Getting Healthy (critique what we eat please!)

[Amatullah0]

We were watching Fast Food Nation(I think thats the name) where the guy goes and eats mcdonald's for 30 days and almost kills himself in the process. it made us realize what an impact that food can have on our well being, and how we really want to, and NEED to change(we just don't know HOW to change.

We hardly ever eat fast food(we never eat mcdonalds or taco bell, etc, because we can't, but we will, maybe once in 2 weeks, get a pizza(with veggie toppings, no meat). we eat chicken(between the 2 of us we probably eat 3lbs a week, max) and veggies. we hardly ever buy products that have a bazillion ingredients in them, that only happens if we buy bread(or bagels), almost everything else is made from scratch at home.

We are trying to start eating healthier than we do now. We feel terrible(i.e. depressed, lethargic) and we're sure its because our food isn't that great. we've both gained a lot of weight since we got married a year and a half ago, both are probably because our food has too much oil and we both have a sweet tooth(and I have a snacking tooth).

a usual day goes like this:

we wake up, if DH is lucky he gets a couple of bananas, an apple, orange(sometimes canned in syrup or canned pineapple in juice) and if hes REALLY lucky, a bagel to take to work with him to eat. he doesn't sit down at work and eat, but eats the fruit at his desk. he drinks a LOT of tea(with milk and lots of sugar) throughout the day(at work and at home)

while he is at work, i usually go back to sleep(i'm starving(tummy growling), but DS is sleeping, and if i don't sleep with him i will be too tired to do anything else, and he will also wake up a lot sooner than he would with me sleeping next to him) so i don't eat anything until 10 or 11am, and i start snacking(if we have anything sweet and easy to get at, thats the first victim of my snacking(fatty sweets, fruits, and popcorn are all included) then maybe milk, until i get it together and realize i NEED to make REAL food. so i warm up leftovers(or make pasta with tomato and mushroom or broccoli and garlic), and eat those with DS. a few hours later i eat again, then a couple hours later I eat dinner with DH when he comes home(around 6pm). a typical dinner is: oil, onions, spices, (chicken or veggie(spinach, okra, tomato, potato(not all at the same time)), sometimes some yogurt, and eat it with basmati rice or naan(made with white flour).

then we usually only eat fruit and tea with something like cakes until the next morning.

I seriously find my stomach growling almost all day long!

so, what i'm asking for is tips, maybe little things that will help us eat better, maybe get more veggies in (in a flavourful, indian or asian type way) and feel better(i.e. if i make a salad, DH will probably eat it, but I wont, because I don't like the taste; and if I make anything that tastes too bland, or too much like a veggie, DH wont eat it.)

exercise is a whole different topic, we're working on that too

[Plaid Leopard]

NAK
First of all, I would say you definitely need more protein in your diet.
Also, more complex carbohydrates, and perhaps less fruit.

For example, breakfast could include whole grains (whole wheat toast or bagel, oats/oatmeal/muesli or whole grain cereal) and a protein - milk, cheese, peanut butter, yogurt, nuts etc. All these things make easy and healthy snacks as well.

Fruit and yogurt smoothies are easy and filling.

Keep nuts, whole grain crackers, seeds, carrot and celery slices (with raita?) around for quick snacks.

Try adding chick peas, lentils or other beans to your lunch and dinner.
And what about veggie curries, veggie pakoras, chickpea patties, sag or muttar paneer? I'm making myself hungry!


You could make some whole wheat and oatmeal cookies with sunflower seeds, raisins, chocolate chips, shredded coconut. That can help satisfy the sweet tooth and if you don't use too much sugar they are fairly healthy.

[rayo de sol]

For losing weight and better health, I highly recommend the following books:

Eat Fat, Lose Fat

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health

The Protein Power Lifeplan

The first step you and your DH might want to take is to cut the empty calories out of your diet. All the white flour and sugar are adding absolutely no nutrition or nutrients to your bodies. So, cut out the pizzas (because of the white flour crusts), the bagels, the pasta, the naan, and any sweet snacks or desserts. Also, white rice would be good to cut out.

Instead you can either reduce your carbohydrate intake, which really helps with weight loss, or you can substitute healthier carbs like peas, beans, lentils, winter squash, corn, fruit, potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat breads, and other whole grains like millet, quinoa, and buckwheat.

The second step that might be helpful is to make sure to eat a high protein breakfast first thing in the morning. That will really reduce cravings for the rest of the day. Fruit is not enough for breakfast. Can your DH grab some previously prepared hard-boiled eggs out of the fridge to take to work? And can you make eggs first thing for you and your son before the snacking starts? Eggs are very good for us. I try to eat at least 2 or 3 eggs every morning along with healthy carbs and fats.

Good luck!

[Amatullah0]

we're trying to cut back on the oil somewhat as well, so we only do pakora once a month(besides ramadan, aka deep-fry month hehe) i'm still trying to figure out which is better, butter or canola oil? when i was younger, i had a terrible diet that consisted of cheese, frozen dinners(usually something cheesy), baked potatoes w/lots of butter and salt, and popcorn with lots of butter and salt. my parents shamed me about how unhealthy my diet was, and how terrible cheese and butter are.

we've tried to cut back on cheese(we get 1lb/mo on wic, and thats all we buy, and the low fat at that) we also go through 5-6 gallons of milk/month(much of it is low-fat, except for what we put in tea, and at least 1 gal/mo gets turned into yogurt)

[rayo de sol]

In terms of fats and oils, there's a lot of controversy and argument. The mainstream view is that fat is basically unhealthy and should be limited. But there are many people who don't agree with that advice.

I am in the pro-fat camp, although I do think certain fats are healthier than others. In the butter vs. canola oil example, I think butter is healthier because that's a natural fat that's been made traditionally by people for thousands of years. Canola oil is an industrial oil that can only be made in a factory with solvents and deodorizers and other yucky chemicals. So, I would avoid canola oil but eat a lot of butter. If a person can't make it herself without the benefit of modern chemistry, it's probably an oil to avoid.

Your parents were probably swayed by the mainstream advice to avoid saturated fats, but a lot of people are now questioning the wisdom of that advice. If you read Eat Fat, Lose Fat, you can learn more about why saturated fat is not bad for us after all, but is, in fact, very good for us. Your local library might have a copy.

My opinion is that butter and cheese are very healthful foods and should NOT be limited.

[Magelet]

I wanted to say that it's awesome that you and your DH want to change your diet for the better. With that, the desire to change, you can improve your health so radically. It looks from your diet that you actually do have a decent amount of veggies, and your doing great not eating fast food or much processed food.

I too agree both from my research (not research research, but reading other people's research and findings) and my and my friends and families expieriences that it makes a huge difference what kind of fat you are eating, but you do need lots of good fat.

Fatty meat, butter (wonderful fat!!), whole fat milk and cheese, particularly for children and nursing moms. Children need the fat even more than the rest of us, which is so obvious when you think about the fact that our brains and our cell membranes are mostly/entirely saturated fat. They grow so fast, they need lots of it! I feel that even adults should eat plenty of healthy fats (such as butter, ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, lard, tallow, chicken fat). however fats such as canola, vegetable, soy, corn, and such don't have any place in a healthy diet imo.



Like PP, I would start by getting rid of refined sugar and reducing/getting rid of refined grains your diet. (I'd choose 1 refined grain that can stay to start, since I think for most people, refined grains are a huge emotional thing. so whether that is white bread, white flour naan, white rice, white flour bagels or something, everything else goes, except maybe a RARE pizza treat, etc.) Here are least, you can get whole grain alternatives for almost anything. Honestly, the best way to do this is to take a giant trash bin, and throw it all out. And not buy it again. I find it impossible not to eat sugar if it is in the house. Same with white flour stuff. It's hard, you go through withdrawal at first, but you feel so much better after.

Some people don't find a great deal of change without cutting out unrefined sugars and fruit, however I also know a lot of people, myself included, who do great once the white sugar and such is out, keeping in lots of fruit, and unrefined sugars like molasses, honey, maple syrup, evaporated (unrefined) cane sugar, unrefined palm sugar, and such.

How about making in advance some healthy quick breakfast stuff that you can grab and eat quickly when you get up with DH, so that you aren't starved and rush for the junkie stuff when you and DS get up. Ideas could be hard boiled eggs, some soup you can pop in the microwave, some whole wheat bread with butter, cheese. Your DH could grab some of these for breakfast too, which would help him probably. All fruit for breakfast doesn't really have much staying power. I don't know wheather he snacks a lot, or what is for lunch, but some protein with his fruit would be good. For you, that way you aren't ravenous when your get up with DS, and can go ahead and cook some food for you both.

I also think that incorporating more protein into your diet in general would be good. It sounds like you actually have a good bit of veggies, but what you are lacking (all things that will help you feel full) are fat, protein and complex carbs. For fat, cooking in more butter rather than oil will help you feel fuller and stay fuller (and improve your health. It's so packed with fat soluble vitamins). For protein on veggie dinner nights, if you had maybe whole wheat chapatis(or whole wheat naan), instead of white flour naan and had lentils or chickepeas in your dish as well, then you've got some good protein. Add in a little yogurt, or paneer, and all that protein from beans and grains will be more availible for your body. Eggs are also great cooked into curry, so the internet tells me. Since they're good in everything, I'm sure it's right.

I know I keep bringing it up, but try adding more butter and whole fat cheese and dairy into your diet. It's made such radical changes in my life. (Including bringing in a feeling of fullness, and increasing my overall health.)

Great job for deciding to eat better, and figuring out how to do it.

[karika]

well you are going to get a variety of responses and many are going to disagree. I think it is good to try to change what you eat into healthier options. Grazing all day is actually what is best and most natural for our bodies, so it is good you do that. What we graze on is important though. First of all, everything should be organically raised or natural as possible. Second of all, cow's milk is for baby cows and is detrimental to human's health. The reason you feel sluggish and ill is most likely due to the ingestion of dairy products IMO. It produces opiates in the brain, so you feel good while eating it tho.... If you are eating non organic milk products that will really make a person feel ill. Check out these sites for more about why cow's milk is unhealthy and creates illness http://www.collectivewizdom.com/Milk...mCowsMilk.html
http://www.milksucks.com/
http://thebabybond.com/DangerousCowsMilk.html

We recently went casein free and gluten free and soy is on the way out. We all feel much better. We take GSE in orange juice upon awakening, a probiotic with our mid day foods and cod liver oil in the evening.

When we wake up we eat a bit of fruit first usually. frozen cherries, blueberries, melon in the summer...apple or apple with peanut butter, banana is a last resort. Sometimes I put fruit in the blender and add a touch of hemp milk and soem sweetened mimiccreme to make a smoothie. then I make food. I like pancakes at times, made with a gluten free flour mix and hemp or homemade almond milk. I will also make eggs, bacon, reheat leftovers in the oster oven (I recently stopped using the microwave too) a potato and onion cut up small and fried in bacon grease. I use olive oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, and palm oil (organic all of these are organic) is soon to be added to the list. I have a mix of nuts and raisins in a container at all times to snack on if really hungry... We have a juicer and some mornings I will juice carrots and apples or other combos too. An hour or two later I start preparing the next meal. This is when we eat the heaviest, in midday. I am still pretty basic so we will have spaghetti or hamburger patties with various veggies such as zucchini, carrots, spinach, broccoli, etc. I make rice sometimes. dd1s favorite lately is yams. I put one in the big pot and boil it in about an inch of water (check it or it will boil dry) until a fork goes through easy, between 40 min to an hour usually, depending on size. We eat peanut butter and apple often as a snack, and the nut raisin mix I make up. I recently got several recipes for gf granola and bars and scones so I am gonna add these to my diet as soon as i get the ingredients... At supper I like to make one dish meals like roast pork roast with apples and yams, pork chops with carrots in a homemade sauce that mimics cream of mushroom soup made with unsweetened mimiccreme, a little potato starch, and spices and dried mushrooms, served over rice... ok I got hungry writing this and I am really sleeepy... so this is my suggestion, cut out the dairy for sure. The WIC program has many goals, which at its root are not the health of those using it IMO. Our govt subsidizes dairy farms and uses WIC to get rid of all the excess milk. It is part of the campaign to create consumers for the health insurance and 'health' care field.... The money trail is amazing once you start to follow it. The new allowances they have added are healthier, but not optimal. Like now you can get soy, but most of the soy crop in america has been compromised by GMO. I believe canola has too that is why I don't use it... Good luck. Oh and don't forget to stabilize the yeast living in your body by taking gse in the morning on an empty stomach, then a probiotic a few hours later, and make sure you are spending at least 30 min in the full sun a day, or ingest a d3 supplement, 4000 IU for an avg adult, 6000 if you are nursing.... it has recently been proven many illnesses are preventable by making sure you get enough vitamin d... check out youtube for vids on that . gg

[Amatullah0]

Originally Posted by rayo de sol

For losing weight and better health, I highly recommend the following books:

Eat Fat, Lose Fat

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health

The Protein Power Lifeplan

The first step you and your DH might want to take is to cut the empty calories out of your diet. All the white flour and sugar are adding absolutely no nutrition or nutrients to your bodies. So, cut out the pizzas (because of the white flour crusts), the bagels, the pasta, the naan, and any sweet snacks or desserts. Also, white rice would be good to cut out.

Instead you can either reduce your carbohydrate intake, which really helps with weight loss, or you can substitute healthier carbs like peas, beans, lentils, winter squash, corn, fruit, potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat breads, and other whole grains like millet, quinoa, and buckwheat.

The second step that might be helpful is to make sure to eat a high protein breakfast first thing in the morning. That will really reduce cravings for the rest of the day. Fruit is not enough for breakfast. Can your DH grab some previously prepared hard-boiled eggs out of the fridge to take to work? And can you make eggs first thing for you and your son before the snacking starts? Eggs are very good for us. I try to eat at least 2 or 3 eggs every morning along with healthy carbs and fats.

Good luck!

thanks for the book recs, i'm gonna go check those out, god-willing.

its my understanding that anything that is overly processed is probably does more harm than good. white sugar is going to be a toughie, but we might be able to make a slow switch to brown cane sugar(or something similar. is stevia good? are there any other sweeteners that taste like sugar and can be exchanges for sugar(in tea, cakes, bread, etc?) going to whole wheat flour(or something similar, i'd like to find a good substitute for white flour, something that I could use instead of white flour in recipes.

is basmati rice the same as white rice? we don't eat any kind of rice except for basmati, and even then we eat rice only a couple of times a month. is rice something that I should try to include in our diet?

thanks, i forgot about hard boiled eggs!

[Amatullah0]

Originally Posted by rayo de sol

In terms of fats and oils, there's a lot of controversy and argument. The mainstream view is that fat is basically unhealthy and should be limited. But there are many people who don't agree with that advice.

I am in the pro-fat camp, although I do think certain fats are healthier than others. In the butter vs. canola oil example, I think butter is healthier because that's a natural fat that's been made traditionally by people for thousands of years. Canola oil is an industrial oil that can only be made in a factory with solvents and deodorizers and other yucky chemicals. So, I would avoid canola oil but eat a lot of butter. If a person can't make it herself without the benefit of modern chemistry, it's probably an oil to avoid.

Your parents were probably swayed by the mainstream advice to avoid saturated fats, but a lot of people are now questioning the wisdom of that advice. If you read Eat Fat, Lose Fat, you can learn more about why saturated fat is not bad for us after all, but is, in fact, very good for us. Your local library might have a copy.

My opinion is that butter and cheese are very healthful foods and should NOT be limited.

I agree, having DS(and having docs recommend fats for good brain development) it made me realize how much we(adults too) need (good)fats. i dont believe that something(foods) beneficial for babies and toddlers can be harmful to adults.

my DH loves whole milk, but i'm fine with non-fat milk. is there really that much goodness in milk fat, even in store-bought(non-organic, homogenized, pasteurized) milk? I suggested to DH that we buy raw milk if we want whole milk, but not the grocery store whole milk. is there a flaw in my logic?

[rayo de sol]

Originally Posted by Amatullah0

my DH loves whole milk, but i'm fine with non-fat milk. is there really that much goodness in milk fat, even in store-bought(non-organic, homogenized, pasteurized) milk? I suggested to DH that we buy raw milk if we want whole milk, but not the grocery store whole milk. is there a flaw in my logic?

You're right that raw milk is far superior nutritionally to the store-bought homogenized and pasteurized milk. Raw milk has so many wonderful vitamins that are destroyed by pasteurization. If you have access to raw milk, I highly recommend getting it. Plus it tastes so much better than store milk.

Skim milk is not a whole food because the fat has been taken away, and I've read that we can't absorb the calcium and other nutrients in milk without the milk fat. I really don't see any reason why anyone should choose skim milk over whole milk.

[rayo de sol]

Originally Posted by Amatullah0

white sugar is going to be a toughie, but we might be able to make a slow switch to brown cane sugar(or something similar. is stevia good? are there any other sweeteners that taste like sugar and can be exchanges for sugar(in tea, cakes, bread, etc?) going to whole wheat flour(or something similar, i'd like to find a good substitute for white flour, something that I could use instead of white flour in recipes.

is basmati rice the same as white rice? we don't eat any kind of rice except for basmati, and even then we eat rice only a couple of times a month. is rice something that I should try to include in our diet?

I know it's really hard to give up sugar. It's something I've struggled with all my life. I still crave sweets sometimes, but I try to have the healthiest sweet I can like fruit or a homemade treat made with just a touch of raw honey or maple syrup. Yum!

The healthiest sweeteners are the ones that have some trace minerals. Those are molasses, maple syrup, and honey. Brown sugar isn't so good because it's just white sugar with a little molasses added to it. The health food store has a brown sugar called Rapadura that is dried molasses granules if you want a dry sweetener instead of a liquid one.

As far as I know stevia is healthful because it is made from a plant. It's definitely better than artificial sweeteners. But I don't know much about it.

Whole wheat flour is a good substitute for white flour in baking. Or if you want to avoid wheat (some people feel healthier not eating it), there are many alternative flours (potato, tapioca, etc) sold at the health food store. I like buckwheat flour. There are also whole wheat versions of people's favorites like bagels, pasta, etc.

The health food store has both brown basmati rice and white basmati rice, so try to make sure you eat the brown basmati rice. It's very tasty.

I don't think you have to go out of your way to eat rice, though. It sounds like your family needs to incorporate more protein in your diet, so that would be a good focus. What are your favorite meats?

[rayo de sol]

Originally Posted by karika

Second of all, cow's milk is for baby cows and is detrimental to human's health.

I do agree with most of your nutritional stance, but whether or not to consume dairy products is a controversial topic.

I realize that a lot of people are lactose-intolerant or have an allergy to casein, but there are many groups of people around the world that have been consuming dairy products for thousands of years. And they eat dairy from many different animals, not just cows.

So, it depends on your ancestry whether or not you can eat dairy products.

Modern processed milk from grain-fed cows that are pumped full of hormones is definitely not the same as what people used to eat. So, I do agree that ideally people would avoid industrial dairy products. But for many people there's just no other choice, and eating even industrial dairy products is better than eating soda, chips, and candy.

[ginapueblo]

I see others have said this (I didn't read all the replies thoroughly), but you're getting *very* little protein in your diet. You should be eating protein at least 3 times/day. Do you eat eggs? They are easy, inexpensive protein sources.

Also, it looks like you're not getting much fat. I saw a couple of the comments about this, too, and agree. Coconut oil is a great fat, and good for high temperature cooking. Avocados are another good source. Canola oil is not good. Olive oil is okay, but you shouldn't fry with it.

I also think you may need to get some omega-3s--we take cod liver oil with added vitamin D3 every day in the winter. It helps with energy, brain function, and immunity.

HTH!

[Amatullah0]

Originally Posted by rayo de sol

I know it's really hard to give up sugar. It's something I've struggled with all my life. I still crave sweets sometimes, but I try to have the healthiest sweet I can like fruit or a homemade treat made with just a touch of raw honey or maple syrup. Yum!

The healthiest sweeteners are the ones that have some trace minerals. Those are molasses, maple syrup, and honey. Brown sugar isn't so good because it's just white sugar with a little molasses added to it. The health food store has a brown sugar called Rapadura that is dried molasses granules if you want a dry sweetener instead of a liquid one.

As far as I know stevia is healthful because it is made from a plant. It's definitely better than artificial sweeteners. But I don't know much about it.

Whole wheat flour is a good substitute for white flour in baking. Or if you want to avoid wheat (some people feel healthier not eating it), there are many alternative flours (potato, tapioca, etc) sold at the health food store. I like buckwheat flour. There are also whole wheat versions of people's favorites like bagels, pasta, etc.

The health food store has both brown basmati rice and white basmati rice, so try to make sure you eat the brown basmati rice. It's very tasty.

I don't think you have to go out of your way to eat rice, though. It sounds like your family needs to incorporate more protein in your diet, so that would be a good focus. What are your favorite meats?

With every meal(i.e. supper), we either eat rice or bread(or, rarely, pasta)

chicken is our favourite, followed by beef(we rarely eat beef though, if we eat beef, it is usually ground beef). i love lamb, but DH hates it, he even hates when I eat it because he can't stand the smell. We eat fish on occasion(we should probably eat more) but DH hates the smell of tuna. Sometimes we eat goat, but i can't really cook red meat too well, it always seems to have a bad taste or something.

we hardly get out of the house, so i've been trying to incorporate more vitamin D3. the vitamin supp we have are 400iu, does that mean i should be taking 10+ tablets of D3? that sounds like a lot!(the package says to take 1/day.) I know its fat soluble, so i'm assuming that TOO much can be harmful.

oh, my bad, when i said "brown cane sugar" i meant "RAW cane sugar"(i think) because, its brown..... i didn't mean "brown sugar"

I bought some blackstrap molasses one day, because i was going to make something that called for mollasses, and it SEEMED like a good choice... but, we REALLY don't like the taste AT ALL. is there a way to make that more palatable or should I find someone who wants it?

[organicmidwestmama]

[QUOTE=Plaid Leopard;15128569]...
First of all, I would say you definitely need more protein in your diet.
Also, more complex carbohydrates, and perhaps less fruit...

QUOTE]

yes. it sounds like you need way more protien and good fats, waaaay less fruit, especially for dh. he must be starving eating only fruit all day at work, i would be anyways! also, toomuch fruit can elevate your blood sugar, possibly leading to health problems like weight gain and even diabetes.

fruit is basically a treat in my opinion. yes, it has water and vitamins, but one banana for example,or one large apple has 20 grams of carbs, which is about 1/2a can of coke's worth! fruit sugar may come along with fiber and vitamins but it is still sugar.

you can get vitamins, including vit c, from veggies and even some meats.

for breakfast try making a dozen hard boiled eggs at night and then you and your hubby and kiddos can eat a couple in them am without having to cook.

other easy protien meals could be ground beef fried with onions, green peppers, garlicand tomatoes.

chicken soup is easy once you learn to make a chicken from scratch.

good fats might include virgin olive oil, or ghee, or butter to cook with, egg yolks, fresh avaocado (i love avocado dressed with vinegar and olive oil), whole (not light/lite) coconut milk in soups or curries, fresh salmon sauteed in butter, anchovies packed in olive oil, tuna salad made with homemade mayonaisse.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by Amatullah0

I bought some blackstrap molasses one day, because i was going to make something that called for mollasses, and it SEEMED like a good choice... but, we REALLY don't like the taste AT ALL. is there a way to make that more palatable or should I find someone who wants it?

Oh dear! Yes, I'd see if there's a friend who'd like to take it. Probably what the recipe needed is fancy molasses, or maybe baking molasses, which is a combination of fancy and black strap.

I use Brer Rabbit brand. I'm not sure if it's 'fancy' or 'baking' quality. I know that I wouldn't slather it on bread and just eat it. But it makes fantastic ginger cookies.

[Magelet]

Originally Posted by Amatullah0

its my understanding that anything that is overly processed is probably does more harm than good. white sugar is going to be a toughie, but we might be able to make a slow switch to brown cane sugar(or something similar. is stevia good? are there any other sweeteners that taste like sugar and can be exchanges for sugar(in tea, cakes, bread, etc?) going to whole wheat flour(or something similar, i'd like to find a good substitute for white flour, something that I could use instead of white flour in recipes.

is basmati rice the same as white rice? we don't eat any kind of rice except for basmati, and even then we eat rice only a couple of times a month. is rice something that I should try to include in our diet?

Rapadura or sucanat would be much better. It's still very hard on your body, and good to cut back, however it has it's natural minerals, which makes it slightly easier on your body (sugar otherwise is very depleating). However, cutting down on your sugar consumption (refined or otherwise) really really will have a huge effect on your health. I know how difficult it is, having done it myself. It really is worth it. Also, after about 6 months to a year of good consumption of healthy fats, depending on how "deprived" your body is, most people's sweet tooth dramatically decreases, making it much easier to cut down the sweets. Keep trying til then, but it's a nice light at the end of the tunnel, that it will get easier.

In terms of rice, it's almost certainly white basmati. As a pp mentioned, brown basmati is availible. Brown rice is a fairly healthy food, and if you are used to eating rice, then by all means, keep it in your diet. It takes a little while to adjust to and learn to cook it well, and it does taste different, but it's quite yummy, and so much healthier.

Originally Posted by Amatullah0

With every meal(i.e. supper), we either eat rice or bread(or, rarely, pasta)

chicken is our favourite, followed by beef(we rarely eat beef though, if we eat beef, it is usually ground beef). i love lamb, but DH hates it, he even hates when I eat it because he can't stand the smell. We eat fish on occasion(we should probably eat more) but DH hates the smell of tuna. Sometimes we eat goat, but i can't really cook red meat too well, it always seems to have a bad taste or something.

we hardly get out of the house, so i've been trying to incorporate more vitamin D3. the vitamin supp we have are 400iu, does that mean i should be taking 10+ tablets of D3? that sounds like a lot!(the package says to take 1/day.) I know its fat soluble, so i'm assuming that TOO much can be harmful.

I bought some blackstrap molasses one day, because i was going to make something that called for mollasses, and it SEEMED like a good choice... but, we REALLY don't like the taste AT ALL. is there a way to make that more palatable or should I find someone who wants it?

If you are eating that much grain, then it seems very important to get them whole grains. When you eat refined flour, your body actually requires nutrients to process it, however there is nothing in them. The overall sum is LESS nutrients in your body than you started with. When you eat whole grains, you are adding nutrients to your body. (there are ways to make them more absorbably and such too, but just switching to whole grains is a good place to start.) If you think about the fact that a large portion of the bulk of your diet is removing nutrients from your bodies, it makes sense that you aren't feeling too great.

For the meat, do you have friends who cook or are there inexpensive cooking classes somewhere? It sounds like learning to cook meat properly would be helpful. Ground beef is good, it's comparatively inexpensive, and quite versatile. Fish is an incredibly healthy food. What about the smell of tuna doesn't your DH like? is it fresh or canned? if it's fresh, it shouldn't smell at all, or barely slightly sweet raw. canned does have a weird smell. Try some other fish. I don't know what is availible where you are, but sardines, anchovies (both even canned), salmon, really any fish. If you can eat shellfish, shrimp, clams, and other shellfish are also great. they don't all smell like tuna, so trying some of them might be good.

If your D3 is tablets, make sure to take them with a spoonful of olive oil or coconut oil or butter or something. you will absorb the vitamin d better. and no, 4,000 iu a day doesn't sound that high, I know lots of doctors even recomend higher if people are deficint (up to 10,000!)

wrt the blackstrap molasses. If you don't like the taste, I'd say find someone else who wants it, and give another type of molasses a try. (or try to learn to like it, which is VERY possible for all sorts of foods. many foods that are very very different I've found take a little while to learn to like.) blackstrap molasses is very mineral rich, however it is much stronger flavored than other molasses.

[rayo de sol]

Originally Posted by Amatullah0

With every meal(i.e. supper), we either eat rice or bread(or, rarely, pasta)

chicken is our favourite, followed by beef(we rarely eat beef though, if we eat beef, it is usually ground beef). i love lamb, but DH hates it, he even hates when I eat it because he can't stand the smell. We eat fish on occasion(we should probably eat more) but DH hates the smell of tuna. Sometimes we eat goat, but i can't really cook red meat too well, it always seems to have a bad taste or something.

If you and your DH almost never eat red meat, your lethargy could be anemia or an iron deficiency. Try to eat more red meat if it's possible. Do you ever eat the chicken livers? Those are very high in iron. You can make a yummy pate by pureeing cooked livers with sauteed onions and salt and pepper.

The grain with every meal thing: try to make sure it's brown rice or made of whole wheat. Or would you try a starchy vegetable instead of a grain with each meal? You could try peas, squash, or potatoes instead of bread with the meal.

[rayo de sol]

Originally Posted by Amatullah0

I bought some blackstrap molasses one day, because i was going to make something that called for mollasses, and it SEEMED like a good choice... but, we REALLY don't like the taste AT ALL. is there a way to make that more palatable or should I find someone who wants it?

Blackstrap molasses is an acquired taste. Of all the molasses, it has the most nutrients. I think a small spoonful of it in a glass of milk tastes good. And it's also good in strongly-flavored baked goods like spice cake, gingerbread, spice cookies.

[Amatullah0]

Originally Posted by rayo de sol

If you and your DH almost never eat red meat, your lethargy could be anemia or an iron deficiency. Try to eat more red meat if it's possible. Do you ever eat the chicken livers? Those are very high in iron. You can make a yummy pate by pureeing cooked livers with sauteed onions and salt and pepper.

The grain with every meal thing: try to make sure it's brown rice or made of whole wheat. Or would you try a starchy vegetable instead of a grain with each meal? You could try peas, squash, or potatoes instead of bread with the meal.

nope, we've never eaten chicken livers. thats a good idea though, i do think we might need more iron.