s/o What's your take on food?

[Onceuponatime]

If I had the money, the time, and the inclination, I would only eat an organic whole foods diet. I believe that the further food gets away from its natural state, the less it does for you and the more potential harm there is. It is graduated line. For me, the marker is now closer to the whole foods end than the completely unhealthy end than it was years ago. I inch it along a little more each year. It is a process. To some people here our diet would not look healthy, to others it would very healthy.

 

I don't believe in guilt, I believe in improving what can be made better. This week I reduced the amount of sugar in my homemade chocolate milk mix (just cocoa and sugar). Yes sugar. Ten years ago we used Nestle quick regularly. Have you ever read the ingredient list on that? Last summer, I got dh to switch from a life long habit of American cheese to presliced cheddar. It was a breakthrough event. :-)

 

We do occasionally have treats that have no redeeming nutritional value, but they are just that, treats. There are things I avoid like the plague: artificial sweeteners, artificial color, artificial flavor, and certain additives that cause me specific problems. We have a garden and eat locally, in season. We don't keep soda in the house.

 

I personally have cut back on grains, especially anything made with white flour. I love butter and cheese, and would eat them often, if it wasn't for the fact that my 47 year old skin has decided it will break out if I do. If I was to have any indication that my/my family's diet was causing harm, I would make the necessary changes Now. I am concerned but not obsessed. I just don't understand those who aren't even concerned about what their diet might do to themselves and to those around them. I can easily believe that it is a form of addiction.

[DarlaS]

Real food only.

 

A little bit of everything, including butter, cream, meat, sugar. Lots of veggies. A variety of grains, some of them whole. In fact, lots of variety in general.

 

Avoid artificial sugars, artificial colours/flavours, MSG.

 

The 80/20 rule: Eat well 80% of the time. Enjoy indulgences. Moderation.

 

Most importantly: Enjoy food! Life is not a diet.

 

:iagree:

 

This is what I am striving for. Add to that quality over quantity. (I think you pretty much covered that with "Enjoy indulgences. Moderation." though.)

[beaners]

I think diet would matter a little less if people moved a little more.

 

I think that generally there is a very wide range of foods that most people can eat and maintain health, if they are moving.

 

I think that some people are more sensitive to diet than others, but not everyone has difficulty digesting or utilizing the same components of the average diet.

 

I think most people need to eat less.

 

(I also think that someone is going to point out how they are the exception to one of these ideas, but I purposely said most instead of all.)

[Onceuponatime]

. And the first woman spent too much time in the garden with her organic vegetables without a hat on. :001_smile: .

 

 

When I first saw this statement I thought you were talking about Eve. :D

[PRTGSw2K]

We eat real, whole foods. No processed foods. Honey and real maple syrup are our only sweeteners. No grains. Right now we've cut out dairy, but we'll soon add back in butter, cheese, etc. Good quality fats and lots of veggies and some fruit. Sweets are an occasional treat. We've lost weight, feel better, are sleeping better and have more energy.

 

Oh, forgot to add in meat, and not just chicken breasts. We eat the skin too, and plenty of red meat.

[LibraryLover]

Genetics, surgery, make-up, airbrushing.

 

Nigella is also not ill. There are plenty of airbrushed pix of Gillian on the web. I've wondered if MeKeith drinks or does 'natura'l drugs. She looks like she was/is a smoker. I think she looks really old for 51, and Nigella looks awesome, and not very airbrushed at all. But I don't think it's the food so much as I think it's the mental instability re Gillian. When I was hanging with the macrobiotic crowd, we used to joke that cranky macros needed some dairy to stabilize.

 

http://images.ask.com/fr?q=%22gillian+McKeith%22&desturi=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Ftvshowbiz%2Farticle-1332561%2FIm-A-Celebrity-2010-Gillian-McKeith-claims-Im-pregnant.html&initialURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ask.com%2Fpictures%3Fqsrc%3D180%26o%3D15527%26l%3Ddis%26q%3D%2522gillian%2520McKeith%2522%26prt%3D%26chn%3D%26geo%3D%26ver%3D&fm=i&ac=756&fsel=1&ftURI=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.ask.com%2Ffr%3Fq%3D%2522gillian%2BMcKeith%2522%26desturi%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%252Ftvshowbiz%252Farticle-1332561%252FIm-A-Celebrity-2010-Gillian-McKeith-claims-Im-pregnant.html%26imagesrc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.dailymail.co.uk%252Fi%252Fpix%252F2010%252F11%252F24%252Farticle-0-0C346880000005DC-752_306x423.jpg%26thumbsrc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fmedia1.picsearch.com%252Fis%253FqZEPrQzhG-cvF7Aohm5yqzsdqQEX9y_Mj7CLZ07fHo0%26o%3D15527%26l%3Ddis%26thumbuselocalisedstatic%3Dfalse%26thumbwidth%3D92%26thumbheight%3D128%26fn%3Darticle-0-0C346880000005DC-752_306x423.jpg%26imagewidth%3D306%26imageheight%3D423%26fs%3D27%26f%3D2%26fm%3Di%26fsel%3D1%26ftbURI%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ask.com%252Fpictures%253Fq%253D%252522gillian%252BMcKeith%252522%2526page%253D1%2526o%253D15527%2526l%253Ddis%2526pstart%253D0&qt=0

Edited January 21, 2012 by LibraryLover

[mothergooseof4]

OP here..... So many great responses. My eating habits have greatly evolved in the last few years, mostly due to health issues. I was raised on meat, white bread, starchy veggies, and Little Debbie snack cakes. Until about 6 years ago sweet tea ran through my veins. I never had weight issues, but everyone on oth sides of my family over 45 has type 2 diabetes. I had gestational diabetes with all of my pregnancies. Then a few years ago I started feeling horrible. After many doctors and lots of research on my own I made some changes. I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and etc. I switched to a low carb diet and that has helped a lot.

 

A few months ago I posted on here about my constant battle with constipation and bloating despite my high fiber diet and some recommended paleo or gf. I REALLY did not want to give up my bread. I grind my wheat and make all of our breads, muffins, pancakes, etc. and eat them in moderation. But I started reading and realized that for me, gf was worth a try. Within days my constipation and constant cramping were gone.

 

I have continued to read but have not been convinced to give up dairy. We don't drink milk too much around here. We do eat cheese, yogurt, and butter but not in huge amounts. I am not convinced of the paleo theory that legumes are all bad. Perhaps we don't prepare them in a manner that allows our body to digest them properly and they shouldn't make up a huge portion of our diet, but I don't think a serving here or there will hurt. And I LOVE peanut butter so a little here and there keeps me happy. As for grains, apparently I feel best without them and I think our society over indulges in them for sure, but prepared appropriately and eaten in moderation, I think they have a place in most people's diets.

 

I try to avoid preservatives, would love to buy raw dairy products, and would love to buy organic everything. Where I live these are not always attainable goals. I live in a small town where little organic produce is available. I have been looking for fresh eggs, raw milk, and grassfed butter. They simply are not available here. We do buy a cow from a friend that raises them grassfed and hormone free and have it slaughtered. I don't buy things in a box, read labels, and watch sugar. So I do my best. All of that said, we also eat fast food, have a night when we eat pizza rolls and white castle burgers, and enjoy the sugary treats at various social events. And Thanksgiving through Christmas is a time when I just choose to not think about it.

[HappyLady]

http://pinterest.com/pin/76701999873260925/

 

I just have to say that I think this is a very unfair representation of a "healthy" person vs. a "non-healthy" person. That's obviously one of the worst pics of Gillian and a very airbrushed pic of Nigella. I'm not saying Nigella doesn't look good for her age (there are some other pics online that appear to be untouched and she looks ok), but it still doesn't make it right to compare these two pics to compare one diet to the other.

[MistyMountain]

Iam not of the primal, paleo, weston price, taubes philosohpy and I don't agree with a lot of the "science" behind it. I don't really have a food philosophy but I don't believe grains especially whole grains and legumes are the devil. Some people do well on a diet without any grains but I don't think they are bad for the health and something everyone should avoid and I disagree with all the claims made about them. I don't thinking eating as much protein from red meat as those diets call for is good for the health. I am mostly a vegetarian but not technically one. I try to be sustainable about eating. I do eat fish and would be ok with game meat but I don't have a heavy meat centric diet or think that is good for health. I'm not afraid of fat though. I rather have full fat milk and I am ok with some fat in the diet and more so for kids. I do not do raw dairy and don't think pasteurization is the devil either. Right now I trying to get away from hard cheeses but I am ok with milk, eggs and soft cheeses like cottage cheese. I try to eat a lot of veggies, fruits, eat whole grains as much as possible and most of my protein comes from beans, quinoa, nuts, and Alaska salmon. I am ok with white flour and sugar in moderation.

Edited January 21, 2012 by MistyMountain

[angela in ohio]

When I first saw this statement I thought you were talking about Eve. :D

 

:lol:

[HappyCrazyMama]

We eat what we like and don't feel the least bit guilty about it.

 

Of course, we like many things... and try to keep things in moderation.

 

I will not eat margarine, artificial sweeteners or low fat unless I'm at someone's house and need to be polite. We also mostly cut out prepared lunch meats due to high nitrites and their appeared connection with Alzheimers.

 

I don't have a sweet tooth, so cakes and other such desserts are rare anyway. I don't like white bread, so only eat it when out or at fast food places where they don't give whole wheat options.

 

When I want to be healthy we go for deer (home hunted), veggies (from our garden when we have them), and fresh fruit. We also have some bean dishes, rice dishes, chicken dishes, and others I consider healthy that hit our plates fairly often, but we eat them because we like them, not because I feel guilted into doing so.

 

However, when we feel like boxed pizzas, ramens, boxed mac & cheese, pop tarts, microwave pop-corn, or fast food we eat it without any guilt whatsoever. We just don't do those all the time as I prefer other foods too much and I like variety with my food.

 

I stay off many food threads. At this point in our lives, our doctor considers us healthy (all 5 of us) and we don't need any meds for anything. My mom was diabetic well before my age, so I might have it coming, but it's not here yet. It might help there that I don't like sweets or white bread.

:iagree: This is pretty much my philosophy but I do have a sweet tooth. Cookies are a staple here and often one (just one!) is had after a meal.

We drink raw goat milk (our own goats), I make bread with fresh ground wheat but there is ramen and cream of crap soup in my cupboard and even an occasional tater-tot casserole on my table. Tonight we had bean soup.:)

 

I also heartily agree with Chucki!

 

I think our portion sizes are outrageous.

[eternalknot]

I grew up working in family restaurants. I'm sick to death of thinking about food.

 

I grew up being fed certain foods, and those are generally the same things I feed my kids. I've added in Chipotle and Starbucks, which I thank the good people in the United States for making available.

 

I eat a traditional ethnic diet 80% of the time. It's generally considered healthy by worldwide standards, and at one time was the ethnic diet pimped out and marketed to Americans. It's still idealized within some American diet/nutrition circles. My grandparents and their siblings are all well into their 90s and still very active (driving, even) and are in much better condition than people I know who are only in their 60s. It worked for them and it has America's stamp of approval ::tongue in cheek:: so I eat without much thought about the specifics.

 

I figure at 80% of an ethnic diet, based on my family's longevity, that'll get me safely to 70 or so. I'm cool with that LOL.

[creekland]

I eat a traditional ethnic diet 80% of the time. It's generally considered healthy by worldwide standards, and at one time was the ethnic diet pimped out and marketed to Americans. It's still idealized within some American diet/nutrition circles. My grandparents and their siblings are all well into their 90s and still very active (driving, even) and are in much better condition than people I know who are only in their 60s. It worked for them and it has America's stamp of approval ::tongue in cheek:: so I eat without much thought about the specifics.

 

I figure at 80% of an ethnic diet, based on my family's longevity, that'll get me safely to 70 or so. I'm cool with that LOL.

 

Three of my four grandparents and the majority of their parents all lived into their upper 80's or 90's with a diet of meat and potatoes. One grandfather died at 61 of a heart attack though. My great grandmother died when my grandma was 4 years of age. I don't know the cause of that death. The rest lived long and were mostly healthy until the end (the grandma whose mother died when she was 4 was murdered at age 88).

 

I think there's more to longevity than food.

[NotAVampireLvr]

We eat as natural as possible. No preservatives. We try and eat organic when we can, but sometimes its just not always possible. I do monthly trips to whole foods to fill in wholes that my own grocery store doesn't cover, but I don't break my neck over it in between visits.

 

My family is not vegan, but I try and stick close to a vegan diet. My body just feels better that way. Its not a moral issue for me as much as it is an "I feel good" issue.

 

I think our conventional food supply is slowly poisoning us.

 

I have no problem with full fat foods such as butter, yogurt and milk.

 

I think our portion sizes are outrageous.

:iagree:

 

I like Michael Pollan's guidelines:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

 

When he says "Eat food" he means real food, as unprocessed as possible.

 

I like Chucki's post too.

 

We cook with butter. We use cream. We eat grains. But we all started feeling healthier when we cut out processed foods and started eating lots more veggies, and tried to go organic whenever ossible/affordable.

 

Cat

:iagree:

 

I just have to say that I think this is a very unfair representation of a "healthy" person vs. a "non-healthy" person. That's obviously one of the worst pics of Gillian and a very airbrushed pic of Nigella. I'm not saying Nigella doesn't look good for her age (there are some other pics online that appear to be untouched and she looks ok), but it still doesn't make it right to compare these two pics to compare one diet to the other.

 

:iagree:

I grew up working in family restaurants. I'm sick to death of thinking about food.

 

I grew up being fed certain foods, and those are generally the same things I feed my kids. I've added in Chipotle and Starbucks, which I thank the good people in the United States for making available.

 

I eat a traditional ethnic diet 80% of the time. It's generally considered healthy by worldwide standards, and at one time was the ethnic diet pimped out and marketed to Americans. It's still idealized within some American diet/nutrition circles. My grandparents and their siblings are all well into their 90s and still very active (driving, even) and are in much better condition than people I know who are only in their 60s. It worked for them and it has America's stamp of approval ::tongue in cheek:: so I eat without much thought about the specifics.

 

I figure at 80% of an ethnic diet, based on my family's longevity, that'll get me safely to 70 or so. I'm cool with that LOL.

 

What ethnicity was it?

[mommymilkies]

We try to eat whole foods. We seem to have Celiac's here, so half of us are strictly gluten free. I try to avoid gluten "replacers" like starches and rice flour as much as possible by limiting how much I buy-one loaf of Rudi's for 4 people for 2 weeks, for example. I don't limit fats but do use only healthy fats like olive oil, butter, coconut oil, etc. I don't much like meat, so I cook and eat it in small amounts. 1.4 lbs. of free range chicken and 1 lb. of turkey for 7 people for 2 weeks minus my dh's sandwich makings. I also avoid anything hydrogenated or containing preservatives, colors, artificial anything, msg, or corn syrup. I buy milk products that are not from cows being treated with growth hormones, but can not find or afford raw milk.

[eternalknot]

Three of my four grandparents and the majority of their parents all lived into their upper 80's or 90's with a diet of meat and potatoes. One grandfather died at 61 of a heart attack though. My great grandmother died when my grandma was 4 years of age. I don't know the cause of that death. The rest lived long and were mostly healthy until the end (the grandma whose mother died when she was 4 was murdered at age 88).

 

I think there's more to longevity than food.

 

I don't disagree; I also don't think that what my ancestors have adapted to thrive on would be the same as what your ancestors adapted to thrive on. If meat and potatoes are part of your family's 'ethnic' diet, roll with it! I didn't mean to imply only my own diet was the key to everyone's longevity .. just that I'm sticking with what works for my people (and maybe we'll all live longer if we follow suit).

 

I do think food plays a very major, important role in longevity. Not independently but in cahoots with genetics and other environmental factors. I think it's pretty much an agreed upon given :confused: but maybe not.

 

Nothing in isolation is ever the reason/answer/explanation :)

[eternalknot]

 

What ethnicity was it?

 

It was (and still is :tongue_smilie:) East Asian.

 

We grew up veg*n but fish was the more common meat in the area I grew up because of our proximity to the sea.

[Audrey]

After reading the Paula Dean threads I was thinking about how some seem to think fat is bad. Cream? I use it as I wish. Butter? Use in most things I cook. I have been of the mind that meat and fat are not our enemies for years. Carbs are the problem, specifically processed carbs. And sugar is just a special treat.

 

I have recently been reading up on Paleo/primal eating. I cut out grains/gluten at the beginning of the year and feel better plus have lost my slight love handles while eating tons of fat. I am not convinced grains or legumes are bad for everyone if eaten in moderation, but I don't think we prepare either in a way that our body needs for proper digestion. I am also not convinced dairy is all bad. I don't drink milk because of its glycemic index, but cheese, yogurt, sour cream, and cream are staples here ad don't seem to bother our tummies. Maybe if I went completely Paleo for a while I might notice a difference though.

 

I don't eat perfectly, but what I don't get is when people I know IRL ask me how I lost weight a few years ago and I tell them they need to give up their low fat, high carb, out-of-a-box diet, they will not even consider that my way might work. They are brainwashed to believe that fat is what makes them fat and won't even do the research to check our another theory. Of course when they want to know how I stay so little (their words) they also don't want to hear the word "exercise."

 

So, what's your food philosophy?

 

 

Real food, all in moderation.

 

A couple of years ago, I cut out wheat and severely reduced consumption of some other high starch foods and feel much better, but I try to eat everything in moderation. I don't load up on protein, or fat, to compensate for the reduced carbs. I don't think there's a point in that. I don't need extra portions of anything. I struggle enough with portion control as it is.

 

And, by real food, I mean nothing pre-packaged or processed. I freeze and can my own vegetables. I won't buy frozen or canned from the store. Nothing from a box -- no hamburger helpless, no Kraft heart-attack-in-a-box, no Old El Paso-wishes-it-resembled-Mexican-food. You can make all that stuff from scratch for less and with better flavour. I use real cream, and real butter, but I don't pour a litre on cream on top of stuff, nor do I deep fry butter for a snack. Moderation is the key. Cream and butter are for flavouring food, not for floating food.

 

I did not grow up with food like this, but I kind of feel like I owe it to my kid to do better in that regard. Besides, I live on a farm. It would be shameful not to take advantage of the food potential of that situation.

 

Usual disclaimers apply: YMMV, yada yada, and all that...

 

And, I would suggest that when people ask you how you lost weight, simply tell them what you did. Don't tell them "you have to do this...." because they're just going to get their back up over that. If you just tell them what worked for YOU without judging their diet or telling them what to do, they will listen with more openness. No one likes to be told what to do, especially when it comes to something as sensitive as their own weight and health. Be an example. Give examples. Don't lecture.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Audrey

[MHowell]

My food philosophy?

Anything in moderation, as natural as possible. No non-fat stuff, no artificial sweeteners.

Butter, full-fat cheese, sugar, meat, chocolate, baked goods - everything has its place as part of a balanced diet. I try to eat like my grandmothers did.

I eat when I am hungry, and I stop when I am full.

I eat seated at a table with real plates and silverware - never in the car or on my desk. Food should be honored by making time for it and eating quality food and enjoying it, not by wolfing down low-quality junk on the go and then feeling guilty.

 

:iagree: This is me exactly.

[HoneyFernDotOrg]

I hate to say this, especially since I am in the fresh garden veg-natural meat-fresh eggs-enjoy food camp, but if you have not had a doughnut cheeseburger, you don't know what you are missing. I have made these exactly twice, both as a special requested meal, with Krispy Kreme doughnuts, grass-fed beef, bacon from a friend's hog, organic cheddar cheese and (wait for it) a fried egg from our hens. I could only eat half of one, but my kid ate a whole one and my husband ate two. They were amazing. Over-the-top? Completely. Nothing you would ever eat daily.

 

We don't eat fast food, we rarely eat out and, with the exception of the holiday season when we are cookie-bakings fools, we try to keep everything pretty healthy (natural, unprocessed and homemade). The doughnut cheeseburger is an anomaly. But delicious.:)

[creekland]

I don't disagree; I also don't think that what my ancestors have adapted to thrive on would be the same as what your ancestors adapted to thrive on. If meat and potatoes are part of your family's 'ethnic' diet, roll with it! I didn't mean to imply only my own diet was the key to everyone's longevity .. just that I'm sticking with what works for my people (and maybe we'll all live longer if we follow suit).

 

I do think food plays a very major, important role in longevity. Not independently but in cahoots with genetics and other environmental factors. I think it's pretty much an agreed upon given :confused: but maybe not.

 

Nothing in isolation is ever the reason/answer/explanation :)

 

My family actually doesn't do potatoes often as I limit them due to the threat of diabetes (which does run in my family).

 

Like you, I wasn't condemning any particular diet - just mentioning that people can and do live into advanced years with many different types. Not long ago I would have said twinkies were universally considered "bad" (unhealthy), but then that one guy put those (and other snack foods) to the test and his numbers got better across the board - including his weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol. We didn't add twinkies or other snack foods to our diet though. I just don't have a sweet tooth. (And from another post - a doughnut with a double cheeseburger sounds downright awful to those of us who can't stand Krispy Kremes to start with. I'd prefer just the double cheeseburger if I'm eating one.)

 

I honestly think there is far more to food/nutrition/longevity/body types than anyone knows. I think we've barely started chipping at the iceberg of knowledge.

[Tutor]

Real food only.

 

A little bit of everything, including butter, cream, meat, sugar. Lots of veggies. A variety of grains, some of them whole. In fact, lots of variety in general.

 

Avoid artificial sugars, artificial colours/flavours, MSG.

 

The 80/20 rule: Eat well 80% of the time. Enjoy indulgences. Moderation.

 

Most importantly: Enjoy food! Life is not a diet.

 

Amen!