going granola ... peace mannnn

[becc971]

okay so not really, but i'm trying to eat healthier, snacking mostly because i have a chip issues, specifically cheetos. i have problems! So i'm contemplating a few things and was looking for any input anyone has on the subject of weight management and eating fewer processed foods so here's my thoughts thus far:

making my own granola bars for breakfast
getting everything as low sodium as possible
buying a dehydrator to make my own dried fruit *goodbye chips*
popcorn for my salt fix

any other suggestions? i hear most "diet" things have so much fake sugar and corn syrup that they actually make you MORE hungry ... i'm also contemplating getting a soda stream to make my own soda water at home (not actual soda, like seltzer)... any thoughts? advice on better natural snacks?

i'm posing the same questions to my facebook page so i'm expecting lots of comments about becoming a hippie ... but looking at the main ingredients in processed foods at the store super grosses me out! thank god for social networking so i can get food advice

[kentmitchell1961]

As I have told many of my patients (used to be a nautropath) in the past, as you read the ingredients, if you cannot pronounce them, don't eat them. And moderation and exersise.

But shopping at a trader joes/wholefoods is a good thing too....

[Judy Canty]

Water, water, water!

[Uncle Fester]

From TVFN-

http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/de...la%20bars&No=0

For the work coupled with what I find that so many ingredients don't get used up quickly enough I just buy them from the grocer. Trader Joe's makes a bunch of all natural ones.

[n711]

I make a veggie soup in the crockpot on Sunday or Monday to "eat" all week for lunch (or dinner too if I am not having to feed my "meat and potatoes" husband) It is the easiest, healthiest thing I have found so far.... also, relpace any rice with quinoa, it is a 'super food' and gluten free. (stay AWAY from gluten, it is not your friend!) Trader Joe's is a great place to find natural snacks. They have these dried slightly sweetened papya pieces that are TOO DIE FOR!! On the soda issue, the soda stream is a good idea (getting my hubby one for Christmas) but I have been replacing my sweet drinks with iced tea (I get the fancy stuff from Teavana) so yummy! And ALL NATURAL!... I could go on for days with this "hippie" advice, I AM an Oregonian!!!!!

[kentmitchell1961]

Hmm, 'gluten' one of the most mis-used word in the natural foods industry. All grain has gluten, gluten is the grain protein. What people try to stay away from is wheat gluten. Drives a lot of us naturopaths/herbalist/nutritionist types batty...

[vcom]

FYI- no Trader Joe's or Wholefoods in becc971's neck of the North Woods. Pretty much just Potato Farmers, Loggers, and the occasional Flatlander complaining how there aren't any Trader Joe's or Wholefoods.

Oh and don't forget the non-tipping Canadians. We get a lot of dem eh?

[cocoisland58]

Just eat close to the earth and the farm. Natural food is good food. We try to buy local farm foods, fresh eggs, butter, chicken, beef. All natural no hormones. Our cholestral levels are better for it and so are our waistlines. I can't quite do the raw milk thing but I have friends who swear by it.

[Johns]

We have our own chickens, sheep, and trade beef and pork with the amish neighbors. (There's only 3 of us, so we don't want a lot of meat in the freezer) All the meat we eat is raised within 200 yards of our house, and we have a large garden. We trade vegetables with the neighbors as well, so we don't all have to plant the same items. There is a pump on our pond that irrigates the farms on three sides of us, and we have two wells (one for drinking, the other for watering). I've got a mill in the barn that grinds wheat into flour, but to be honest, we hardly ever use it, as we don't eat a lot of starches. The neighbor makes 10 pounds of flour each week, and bakes for a roadside stand she has.

Be cautious of granola recipes, as many of them are packed with sugar. They look great, taste great, but are about as healthy as a Pop Tart!

[becc971]

FYI- no Trader Joe's or Wholefoods in becc971's neck of the North Woods. Pretty much just Potato Farmers, Loggers, and the occasional Flatlander complaining how there aren't any Trader Joe's or Wholefoods.

Oh and don't forget the non-tipping Canadians. We get a lot of dem eh?

they're the reason i can't afford to go organic

*drools with dreams of having a trader joes in bangtown* i MISS T-Joes when i lived in mass i did so much shopping there! the closest one is 2 hours away

[optilady1]

I grew up eating only organic and healthy, and I'm convinced it's why I'm 70 pounds overweight now.
Anyway, If you like crunch salty stuff, and you're not afraid to spend a little time in the kitchen, King Arthur flour has a lot of cracker and bread stick recipes. Also, Alton Brown did a Good Eats episode about healthy granola and granola bars and breakfast bars made with brown crisped rice and other all natural ingredients. Don't be quite so worried about organic. Start first getting REAL food into you first, and good luck.

[kelanor]

Whole fresh fruit. Nuts and nut butters. Good cheese. Good chocolate (not Hershey's).

I find that the better the quality of the food (especially sweets) the less likely I am to pig out. One square of really good chocolate fixes my craving.

Make your own soups. It's cheaper, healthier, tastes better, and there are a ton of recipes.

Lots of premade food- even "healthy food" is loaded with sugar, salt, or things that are in fact not food. Read the ingredients on everything you buy even if it seems healthy.

Also, look for tastier ways to cook your vegetables rather than steaming or boiling them plain. Roasting or grilling adds more flavor. So do spices and seasonings.

[vcom]

My suggestion: Bacon. Lot's and lot's of bacon. Bacon in your salad, bacon on your sandwiches, bacon in your cupcakes. I am proud to say that I once had bacon at every meal, including dessert in a single day. I have yet to try bacon infused vodka, but I am curious. Oh and I weigh the same I did when I was 15, slightly below my 'ideal' body weight.

Enjoy your life, enjoy your meals. I think moderation, portion control and preventing 'bored eating' are way more effective than drastic diet changes. And making copius amounts of baked goods for co-workers is an absolute fool-proof way to trim your figure. Gauranteed. I'm an expert.

[n711]

I forgot to mention..... VODKA, lots. You will be amazed at how 'un-hungry' it will make you

[optilady1]

I forgot to mention..... VODKA, lots. You will be amazed at how 'un-hungry' it will make you

Well, heck, why not just do some cocaine? That'll make you real slim.

[n711]

Well, heck, why not just do some cocaine? That'll make you real slim.

...but so unhealthy... at least vodka has minimal additives. Just sayin'

[optilady1]

This is true. OOOOOrrrrrrr, add some orange juice. Vitamin C and a few other anti-oxidants. Super food!

[Fezz]

I am not someone that should be giving advice on weight loss! I've put on so much weight in the last year that I'm ashamed of myself! I am a carboholic and my beer intake is at an all time high!

Here are a few things that I am doing to try and hold off my impending heart attack:

1.) More water! I bring a gallon to work every day. I don't drink it all, but its there. I am sure to drink a bunch before lunch and before I leave for the day and go eat dinner. Adding lemons helps the boredom of water.

2). Increase my tea intake to try and replace my insatiable beer appetite. My three favorite teas are green tea with mint, Yerba Mate, and Guayusa. To sweeten, I'll add about 1/2 the sugar that I use to or replace sugar with a bit of honey. I'll often add mint to the Yerba Mate and the Guayusa to mix it up a bit.

3.) Try not to gorge myself like the slob I am. Smaller-realistic portions! This is a tough one but I am trying!

A little over a year ago, I gave up one of my favorite foods, potatoe chips! In May, I gave up "Energy" drinks. Sadly, I have added weight, not lost any! I know that I don't eat right, eat too much, definitely drink too much, and don't exercise. It is a struggle. It is frustrating. It is sad!!! I guess acknowledging that there is a problem is a step in the right direction!




Good luck!

[optilady1]

oh come on Fezz. YOur avatar looks so slim and trim.

[Fezz]

oh come on Fezz. YOur avatar looks so slim and trim.

It's my high school yearbook picture!

[MakeOptics]

I have lost 30 pounds in the last 3 months, the trick is there are no tricks period. Count calories, calories are a standard units of measure. Make sure you eat at least 1200 calories a day otherwise the body goes into starvation mode and you start storing fat. Eat items that balance carbs and proteins. Protein helps you feel full longer so make sure every meal has protein. 30 minutes excercise 5 days a week is a must, minimum. Designate a cheat day every two weeks where you don't count calories, try and be good that day but eat things you crave as well.

DO NOT BUY DIET FOOD, diet food is so horrible for you. My wife used to buy the 100 calorie snack packs before she realized that you were actually getting less and paying more than buying th eregular version and portioning it yourself. Eat fruit as snacks, I am lucky to have farm markets all around me so eating good is easy, to avoid expense eat fruits that are in season.

Park in the back of everything, grocery store, hardware store, etc. Park in the back and you add a few extra calorie burning steps to your day. Don't use the intercoms at work stand up and walk to peoples offices if you need to talk to them.

Get rid of your TV or TV service it's too easy to lose a bunch of hours in front of a screen that's designed to waste time.

Oh and my biggest pet peeve, women need to strength train and not just do cardio. Cardio will help you maintain strength training builds muscle which burns and sculpts bodies. Don't look at a scale for the first 1 1/2 months, use a tape measure to measure body parts for progress. The body is going to stay the same weight or even gain weight when packing on muscles, but that muscle is working hard and burning fat at rest. Cardio just burns at the moment and when you stop it's pretty much over. So the first month is the big obstacle get over that hurdle and you'll see puonds flying off and even when you taper back the weight will continue to fly off if you put on enough muscle.

[optilady1]

It's my high school yearbook picture!

Because every man had a grey beard in high school.

[Uncle Fester]

Because every man had a grey beard in high school.

He hopes to graduate this year!

[TLG]

Dramatically changing your diet is very challenging - take it from a 25-year QuasiVegHead (I eat fish/seafood) - but WELL(pun intended) worth the effort. While I commend your ideas of 'rolling your own' granola etc we found early-on that that can be counter-productive. If you make it so much work, it is too easy to fall back when time/energy/desire are low. Instead of focusing on your snacking, consider focusing on your main diet and you will find that your snacking diet will follow. Much of our need to stuff munchies into our mouths comes from not supplying our bodies the proper nutrition when we sit at the table.

And if you're not into exercise, try incorporating a 20-30 minute walk into your day; I have found this to be an amazing elixir, not just for your body but also your brain. The fresh air and movement on a daily basis will help you to start thinking differently about yourself in a very positive way - it really is magical...and easy.

Not sure your age, but many of my favorite people were hippies so no need in my mind to apologize to anyone. Peace and Love are properly unapologetic!

Good luck and keep us posted.
Peace.

[becc971]

I forgot to mention..... VODKA, lots. You will be amazed at how 'un-hungry' it will make you

Well, heck, why not just do some cocaine? That'll make you real slim.

...but so unhealthy... at least vodka has minimal additives. Just sayin'

vodka drunk munchies are probably what got me into this mess in the first place ;) although i've never tried the cocaine diet .... dare to try new things!