How can I eat healthier?

[carys220]

How can I eat healthier without having to prepare food constantly and spend extra money?

it's so easy to go to the shop and buy crisps and choc, I can't stop myself! How can I stop myself??

[river]

Hey,

You sound like me! lol! I went through a similar phase and so made the following changes to my diet -

Eat more fish and reduce your in take of meat - I now only eat fish.

Reduce the amount of wheat you eat, you can still have pasta but go for corn pasta instead of wheat pasta it wont bloat you out.

Try to reduce the amount of processed food in your diet

Instead of white bread have wholegrain and instead of full fat mayo have reduced fat.

Drink plenty of water and replace coffee or tea with herbal teas, green tea is nice and good for you.

Eat plenty of raw fruit and veg and throw some nuts/seeds in for good measure.

Eat everything in moderation its ok to have chocolate sometimes just balance your diets with good and not so good.

Its prob best not to diet as you're unlikely to stick to it, plus when you go back to eating normally you'll gain the weight/bloated feeling etc.

Personally I ate really well Monday to fri then have saturday off to eat what I like and sunday I ate slightly better then its back to mon - fri to eating healthy.

[river]

I should really proof read my answers before I post them! :o) ...but you get what I'm saying!

[4getmenot]

Fruit is the way forward, its also easy to go to shops and buy fruit, dont buy any snacks, and when you're sat at home bored and reach for the biscuits go for the fruit instead. although tastes hideous dunked in your tea :-)

[Panic Button]

Lentil soup fills you up nicely.

[natalie_1982]

I'm the same as River, I eat healthily Mon-Fri, I have smoothie, bran flakes and dried fruit for brekkie, salad / ryvita / wholemeal roll for lunch and a healthy meal in the evening, I only snack on fruit or nuts and drink loads of water. At the weekends I can have takeaway without feeling guilty although I do try to eat more fruit and veg at the weekend, I don't force myself! I might have something I like, like juice or a smoothie or fruit on a dessert or veg with my meal.

If you make little changes like having a glass of juice (make sure it is 'real' juice and not those Sunny D types) first thing in the morning then you have alreday nailed a fruit portion before leaving the house, if you then throw a handful of dried fruit, or berries or chop a banana on some cereal you have two portions by breakfast time!

I also exercise three times during the week, but again I don't make a point of going to the gym or classes or pool at the weekend, but I will walk wherever possible.

Ultimately though, only you can start making changes about what you buy when you go into a shop!

[annie0000]

Make a big fruit salad a couple of times a week and then it is there when you fancy a snack - keeps you off the chocky! I chop up all my fruit and pour in a bit of fruit juice, or add a tin of mandarines in fruit juice to it and it keeps fine in the fridge in a sealed container for a few days. Don't put banana in though as it tends to go mushy - i always add banana into the bowl when I am eating it.

[natalie_1982]

Oh yes Annie! I chop a pineapple up and put it in a tub with some red grapes. A whole pineapple and the equivalent in grapes usually lasts me a good week.

[annie0000]

nat - if it was only me it would last a week, but i put in a whole pineapple, bag of grapes, 2 apples, 2 nectarines, 2 pears, some strawberrys and whatever else is about melon etc and finish of with a tin of mandarines and it only lasts a 2 or 3 days once hubby and the kids get their paws on it. If it starts to get bid sad looking though, I blitz it which the blender with a banana and some fruit juice and make a smoothie instead. I shouldn't complain, at least it is healthier than them asking for sweets or crisps.

[annie0000]

doh! meant "with" not "which"

[CheekyChops]

Its also easy to go to the shops and get some salad! If you've got a supermarket near you, most of them do prepacked salad boxes that you can have for lunch, and eventhe smallest shops sell fruit.

I'm no angel either, I find the crisps long before I find the salad and then I think 'Oh well, I've got the crisps now, might as well eat them!'

I live on my own and so don't buy biscuits or cakes, even though I like them, because if I did I know I would eat the whole packet. Far easier not to have any available!

[carys220]

Thanks for all your answers, I have bought some big tubs of fruit in juice which i keep on my desk at work, they're good for a snack.

The problem is; I had cereal and a yogurt for brekkie this morning, a salad for lunch and snacked on pineapple chunks all afternoon, by 5pm I was starving - the truth is, bad food fills me up! I forgot to mention I'm vegetarian, so the only 'healthy' food I can get in work is salad, which can get a bit boring I think.

[natalie_1982]

Why can't you have a veggie wrap or sandwich or roll? Or soup? Or pasta? Or rice? Or jacket potato with veggie filling? Or crackers with cheese? A salad with pulses or beans is filling.

Buying fresh fruit is going to be cheaper than buying prepacked fruit or salad. Nuts and seeds are filling, as are yoghurts and crackerbeads. Try a slice of wholemeal bread if you want a snack. You will find the change in your diet harder to stick to if you dont enjoy from the word go!

[bensmum]

I think the fruit salad idea is great. I also make up different soups - I particularly like watercress. Being vegetarian should cause no problems with snacks - you can have rice cakes with spreads as a change, dried fruits (although they are quite high in calories as are nuts which are also good for you). Have you tried pumpkin or sunflower seeds? I love them but unfortunately I'm allergic to them! None of these cost a fortune.