Trying to eat right is one of the most aggravating things I've ever attempted.

[sassenach]

I gave up grains in Feb. I have felt really good energy wise, but been very, very achey ever since. I thought maybe it was nightshades, so I stopped eating those. No change. Then today I'm reading a primal cookbook and it mentions that nuts can be connected to increased inflammation. I definitely have been eating more nuts than ever before. It seems that according to some people (and that's the thing, isn't it? Nobody agrees on anything), too much omega 6 is bad for you. So my diet of meat, fruit, veggies, eggs and nuts is not healthy enough.

 

I freaking give up. Eating is too much work.

[Bang!Zoom!]

It does get tiresome, doesn't it?

 

You start reading about the benefits of thing A, then you find ten times as much saying just the opposite.

 

Then you think, "I'll just listen to my body." Then only to discover you could write a cartoon strip about it being the body of a woman who doesn't know what she wants or needs.

 

Then you have family or friends who something works for, you try that, and it bombs....then the health food store says this, the doctor says that, the bookstore says this, and the AMA journals says another...

 

There's the local, the organic, the paleo, the vegan, the primal - and don't even get me started on supplements. I tried to readjust my fish oil intake last week, discovered the mercury controversy within...just plain overwhelming.

 

Life is short.

 

Eat candy bars and live like a 4 year old, be happy? Trying to stay on top of what works for you, while combining research & the internet is enough to give a person a nervous breakdown huh? :lol:

[Unicorn.]

We went gluten free on New Years day. I lasted a month. I started feeling achy and yuck. I went back to eating gluten and feel much better. Dd #1 and dh are still gluten free, and I will eat gluten free baked goods occasionally, but not daily or exclusively.

[AnaShoo]

My take on all these diets floating around is that if I don't have a medically necessary reason to do it (ie, celiac disease, lactose intolerant), I'm not cutting it out of our diet. We're all reasonably healthy, no one seems like they have any major issues, and we eat dairy, grains, and a host of other things people say are evil or whatever. I do try to keep the processed foods out of the house, though, and the only sweets we eat are the ones I make, which doesn't happen more than every couple of weeks or so. We also don't eat nearly as much meat as most people, and veggies reign supreme around here.

 

Oh, and I just don't do supplements. Period. Not even vitamins for the kids. Most of them seem like hype - although I did take iron pills when I was having a deficiency years ago.

[mlbuchina]

I completely understand your frustration. I am to the point where I hate food and everything that goes with it, like cooking it or planning it.

 

I have just about decided to live by my granddad's old sayin': I'm gonna die anyway, let me die happy. LOL

 

I figure that the stress and worry over what to eat is going to kill me a lot faster than eating the "wrong" thing will.

[delaney]

The only supplement I would say you really need is D and Calcium. As far as carbs...I cut out ALL carbs for weight loss and it works really well for me. Carbs bloat me so I am taking that as a sign that they do not agree with me. I have been eating just meats, cheese, plain yogurt, some nuts, and eggs and vegetables. I feel completely fine and maybe have a bit more energy. Best of all I don't crave a thing! I forget to eat some days so I have to watch the clock. It is really hard but I think balance is the key. I will add in some grains after I get where I want to be but not enough to kick in the cravings I used to have.

[Peri]

I think that the thing to keep in mind is moderation is key in everything you do. If you want some chocolate then have some. Too much of anything is a bad thing. I make sure I get my fruits and vegetables and I try to stick to whole grains. I do have to do lactose free cause I am lactose intolerant. I just cut down on dairy a whole lot because of the cost but if I am craving cheese or ice cream then I'm gonna have some. I think that if something is made to be too hard then the success rate will be very low. Be good to yourself but treating yourself every now and then is also being good to yourself.

[mommymilkies]

I hear you. I've been gf since October and felt a million times better until a few weeks ago. I cut out nightshades because I have chronic arthritis & joint pain, and I'm praying that this will help. I'm about thisclose to going and baking a big gorgeous loaf of bread and 12 dozen chocolate gluten and sugar filled cookies. I will just sit and devour them all and cry in join. I would probably get hives and be in pain for a month after 3 days of crippling stomach pain, but I'm thisclose to trying!

[snickelfritz]

I receive a fitness magazine that is associated with my gym. Since last month's preview, I was looking forward to an article in this month's magazine.

Primal vs. Vegan

 

They had proponents of both make an argument for their side and then health experts weighed the claims.

 

The end result: Both can work, DEPENDING on the individual.

 

Instead of following one strict diet, which isn't working, tweak it to make it fit you and don't be upset that you had to do so.

 

I had a very hard time following no grains or very low carb or vegan. So, I've ended up eating more vegetables, eating less grains, eating lower carb and cutting out artificial sweeteners (which is what caused MY joint pain-discovered by trial and error.). And I feel good. I'm losing weight and very close to goal and my joint pain is gone. And I'm eating normal food, but tweaking my choices.

[RegularMom]

I always like to remember what Michael Pollan said about eating. He calls it "the eater's manifesto" or something like that, and it goes like this:

 

Eat food. Not a lot. Mostly vegetables.

 

HTH.

[Amira]

My take on all these diets floating around is that if I don't have a medically necessary reason to do it (ie, celiac disease, lactose intolerant), I'm not cutting it out of our diet. We're all reasonably healthy, no one seems like they have any major issues, and we eat dairy, grains, and a host of other things people say are evil or whatever. I do try to keep the processed foods out of the house, though, and the only sweets we eat are the ones I make, which doesn't happen more than every couple of weeks or so. We also don't eat nearly as much meat as most people, and veggies reign supreme around here.

 

Oh, and I just don't do supplements. Period. Not even vitamins for the kids. Most of them seem like hype - although I did take iron pills when I was having a deficiency years ago.

 

:iagree: We're happy this way too.

[LaxMom]

I always like to remember what Michael Pollan said about eating. He calls it "the eater's manifesto" or something like that, and it goes like this:

 

Eat food. Not a lot. Mostly vegetables.

 

HTH.

 

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

 

That's my general diet plan, as well, along with the "rules" in the book (In Defense of Food) such as: do not eat anything with a list of ingredients more than 5 or 6 items and, don't eat anything your grandmother would not recognize as food. :D

 

I thought about this some more. You are looking at it from the viewpoint of something you are eating, but maybe it could be something you aren't getting enough of. I know you kind of hinted towards that in the end of what you have said here, but if you cut out one food group completely it stands to reason you could possibly not be getting something you were getting before. This is not to say you need to just go back to it entirely. For example, if you were eating a lot of cereal, breads, and pasta, for all the negativity they do contain a lot of vitamins (etc.) because they are usually fortified. If you suddenly stop eating all of them, you might not have been replacing all of that with other foods.

 

Just a thought. Not that I have a particular suggestion, but possibly something to think about.

I thought the same. I've recommended the book "The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan" to herbal clients with good success. Nothing is off limits (barring any actual food sensitivities, of course), but you learn to balance the day to the anti-inflammatory side. Nutrition-data.com has inflammation factor infor for foods, as well. It's interesting to compare things like salmon: wild caught salmon is strongly anti-inflammatory, farm raised is strongly inflammatory. So, it's more about getting to the positive side (anti-inflammatory) at the end of the day than whittling things away until you're left with a celery stick and a glass of spring water. That might be an easier approach.