Certain foods to avoid?

whatsammysaid · 01-06-2012, 12:53 PM

What are certain foods to avoid? Which are not?
Like sardines, are they really that good to have in your diet?
egg whites, are they better than normal or organic eggs?
milks, which is better? Soy, whole, almond, fat free, ect?
bananas?

I made this because I'm clueless and I'm sure there are others wondering too. I want to get some shopping done but I don't want what commercials and ads say affect my decision on what I buy. I figured everyone here would help me out by removing or confirming some myths that foods have.

sontaikle · 01-06-2012, 02:06 PM

Nothing is off-limits to me. If I want something bad enough, I eat it as long as I can work it into my day's plan.

There is no good or bad food to me....just food. I pay attention to how things make me feel and eat according to that. Things high in protein and food that is generally unprocessed make me feel best, so I'll eat those most often, but I don't rule out ANYTHING

unless I don't like it of course!

It really boils down to what you want out of this. Certain foods will help you with different goals

whatsammysaid · 01-06-2012, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sontaikle

Nothing is off-limits to me. If I want something bad enough, I eat it as long as I can work it into my day's plan.

There is no good or bad food to me....just food. I pay attention to how things make me feel and eat according to that. Things high in protein and food that is generally unprocessed make me feel best, so I'll eat those most often, but I don't rule out ANYTHING

unless I don't like it of course!

It really boils down to what you want out of this. Certain foods will help you with different goals

Thats good to keep in mind, thank you. I just know a lot of people who are always like "keep away from that food! or that food!" and I just wanted a second opinion on foods.

aware210 · 01-06-2012, 09:23 PM

a good bit of advice about shopping i got one time, is shop on the outside aisles of the store, and avoid the center aisles. The outside aisles is where you will find fresh produce, and your meats and dairy etc. Also dont shop hungry!

kellyg2 · 01-06-2012, 10:59 PM

Absolutely agree! It's all about moderation though...you never want to live your life on one food, even if its natural. For example, eating tuna is good - low cals, high protein. Eating tuna everyday for lunch and dinner and then you take in unhealthy doses of magnesium and end up with vitamin deficiencies. Drinking water is good! Drinking too much water you get water toxicity, seize, and die. I feel like this is true for every single food product out there. Whatever it is, don't eat it daily.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kara

There is absolutely no need to avoid a food or classify a food as "bad" however I would say that a commercial or an ad should NEVER be an impact on what you buy in the sense of defining nutrition or health.

My advice, and what has worked for me is this: eat whole foods. If you can recognize it as a food that might grow on a tree or come from a plant or be part of an animal, eat it. Eggs? Good. Fish? Good. Veggies? Good. Fruits? Good. Etc.

If it's in a box and has "added nutrients" .. avoid it. We don't eat nutrients. We eat food.

And really that's it in a nutshell. Or as Michael Pollan so succinctly put it: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

duckyyellowfeet · 01-06-2012, 11:10 PM

A lot of it depends on what types of foods you regularly eat. For example, I don't buy milk because I don't drink it. I might buy unsweetened almond milk for cereal, because it keeps longer and my partner will drink it. I do, however, love red bell peppers, so I buy those to cut up for lunches.

I think its important to expand and try new things. I don't think its important to force myself to buy broccoli because I *hate* it; i'd rather buy brussel sprouts. There is always going to be a new "thing"--buy the least processed, most delicious things that you will eat and call it good.

I took me almost 6 months to create, but I have lists for every place I grocery shop. Looks a lot like this:

___eggs
____ bread (double fiber)
____ ground turkey

etc. etc, organized by section. I keep one on the fridge and when I run out, I just check the line next to the item I need to purchase. Makes keeping track of food easy and grocery shopping is a breeze. I can't post it here, but if you want, PM me and I can send it to you.

bandit bear · 01-07-2012, 12:02 AM

i would say to avoid your trigger foods if you're a binge eater. I'm avoiding chips and crackers as those trigger a binge for me. If you can eat in moderation, then go for it. You can eat what you want, the key is moderation.

Although I would say you should avoid fake food altogether like those made in labs.

Iconised Ghost · 01-07-2012, 08:55 PM

I like whole foods as well, and totally agree with the "no food is bad" point of view. Most of the time, instead of going for "diet" foods that seem to be mostly chemical to reduce calories (ok fine, technically everything is a chemical, even water, but you know what I mean) I try to go for things that I recognise in ingredients and food items, and just eat less of the naturally high calorie foods. There are some things where I will opt for the diet option though, mostly because I eat them frequently and so they're a good way to cut down on calories significantly, e.g. skim milk.

Nocturneluna · 01-07-2012, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aware210

a good bit of advice about shopping i got one time, is shop on the outside aisles of the store, and avoid the center aisles. The outside aisles is where you will find fresh produce, and your meats and dairy etc. Also dont shop hungry!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bandit bear

i would say to avoid your trigger foods if you're a binge eater. I'm avoiding chips and crackers as those trigger a binge for me. If you can eat in moderation, then go for it. You can eat what you want, the key is moderation.

Although I would say you should avoid fake food altogether like those made in labs.

Such a good idea honestly! I have only been sticking to the outside isles recently due to that factor as well. I am keeping away from any processed or food made in a factory right now. But this was my own decision. If you still like snacks and can't give them up for anything than just go with the 100 calorie snacks or those low in calories to keep yourself sane.

I mean, that's what I did the first time around but for now i'm just sticking to what I promised myself and only eating meat, dairy, veggies and fruit aka whole foods.

Pinkberrry · 01-08-2012, 02:59 AM

I gave up soda cold turkey last NYE resolution and I havent touched it since. I dont even miss it. Soda is one food that NO ONE needs nor does it provide any nutritional value whatsoever. Its up to you though, to determine if you can completely never eat a food again though.

whatsammysaid · 01-08-2012, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pinkberrry

I gave up soda cold turkey last NYE resolution and I havent touched it since. I dont even miss it. Soda is one food that NO ONE needs nor does it provide any nutritional value whatsoever. Its up to you though, to determine if you can completely never eat a food again though.

I agree that soda is no good. I gave up soda a while ago and ever since it doesn't taste right anymore and I don't like it. So I just stick to my water, juices, and hot teas. Thats about all I drink now.

PollifaxFive · 01-12-2012, 12:48 PM

I agree with previous posters: Moderation! You're going to be keeping your health up for the rest of your life, so you can't abstain forever. Or, you can, but it's not really worth it. I read some ridiculous blog article about how it's "laziness" that keeps people from being a size 4, and that they should skip that beer with friends or slice of pie at dinner. Heck no! You shouldn't miss out on life to reach an ideal. Just don't go overboard. That's why all those thin people at birthdays always ask for a tiny sliver of pie, hehe.

Although, to note, I'm not great at moderation AND I'm a food hoarder, so can't keep yummy food in my room or else I'll eat the whole thing. Know yourself.

KatTheAmazon · 01-12-2012, 01:26 PM

I agree with everything that has been posted! For me, hardly anything is off limits. However, what I eat daily usually includes lots of fresh veggies and homemade meals. I try to eat as little processed food as I can and I try to make foods from scratch. Although, if I want some ice cream or cookies I will eat them. I try not to have them in myhouse though.

Defintely agree to know your trigger foods. Pretzel sticks are a big one for me. Ill eat half a bag at once. Don't keep those foods in the house.

Good luck!

tomato sunshine · 01-12-2012, 07:00 PM

I guess find out what works best for you-- what is cheap, easy to prepare, and satisfying. Ideally you want things with vitamins, fiber, low-fat, low-carb, and minimally processed. However, there are foods with good fat in them like nuts. It is good to develop a list of staples... the rest should be an adventure!

Also if you are craving something fatty, reflect and think about what part of it you are craving and if there is a healthy alternative. For example, if I feel like nomming a ton of pasta, sometimes it's just the tomatoes I'm after and tomato soup does the trick. Or if I want chocolate ice cream, sometimes a glass of chocolate soymilk makes me happy.