[pattygirl63]

Hi,

My name is Trish and I have just gotten into the Intuitive Eating and in the process have realizes that I want to eat healthy. I've done many different diets like many have and won't go into all that. I really am tired of dieting per se which is why Intuitive Eating was so interesting tome when I first heard of it recently. I like the idea of eating only when I'm hungry and eating until satisfied. While finding and following one more diet is not appealing to me and has become a thing I just am not able to do right now, I have come to realize through IE that eating unhealthy is not something I want to do or can do either. I just need some balance in my life when it comes to eating... a new lifestyle of eating that I can live with and that is healthy. Perhaps that is why IE appeals to me. When reading about different ways of eating and I've tried some of the diets, I read your posts about Eating Whole Foods Lifestyle appeals to me. In fact, I have done it to some extent in the past, but decided some of it was too complicated until I read your explanation of it. I like things simple and I believe I can do that.

I read the food lists and copied it for reference and appreciate you putting it there. It is a big help. In fact, I started using that today. My question is about the pasta/grains. I have seen in diet plans where whole wheat was not accepted or it was the only thing to use. In one I was on Barilla pastas were not accepted. So my question what is the rule of thumb when it comes to whole wheat and the Barilla pastas? I do prefer whole grains, but have used the ww because of less calories and used the Barilla because of the flaxseed. I would appreciate your in put on this.

Thanks for your help.

Trish

[baffled111]

Hi Trish.

This really does come down to personal choice. Pasta is processed anyway, so if you're eating it, you're already eating minimally processed food. If you like the idea of getting more fiber in your diet, and you can find a brand of whole wheat pasta that you like, by all means eat the whole wheat. If, on the other hand, you prefer white pasta and think you get enough fiber in your diet through veggies and whole grains, then eat the white pasta. The calorie difference is fairly insignificant: portion size is more important there.

This is the nice thing about a whole foods/IE approach to eating, losing weight and keeping it off: there aren't too many restrictions and you can decide for yourself what you will and won't eat. As long as your general eating includes plenty of vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, little things like which kind of pasta to eat don't matter so much.

[pattygirl63]

Thanks baffled, I appreciate your help.

Trish, you might like a book called Mindless Eating.. I think the author's last name is Wansink. I read it recently and found it had very helpful information on how to make meals more mindful...ie, how to dish yourself up appropriate amounts and learning new ways to know when to stop eating.

I agree with baffled that pasta is a personal choice. Grains are calorie dense foods, so that has to be kept in mind when trying to lose weight. IMHO, I don't like food lists because everybody is different. I can't eat pasta and lose weight ...but many can...people need to find out what works for them.

[pattygirl63]

Thanks Katy,

I'll look for the book. Also I forgot to ask about brown rice. I like the regular brown rice but it takes so long to cook and the instant says it has more fiber. Does anyone use the instant brown rice instead or is it considered processed?

I agree that a lot of it is personal choice. The lists are just good to have as kind of a guide. Yesterday was my first real day of doing this and I think I did really good, I felt good and I enjoyed my day and my food. Only ate if I was hungry and until satisfied no big portions of anything. I believe this WFL/IE will work magnificently for me. I appreciate everyones help those who respond and the things I've read that were posted otherwise.

Trish

[nelie]

Why not cook up large batches of brown rice and freeze them? I have a rice cooker and I use that to make hands off perfect rice. I make large batches for multiple days or freeze

[jillybean720]

IMO, brown rice is brown rice (just check the ingredients on the instant stuff to make sure they're not cramming in extra salt or something). The only diference with the instant is that it's ben partially cooked for you already, so it cooks faster at home. So, you can cook it entirely yourself, hich takes longer, or they can cook it for you beforehand and you just finish it up (instant). Either way, it's still a whole grain.

I really don't believe "processing" itself is the enemy--I think it's the extras the manufacturers sometimes throw in during the processing. For example, you could buy frozen chopped vegetable. Some might say they are processed and opt for fresh instead, but in fact, studies have shown that many frozen veggies retain more nutrients than fresh because they are frozen at their peak whereas fresh produce gets shipped halfway around the world and loses some nutrients in that time. So as long as the frozen veggies you buy don't have any added ingredients, then they can actually be the better choice.

Long story short, just as others have said, it's a personal choice. I personally believe I can eat things that are "processed" as long as the ingredients are what I want them to be, if that makes sense.

[pattygirl63]

Thanks Neli and Jill. All these years and I wasn't aware you could freeze rice. So never thought of it. Glad to hear it.

Trish

[thinby08]

Just wanted to throw this out there... did you know there is brown rice pasta? You can pick it up at trader joes and probably some other health food stores. Of course its a personal choice... I think the reasoning behind no wheat is because a lot of people have wheat allergies and don't realize it? But I could be wrong...

My diet avoids wheat, I get my carbs through rice, oats (oat flour), yams, and potatoes. I notice I lose weight much easier when I stick to those alternatives. =) Hope I was a bit helpful!

[scorpiochic]

I just read that barley (unhulled vs pearl) is the absolute best grain you can take in for fiber and blood sugar regulation.