What are healthy meals?

[Anonymous]

I think you would benefit from weight watchers. Typical plans have zero point foods that are healthy which you can fill up on without guilt. Plus there are daily and weekly points you can use for processed foods like pasta and bread, plus treats. I think it would work better for you than trying to go all in on a clean diet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you, OP. I'll toss out some "real food" ideas that some on DCUM will think are horrible, but they work for a real family.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit; scrambled eggs on toast; whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana; a bowl of yogurt with nuts and fruit

Lunch: A small turkey sandwich with fruit or some raw vegetables; leftover pasta; quesadilla; soup; a slice of pizza with fruit or veggie sides

Dinner: Endless possibilities, but most meals have a protein, lots of vegetables, and carbs as a side rather than a focus.

Try to add in as many healthy foods as you can. Doesn't mean you have to take away all the unhealthy foods. If you eat a lot of processed foods, try cutting them down to a couple of times a week. Make salads fun and nourishing ... throw in nuts, or cheese, or avocado to keep people full and prevent them from seeming like a punishment.

Try to get everyone cooking ... makes you appreciate food more.

Not horrible, but there’s a lot of sugar here. I’d make small adjustments to get the sugar out and still have a fully satisfying meal

Replace all fruit with berries only - rasp, blue, black, straw
If you need something crispy with scrambled eggs, cheese crisps instead of toast
Replace peanut butter and banana (sugar and sugar) with Avocado Smash on toast
Nuts, seeds, berries and two scoops of yogurt instead of a bowl
Turkey lettuce wrap instead of sandwich
Cauliflower pizza instead of regular pizza and salad instead of fruit
Chicken Salad or Egg Salad instead of leftover pasta (don’t make so much that there are any leftovers)

NP. I know you mean well, but these kind of tips don't work at all for an overweight person with disordered eating. If you tell me even a banana is bad, then I may as well eat cake. If I can't have a slice of pizza, I just won't diet and will eat all the carbs I want. The PP struck a nice balance that isn't so overwhelming.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you want to track one simple thing, look at fiber. Try to hit 25g per day. There is literally no way to do it without a decently healthy diet. It takes several servings of fruit and vegetables as well as a handful of beans or lentils here and there to get it consistently.

Removing processed food is a great goal but it takes a long time to shape your tastes. So, I like focusing on appreciating new and healthy foods.

The other important thing is noticing how you feel when you eat well (or poorly) and taking a moment to register that connection. It helps build your preference for healthy stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you, OP. I'll toss out some "real food" ideas that some on DCUM will think are horrible, but they work for a real family.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit; scrambled eggs on toast; whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana; a bowl of yogurt with nuts and fruit

Lunch: A small turkey sandwich with fruit or some raw vegetables; leftover pasta; quesadilla; soup; a slice of pizza with fruit or veggie sides

Dinner: Endless possibilities, but most meals have a protein, lots of vegetables, and carbs as a side rather than a focus.

Try to add in as many healthy foods as you can. Doesn't mean you have to take away all the unhealthy foods. If you eat a lot of processed foods, try cutting them down to a couple of times a week. Make salads fun and nourishing ... throw in nuts, or cheese, or avocado to keep people full and prevent them from seeming like a punishment.

Try to get everyone cooking ... makes you appreciate food more.

Not horrible, but there’s a lot of sugar here. I’d make small adjustments to get the sugar out and still have a fully satisfying meal

Replace all fruit with berries only - rasp, blue, black, straw
If you need something crispy with scrambled eggs, cheese crisps instead of toast
Replace peanut butter and banana (sugar and sugar) with Avocado Smash on toast
Nuts, seeds, berries and two scoops of yogurt instead of a bowl
Turkey lettuce wrap instead of sandwich
Cauliflower pizza instead of regular pizza and salad instead of fruit
Chicken Salad or Egg Salad instead of leftover pasta (don’t make so much that there are any leftovers)

NP. I know you mean well, but these kind of tips don't work at all for an overweight person with disordered eating. If you tell me even a banana is bad, then I may as well eat cake. If I can't have a slice of pizza, I just won't diet and will eat all the carbs I want. The PP struck a nice balance that isn't so overwhelming.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating a banana. Anybody telling you that is an idiot. Just don’t eat a dozen of them.

Lots of great advice in this thread otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you, OP. I'll toss out some "real food" ideas that some on DCUM will think are horrible, but they work for a real family.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit; scrambled eggs on toast; whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana; a bowl of yogurt with nuts and fruit

Lunch: A small turkey sandwich with fruit or some raw vegetables; leftover pasta; quesadilla; soup; a slice of pizza with fruit or veggie sides

Dinner: Endless possibilities, but most meals have a protein, lots of vegetables, and carbs as a side rather than a focus.

Try to add in as many healthy foods as you can. Doesn't mean you have to take away all the unhealthy foods. If you eat a lot of processed foods, try cutting them down to a couple of times a week. Make salads fun and nourishing ... throw in nuts, or cheese, or avocado to keep people full and prevent them from seeming like a punishment.

Try to get everyone cooking ... makes you appreciate food more.

Not horrible, but there’s a lot of sugar here. I’d make small adjustments to get the sugar out and still have a fully satisfying meal

Replace all fruit with berries only - rasp, blue, black, straw
If you need something crispy with scrambled eggs, cheese crisps instead of toast
Replace peanut butter and banana (sugar and sugar) with Avocado Smash on toast
Nuts, seeds, berries and two scoops of yogurt instead of a bowl
Turkey lettuce wrap instead of sandwich
Cauliflower pizza instead of regular pizza and salad instead of fruit
Chicken Salad or Egg Salad instead of leftover pasta (don’t make so much that there are any leftovers)

NP. I know you mean well, but these kind of tips don't work at all for an overweight person with disordered eating. If you tell me even a banana is bad, then I may as well eat cake. If I can't have a slice of pizza, I just won't diet and will eat all the carbs I want. The PP struck a nice balance that isn't so overwhelming.

Agreed. Fruit is not poison, and the sugars in whole fruit are definitely not the source of unhealthiness. It's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you, OP. I'll toss out some "real food" ideas that some on DCUM will think are horrible, but they work for a real family.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit; scrambled eggs on toast; whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana; a bowl of yogurt with nuts and fruit

Lunch: A small turkey sandwich with fruit or some raw vegetables; leftover pasta; quesadilla; soup; a slice of pizza with fruit or veggie sides

Dinner: Endless possibilities, but most meals have a protein, lots of vegetables, and carbs as a side rather than a focus.

Try to add in as many healthy foods as you can. Doesn't mean you have to take away all the unhealthy foods. If you eat a lot of processed foods, try cutting them down to a couple of times a week. Make salads fun and nourishing ... throw in nuts, or cheese, or avocado to keep people full and prevent them from seeming like a punishment.

Try to get everyone cooking ... makes you appreciate food more.

Not horrible, but there’s a lot of sugar here. I’d make small adjustments to get the sugar out and still have a fully satisfying meal

Replace all fruit with berries only - rasp, blue, black, straw
If you need something crispy with scrambled eggs, cheese crisps instead of toast
Replace peanut butter and banana (sugar and sugar) with Avocado Smash on toast
Nuts, seeds, berries and two scoops of yogurt instead of a bowl
Turkey lettuce wrap instead of sandwich
Cauliflower pizza instead of regular pizza and salad instead of fruit
Chicken Salad or Egg Salad instead of leftover pasta (don’t make so much that there are any leftovers)

NP. I know you mean well, but these kind of tips don't work at all for an overweight person with disordered eating. If you tell me even a banana is bad, then I may as well eat cake. If I can't have a slice of pizza, I just won't diet and will eat all the carbs I want. The PP struck a nice balance that isn't so overwhelming.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating a banana. Anybody telling you that is an idiot. Just don’t eat a dozen of them.

Lots of great advice in this thread otherwise.

[phone]

There are some disordered people here who think that sugar or carbs from fruits and vegetables are the same as eating a cupcake. PLEASE do not listen to them. They are wrong, and they are idiots.

Eat a banana. Make a baked potato (just don't load it up with sour cream and cheese or stuff). Make some homemade baked sweet potato fried. Eat the apple. Eat the orange. eat the whole orange, but don't buy a carton of juice from the grocery store.

Whole fruit/vegetables are healthy and good for you. They come packed with vitamins, minerals, water, fiber, and nutrients.

- lost 50+ lbs in my 30s, kept it off for 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you, OP. I'll toss out some "real food" ideas that some on DCUM will think are horrible, but they work for a real family.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit; scrambled eggs on toast; whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana; a bowl of yogurt with nuts and fruit

Lunch: A small turkey sandwich with fruit or some raw vegetables; leftover pasta; quesadilla; soup; a slice of pizza with fruit or veggie sides

Dinner: Endless possibilities, but most meals have a protein, lots of vegetables, and carbs as a side rather than a focus.

Try to add in as many healthy foods as you can. Doesn't mean you have to take away all the unhealthy foods. If you eat a lot of processed foods, try cutting them down to a couple of times a week. Make salads fun and nourishing ... throw in nuts, or cheese, or avocado to keep people full and prevent them from seeming like a punishment.

Try to get everyone cooking ... makes you appreciate food more.

Not horrible, but there’s a lot of sugar here. I’d make small adjustments to get the sugar out and still have a fully satisfying meal

Replace all fruit with berries only - rasp, blue, black, straw
If you need something crispy with scrambled eggs, cheese crisps instead of toast
Replace peanut butter and banana (sugar and sugar) with Avocado Smash on toast
Nuts, seeds, berries and two scoops of yogurt instead of a bowl
Turkey lettuce wrap instead of sandwich
Cauliflower pizza instead of regular pizza and salad instead of fruit
Chicken Salad or Egg Salad instead of leftover pasta (don’t make so much that there are any leftovers)

NP. I know you mean well, but these kind of tips don't work at all for an overweight person with disordered eating. If you tell me even a banana is bad, then I may as well eat cake. If I can't have a slice of pizza, I just won't diet and will eat all the carbs I want. The PP struck a nice balance that isn't so overwhelming.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating a banana. Anybody telling you that is an idiot. Just don’t eat a dozen of them.

Lots of great advice in this thread otherwise.

Quoting myself here. Also, regarding peanut butter, get the stuff that is just peanuts and salt. No added fillers or sugar or whatever. Also, just don’t eat a gallon of it. I have been jamming on Teddie all natural super chunky and banana as a post workout meal bridge. It’s available at Whole Foods and Safeway.

I lost 100lbs and I am into endurance sports now. With all of what I am doing it’s a challenge to maintain weight when I eat real food. It’s amazing how much nutrients you can eat when you aren’t eating garbage.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you, OP. I'll toss out some "real food" ideas that some on DCUM will think are horrible, but they work for a real family.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit; scrambled eggs on toast; whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana; a bowl of yogurt with nuts and fruit

Lunch: A small turkey sandwich with fruit or some raw vegetables; leftover pasta; quesadilla; soup; a slice of pizza with fruit or veggie sides

Dinner: Endless possibilities, but most meals have a protein, lots of vegetables, and carbs as a side rather than a focus.

Try to add in as many healthy foods as you can. Doesn't mean you have to take away all the unhealthy foods. If you eat a lot of processed foods, try cutting them down to a couple of times a week. Make salads fun and nourishing ... throw in nuts, or cheese, or avocado to keep people full and prevent them from seeming like a punishment.

Try to get everyone cooking ... makes you appreciate food more.

Not horrible, but there’s a lot of sugar here. I’d make small adjustments to get the sugar out and still have a fully satisfying meal

Replace all fruit with berries only - rasp, blue, black, straw
If you need something crispy with scrambled eggs, cheese crisps instead of toast
Replace peanut butter and banana (sugar and sugar) with Avocado Smash on toast
Nuts, seeds, berries and two scoops of yogurt instead of a bowl
Turkey lettuce wrap instead of sandwich
Cauliflower pizza instead of regular pizza and salad instead of fruit
Chicken Salad or Egg Salad instead of leftover pasta (don’t make so much that there are any leftovers)

NP. I know you mean well, but these kind of tips don't work at all for an overweight person with disordered eating. If you tell me even a banana is bad, then I may as well eat cake. If I can't have a slice of pizza, I just won't diet and will eat all the carbs I want. The PP struck a nice balance that isn't so overwhelming.

I agree with you. I’m not OP but I’m not the best eater even though I know what I should be eating. Literally the only fruit I will eat is a banana so telling me to grab a handful of berries isn’t gonna work.
Also there’s nothing wrong with a slice of whole grain toast with an egg on. You don’t need to replace toast with a lettuce wrap. Whole Grains are a good source of fiber snd are filling and good for you.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who suggested the peanut butter and banana on toast.

Other PP, your suggestions are fine, but I tried to give the OP some ideas that work for a family that is not in the habit of eating well. I don't know how many kids she has, or what ages. But I have three very active teens. They need lots and lots of real food. They also need to not see their mother dieting.

[Anonymous]

Yep Op. My eating was also disordered. What you do for yourself and what you do for your kids may need to be different though. You’re getting mixed messages here. So, I recommend two things. One, make a few appointments with a nutritionist— to get ideas and answers about how to meet your own nutritional needs and your kids nutritional needs in a healthy sustainable manner.

And two, talk to a therapist who specializes in disordered eating. You recognize your own issues. What you might need help with is how to be a healthy example to your own kids. You want to feed them nutritious foods and teach them healthy eating. But that’s impossible if you don’t know what healthy eating looks like. You really don’t want to do a massive, all at once diet overhaul for your kids and strictly limit them— because how did that workout for your dad? A therapist can help you recognize bad patterns from your childhood and find a path to doing better by your kids without turning them into teens who binge unhealthy foods in private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep Op. My eating was also disordered. What you do for yourself and what you do for your kids may need to be different though. You’re getting mixed messages here. So, I recommend two things. One, make a few appointments with a nutritionist— to get ideas and answers about how to meet your own nutritional needs and your kids nutritional needs in a healthy sustainable manner.

And two, talk to a therapist who specializes in disordered eating. You recognize your own issues. What you might need help with is how to be a healthy example to your own kids. You want to feed them nutritious foods and teach them healthy eating. But that’s impossible if you don’t know what healthy eating looks like. You really don’t want to do a massive, all at once diet overhaul for your kids and strictly limit them— because how did that workout for your dad? A therapist can help you recognize bad patterns from your childhood and find a path to doing better by your kids without turning them into teens who binge unhealthy foods in private.

DP, but I'd amend this to recommend a registered dietician rather than a nutritionist if you decide to consult one. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist without doing any actual study. RD is a credentialed field.

[Anonymous]

I always follow the rule that half your plate should be non-starchy vegetables, a quarter protein, and a quarter starchy carbohydrates (rice, quinoa, etc). Although, we often just eat veggies and meat, so I will do half veggies, quarter meat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep Op. My eating was also disordered. What you do for yourself and what you do for your kids may need to be different though. You’re getting mixed messages here. So, I recommend two things. One, make a few appointments with a nutritionist— to get ideas and answers about how to meet your own nutritional needs and your kids nutritional needs in a healthy sustainable manner.

And two, talk to a therapist who specializes in disordered eating. You recognize your own issues. What you might need help with is how to be a healthy example to your own kids. You want to feed them nutritious foods and teach them healthy eating. But that’s impossible if you don’t know what healthy eating looks like. You really don’t want to do a massive, all at once diet overhaul for your kids and strictly limit them— because how did that workout for your dad? A therapist can help you recognize bad patterns from your childhood and find a path to doing better by your kids without turning them into teens who binge unhealthy foods in private.

I would see a dietician rather than a nutritionist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Michael Pollan said it best.

Eat food (real food, food your cook from scratch not from a box. foods that are ingredients - not foods MADE from ingredients)
Mostly plants (any fruit, vegetable, bean, legume, etc no matter the "carb" level. Eat all the plants you want).
Not too much (don't eat till you're stuffed. Eat until you aren't hungry anymore)

This is it. ^^
OP, Im sorry you are feeling so bewildered. It’s hard not to. I’m overweight too, and it is exhausting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Michael Pollan said it best.

Eat food (real food, food your cook from scratch not from a box. foods that are ingredients - not foods MADE from ingredients)
Mostly plants (any fruit, vegetable, bean, legume, etc no matter the "carb" level. Eat all the plants you want).
Not too much (don't eat till you're stuffed. Eat until you aren't hungry anymore)

I recommend reading Food Matters by Michael Pollan- it’s a nice orientation to healthy and reasonable eating. There are also recipes in the back. There’s a Food Matters cookbook that has good recipes.

I don’t agree with a lot of the info that some other people have written including avoiding things like bananas. It just seems like that kind of thinking leads to disordered eating more than anything.