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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Unprocessed Foods?
i am probably going to sound like a complete idiot asking this but do any of you follow a diet of basically unprocessed food? (i am assuming organic)
i had a dr apt today and she told me she would like to see me step away from processed food. i think i have a basic understanding of what this means (no more ice cream)....but would really like to hear from someone who sticks to an unprocessed diet on a regular basis?
Re: Unprocessed Foods?
I would check out websites for clean eating. I'm definitely not an expert and don't eat this way for the most part, but I think it's basically eating foods in their most natural states.
Check out the Health and Fitness board too. A couple people have cleaning eating blogs.
There's also Clean Eating Magazine.
I used to eat a primarily unprocessed diet because I had a hard time digesting perservatives. Now that my body is able to function, I definitely eat some processed foods (frozen entrees for lunch 2x a week, and other "premade" type items). My doctor talked to me about unprocessed foods in reference to dietting. She wanted to make sure I was eating fresh foods (fruit, veggies, meats, cheeses, etc.) and not just Lean Cuisines. I also try to stay away from foods that are very high in sodium, since that is bad.
I think Derky is trying to eat clean, or at least cleaner. She is probably a good resource!
Hi there! Elissaann, you are right in that I'm definitely trying to eat cleaner. For DH and I right now, that for the main parts of my meals I usually make them fresh, and that for the "extras" the ingredients are limited and include ingredients that I know what they are. It is challenging, especially since I LOVE to bake (clean eating generally doesn't use sugar) but lately, haven't had time to bake anyway. A really good way to start eating unprocessed is to only shop the perimeter of your grocery store. Fill up in the fresh produce/veggie area, hit the bakery area for whole wheat flour breads, hit the meat aisle in moderation (and when possible, buy from a local meat person that uses ethical practices), and then finish with select items from the frozen foods aisle. You may have to make a pit stop in the seasoning section or for some mustard or if you have a "bulk bin" aisle for things like oats, barley, nuts, etc.
Unprocessed doesn't = organic, nor does organic=unprocessed either, just FYI. It does take a little extra time to do this, but its generally worth it. So far, most of the new meals (I too recommend seeking out Clean Eating Magazine--it's $6 an issue or like $12 for the years' subscription and chock full of recipes and other helpful hints) have been heads and shoulders better than some of my old standards--and I don't really consider myself a good cook. I'm just good at following direction--ie I can follow a recipe.
And honestly, Dh and I do notice when I use the fresh, local ingredients (ie eggs, meats, other dairy)--the taste is good enough to justify the added expense. And a lot of times, to stretch the dollar a little further, I'll cut a chicken breast in half lengthwise so that on a plate it looks like the same amount of chicken, but in reality, it's closer to what a portion of protein should be.
GRKaters over on Health and Fitness is a great resource. One day i hope to be able to experiment with recipes the way she's able to!
Good luck and let me know if you need some help!
thank you ladies so much!! derky, the grocery shopping tip is GREAT!!
i checked out a little on health and fitness and found GRKaters...i think she also mentioned somewhere a blog i am going to check out.
i have tried alot of different diets and been exercising as well but can't seem to shed the pounds. recently i have had some digestive problems as well......it all comes down to, even when i THINK i am eating healthy, i am still eating alot of "hidden" crap.
derky, what are some of the things you eat for breakfast? snacks?
this is going to be baby steps for me and probably really hard.....DH doesn't eat ANY fruit or veggies....that makes it 10 times harder. i really don't cook, i can a little but basic stuff.
If you are struggling with weight loss, I would strongly recommend weight watchers. I have quite a bit of success on the program and love that they teach you how to live a healthy lifestyle. Their good health guidelines (drinking 6 cups of water, getting 5 servings of fruits and veggies, 2 teaspoons of healthy oil each day, limit alcohol and sugars, eat whole grain, 2 servings of dairy a day, etc.) has really had a HUGE difference in both how I feel and the number on the scale. While they don't focus exclusively on clean eating, I have found myself shopping on the outside of the grocery store as Derky mentioned. So that might be another avenue you could explore!
I'm not a clean eating person, but I've read about it (don't have the willpower to do it) and try to shop the perimeter of the store. I would think eggs (w or w/out the yolk), yogurt (plain, w/ fresh fruit added), or fresh fruit would qualify as "clean" breakfasts. For snacks, I'd look for things like raw veggies, nuts, or dried fruit. You could dip the veggies in homemade hummus. I think you have a great plan with the baby steps, that's the only way I've had any luck as far as diet goes, slowly replacing bad habits with good ones.
I'm just going to be truthful in the fact that I think your DH needs to stop being a baby about the fruit/veggie things. Fruits/veggies have never been my favorite, I've had to make a concerted effort to integrate them into my diet and substitute them. Would I rather have chips or pretzels at lunch instead of the carrots/cucumbers that I usually have? Heck yeah, but I also realize I don't need any more carbs in my already carb-loaded diet. I've been surprised by how filling the carrots/cucumbers can be, I used to think they never filled me up and that I needed something heartier, but I have realized that not to be the case. I think it will be difficult for you to shift your diet without doing it together. Surely there are some fruits/veggies that he likes? What kind of veggies has he tried and how are they prepared?
NO KIDDING!! it floors me that both of our moms are nurses and his mom catered to him around her family and took the veggies out of stuff and never forced him to even try them...my mom cooked for everyone and if you didn't like it too bad, you can starve.
believe it or not he has never ever had a piece of fruit in his life! he eats, corn (which i am allergic to), potatoes and sometimes if green beans are being served he will eat five.that is IT!
this is the only thing we argue over! (ok, sometimes his driving annoys me). it really makes a waste of food when i have to throw half of it away b/c it goes bad before i can eat it all.
Hey--I pretty much never find myself on the NC Nest board given that I am really at CT Nester (but that board is dead). But anyhow, I "know" you from the NC Knot board.. and I can speak to your question.
Just posting to say that I do completely stick to a non-processed diet. Both my husband and I do. It has been such an adjustment for him, not all fun... At the same time he LOVES our dinners, the variety, the flavor of our food is vastly improved. We began eating whole foods about a year ago. Eating whole foods is the full version of not eating processed foods. What your Dr likely means is not eating prepackaged premade processed foods. What eating whole foods is is not eating anything that has been processed in any way that alters it from it's original form. So no white anything. No sauces, marinades, nothing that I don't make because all of that requires preservatives and processed ingredients to stay good in a bottle in your house. If you can't imagine what you are saying out in the world, it is processed. You can imagine an egg, grains, veggies, fruit, milk (we are currently working on switching to whole as our milk is still processed because we are making a slow transition all the way from skim to whole raw milk), It has been an amazing change. We love the way we feel, and we feel pretty much terrible now when we eat processed foods (which says alot). And yes, it is all organic. And so alot of people throw this way of eating out the window because they say it would be too expensive, but our bills have gone down because I'm not paying for pre made anything which can be a quick way to pile up a grocery list, I'm just buying ingredients and making food.
The book that got us going, and that I HIGHLY recommend and have given to all my best friends (who don't eat this way but have loved everything I've made for them from the book). They enjoy the options in it for nights they feel like eating "healthy." The book is Feeding the Whole Family by Cathy Russell. Let me know if you have any specific questions, this is one of my favorite things to talk about!