feeding. They add extra Propoints to compensate for what your body needs. If you do it online, or go to a meeting they will calculate how many points is right for you.

I sound all salesy, which honestly I don't intend. Just wanted to let you know that i did it and it was fine (tu).

All the best xxx

[Fuschia]

Hummous pitta and crudit?s

Salad with mozzarella balls

Soup

Pasta salad with peppers

Couscous with Sultanas walnuts and cucumber

[smudge74]

Some encouragement:

I used to eat really healthily. My first child of two is 4 and a half and I have been eating really badly since. Toast, cheese and little else since she was born.. just grazing along the way. My skin has been terrible and I have been feeling like crap. Just recently though have conciously started eating 5 a day and cutting out the rubbish.

Its only been a week but Ive got to say already I feel soooooo much better and can really feel the difference. It can be done and its kind of addictive (I dont want to feel rubbish anymore.)

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

[Smiler]

I'm in! 7 month old, been eating terribly for a good couple of years now, despite feeding my girls lovely healthy stuff! Worried that will set them a bad example, so am stuffing my face when eldest is asleep! And am v hungry all the time due to b-feeding, will eat a big meal and still feel just as hungry, argh. Also finding it hard to get exercise as am v tired in eves.

Have got all the latest ww bumf but can't be arsed taking the time to note down what am eating, figure out points etc.

Maybe this is why am not getting anywhere healthy/slim!

On a more positive note, can recommend gentle gym/swim sessions (while kids in creche), innocent veggie pots (3 of 5 a day, 2 mins in microwave, fairly filling and tasty) and soup!

[Smiler]

Ryedelama, wow, that's great! You can give us some top tips!

[supergolden88]

I said earlier I would definitely go for a run tonight. Nope. I am so tired I felt like going to bed same time as the baby. Tomorrow is another day!

As for eating healthy I have pulled out my diet books (used to work for big publisher so have tons of books. Mostly baking to undo all the dieting). Some good ideas in there. May leaf through them and do a big grocery order online of just healthy stuff. Trouble is when I am so tired I crave chocolate and not salads!

[sophiechristophy]

This is the best 'diet' book you can buy to eat well:

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-What-Eat-Why/dp/1596911441

[littleEDfamily]

I consider myself quite educated about healthy eating, but in the heat of the hungry moment, sometimes all roads seem to lead to toast. Sometimes I can't even be bothered to toast it and I just eat it, semi stale with butter. So annoying as I actually like healthy food, but am so shattered there are days I don't have the energy to get the right stuff into the house or even if I have it, I cannot even remember what goes with what. Today I couldn't even be bothered to think about what to have for lunch and instead ate half a jar of cold baby food (vege lasagne) and a few apple rice crackers for lunch. I generally get it together for dinner, but now baby is crawling and cruising I feel like I cannot leave her alone for long enough even to feed myself during the day. The strap on her high chair has broken and she is now trying to escape even from that. Blah blah, woe is me...

But thanks for starting this thread. Good reminder that I can do a little better on the food front. A friend of mine sits down every day at about 5pm with her two sprogs and has cucumber, carrots, hummouus and anchovies (or a variation on that) - she says at least she knows that they have all had one healthy 'meal' in the day. I like that idea - low preparation need and high health value. Quite social too.

[Ramble66]

We've started having homemade smoothies daily for breakfast but can't see why it can't be lunch. Very quick and easy if you have a blender. We keep ours out so don't have to faff. Just keep in bananas, and frozen fruit from Sainsburys, 3 bags for ?5. Our favourite at the moment is banana, mango and raspberries. Add milk, soya milk or yogurt and a handful of oats and whizz. You can also add a little honey if you want. Very quick and healthy. Even better if you add some protein like ground flaxseed. Frozen black forest fruits with yogurt in the summer is also yummy and better for you than ice cream. Another favourite but not to everyones taste is banana and peanut butter smoothie!

Also sweet potato wedges. Feels naughty but still good for you. Just add a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast.

We also make a big batch of humous weekly to keep in fridge.

[littleEDfamily]

Ramble66 - we have similar tastes! Would you be willing to share your hummous receipe?

[pebbles]

Well day one 3/4 way through and i've been very very well behaved with fruit for munchies and I didn't eat any of the kids lunch or supper - but before you all give me my first pat on my back, we've got friends over for dinner and that means WINE - so fingers crossed i don't have too much so i actually remember that i'm on a diet :)

Remble66 - what is flaxseed? i'm loving your smoothie idea so think i need to go shopping tomorrow.

Hope you have all done well and are staying as healthy as possible.

Have a great weekend

[damzel]

I'd forgotten all about home made smoothies, thanks Ramble66! I went straight up to Sainsburys and bought the "3 for a fiver" frozen fruits, some yoghurt and some granola, so thanks for tip. I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow now, yum.

Took a while to track down the tahini (only small jars, near the tinned tomatoes) but my daughter and I made some hummous this afternoon - delicious!

I used the recipe on Hatties Kitchen http://hattieskitchen.posterous.com/homemade-hommous

[ryedalema]

Smiler Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Ryedelama, wow, that's great! You can give us some

> top tips!

Ha ha - it's long and boring but if you get your head into the 'I'm not going to stop until the weight has shifted' mentality then I reckon that will see you through - blips and all.

A big one for us was porridge - you can chuck whatever fruits you like in it and it really fills you up. Also a bit naughtier - honey, low fat coconut milk (from Sainsbo's - yumm!), nuts or maple syrup. Just don't do what my OH did and mention to little madam that she could put sprinkles (100s and 1000s to us Brits) on top - now I can't get away without rainbow supar crystals all over it - ugh!!

[Ramble66]

Hi littleED family, I keep my hummus recipe simple. Tin of chickpeas, blend with a little if the chickpea water, then add good tablespoon of tahini, juice of a lemon, couple cloves of garlic (less if you're not a garlic fan), good glug of olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend. If too thick add a little more water and/or oil. From there I adjust to taste depending on my mood. More lemon or more tahini.

Damzel, you can get tahini in large jars in SMBS or the Greek shop opposite the east dulwich deli. Also although granola will be amazing in a smoothie you can just add a handful of cheap porridge oats and blend into smoothie. Now have a granola craving! I can can't buy the stuff because I'll just eat it all the time out of the box :-).

Pebbles - flaxseed is a seed that you can buy ground. Good source of omega oils, fibre and protein. You can probably get it in sainsburys or health matters and SMBS sell it.

Ryedalema, I'd forgotten all about coconut milk in porridge. It was a favourite of mine last year with sultanas.

Mashed banana stirred into porridge is also good. Or on toast with peanut butter :-)

[Fuschia]

Hmm i wasn't feeing particularly unhealthy but now I do!

[Pickle]

How did that not too much wine resolve go then Pebbles? ;-)

[Belle]

me too fuschia! I was doing quite well before I got preggers!

A few things I did do which I found made a difference are below - but the main thing I'd say is that I was doing all this for a few months before I noticed much difference in how I felt/looked. But then it really did make a difference and I felt much better, and it's amazing how habit forming it can be. So, the little things I did;

- switched from toast/cheerios to granola with chopped banana for breakfast. this seemed to remove the urge for a mid morning snack of toast/croissant/muffin w hich I used to get post baby

- switched from squash to water - prob not a big deal but felt virtuous!

- took daily fish oil supplements - really for my eczema but think has general benefits too

- stopped having seconds (unless I was really hungry) - suddenly realised I was doing this out of habit and because my husband makes massive portions. To that end also started having more meals e.g. salmon fillets where you can't have seconds as opposed to massive lasagnes!

- stopped having chocolate/pudding as an 'automatic' post dinner treat except at weekends

- stopped crisps etc before meals

- cut back on wine (but not v much!)

- still had lunch with my son but stopped pecking at his leftover tea or having toast etc when he had his tea

- got more fruit in and nuts so I could snack on those - was told it's good to have them together, something to do with nuts being slower release energy

- bought in carrots and hummous to have as a snack if i did get peckish eg during son's nap

Hmm - looking at this I realise none of it's rocket science but as someone above said, wanted to provide some encouragement. I wasn't overweight before, just wasn't quite myself and felt sluggish etc, so as some others have also said this was more a healthy living thing really. Of course now I'm pregnant it's all gone a bit haywire...creme eggs my particular downfall!