Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with food and health

I like it raw.

blackcatcuriouser — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:46:54 -0800

Any suggestions for a 14-day raw food detox diet? What can I expect to feel like? I've been in the process of losing weight (via eating better and exercising) and have lost about 20 pounds since early summer. I fell off the health wagon in early November due to work/school stress, started ordering takeout more often, missed the gym for weeks at a time. Throw in a few weekend birthday celebrations and Thanksgiving - all of which involved indulging heavily in fatty foods and quite a bit of alcohol - and I gained about 4 pounds back.

I'd like to get back on board and continue to lose the weight I started losing. (I'm about 10-15 lbs to my goal.) I've started going to the gym again, and lighter eating began the day after Thanksgiving. But I still feel sluggish and generally gross from a month of face-stuffing and boozing.

I've developed, based on various internet articles, a plan for a 2-week raw (or mostly raw) cleanse. It's a variation of the vegan raw food cleanse in that it's not as super strict as some of the ones I've read about online. I plan to eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts and drink water and herbal teas. (Which is pretty much what I normally drink anyway.) I'm allowing occasional oatmeal with raw honey and fruit, maybe 1 or 2 mornings a week. I'm also thinking of throwing a teaspoon of olive oil per day into the mix, for salad dressing. Maybe some light salt and pepper. No meat, dairy, eggs, pasta, bread, alcohol, candy or processed foods. I am going to allow myself avocado and canned beans, but no tofu.

Anything else I should avoid? Any cool raw recipes I should consider feasting on or advice in general? I've never done this before. What can I expect to feel like? (Some background, I'm a mid-20s female of a healthy weight, and I usually eat everything.)

Why do I always get so hungry late at night?

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:32:35 -0800

Why do I always get so hungry late at night? I tend to go to bed around 12:30-1 am, though it usually takes me a long time to fall asleep. I always get hungry around 11-12, and if I stay up later than usual I get especially hungry. I usually eat something, but even then I don't feel full. I've been this way for several years, if not forever; I don't remember ever not being like this.

Maybe-relevant info: I'm 23 and male. I don't have any relevant health problems except a tendency to fall asleep late and wake up late (for which I take melatonin). I eat pretty nutritiously, mostly vegetarian. (I may lack some protein, but I try to get it from legumes; I might also lack some kind of vitamin, but I'd have no idea how to tell). I don't exercise much, though I think I had the same problem back when I did exercise more. I tend to consume a lot of caffeine, mostly tea (which I usually avoid drinking after 8 pm unless it's decaf).

Does this happen to anyone else? It seems like everyone else I know eats dinner somewhere between 6 and 8 and then doesn't eat anything after that until falling asleep, so it seems pretty weird! It's supposedly unhealthy to eat late at night, so is there anything I can do about it?

Anonymous just because I included a lot of identifying information.

Is Green Tea Good for You even when it's cold?

lynnie-the-pooh — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:09:17 -0800

I heard Green Tea is extremely good for you. If I drink it cold, will it give me the same benefits as hot green tea? I like the Snapple Green tea drink you can get in a glass bottle and you drink it cold. Thanks, Lynnie-the-pooh

Not-so-Fantastic Plastic

Miko — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:19:55 -0800

Can you help my household kick the plastic habit? I've been reading all sorts of creepy things about plastics lately, and really want to stop using them as much as possible, especially for food storage and heating.

I've been using Pyrex refrigerator dishes for leftovers for a long time, and have a bunch of old-school Thermoses that still work well. I've become aware of round metal "tiffin" containers, but haven't bought any yet. We store a lot of grains, beans, and spices in canning jars in the cupboards.

Beyond that, I'm still searching for solutions. Things like: when I want to pop a bowl of dough or something in the fridge with an airtight cover, what can I use? Are there reusable sandwich bags or food wrap of some material other than plastic? What about sandwich-shaped containers? What can go into the freezer and provide a real seal - as for frozen pizza dough, leftovers, etc?

A lot of cosmetic products come in plastics, too. Any ways of getting around that?

Thanks all.

What are some good protein-rich meals I can take to work with me for lunch? I'm trying to gain some mass.

decrescendo — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:11:25 -0800

What are some good protein-rich meals I can take to work with me for lunch? I'm trying to gain some mass. I'll have a refrigerator and microwave present and my commute is only 15 minutes. I'm 6'3" 190 lbs and I'm trying to gain weight. I also eat out during lunch way too much. Saving 8 dollars a day would be fantastic on top of eating meals that will be better for my mass gain.

I automatically think pasta because I'm a terrible cook, but that doesn't seem like the route I should be going in order to bulk up.

Have any ideas?

(Maybe this will help me become a better cook somehow, too).

I think food and me need some time apart...

SansPoint — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:39:21 -0800

I'm a chubby guy with a chronic sweet tooth, and a problem with overeating. Will fasting actually do anything for me? Okay, I've checked the previous questions on this sort of thing, but they don't quite address one of the main reasons I'm interested in trying a fast. I'm a bit of an overeater, and a fast eater, and I'm wondering if doing a fast will help my relationship to food. This way I can perhaps neutralize my chronic sweet tooth, train myself to eat less, and perhaps develop a healthier diet.

I realize that the whole detoxification thing from fasting is a load of bunk and hoo-ha. I'm not expecting or desiring any sort of spiritual benefit, and the like. I'm very devout in my non-spirituality. Thing is, my weight's gotten up to friggin' 230 pounds (and I'm 5'9"), and that's not good. Anything that can help me deal with how I eat and improve it has to be good for me, right?

And if I do this sort of thing, what's the *sanest* way to fast without killing myself?

Help me satisfy a sweet tooth on a low sugar/low carb diet!

mattholomew — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:00:21 -0800

Help me satisfy a sweet tooth on a low sugar/low carb diet! I have been put on a low carb/low-to-no sugar diet because of high blood glucose. I will be meeting with a nutritionist, but my biggest concern is my ravenous sweet tooth. I love me some ice cream and cookies, and chocolate. I'd like to hear what y'all recommend - recipes would be fabulous, any prepackaged food suggestions would also be great, and anything at restaurants that's good is also, um, good.

I have no other dietary restrictions, but if you have a tasty vegan recipe, I'm open to it.

(I realize this type of question has been asked before, but there are always new recipes and products coming out)

Can I eat my way to happiness and fufillment?

jon1270 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:57:09 -0800

What constitutes a healthy diet when excess weight is not an issue and reasonably high calorie intake is necessary? Late 30's male, going through a bit of a midlife crisis and thinking about aspects of my life that might need adjustment. Though I can't say exactly why, I've been wondering whether my diet couldn't stand some improvement.

I'm 6' tall and have been 160#, give or take a pound or two, ever since high school. I think I'm more physically active than average, but I seem to be able to burn through no end of calories whether I'm moving around a lot or not. I have no major health problems that I'm aware of.

I taught myself to cook, cutting my teeth on the butter- and cream-laden fare of James Beard. Over time, my cooking habits have continued leaning towards what I think of as decadent and restaurantish cuisine -- a bit heavy on meat and fat -- largely because this is an easy way to get calories and avoid feeling hungry again half an hour after a meal. Last night it was penne with a Bolognese sauce. The night before it was ribs and succotash with a rich dessert (dinner party). Before that, a chicken and vegetable curry with coconut milk. In the fridge are ingredients for a risotto with sausage. I like vegetables and fruit, but they are generally accessories to the meal rather than the main event. This is all very tasty, but I sometimes have the sense that I've consumed more grease than is good for me.

I have a drink on as many evenings as I refrain (typically only one) which is pleasantly relaxing but muddies my thinking for the rest of the day. I'm not sure it's worth the tradeoff.

I also have a moderate caffeine addiction. If I don't have a couple mugs of strong coffee every morning, I get irritable and can't think straight by mid-afternoon. If I have coffee after noon, I don't sleep well and the diuretic effect wakes me up at 3 in the morning.

I'm wondering if I can do better, but I've been living this way for so long that my imagination is constricted by habit. What are my options for tasty foods and good eating habits that can deliver calories and general well-being without the long-term health implications of the animal-based fats? Should I consider cutting out caffeine and/or alcohol entirely? If I were to make such changes, what benefits might I experience?

Help a health-conscious snacker bake!

schmoo — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:28:08 -0800

Please suggest me some snacks, light or portable dishes that are both healthy and involve baking or cooking. I love to cook. I especially love to cook recipes that involve lots of chopping, stiring, mixing, frying or baking. I don't like recipes that are just an assembly of ingredients, or which only take 2 minutes. I like to be in the kitchen! That said, I'm not looking to spend hours in the kitchen, so something that takes 3 days isn't really an option!

I cook a lot of meals like this in the evenings, but I'm looking for snacks that I can bake or cook. - Things that I can take to work in my lunchbox, snack on after work, or leave in the fridge and graze on for a few days.

However, I'm also pretty health-conscious and trying to, if not lose a few pounds, definately not put any on. This rules out the normal things that I think I would find fun cooking - cookies, cupcakes, muffins, quiche, samosas, breads, etc. That list seems biased towards sweet things, but savoury are just as welcome, if not more.

The kinds of things that I am looking for, and have experimented with already are: falafels (baked, not fried), healthy lo-cal dips (would welcome more of these!) and glazed nuts (not the most low-fat of snack but at least has health benefits). I would love any and all suggestions for things along these lines. I would also welcome low-calorie versions of the things that I don't bake - cookies, cakes, etc.

So - give me your recipes for low-fat, low-cal or just plain healthy snacks and light dishes which involve cooking or baking.

I have searched previous posts, and while there are many on health snack ideas, none that meet my particular criteria! Thanks in advance!

Do Bananas constipate??

lynnie-the-pooh — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:07:12 -0800

Do Bananas constipate or do they do the opposite? My daughter needs to eat foods that make stool soft. Some people have told me to feed her bananas and others say to stay away from them. Which is the truth? My daughter is five years old. Also, my daughter takes Miralax to make things soft. Is there any alternative to this? Like an herb or some natural vitamin/herb/spice combo that she could take instead?

Thanks,

Lynnie-the-Pooh

Looking for some healthy recipe resources

Afroblanco — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:15:58 -0800

Looking for cookbooks, blogs, websites, and forums that specialize in simple, healthy recipes. I'm a single guy who doesn't have a whole lot of time to cook or wash dishes. But I'm tired of eating out all the time, and would like to change my eating habits.

I'm not looking for a "diet." I want to make a permanent change in the way I eat.

I like healthy/vegetarian food, but am not myself a vegetarian. So no dietary restrictions really, except that the food must be healthy, nutritious, low-fat and low-calorie.

I don't mind putting some effort into my meals, but ideally these recipes wouldn't require a lot of time-consuming preparation or cleanup.

Assume that I don't know anything at all about cooking, because, well, I kinda don't.

there is no more forbidden. why can't i understand this?

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:06:49 -0800

Raised in a super-strict, health-conscious household - I never learned "moderation" with not-so-healthy foods. Can I, as an adult, re-train good eating habits that do not include restriction, and do not include binging? My father was a biochemist/nutritionist. During my birth, my mother was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. As a result, food and healthy eating was a constant subject in our house, and I had little freedom to come to decisions on my own.

"junk" food was kept in a locked filing cabinet, to which only my father had the key. Our rations would include anywhere from 1-4 cookies a day, depending on our ranking from youngest to oldest (I am the youngest of four). Additionally, prior to my birth and my mom's cancer, food was less of a issue. It's normal for older siblings to pick on the younger ones; in my case, I was picked on because of the change in eating habits that merged birth and sickness. "We could always eat (x, y, and z) before you were born" was something I heard for many years.

Brown rice, tofu, steamed veggies, lean meats, low sodium, no-soda (and so on) was the diet of our household. As a result of this, I actually do sincerely enjoy eating "healthy" foods - they taste great to me. My favorite snack as a kid? Seaweed.

We were allowed to go go trick or treating as kids - but never allowed to keep the candy. Our rooms were searched for storing snacks we might have smuggled from school. This, in addition to keeping cookies under lock and key. Learning to develop a moderate diet, inclusive of everything with no restrictions, but knowing how to moderate foods, was something I don't think I ever developped.

Beginning in middle school when we had a little more freedom, I'd buy snacks at school, and hide them in places my dad would never look.

When I got my license and began earning my own money, this habit magnified - sneaking in the bad foods, hiding them, scarfing them down before I'd be found out.

I feel like I've carried these unhealthy habits into adulthood. I feel like if I get junk, it's not going to stay around. And so I must eat it quickly, in private, before it's found out and condemned. And I hate this condemnation. Even living on my own now, it's hard for me to rectify this ingrained reaction to junk or indulgent food - nothing lasts for long, because nothing ever lasted for long when we were growing up. In my mind I know no one is going to steal my hershey's kisses in the cupboard - but I feel like I've deeply internalized that if I have 3 now, I can't count on them being there tomorrow.

My problem is not that I dislike good-for-you-foods - I love them, actually. But I also feel like I don't know how to moderate my eating, and re-train my mind when it comes to developing good eating habits, where nothing is off limits - and find a balance between restriction and binging.

Can I change the way I think about food?

What herbs or vitamins or food makes more blood flow to the brain?

lynnie-the-pooh — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:31:23 -0800

What herbs or vitamins or food will make more blood flow into my brain? I am looking for any herb, vitamin, food, or anything else that will help make more blood flow to my brain. I know exercise is great for that as well. Any ideas from you would be great, but I'm not looking for any pill or anything a doctor would prescibe. I'm interested in something more natural and that I can do on my own. Thank you so much!!

Lynnie-the-Pooh

Reverse veganization

zenofthefrisbee — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:00:10 -0800

How can I incorporate animal protien and supplemental iron in my vegan diet? That sounds contradictory, I know.

But my doctor just told me that I am protien deficient and anemic, and that I must eat animal protiens and more iron. Every body is different, and apparently mine can't survive on a strict vegan menu alone. Now I am having trouble imagining how to incorporate meats in my meals. I've looked into whey protien mixes, but am interested in ways that I can hide meat (and extra iron) in my diet without, you know, tasting it. Basically I'd like my diet to remain as vegan as possible on the surface, while satisfying my body's protien requirements.

Fish is out; I can't palate it. Chicken, pork, and beef are better.

So, what are some good recipes to hide animal protien in?
Are there any prepared foods (like I'd buy at Whole Foods on my lunch break) that might work?
What are my other options outside of meat? Do eggs count?

Why did my lunch put me to sleep?

micawber — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:34:42 -0800

Why does this food seem to always make me sleepy? I try so hard to bring my lunch, but it's not always possible, and even if I do, sometimes I have to go out to lunch with picky, finicky, coworkers. Today we went to one of those 'EVERYTHING' places, and while eyeing the sushi (which did not look good), I noticed a guy dishing out udon soups. I love udon (although I prefer soba), but stopped eating it for lunch because 1) i didn't know there was any near this office and 2) it always made me ridiculously sleepy after lunch.

But today, at this place, I decided it was the best lunch option available to me, and got chicken udon with the usual assortment of veggies and seaweed and came back to the office to eat it during my lunch meeting...

...and once again, was almost put to sleep.

What is it in a standard udon soup that's doing this? I go to a ramen joint (not top ramen, people, a japanese noodle shop type place) all the time and this does not happen. Obviously I'm not going to repeat this experience in the middle of the day but I'd love to know why chicken, miso, noodles, scallions, tofu, veggies and seaweed are doing this to me.

What are the true risks associated with eating a greasy meal?

hungrysquirrels — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:39:42 -0800

What are the true cardiovascular risks associated with eating a greasy meal? Out of curiosity, over the last couple of years I've seen many people comment on various sites about the so called heart attack inducing food that Americans are eating these days. Bacon, 'Hungry Man' dinners, and oversized hamburgers are often involved. Generally things that are greasy.

I understand how arteries can clog, but my assumption is that it would take a fairly long time of eating fatty foods for clogging to become a problem. So, the question is, could a single non-healthy meal induce cardiovascular distress, or is this an internet meme? How quickly does an unhealthy greasy meal get into the bloodstream?

Not looking for a thorough explanation, just whether it's possible.

Will this chicken kill me?

Raichle — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:57:39 -0800

Will I get salmonella if I eat this? My refrigerator/freezer is in an unheated garage in Pittsburgh where it's been below freezing for awhile. While it was really cold, the freezer didn't seem to work very well and the food seemed to be only partially frozen. I noticed that pierogies, raviolis, etc were a little soft and didn't cook as well as I'd like. Is the chicken I had frozen in there safe to eat? It smells fine and the freezer always stayed cold enough for some slushy ice build-up on the bottom. It never thawed completely into liquid. Since the temp went up, the freezer seems to be happier.

Thanks!

What type of foods should I be eating in order to bulk up?

decrescendo — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:49:51 -0800

What type of foods should I be eating in order to bulk up? In reference to this question.

It seems that the common response to my previous question was I need to eat better and eat more before I can really gain muscle/bulk. I feel that I don't eat enough or well enough.

My daily meals are as follows:
breakfast: 3 hard-boiled eggs
lunch: Chipotle
dinner: whatever I can easily find to stop being hungry

Can anyone give me some help on how to immediately turn my eating habits around to make myself able to build muscle (or at least bulk up)?

I'm sick of feeling like I'm wilting away to nothing. I've been lazy about this for too many years and it's time to turn it around. (Yes, I'm pissed off at myself.)

I am not a very good cook at all so I'm kind of at a loss for where to begin. Any help would be fantastic. Thanks!

What are some good non-sugar-alcohol protein bars?

speek — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:27:12 -0800

What are some good, healthy, protein bars that don't have sugar alcohols in them? I'm looking for some protein bars that don't have sugar alcohols (maltitol, lactitol... basically anything sugar+ol), don't use artificial sweeteners, don't use High Fructose Corn Syrup, are high in protein (20+g), and are low in carbs (30g max).

I know it's a lot to ask, but I've found Elev8 Me bars... which gives me hope. They get pretty darn close, but I'd like to have some more protein in my protein bar.

Thanks,
Marc

No more Spaghetti-O's for me.

itchie — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:20:18 -0800

I ate some hot (temperature-wise) food and passed out. What happened? While I was on the phone last night, I ate some hot food - unbearably scorching. Next thing I know I've passed out on my bed with the person still on the other line. They said I moaned and kept saying "Oh it's so hot!" and then all she heard was gurgling noises, and that I was out for about 5 to 10 seconds. My face was white and my vision was spinning for a few seconds. What exactly happened to me? Was it my body shutting down to protect me from the warmth of the food? Should I get it checked out (even though I feel no symptoms today)?

Hummus goes with what veggie?

reenum — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:44:20 -0800

I want to find veggies I can dip in hummus instead of chips. Suggestions? I like to snack on hummus and crackers, but I am trying to get healthier this year. I'd like to replace the crackers with some sort of veggie. I tried carrots and did not enjoy the combo.

Can you suggest another veggie (or fruit) that might be a good sub for crackers and allow me to keep up my hummus habit?

Has anyone ever truly lost weight and kept it off?

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:17:37 -0800

What kind of hope is there for the average person to lose weight and keep it off when someone like Oprah who has personal trainers and personal nutritionists and personal chefs and personal minders and more money than God can't manage to do it? I never used to be a heavy girl. I ate terribly, but I exercised at the gym every day, and I was slim and fit regardless. But then I moved, and I got older, and I put on close to 80 pounds in a decade. I have watched people all around me struggle to lose weight and then they put it all back on plus more. I can't even motivate myself to try because it looks like I'm just setting myself up for disappointment--I'd have to radically change how I eat (learning to cook, for a start, which is a whole other hurdle). I keep reading that none of it works anyway, and everyone has a "set point" or something, and only 5% of people manage to keep weight off after losing it.

Canned milkshakes are gross. I sat in on a Weight Watchers meeting once and I felt like I was in a cult. I'm at my wit's end.

Has anyone here managed to lose real weight and never gain it back?

Share your slow carb recipes

sid — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:50:34 -0800

Give us your slow carb recipes! We are attempting a slow carb diet, which for us means cutting out or severely reducing all flour, rice, potatoes, and bread. Our carb sources would be pulses, legumes, and sweet potatoes. It's going pretty well so far but I think we are going to soon grow tired of hummus! Please share any delicious recipes that would fit the stated parameters.

How do you manage a good breakfast in the morning?

peanut_mcgillicuty — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:33:03 -0800

I've been eating bagels or instant oatmeal at my desk for almost four years, and it needs to change. First, I'm tired of eating so many meals at my desk (breakfast, lunch almost every day, AND dinner on nights that I have graduate school!). But more importantly, I want something more substantial that's better for me and will keep me full longer than empty carbohydrates. Part of the problem is that I'm afraid if I eat at home, I will be ravenous by the time lunch comes around. As it is right now, I eat at 9 a.m. and am hungry for lunch at 12, to the point of feeling faint by 12:30 or so. If I eat breakfast a full hour earlier, won't I be hungry for lunch that much earlier? Having a snack seems to defeat the purpose of eating breakfast at home.

I should say that I might not get enough protein in my diet in general--I'm just transitioning from being a vegetarian for my entire life to eating a little bit of meat (so far, only chicken and things that aren't exactly meat but aren't vegetarian either, like ramen, soups with chicken or beef stock, gelatin, etc). Suggestions for getting more protein are very welcome.

Mostly, though, I want to hear what you eat for breakfast and how (at home, at work, etc) and what you think I should eat.

Specific criteria:

1. Yogurt is 100% out in all shapes and forms. I can't even tolerate the smell of it. Same with cottage cheese.
2. I don't want to cook meat that looks like meat (so, turkey sausages would be ok, raw chicken not so much).
3. Cold cereal grosses me out--all that soggy stuff floating around in a pool of white liquid...
4. I cannot eat on my commute (packed subway). It's either at home or at work (where I do have access to a refrigerator and microwave, and for the most part, no problems with people stealing food out of the communcal fridge).
5. I'm looking for quick-fix, minimal-dishes-and-mess ideas rather than elaborate ideas. I'm going to have to start getting up earlier to eat breakfast at home; no point in making it more complicated than it needs to be.

Things I have already thought of: breakfast burritos (especially when prepared ahead in bulk, frozen and then heated in the microwave), minute oatmeal with honey and bananas, egg-and-cheese on toast/bagel/roll or egg-in-a-boat/hole/whatever you call it, etc.

What do you eat in the morning?

Yes, I cook for my dog. How can I do it better?

taz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:39:17 -0800

I'd like nutritional advice for homemade dog food and maybe treats, using easy-to-find ingredients. I haven't been able to find high quality commercial dog food where I live, so I make most of her food myself, but I would like to make her homemade food as healthy as I possibly can with the resources I have, which are somewhat limited. Current routine, and many(!) more details inside. Our dog is a rescue that we've had for five months, and she's a completely different animal than we got - in the best way, so I know we are doing pretty good now, but I'd like to know more and do better.

We don't have access to most fancy health food ingredients, so I want to use ordinary ingredients as much as possible.

I currently feed her one of: turkey, chicken, fish, or liver, + brown rice or crumbled whole wheat bread, + vegetables (shredded carrot and zucchini with a bit of cooked spinach, or cooked and lightly mashed frozen veggie combo - peas, green beans, carrots, potato, lima beans). I portion these (protein, carb, veg) as roughly 1/3 each. At one point I upped the protein, but she began straining to poo and her poop was very hard. Normally her poop is very good/solid - never soft or runny, but not too hard, either. That may have just been an adjustment thing, so I'm not averse to increasing the meat to veggie/carb ratio if it's a better diet. I once tried cooked oatmeal instead of rice, and she seemed to really dislike it, but it was probably just because it wasn't what she expected, and we can give that another shot - if it's better for her. (She's really not picky or spoiled - she'll eat what we give her to eat, though I might have to feed her from my hand a bit at first to get her going...)

To this I add a spoonful of nutritional yeast, a small bit of chopped or dried garlic, a half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a small splash of olive oil. About once a week I give her a scrambled egg or two instead of meat/fish, and a couple of times a week I give her a few spoonfuls of low(er)-fat yogurt as a treat.

Her regular treats are slices of banana, frozen peas (which she is inexplicably crazy for), or a small bit of feta cheese. She'll eat a couple of bites of pear and apple as well, though not her favorite stuff. She's not crazy about fruit, generally. We don't feed her our leftovers (we eat 'em ourselves!)

I worry, expecially, that she's not getting enough calcium. I don't really find the proper sorts of raw bones for her here (we once asked our butcher for a dog bone, and he gave us something that looked like it came from a dinosaur... really, there was no way that was happening). And she could probably benefit from other additives, but I can't find a lot of health food ingredients here. The nutritional yeast, which should be available as a powder, I have to buy from the one place I can find it in pill form (and expensive), which I then grind up. There just isn't a lot of health food stuff available here yet.

I got the very nice book Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, but I can't find most of the holistic ingredients in the diet section. I ordered a book of dog food recipes that are supposed to be "Veterinarian approved" and the recipes were totally silly, plus even from my little knowledge, not really that healthy. So I'm up for a good book on this, but it has to be something that relies on regular ordinary ingredients that you could find anywhere, and of course it should actually have some canine nutrition science or background. I'm really, really not looking for something like "Bow-wow Brownies" with "Bow-wow Brownie Frosting" (actual, real recipes from the second stupid book I got).