What sorts of food should you eat if you want to stay lean?
May 8, 2022 10:18 PM Subscribe
I've lost a lot of weight after working very hard for years to do so. However, this is an opportunity to make some changes to my diet and to stick to them for good.
I'm not really aware of which foods are best for staying lean or generally just staying healthy.
To be clear now that I've lost that weight, I want to keep it off and I want to make some changes to the usual things I eat. I never ever want to go back to eating as I used to.
This past year has been challenging in many ways but even so it has brought changes, many of which are welcome. Switching out my diet and making it healthier has been one of those. Even so, I want to go further. I want to cut out all the sugary stuff, the pizzas, processed meats and cheeses and so on. I used to eat those things because I grew up with them but I want them out. To be frank, the North American diet is infuriating as is what you find at the supermarkets. It's all sugary stuff, processed meats with too much sodium, processed cheeses with too much calories, sugary soda drinks, salty junk food, baked goods, so on and so forth.
I want to eliminate all of these things out of my regular diets and leave them for special occasions only.
However, I'm not quite so certain what I should eat instead though. A piece of chicken, some rice, beans and some vegetables? I guess that's one thing to do, but what else is there though?
I don't want to be super restrictive because this will just make it too hard. I don't know what I should be looking for, however.
To be clear now that I've lost that weight, I want to keep it off and I want to make some changes to the usual things I eat. I never ever want to go back to eating as I used to.
This past year has been challenging in many ways but even so it has brought changes, many of which are welcome. Switching out my diet and making it healthier has been one of those. Even so, I want to go further. I want to cut out all the sugary stuff, the pizzas, processed meats and cheeses and so on. I used to eat those things because I grew up with them but I want them out. To be frank, the North American diet is infuriating as is what you find at the supermarkets. It's all sugary stuff, processed meats with too much sodium, processed cheeses with too much calories, sugary soda drinks, salty junk food, baked goods, so on and so forth.
I want to eliminate all of these things out of my regular diets and leave them for special occasions only.
However, I'm not quite so certain what I should eat instead though. A piece of chicken, some rice, beans and some vegetables? I guess that's one thing to do, but what else is there though?
I don't want to be super restrictive because this will just make it too hard. I don't know what I should be looking for, however.
Eat a ton of vegetables. Like whenever you have a choice between vegetables and something else (like for a side or something) eat the vegetables. Also lots of non-fried potatoes, those keep you full for a long time and are easy.
Check out a recipe website like smitten kitchen and find something that looks good.
To be honest, if you cook for yourself most days you end up automatically eating pretty healthy because deep frying is so annoying at home, as is making more than a couple dishes.
If you don't want to cook chipotle or a lettuce burger from a fast food place is pretty healthy, as are salads if you can find them.
There's so much food out there though, even chicken + rice + beans + vegetables can be completely different depending on spices, sauce, breast vs thigh and skin-on vs skin-off, what type of rice, fast vs slow cooking, and obviously what type of vegetable. You could eat that for a month and never repeat a combination.
posted by hermanubis at 10:31 PM on May 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
Check out a recipe website like smitten kitchen and find something that looks good.
To be honest, if you cook for yourself most days you end up automatically eating pretty healthy because deep frying is so annoying at home, as is making more than a couple dishes.
If you don't want to cook chipotle or a lettuce burger from a fast food place is pretty healthy, as are salads if you can find them.
There's so much food out there though, even chicken + rice + beans + vegetables can be completely different depending on spices, sauce, breast vs thigh and skin-on vs skin-off, what type of rice, fast vs slow cooking, and obviously what type of vegetable. You could eat that for a month and never repeat a combination.
posted by hermanubis at 10:31 PM on May 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
I eat processed food, but I guess I eat not much of it and treat it as a high caloric safety net. My wife is 5’ and I’m 6’ and she eats more than I do. A lot of chicken and rice/potatoes in many different forms. And a lot of cookies. It’s so cliche but it is the calories in part that matters.
Being hungry is a thing I’m fine with a lot because I don’t think I’m dying. Not sure how to phrase that where it doesn’t sound weird but I’m listening to my body (though sometimes ADHD makes me go too far when I am like oh we went past needing to eat by being hyper focused.) but yeah, I’ve got a million different chicken thigh recipes or good things like carne guisada/beef tips with rice things.
I guess what I’m trying to say is I’ve learned the difference between my stomach is full and my body is adequately fueled to think, regulate emotions and lift heavy things. They’re very different feelings for my body. I don’t need the full part to have the other things, but it’s cool and fine.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 10:45 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Being hungry is a thing I’m fine with a lot because I don’t think I’m dying. Not sure how to phrase that where it doesn’t sound weird but I’m listening to my body (though sometimes ADHD makes me go too far when I am like oh we went past needing to eat by being hyper focused.) but yeah, I’ve got a million different chicken thigh recipes or good things like carne guisada/beef tips with rice things.
I guess what I’m trying to say is I’ve learned the difference between my stomach is full and my body is adequately fueled to think, regulate emotions and lift heavy things. They’re very different feelings for my body. I don’t need the full part to have the other things, but it’s cool and fine.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 10:45 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
- wholewheat-everything, brown rice and so on. Grains are not bad for you, but avoid the white varieties. They offer mostly calories and not much more.
- at every hot meal, make sure that at least half of your plate is vegetables.
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:46 PM on May 8, 2022
- at every hot meal, make sure that at least half of your plate is vegetables.
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:46 PM on May 8, 2022
“A piece of chicken, some rice, beans and some vegetables” makes it sound like you’re condemning yourself to a lifetime of boring food. But it could be a curry, or jerk chicken, or you could serve it with a romesco sauce or whatever.
And if you want to get into the habit of eating more vegetables, pick up a good vegetarian cookbook, like Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian, to learn ways of making them more interesting.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 11:50 PM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
And if you want to get into the habit of eating more vegetables, pick up a good vegetarian cookbook, like Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian, to learn ways of making them more interesting.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 11:50 PM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Epidemiologist who used to work in population metrics and nutrition studies. You are totally correct about the frustration of the standard American diet--at least what's most easily and cheaply available in that diet.
The broadest answer that's scientifically defensible is less a rule and more of a strategy: when faced with a decision between two food options, select the option that is less energy dense.
This is to say that there's no such thing as a food that's better for maintaining your weight. It's the choices you make when given a spread of choices in the tantalizing American food landscape. There's loads of evidence behind this advice, and you can find all manner of explorations about energy density in the form of studies and cookbooks and everything in between. Meal planning can help ensure you have better options to choose between than, you know, hoping to find a good choice at the mall food court.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 3:01 AM on May 9, 2022 [6 favorites]
The broadest answer that's scientifically defensible is less a rule and more of a strategy: when faced with a decision between two food options, select the option that is less energy dense.
This is to say that there's no such thing as a food that's better for maintaining your weight. It's the choices you make when given a spread of choices in the tantalizing American food landscape. There's loads of evidence behind this advice, and you can find all manner of explorations about energy density in the form of studies and cookbooks and everything in between. Meal planning can help ensure you have better options to choose between than, you know, hoping to find a good choice at the mall food court.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 3:01 AM on May 9, 2022 [6 favorites]
You can make most starches healthier by cooking them and letting them cool completely before eating. This includes rice, potatoes, and whole grains like oats and barley. You can reheat them if you wish.
What this does is turn the starches into 'resistant' starches, which do not break down and so function as a type of fiber, and reduces the net carbohydrates by about half. As resistant starch ferments in your large intestine, more good bacteria is created, boosting your overall gut health. This increase in good bacteria will lead to decreased levels of constipation, lower cholesterol levels, and a reduced chance of gas pains.
I've started to eat more sushi, potato salads, and reheated oatmeal, and I'm definitely enjoying the addition of these in my diet :)
posted by ananci at 4:15 AM on May 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
What this does is turn the starches into 'resistant' starches, which do not break down and so function as a type of fiber, and reduces the net carbohydrates by about half. As resistant starch ferments in your large intestine, more good bacteria is created, boosting your overall gut health. This increase in good bacteria will lead to decreased levels of constipation, lower cholesterol levels, and a reduced chance of gas pains.
I've started to eat more sushi, potato salads, and reheated oatmeal, and I'm definitely enjoying the addition of these in my diet :)
posted by ananci at 4:15 AM on May 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
You may see a lot of people talking about "the Mediterranean diet" - they mean that in the "what do people regularly eat" sense of "diet" as opposed to "cutting calories to lose weight" sense of "diet". It's ostensibly based on the way people living in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea live. The bare-bones rules are: lots of olive oil, legumes and beans, whole grains, fruits and vegetables; a little more fish, cheese, and yogurt than usual, less poultry and red meat, and the occasional glass of wine.
But the fun part is - it's based on the way people living in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea live. So you get to play with all those different cuisines - Greek, French, Spanish, southern Italian, Egyptian, Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese, Portuguese...but it's not the fancy-ass "restaurant" kind of cooking from those cultures, it's the more "peasant-y" everyday food from the fishermen and sea towns around the coast in these cultures. So the "French" food isn't like foie gras and cassoulet (although cassoulet would be good as a winter party thing, with all those beans), it'd be stuff from the coast of Provence, with things like ratatouille, bouillabaisse, or simple grilled veg with herbs...
You may find meat dishes, but those are more like special-occasion dishes - like, when grandma comes to visit, that's when you break out the leg of lamb, but if it's just the family then it's just a bowl o' beans with a side salad and some whole-grain bread or something. And that may be a good mindset to adopt as well - meat is a seasoning, not the main deal.
Since we're heading into summer that's a perfect time to start looking into this kind of diet. It's kind of akin to how we cook in summer anyway - super-fresh vegetables start showing up in markets and farmstands and it's a little easier to make things delicious by just grilling or broiling them, and eating a meal with nothing but vegetables is actually satisfying in the heat. This may be a good time to kind of "re-set" with a more veg-forward diet, so when we get into winter again it may be a bit more old hat.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:18 AM on May 9, 2022 [7 favorites]
But the fun part is - it's based on the way people living in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea live. So you get to play with all those different cuisines - Greek, French, Spanish, southern Italian, Egyptian, Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese, Portuguese...but it's not the fancy-ass "restaurant" kind of cooking from those cultures, it's the more "peasant-y" everyday food from the fishermen and sea towns around the coast in these cultures. So the "French" food isn't like foie gras and cassoulet (although cassoulet would be good as a winter party thing, with all those beans), it'd be stuff from the coast of Provence, with things like ratatouille, bouillabaisse, or simple grilled veg with herbs...
You may find meat dishes, but those are more like special-occasion dishes - like, when grandma comes to visit, that's when you break out the leg of lamb, but if it's just the family then it's just a bowl o' beans with a side salad and some whole-grain bread or something. And that may be a good mindset to adopt as well - meat is a seasoning, not the main deal.
Since we're heading into summer that's a perfect time to start looking into this kind of diet. It's kind of akin to how we cook in summer anyway - super-fresh vegetables start showing up in markets and farmstands and it's a little easier to make things delicious by just grilling or broiling them, and eating a meal with nothing but vegetables is actually satisfying in the heat. This may be a good time to kind of "re-set" with a more veg-forward diet, so when we get into winter again it may be a bit more old hat.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:18 AM on May 9, 2022 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Many people find that their palates change if they stop eating junk food, and that it no longer tastes as appetising after a while.
In terms of what you should eat, it honestly sounds like you know, but you haven't found all the ways of making that what you want to eat. Yes, lean meats and vegetables, or beans/legumes and vegetables, with whole grains where possible is a way to go. Increasing the amount of flavour in your food, using distinct herb and spice mixes, increasing the variety of textures in your food - crunchy, soft, chewy and so on, can help make food appealing.
Another issue you may find is that food requires more preparation. Some people like this because it stops them eating snacks or more than they intend. Other people find that they tend to reach for food they would prefer not to eat. If you're in the latter group, then finding easy to prepare food and have that on hand can be helpful. Examples might be nuts, fruit, baby carrot, celery, and other snacking vegetables and so on.
posted by plonkee at 4:34 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
In terms of what you should eat, it honestly sounds like you know, but you haven't found all the ways of making that what you want to eat. Yes, lean meats and vegetables, or beans/legumes and vegetables, with whole grains where possible is a way to go. Increasing the amount of flavour in your food, using distinct herb and spice mixes, increasing the variety of textures in your food - crunchy, soft, chewy and so on, can help make food appealing.
Another issue you may find is that food requires more preparation. Some people like this because it stops them eating snacks or more than they intend. Other people find that they tend to reach for food they would prefer not to eat. If you're in the latter group, then finding easy to prepare food and have that on hand can be helpful. Examples might be nuts, fruit, baby carrot, celery, and other snacking vegetables and so on.
posted by plonkee at 4:34 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
One way to get continuing help is to find a source of weekly menus, or, at least, recipies.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:48 AM on May 9, 2022
posted by SemiSalt at 4:48 AM on May 9, 2022
Eat more beans.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:13 AM on May 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:13 AM on May 9, 2022 [5 favorites]
What and how much you eat is sort of determined by what you are DOING. It's calories in/calories out - so if you are lifting weights and trying to build muscle, you are going to want more protein. If that is not one of your goals, you might eat differently. For example, Casey Johnston's very good article, How to Eat Like a Big Beautiful Horse might be useful to you if you are trying to build and maintain muscle.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:10 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:10 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
late afternoon dreaming hotel: "there's no such thing as a food that's better for maintaining your weight." This.
The bad news is that there is no one "right" answer. The good news is that there are lots of good answer. Various strategies work for various people.
And if anyone tells you that "the research says that you should eat X," this explains why virtually all nutrition research is useless.
For example, hunter-gatherers & forager-farmers "violate Western guidelines yet have healthier hearts & much less chronic illness". For example, the Hadza people eat a huge amount of pure honey, yet remain thin and have very low blood sugar.
It sounds like you have a good sense of what is generally healthy. Use your knowledge (and the suggestions above), and don't sweat the details.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:21 AM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
The bad news is that there is no one "right" answer. The good news is that there are lots of good answer. Various strategies work for various people.
And if anyone tells you that "the research says that you should eat X," this explains why virtually all nutrition research is useless.
For example, hunter-gatherers & forager-farmers "violate Western guidelines yet have healthier hearts & much less chronic illness". For example, the Hadza people eat a huge amount of pure honey, yet remain thin and have very low blood sugar.
It sounds like you have a good sense of what is generally healthy. Use your knowledge (and the suggestions above), and don't sweat the details.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:21 AM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm going to suggest including a little olive oil in your diet, likely poured over vegetables. I've done non-fat diets and discovered that a lot of fiber is pretty hard to digest without a little fat to facilitate the process.
posted by SPrintF at 6:55 AM on May 9, 2022
posted by SPrintF at 6:55 AM on May 9, 2022
I guess it depends on what you mean by "staying lean". If you're talking about the physique of a marathon runner with six pack abs, I don't know, because I don't have any experience with that. But what I do have going for me is that I still wear mostly the same size clothing as I did in college, 20-25 years ago, despite not consciously caring about dieting ever, and pretty much having stopped working out entirely since my kids were born. My trick is basically the 80-20 rule. 80% of the problems are caused by 20% of the foods, so cutting those out is enough that I don't really have to care about details. I'm lucky in that I just don't have much taste for "junk" food: I almost never eat baked goods, I can't stand Doritos, I can eat two spoonfuls of ice cream and then stop, and things of that sort. My one vice is pop, which is more for the caffeine than anything else (I don't drink coffee), but I've even moderated that. And I don't drink alcohol, which is a pretty big source of hidden calories. The simple, easy-to-remember rule is that if you can find a food item in a gas station, you probably shouldn't eat it. It's not a perfect rule, in part because gas stations are now carrying healthier items like Clif bars and bananas and organic 100% juice. But you know what I mean: potato chips and other high-sodium snack foods, candy, pop, alcohol, fried foods, cookies and cakes, frozen pizzas, refined carbs in general. If you're able to avoid dairy, that's also pretty helpful, since the whole point of cow's milk is to help baby cows grow large quickly. That leaves, yeah, lean meat, fruits and vegetables, whole grains. That sounds pretty restrictive, but a) it's actually quite a lot of different foods, and b) you don't have to adhere to it strictly. I still eat potato chips every once in a while - my daughter likes them, and she'll ask me to buy a bag, and I'll eat a handful. Just don't eat them every day. TLDR eat the stuff you know you're supposed to eat, and don't eat the stuff you know you're not supposed to eat.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:36 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by kevinbelt at 7:36 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
A lot of nutrition research is funded by the food industry. Which is why they are continuously baffled, baffled, I say, by results that show hunter-gatherers can eat food and not be afflicted by life-style illnesses.
Do not eat processed food. It's (almost) that simple. You do need to eat a varied diet. There are plenty of historical examples of the damage done to populations who were forced to survive on only a few ingredients.
If you are not used to cooking from scratch, it might be helpful to learn a cooking method to begin with. I vote for Italian cooking because it is easy, it is not too different from standard American, and it is very healthy food if you do it right. When you have learnt one method, you can go on to the next. Buy a comprehensive book, that can both give you recipes and advice about meal planning.
Let's say you do start with Italian cooking. Don't confuse this with Italian-American, even though it is great. Italian cooking has for centuries been vegetable-based, with small amounts of protein as a treat and supplement. And one of the ways this works is through the traditional meal structure, with at least four courses: antipasti, primi, second and dessert. This already sounds stressfull, but the antipasti may very well be something from a jar or the freezer: some pickled or steamed or roasted vegetables, if steamed or roasted, with a oil and lemon dressing. The primo is pasta, rice or soup, but a small portion: again, you can freeze a minestrone in portions. Or have a pasta salad. The secondo is your small piece of meat or fish, or a frittata, with a side of tomato with a good oil. And dessert is a fruit. It really isn't more work than meat and two sides, but much more varied and vegetable-rich.
Asian food works the same way: several small portions of different things, some of which you just take out of the fridge.
It's funny, I actually thought Italians were letting go of their food traditions in favour of a more Americanised diet, but the other day I heard a group of students talking about the foods of their homelands, and the Italian guy was very firm when it came to the composition of a meal: a plate of pasta is not a full meal. To the surprise of some of the other students who were used to scarfing down a huge bowl of mac n cheese or spag bol for lunch or dinner.
posted by mumimor at 7:43 AM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
Do not eat processed food. It's (almost) that simple. You do need to eat a varied diet. There are plenty of historical examples of the damage done to populations who were forced to survive on only a few ingredients.
If you are not used to cooking from scratch, it might be helpful to learn a cooking method to begin with. I vote for Italian cooking because it is easy, it is not too different from standard American, and it is very healthy food if you do it right. When you have learnt one method, you can go on to the next. Buy a comprehensive book, that can both give you recipes and advice about meal planning.
Let's say you do start with Italian cooking. Don't confuse this with Italian-American, even though it is great. Italian cooking has for centuries been vegetable-based, with small amounts of protein as a treat and supplement. And one of the ways this works is through the traditional meal structure, with at least four courses: antipasti, primi, second and dessert. This already sounds stressfull, but the antipasti may very well be something from a jar or the freezer: some pickled or steamed or roasted vegetables, if steamed or roasted, with a oil and lemon dressing. The primo is pasta, rice or soup, but a small portion: again, you can freeze a minestrone in portions. Or have a pasta salad. The secondo is your small piece of meat or fish, or a frittata, with a side of tomato with a good oil. And dessert is a fruit. It really isn't more work than meat and two sides, but much more varied and vegetable-rich.
Asian food works the same way: several small portions of different things, some of which you just take out of the fridge.
It's funny, I actually thought Italians were letting go of their food traditions in favour of a more Americanised diet, but the other day I heard a group of students talking about the foods of their homelands, and the Italian guy was very firm when it came to the composition of a meal: a plate of pasta is not a full meal. To the surprise of some of the other students who were used to scarfing down a huge bowl of mac n cheese or spag bol for lunch or dinner.
posted by mumimor at 7:43 AM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: When you plan meals, plan the veg. 1st. I end up having just the roast vegetables half the time that way. Yesterday evening, by the time I had Korean barbecue and farro, I didn't bother with the salad. Eat as many vegetables as you can as often as possible.
Keep red meat portions small. Whole grains when possible. Make brothy soups, drink water; it's so easy to get empty calories from fluids. Very restrained use of salad dressing allows you to taste the actual salad and avoids empty calories.
cut out all the sugary stuff, the pizzas, processed meats and cheeses. It's okay to have desserts, junk food, and fried foods occasionally as a treat, and, again, small portions. Dramatically reducing sugar is excellent; it's just terrible for your health. Pizza = bread, tomato sauce & cheese, which is high fat, but okay to have occasionally. Avoid deep-fried anything, the oils are extra-saturated and very bad for you. Chips are empty, salty calories with tons of additives.
Lots of fiber. Beans are really nutritious and so good when you learn to cook them. I eat bran muffins most days; ideally homemade with nuts, dried fruits and an extra egg, but sometimes I get busy and get decent ones at the grocery.
I don't bother taking probiotics, which are unproven, but I eat kimchi and sauerkraut and leafy greens, which have the same effect.
The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be a healthy approach for weight, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease; there are tons of recipes.. Congratulations on managing your health and weight successfully.
posted by theora55 at 8:11 AM on May 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
Keep red meat portions small. Whole grains when possible. Make brothy soups, drink water; it's so easy to get empty calories from fluids. Very restrained use of salad dressing allows you to taste the actual salad and avoids empty calories.
cut out all the sugary stuff, the pizzas, processed meats and cheeses. It's okay to have desserts, junk food, and fried foods occasionally as a treat, and, again, small portions. Dramatically reducing sugar is excellent; it's just terrible for your health. Pizza = bread, tomato sauce & cheese, which is high fat, but okay to have occasionally. Avoid deep-fried anything, the oils are extra-saturated and very bad for you. Chips are empty, salty calories with tons of additives.
Lots of fiber. Beans are really nutritious and so good when you learn to cook them. I eat bran muffins most days; ideally homemade with nuts, dried fruits and an extra egg, but sometimes I get busy and get decent ones at the grocery.
I don't bother taking probiotics, which are unproven, but I eat kimchi and sauerkraut and leafy greens, which have the same effect.
The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be a healthy approach for weight, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease; there are tons of recipes.. Congratulations on managing your health and weight successfully.
posted by theora55 at 8:11 AM on May 9, 2022 [4 favorites]
I had grown up eating a diet that adhered to the two poles of my parents' ancestry: southern Italian/Sicilian, heavy on fresh fish, shellfish, pasta, and vegetables, and Eastern Med/Israeli, think falafel, tabbouleh, and all the trimmings but also a healthy dose of Eastern European. My mind was therefore grateful and happy to receive knowledge of Turkish cuisine, which more or less blends both of these! Grilled fish, roasted veg, yogurt, nice cheese and pastries in tiny servings, olives, great coffee, and much more. Egyptian food is also worth a look as well - typical dishes are lighter on meat.
My husband comes from a background of wall-to-wall curries, his his dal game is on point. I'd recommend the usual Madhur Jaffrey, but also, Manjula's Kitchen.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 9:58 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
My husband comes from a background of wall-to-wall curries, his his dal game is on point. I'd recommend the usual Madhur Jaffrey, but also, Manjula's Kitchen.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 9:58 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
I think if you're going to have something sugary and starchy, it can be helpful to include nonstarch elements in it. Otherwise it's too easy to wolf massive quantities. The chocolate cake I made yesterday had a bunch of shredded beets and cocoa nibs and pecans, and I made a pineapple curd filling for it but didn't want to deal with sieving it to get the pineapple fibers out of it. I normally will vacuum all the cake off my plate and eat a second piece. This time I didn't even finish my first piece. I put the beets in because they famously make chocolate cake moist. You couldn't taste or feel them and the cake was pleasant to eat, but a few bites were sufficient. The other four celebrants had similar experiences. This was not the case with the Victoria sponge I made last month. All of it got vamoosed in mere moments, but that's because it's nothing but cake flour and sugar. You can eat a barrel of that, but your stomach will stop you if you try to do the same with a fibrous wodge like the chocolatebeetpineapple mothers' day cake.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:46 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Don Pepino at 10:46 AM on May 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
A great rule of thumb I follow is to not drink calories unless they’re reeeally worth it. I used to drink a bottle of juice, iced tea, some kind of syrupy iced coffee thing, or a pop every afternoon and when I stopped I effortlessly lost weight and felt better. So now, I drink coffee and tea with no sugar or cream, and otherwise I just drink water.
For me “worth it” means pizza+chinotto or burrito+coke, and I do drink alcohol when I want to feel the effects for alcohol- but I try not to have soda, juice, or a casual beer or glass of wine for no reason.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:13 PM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
For me “worth it” means pizza+chinotto or burrito+coke, and I do drink alcohol when I want to feel the effects for alcohol- but I try not to have soda, juice, or a casual beer or glass of wine for no reason.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:13 PM on May 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
Starch is fine, but you want lots of dietary fiber with it.
It's processed sugars, especially HFCS (the glucose:fructose ratio is like an optical illusion for our metabolism), that are a real danger.
Lightly cooking vegetables can increase their (available) nutrition. Frozen vegetables are better than nothing, and easier to keep around so you have access to vegs.
Fruits are fine in moderation, but if you juice, keep the pulp (dietary fiber).
If you find vegetables bland, a little salt isn't pUrE eViL. You can also explore sauteeing chopped garlic (start from a cold pan/ oil) ahead of the vegetable(s). Or if you're adventurous, something like belacan (shrimp paste) and/ or sambal (for heat and extra umami). For fibrous veg, consider splashing a bit of shaoxing or sherry in to steam (covered or uncovered) them a bit. I'd used Scotches and brandies as well.
Or just switch up your cooking oil - hemp seed (there are no cannabinoids in it) oil is a little nutty, high smoking temp, and near-perfect omega fatty acid ratios. Maybe add a drop or two of sesame oil at the end to finish the dish. Perilla oil is common in Korean cuisine, and can be a little subtle. Use like sesame. If you're into heat, sichuan infused oil could be just the ticket. Peanut and sunflower oils are richer than canola. Grapeseed is great for stir fry, but is pretty neutral.
Miso (there are lots of varieties) is interesting on roasted veg (it helps if there's surface area like florettes or a flat surface so it doesn't immediately run off.
If you like to snack on popcorn, nutritional yeast is a great topping. No additional fats or salt required (though a bit of fat helps the flakes stick to the popcorn).
posted by porpoise at 8:28 PM on May 9, 2022
It's processed sugars, especially HFCS (the glucose:fructose ratio is like an optical illusion for our metabolism), that are a real danger.
Lightly cooking vegetables can increase their (available) nutrition. Frozen vegetables are better than nothing, and easier to keep around so you have access to vegs.
Fruits are fine in moderation, but if you juice, keep the pulp (dietary fiber).
If you find vegetables bland, a little salt isn't pUrE eViL. You can also explore sauteeing chopped garlic (start from a cold pan/ oil) ahead of the vegetable(s). Or if you're adventurous, something like belacan (shrimp paste) and/ or sambal (for heat and extra umami). For fibrous veg, consider splashing a bit of shaoxing or sherry in to steam (covered or uncovered) them a bit. I'd used Scotches and brandies as well.
Or just switch up your cooking oil - hemp seed (there are no cannabinoids in it) oil is a little nutty, high smoking temp, and near-perfect omega fatty acid ratios. Maybe add a drop or two of sesame oil at the end to finish the dish. Perilla oil is common in Korean cuisine, and can be a little subtle. Use like sesame. If you're into heat, sichuan infused oil could be just the ticket. Peanut and sunflower oils are richer than canola. Grapeseed is great for stir fry, but is pretty neutral.
Miso (there are lots of varieties) is interesting on roasted veg (it helps if there's surface area like florettes or a flat surface so it doesn't immediately run off.
If you like to snack on popcorn, nutritional yeast is a great topping. No additional fats or salt required (though a bit of fat helps the flakes stick to the popcorn).
posted by porpoise at 8:28 PM on May 9, 2022
It's really something to see what one person thinks is healthy is totally different from another person! I do think it varies for everyone though. I can't have a lot of processed carbs, but I can eat beans and basically any kind of meat without an issue. No rice or potatoes for us around here. No sugar. Two servings of veggies with dinner and no dairy except for heavy cream (1 tbsp) in coffee. We have been eating this way for many years - cooking meals from scratch, and not going out to eat except for Saturday (if at all).
(Basically, Tim Ferriss's slow carb diet is what we follow)
posted by getawaysticks at 7:58 PM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
(Basically, Tim Ferriss's slow carb diet is what we follow)
posted by getawaysticks at 7:58 PM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
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Basically, you have to eat your 5 fruit and vegetables a day, 30 grams of fiber a day, and 30 different vegetable items a week. Within that framework, you can eat anything, but you quickly discover it is hard to reach 30 grams of fiber if you fill yourself on too much meat or white starch. I eat meat or fish a couple of times a week.
I find inspiration online for a wide variety of foods, from all over the world, but Mediterranean and Indian have a lot of recipes with legumes, which are good for fiber.
posted by mumimor at 10:31 PM on May 8, 2022 [5 favorites]