If you were going to majorly clean up your diet over summer vacation...

[helena]

what changes would you make? What foods and beverages would you give up/ease up on? What foods and beverages would you make sure to consume? 

 

 

[PollyOR]

I'm attempting Eat to Live (Dr. Fuhrman), but I don't know what I'm doing yet.  It's a huge change for me.  I ate a lot of salty, processed foods.  

 

I probably miss pizza the most.  We ate Papa Murphy's Pizza at least once a week.

Edited June 9, 2016 by PollyOR

[TechWife]

More fruits and vegetables and less soda. I am working on it now. 

[zoobie]

I'd start with a Whole 30 and see how it goes.

[bettyandbob]

No sweetened beverages (sugar, HFCS or zero calorie sweeteners). get rid of all beverages except water, carbonated water (seltzer) and unsweetened tea. Drink a lot of these. 

[catz]

One thought I had because we always tend to eat much cleaner over the summer is getting a weekly CSA (community supported agriculture) box.  It really gets our veg consumption up!

 

Other than that, minimally processed foods with short ingredient lists.   No soda or sweetened beverages.  Coffee and alcohol in moderation.  Avoid white carbs. 

[melmichigan]

More fruits and vegetables and less soda. I am working on it now. 

It's hard, but I'm working on the same thing. :)

[AppleGreen]

Like someone else said, I'd do a Whole30. All the major resetting I would want to do would be covered by that.

 

I think summer is a great time to do a re-set because the routine is varied (at least at my house!). I am up and about much more in the summer. During the school year I do a lot of sitting and instructing children, so I drink more coffee and generally think more about food than I do in the summer months when I am out and about or working on projects around the house. 

[Carrie12345]

More produce, less coffee creamer!

[Annie G]

More fruits and vegetables and less soda. I am working on it now. 

 

This. I find it much easier in the summer with the availability of fresh fruits and veggies. Visiting a top notch farmer's market is inspiring.  Cold, snowy winters usually result in falling back to old behavior- too many carbs. 

 

I always struggle with caffeine, whether it's my beloved Pepsi Max or sweet iced coffee.  (Of course that also adds either sugar or artificial sweetener, more things I need to eliminate)

[wendy not in HI]

If I were just starting out, I'd do a no sugar challenge.  Or maybe I'd just go all in for a no "s" summer - so sugar, snacks, soda, seconds...  All the good stuff I want at each meal.  And I'd make sure to keep the fridge/freezer stocked with lots of fruit, veggies, greek yogurt, chicken, beef, etc... so that I wouldn't be tempted to eat granola bars or pop tarts...

[regentrude]

I'd cut out added sugar.

I find summer a great time to eat really healthy because of all the fresh produce that is available

Actually, I can't think of anything else I'd change. I already have very little sugar (unless there is gelato in the house) and eat mostly fruits&veggies anyway. I cut out bread last year because it gave me stomach problems, that was hard, and I would not have done it if bread had not caused me to be in pain.

I have no desire to eliminate any food group entirely from my diet. I could easily live without meat, but see absolutely no reason to cut out grains or dairy or coffee.

Edited June 9, 2016 by regentrude

[Meadowlark]

Nix the soda, juice, wine. I know it's hard, but flood your body with water. I aim for 15 oz. about 6-8 times a day.

 

Just eat more plants. Replace orange juice with oranges, choose an extra vegetable over the carb at dinner...

 

DON'T deprive yourself or be too drastic-that never works.

 

More water and more plants. Shop on the outside of the grocery store. If it has more than 5 ingredients, skip it.

[purplejackmama]

I'd start with a Whole 30 and see how it goes.

Completely agree.

[DawnM]

No sugar (I am trying VERY hard, I can go about 7 days and then I lapse.  Then I do another 7 days, then lapse, but I am getting better!)

No processed foods

 

Those are the two I am working on the hardest right now.

[bolt.]

I'd get away from all full-sugar drinks, and step down my sweetening of my own water-based drinks. (I'm currently at 1/4 tsp sugar and 4 drops of stevia per 1 cup liquid, and I indulge in full-sugar soda, frozen drinks, and/or alcoholic drinks occasionally.)

 

I'd increase my fruits to 2 at breakfast and 2 at lunch (currently 1 at breakfast, 1 at lunch, 1 after supper) and my veggies to 2 at lunch (currently 1 at lunch 3 at supper).

 

I'd add an afternoon snack focused on fruit and nuts, or dairy and veg.

 

I'd limit my breakfast grain to "always" a less-processed whole grain (currently "mostly" but not "always"), and switch my "optional" starch with supper to "mostly" no-starch suppers, (with a focus on "mostly" less-processed whole grains).

 

I'd try to source an acceptable form of whole-grain less-processed but smooth-texture bread.. And try not to choke at the price as I include it in my regular diet.

 

I'd reduce the role of creamy dairy-fats (and peanut butter) to a "helper food" or garnish, not a meal component.

 

I'd choose more lean meats, not all the meats I like. I'd try for a greater role for beans.

 

I'd limit my treats to a short list of my very favourite small-serving indulgences... And keep them to small servings.

 

I'd try to find a way to deal with popcorn to keep it healthy enough to enjoy regularly: but not too regularly.

Edited June 9, 2016 by bolt.

[fraidycat]

Whole 30 is a well laid out plan, with good self-awareness reasoning behind it (discovering your food with no brakes).

 

Consume: fats, veggies, healthy protein

 

Give up: grains, sugars, legumes, dairy

 

Drink: water, and personally I drink mineral water and tea (black or green) too.

 

This is my basic way of eating now, with the occasional GF meal (rice pasta), dairy, or sugary treat. I eat this way due to necessity (to heal digestive system) not necessarily as a diet, but lifestyle for health (under duress, LOL).

[EndOfOrdinary]

I would either cut out gluten entirely, or switch to only 100 percent completely whole wheat.

[frugalmamatx]

Following - I need to do something to get my diet under control {as well as lose some weight}. 

 

I like the idea of Whole30 - but my budget does not. 

[Ali in OR]

I got off track a bit in April and May just cuz our schedule was too crazy with soccer, track, ballet, etc. So I'm just trying to go back to what I implemented this winter to drop the weight I gained the second half of last year. This works well for me:

 

-eat 5 fruits/veggies per day

-sweets on Sundays only (it's nice to be able to make some special things and not eliminate them entirely)

-aim for one soda per week but there will be vacation weeks where this will fall apart

-track eating on My Fitness Pal aiming for 1600 calories per day--no tracking on Sunday

-eat 25 or more grams of fiber per day (easy to track on MFP)

 

It's a fun time to be eating 5 fruits/veggies per day--much less interesting in January!

[SereneHome]

I am curious - when you say I eat "X" number of fruit/vegetables a day - how do  you measure it?  In other words - do you eat the whole pepper or half?  A cup of grapefruit or the whole thing?

 

 

[Ali in OR]

I am curious - when you say I eat "X" number of fruit/vegetables a day - how do  you measure it?  In other words - do you eat the whole pepper or half?  A cup of grapefruit or the whole thing?

 

I don't worry too much about the actual measurement--I think I usually eat more than enough to count as a serving. One apple. 2 cups lettuce. 1/2 cup berries (who stops at 1/2 cup?) 1/2 cup cooked veggies.

 

I don't typically eat a whole pepper, but I might count a salad as two servings if it has the 2 cups lettuce for one, then some pepper, some tomatoes, some carrot, some green onion, some cucumber for the other. I don't eat grapefruit either but those things are huge--probably 1/2 grapefruit is similar to a full medium-sized orange which is a serving. Mostly I just make sure I'm eating fruits and veggies throughout the day and mentally making sure it's at least 5.

[bolt.]

I am curious - when you say I eat "X" number of fruit/vegetables a day - how do you measure it? In other words - do you eat the whole pepper or half? A cup of grapefruit or the whole thing?

I guess it goes back to being a kid, and how things were served -- there just is a "right amount" of most things in my head already.

 

I don't like peppers, but I think a whole one sounds like a lot. If it's like others veggies served in "sticks" I suppose about 6 sticks makes a half? I also don't like grapefruit, but they are bigger than oranges, and a small orange is a whole serving to me, so I think half a grapefruit makes sense.

 

Examples from things I do eat:

Apples: 0.75 or a whole one

Oranges: 0.75 or a whole one

Strawberries: 3-5 berries

Small berries: 0.5 to 0.75 cups

Melons: about 1.5 cups in cubes

Cherries: 8-10

Plums, peaches: a whole one

Lettuces / leafy stuff: about 2 fluffy cups

Cucumber: about 6 slices

Broccoli, cauliflower: about a cup

Peas, corn: about 0.5 cup

Tomato: 0.5 of a large one

[Guest]

Choose one or two things you can do and be successful and that you can keep as a NEW YOU in the fall.  Don't over-commit to a big big change if you will feel like a failure if you can't do it all.  

 

If I were just starting out, I would cut out all carbonated beverages and all that have added sugars.  And I would Eat Fresh all summer long, in any way I could.  

 

I've started eating more seasonally--lighter, fresher in the summer, meaty, fattier in the winter, and I feel better.  But the single best thing I ever did was to ditch the carbonated beverages.  

[Slache]

I agree about Whole 30. It permanently changed my eating habits.

[kiana]

Some people do better with a hard reset like Whole 30.

Some people do better with picking one specific thing like "I will eat x cups of vegetables per day" or "I will not drink my calories in sugar" and focusing on that.

Know yourself.

 

Some changes I made in the past that I'm very happy with were dramatically increasing intake of vegetables, completely eliminating full-sugar soda, drastically reducing snacking, and greatly reducing intake of processed grains/added sugars other than things that I bake myself made with flour.

 

This summer my goal is to experiment with less processed flours/reduced flours and see if I can deliver acceptable baked goods. It's actually challenging because so much out there is written for people who are going paleo or gluten-free and want to eliminate wheat completely rather than just decrease. I like doing this best during the summer because I visit a friend who has chickens and a goat, who are happy to eat the failures.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I gave up sugar, diet pepsi, artificial sweeteners, flour, starchy vegetables, and rice. I am trying to high fat, low carb since carbs definitely make me hungry. This day 5 of low carb, high fat. I also added in exercise since the beginning of April and have been fairly consistent with it. The fact that I was very short of breath in the beginning of April which necessitated and ER visit was very inspiring. I am way too old to mess around anymore and need to lose at least 50 pounds and ideally 80 pounds or so since it is really hurting my health.

[Bluegoat]

I would probably cut back on sugar - mostly just cutting out candy-snacks, like cheap chocolate, which I tend to buy when I am out.  I also tend to eat too many salty chips, but at the moment that doesn't appeal to me - it seems to be pregnancy related -  so I'm having almost none anyway. 

 

I rarely drink pop, generally only at parties or the rare occasion we eat out, and I can't say I see any need to cut out any other groups of things.  I tend to eat lots of frit and veg anyway.  I could probably stand at the moment to cut out some frozen/boxed stuff - but that is actually rare for me normally to cook, it's mostly a fall back at the moment because I am sometimes pretty tired by the time supper comes, and still isn't a major part of our diet, maybe once a week.  I find I have to watch my tea intake or it can clime up to where it affects my sleep, so I might make an effort to get myself back down to two cups.

 

I guess, I don't really subscribe to the idea that cutting out major food groups is likely to improve health.

[PeterPan]

what changes would you make? What foods and beverages would you give up/ease up on? What foods and beverages would you make sure to consume? 

 

Well I already eat pretty cleanly, so for me it's just about sticking to what I know (drink lots of water, eat your salad, eat your fruit) and enjoying what summer brings.  In the summer there's SO much nice stuff in the stores and there are farmer's markets!  I don't like dealing with farmer's markets, but my dd does.  So I just go through the store and get excited about all the new fruits and things for summer.  This week we had fresh canteloupe, fresh blueberries, even the start of cherries!  It's a good time of year.  :)

 

I think it's hard to have a big, esoteric goal, and easier when you are more concrete.  Like ok you eat something for dinner at night you'd like to toss.  You'll need a replacement for that.  I have multiple staple sides (wild rice, quinoia, beans) and we rotate them and combine them with the proteins and veges.  It's just a really easy way to think and live.  So I would pick *one* change you want to make.  I personally would make it a *replacement* change, not a giving up change.  You can just work out more and make up a few extra calories.  But a replacement you can really live with can be a permanent change!  And yeah, if your kids don't eat fruit or veges at all, then that's going to be an adventure and adding that to your lives.  You can do that as a "Hey, let's try a new thing each week!" kind of thing.

[Chris in VA]

I've cleaned up my diet a bit. I cleared out my fridge and freezer so there are very little processed foods available to eat. I have high blood calcium, which means I need to visit the endocrinologist, so I've taken dairy out (could not do milk anyway, but I've stopped most cheese and all yogurt).

I don't drink soda anymore (well, ok, maybe once in a great while, but not 3-5 like I used to--diet). Having good-tasting water on the counter has really helped me up my water intake--it really is all I drink. I gave up all artificial sweeteners and replacements--stevia disrupts my hormones, and I crave sweets when I use nutrisweet or other things like it. Very very little fast food--I believe McD's is actually addicting.

 

So no fast food

no artificial sweetners

very litte/no processed foods

whole foods, esp plants

 

If I had to pick for just the summer or just to start, I'd say water only, limit processed foods.

[nd293]

I'd cut out sodas (except soda water) - Coke Zero is my weakness. I'd cut down coffee to a level where if I skipped for a day I wouldn't be bedridden with the resulting headache (I've actually just achieved this one). No alcohol. Only 1 square of dark choc a day - no biscuits or desserts. No vanilla lattes! No sandwich bread (I'm ok with occasional pita or tortilla or chapatti etc).

 

Those are my personal issues. We already don't do deep fried food or much in the way of desserts, and we eat lots of vegetables, and cook from scratch. We've cut our most bread.

[helena]

Thanks everyone!

I feel like I'm the kind of person who needs a concrete plan to stay on track. If I set rules I'll stick with it. 

I'm at a good weight. I think I'm around 118 at 5'3". I'm vegetarian and married to a vegan, my kids are vegan. I only cook vegan food. We eat well.

Too well sometimes. :)

 

Here's what I've come up with so far.

First, I need portion control. A heaping second plate of anything always leaves me in pain. 

No more eating after a certain time in the evening. What time? I don't know yet.

I'm going to go off sugar (I don't use sugar replacements), flour, juice, soda, and fried foods.

I want to replace things like russet potatoes and white rices with healthier alternatives.

 

I eat very little dairy. Mostly a fresh French feta from the Persian market. I don't drink alcohol. I have one cup of coffee in the morning and a cup of tea in the afternoon. I'm not changing any of that. :)

 

For exercise, I want to commit to swimming everyday.

 

I'm small but a little jiggly. I have always had stomach issues, and I never technically lost the baby fat. My kids are now 14 and 17.  :wacko:  

I'd love for this to be "the summer I pulled it together."

Edited June 9, 2016 by helena

[helena]

More produce, less coffee creamer!

I use a lot of Trader Joe's soy creamer. I should look at the back of the carton!

[Slache]

It sounds like the No S Diet would be perfect for you, possibly combined with a 12 hour eating window. I suggest strength training for your jiggliness.

[helena]

It sounds like the No S Diet would be perfect for you, possibly combined with a 12 hour eating window. I suggest strength training for your jiggliness.

Off to google no s!

[Slache]

Off to google no s!

Sorry. The No S Diet: The principles are No Sweets, No Snacks, and No Seconds except on days that start with "S", Saturdays, Sundays, and Special occasions.

[J-rap]

I started by going off sugar, though not completely, because I think a little is okay.  :)  But no more sugar in my coffee, in my cereal, no more candy, or desserts simply because they're being served, no more pop or even fruit juice.  (I rarely ate candy or drank pop, so that part was not a big deal.)  But one homemade cookie with a cup of coffee mid-afternoon was on my "okay" list.  :)

 

I cut my carbs in half, and also, cut my snacks by half and found that I was satisfied with that.  (So, half a piece of PB toast mid-aft instead of a whole piece.)

 

I've never been a fan of fried foods.

 

When I serve myself, I load up much heavier now on the veggies and only half as much meats and other sides (potatoes, for example) that I used to serve myself, and don't serve bread as a side anymore like I used to.  (Unless it's with homemade soup, which I love.)

 

For lunch I start out with a veggie smoothie and water, with just a tad of fruit added to sweeten it.  Then I'll eat something enough after that until I'm full, such as PB toast, or a handful of almonds, or half an egg salad sandwich, etc.

 

We don't have things like potato chips, etc., on hand, ever, because if we do then I'll eat it.

 

Oh also, at dinner, I'll often add a second vegetable.  For some reason I always thought only one vegetable was all I could and should ever add.  But two is good!

 

 

 

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I think I would try to switch to a "clean" diet- that is, just eat foods that are unprocessed.  This automatically eliminates a lot of the baddies and emphasizes a lot of the goodies.  :-)

[kiana]

Sorry. The No S Diet: The principles are No Sweets, No Snacks, and No Seconds except on days that start with "S", Saturdays, Sundays, and Special occasions.

 

It is one of my top choices for recommending to people. It works particularly well for people who tend to get fixated on numbers.

 

If you do this I suggest putting an 's' on your calendar every time you have an s day. this iwll make it easier to keep track if (hypothetically) you dont' lose weight -- you can see 'ohyeah that week had 5 s days no wonder i'm holding water.

[helena]

It is one of my top choices for recommending to people. It works particularly well for people who tend to get fixated on numbers.

 

If you do this I suggest putting an 's' on your calendar every time you have an s day. this iwll make it easier to keep track if (hypothetically) you dont' lose weight -- you can see 'ohyeah that week had 5 s days no wonder i'm holding water.

I like that idea. I'll use it. :)

[helena]

I was laughing yesterday thinking of this thread. I was in LA all afternoon and night, where we ate at 5 different restaurants.  

We shared a lot of stuff, so no one was ever in pain...  :lol: Everything was vegan.

First we went for ramen. It was yummy! It even had a vegan halved hard boiled egg. 

Then ice cream. Seriously the best. Cardamom. He's an artist. 

After that we had a cheese platter. This guy has a vegan nut cheese restaurant. How could we to try it??

Next, we went for calzones. I don't care for them, but everyone else loves them.

 

Then we went to see a band, and burned some calories. Haha!

 

We ended the night at Doomies. A goth kind of place. We shared a fried chicken plate and a chimichanga. Gotta love Doomies!

Yikes!!

 

Time to cleanse.

 

 

 

 

[Jane Elliot]

I think I would just try new recipes, maybe make a goal of making one new healthy recipe per day. I'd get some cookbooks at the library or try the recipes at summertomato.com. Adding new healthy foods is a lot more fun than cutting things out. Eventually you'll have some healthy favorites that will naturally replace your less healthy staples.

[helena]

I think I would just try new recipes, maybe make a goal of making one new healthy recipe per day. I'd get some cookbooks at the library or try the recipes at summertomato.com. Adding new healthy foods is a lot more fun than cutting things out. Eventually you'll have some healthy favorites that will naturally replace your less healthy staples.

I have so many cookbooks I've never used!

My favorite replacement is hearts of romaine instead of a taco. 

Our problem is, we eat lots of very healthy food, and some definitely not healthy food. :)

[hornblower]

I was laughing yesterday thinking of this thread. I was in LA all afternoon and night, where we ate at 5 different restaurants.  

We shared a lot of stuff, so no one was ever in pain...  :lol: Everything was vegan.

 

So cool to hear of that many good vegan restaurants. They're popping up here with increasing regularity too. Plant based eating ftw :D 

[Bluegoat]

Why eliminate flour?  I understand cutting carbs, but totally eliminating flour seems like a big pain without much benefit.

 

I also wonder about the benefits of cutting out something that you eat rarely.  If you have a glass of pop once a month, I doubt cutting it out is going to have much impact at all.  I'd be easy, I guess, but it seems a bit like diet control just for the sake of it.

[Misha]

I'm vegan and gluten-free. I have a lot of dietary issues, so I don't eat processed food (including sugar). If I was going to clean up my diet majorly, I'd probably go 100% raw. 

 

Starting a new way of eating can be really exciting, not the "Ugh, why am I doing this??" that a lot of people think of it. It's a process, certainly, but one that can be enjoyable. 

 

[helena]

Why eliminate flour?  I understand cutting carbs, but totally eliminating flour seems like a big pain without much benefit.

 

I also wonder about the benefits of cutting out something that you eat rarely.  If you have a glass of pop once a month, I doubt cutting it out is going to have much impact at all.  I'd be easy, I guess, but it seems a bit like diet control just for the sake of it.

 

No, it's not diet control for no reason. I have to do a lot of listening to my body. I deal with a lot health issues that seem hopelessly impossible to solve.

 

When I pull back from a food or beverage, it gives me a chance to know better, Can I eat this food at all? If I can, are there limitations? It doesn't come natural for me, to just know how to treat me body. My body is a mysterious train wreck. 

 

I think flour is doing more harm than good right now. The good it does is comfort, and boy do I LOVE comfort. The bad it might be doing is making a feeling like I've swallowed a hot dog and it's stuck in there, not moving. 

 

Overall, it's summer, and I'm ready for a bit of a cleanse. To eat light and more clean than usual. I don't have issues with food though. It's coming from a happy place. :)

[helena]

So cool to hear of that many good vegan restaurants. They're popping up here with increasing regularity too. Plant based eating ftw :D

 

 

The egg in the ramen was just crazy.

I found a picture!

http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-ramen-hood-grand-central-market-20151106-story.html

[hornblower]

The egg in the ramen was just crazy.

I found a picture!

http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-ramen-hood-grand-central-market-20151106-story.html

Wow, that looks good. Was it yummy?

 

It reminds me of the work of Skye Michael aka The Gentle Chef. He does a devilled "egg" &  nut cheeses & all kind of magic with seitan.  So much innovation!  So much of this is not exactly every day healthy eating though, is it LOL. 

[helena]

Wow, that looks good. Was it yummy?

 

It reminds me of the work of Skye Michael aka The Gentle Chef. He does a devilled "egg" &  nut cheeses & all kind of magic with seitan.  So much innovation!  So much of this is not exactly every day healthy eating though, is it LOL. 

Oh yeah, it was excellent! 

 

Thanks for the link, I'll share it with my girls. They're both getting into cooking and we're all curious about vegan deviled eggs. 

They've been cooking with the new Follow Your Heart eggs: http://followyourheart.com/products/veganegg/

 

I'm impressed! I grew up with Morning Star products in the 70s. Veg and vegan has come a long way!