New to nutrition

[jennapyke23]

Hi everyone! I am new(ish) to the fitbit community. I am recently trying to become more active and watching my food intake. I have a poor diet at time as I don't know how to eat the right things my body needs. I am looking for some insight on how to plan good healthy meals good for your body.

If anyone has any recipes or any websites/blogs suggestions for someone just starting on the fitness journey that would be awesome.

[MagsOnTheBeach]

I am doing the DASH diet - it is a diet that is used for people who have hypertension. 

http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/dash-diet

http://www.dashdietoregon.org/

Here is a short list of what I eat daily:

non starchy veg - unlimited

Dairy 2-3 servings

nuts, beans, seeds 1-2

lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs 5-6oz

fats 1-2

whole grains 2-3

fruit 3-4

refined grains, sweets 1-2 or less.

by whole grains I mean whole - steel cut oats, quinoa, barley, etc.  I don't count any kind of bread as while grain - for me that is a refined grain.  I feel very satisfied with this diet and it is something I can do without thinking about too hard.  It has to be sustainable long term for me, I'm tired of yoyoing.

[MarciM]

I'd like to quote a friend of mine, Dr. Mark...

"Health is more than diet and exercise. Health is life. By eating the right kinds of the right foods (most of the time) and being intentional about how you live…you’ll find yourself owning joy in a wholly new and powerful way."

I always worry when I hear people say they are on a diet. A diet is a temporary solution. The key is to find what works for you, what foods give you energy, what foods make you feel heavy and sluggish. How does your body respond to grains and to dairy. It takes time to figure this out, but the first step is to view it as a lifestyle, not a diet. Happy to share more if people are interested.

[Esya]

I agree with @MarciM. Better to start with small changes that you get comfortable with and can maintain before changing too much and not being able to sustain it in the long run. That is how I did. I just started with cutting out added/refined sugar where I could. That was my first step. Replacing parts of my drinks with water. Now my eating style has changed a lot, but it happened gradually over a longer period of time (few years).

[MarciM]

@Esya Great advice! For me, I started with 28 days of zero processed food. I'm not going to lie and say it was easy, because it wasn't. However, once you get past the withdrawal of sugar, caffeine, grain, dairy, and other process food, you start to feel good, then great. You sleep better and have more energy, but this zero processed food is not sustainable for most people. Thus you slowing reintroduce items one a time. For example, add a slice of sprouted grain bread in one day, then wait for 36 hours to see how you feel. Sounds a bit crazy, but it made me realize as much as I love bread, it doesn't love me. I still eat it from time to time, but know I have to balance it with other healthy foods to not let it bog me down. I started my food journey in 2010 and I am still learning and altering what works best for my body. As our bodies change, so do your are nutrition needs and ability to digest foods.

[MarciM]

I referenced my first Dr. Mark, but neglected to include a link. http://www.dmarkhealth.com/

Also Simply Real Health has some amazing ideas for healthy meals. https://simplyrealhealth.com/

[emili]

There is so much information out there it can become really overwhelming. People confuse clean eating with low calorie, low carb with low calorie, so and so forth. You want to look for a guide or reference that will show you how to break down your day into macro and micro nutrients. it will show you what percentage of your day should be protein, carb, etc. And then you look up foods that give you the biggest bang for your buck. Or, you take a simpler approach. Shop the perimeter of your grocery store only. Get foods that are natural and not processed in any way. Cook them yourself and log everything you eat once you know what your calories in should be to either lose or maintain. Whichever way you go, I wish you luck in your journey. Once you start you will realize it isn't that difficult, kind of fun and tasty.

[glitterNfunk]

@jennapyke23  Hi there!  Welcome!  How fabulous is this fitbit world??  : )

I recently added healthier eating to my goals and have zero skill in that area!  I found eatthismuch.com and use that for my meal planning.  So far, I love it.  Sparkpeople has some meal plans too.  I've even found some great ideas on pintrest.  There is limitless options out there.....google your way to something that works for you!

Good luck!

[SunsetRunner]

In my experience, sustainable healthy eating (with the goal of making lifelong habits) requires the plan to be convenient, quick, and delicious. Weightwatchers recipes are a great place to start! They often have the caloric values listed along with them. Their recipes range from healthy salads and chicken to lightened-up versions of traditional comfort foods. I'd suggest going on pinterest and typing in weightwatchers recipes (dessert, dinner, chicken, meal prep, etc) and a lot of good choices come up.

In my personal daily nutrition I allow myself as many vegetables as I want (aside from potatoes) and a very generous allowance of fruit.

Best of luck on your fitness journey!

[Bill_k]

Before you start into diet stuff i'd suggest you talk to your  doctor about getting  him to send you to a medi-centre to get your blood sugar tested  for type 2 diabetes.

Also if you can get it for free he can maybe send you for 1 visit to a dietitian to get started.

I don't know what health care system you have though.

Diabetes can have an enormous effect on your eating habits and life in general.