[Dark Age Iron Savior]

I need a better diet. A much better diet. It's one of the few problems with my upbringing (er, that's not directly my fault), that my family never really encouraged me to eat healthy. And now I don't know where to begin.

It's especially been annoying in the past week because I've been waking up with an upset stomach, and nearly everything I can think of to eat makes me feel queasy.

Please help me find some stuff that, even if doesn't have miraculous effects, will still be good for me and hopefully taste good as well.

Oh, and while I know buying organic is a thing that is generally good for everybody, I'd like to avoid having to go out of my way to find stuff or pay dramatically higher prices for it.

Thanks!
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[km]

why is buying organic generally good for everybody? i mean it sounds good sure, but is there any actual data to back that up? (not expecting you to answer dais, this is more me questioning where this supposedly common knowledge comes from)

in the same vein, i have never actually heard of any studies showing that antioxidants are SO GOOD FOR YOU, just tv commercials trying to sound sophisticated
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vi) RPGs (Role-Playing Games)
For adolescents; half-formed personalities roaming (in packs) in search of identity.

[Dark Age Iron Savior]

it's a joke that didn't really come across well. you always hear how organic is better because free-range oranges with no DDT injected directly into them are happier and are peeled more humanely
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[CubaLibre]

Don't bother with organic food, it's a label that means "expensive."

But, pseudo-vegetarianism helps a lot. Fruits, vegetables, peppers. Leafy greens are a necessity, but avoid nonsense like iceberg lettuce - spinach is my favorite. Potatoes are good for you, just make sure you eat the skin. Nuts are great - you need the fats in the oils.

For protein, beans are probably the cheapest and healthiest. Chicken is fairly cheap (make sure you get white/breast meat), and fish is great although good fish can get pricey; tuna is cheap and carries most of the health benefits of expensive fish like salmon, but it can get boring to eat all the time. I love beef and pork but they're not that good for you and really expensive.

Dairy has some essential minerals but is real fattening. Go for skim milk and avoid processed cheese like Velveeta or that powdered shit that comes in mac & cheese boxes.

Avoid simple carbs like rice and wheat products, if you can help it. Always go "whole wheat" with bready stuff (including pasta). Unfortunately this is the cheapest food, and delicious to boot. I am a carb vacuum. But, it's not "unhealthy" in the sense of actively contributing to unhealth as it will just fatten you up some. Moderation is key.

The number one best thing you can do is cut sugar from your diet entirely. Drink diet soda and just swear off sweets. If you must snack, snack on salty munchy-type stuff instead, pretzels and popcorn and what have you. Obviously this does not preclude CHRISTMAS COOKIES but basically you should be avoiding sugar and especially corn syrup, which is a nutritive pit.
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Let's Play, starring me.

[evnvnv]

yea i think the first step is essentially to eliminate (processed) corn

then try to stop eating all things that you can't at least imagine how they were made

organic probably doesn't mean anything anymore (or ever) but if you live in a place where it is possible for plants to grow out of the ground there's no reason why you shouldn't be trying to eat locally grown produce

drinking expensive fruit juice always makes me feel a little healthier

EDIT: i think it's a bit of a weird joke, but i've heard from people who decided to start eating only uncooked foods that it makes you feel kind of crazily energized after awhile. i would never advocate 'GOING RAW' for anyone but i suppose following my previously stated general logic (eliminate the middle man) it would be better to eat vegetables in both cooked and uncooked forms. especially spinach!

[Felix]

The only thing I make a genuine effort to buy is bananas. They blanket those things with pesticides because of their thick skins, and it causes some serious problems for the farmers as a result.

If you want the absolute cheapest / healthiest, learn to make good pea soup and refried beans from dried pinto beans / split peas. Otherwise, yeah, fruits and vegetables and whole grains. It's not so tough!

[glossolalia]

everything everybody said already, plus you should learn to cook some healthy easy meals well so when you're hungry you don't break down and get some greasy drive-thru disaster

learn how to bake a chicken in the same pan as potatoes and yams and carrots, that's a good complete meal and you'll have leftovers for at least a couple days

learn how to make soups and stews esp if you have access to a slow cooker

[scratchmonkey]

In terms of waking up with a nervous stomach, I find that oatmeal really helps for breakfast as it's bland and hot. I keep hearing that the best is steel-cut and the worst is "instant" oats, I haven't seen many explanations as to why, though. I add raisins and soy milk if I want a little flavor.

[km]

The pot and how to use it?

An entertaining read at any rate.
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vi) RPGs (Role-Playing Games)
For adolescents; half-formed personalities roaming (in packs) in search of identity.

[glossolalia]

ebert is a gift to humanity

[Predator Goose]

[psiga]

goose i hate you but

no i guess thats it
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[psiga]

I'd earnestly love to contribute to this thread, but I don't eat reasonably, so it's a wash. Good luck, DAIS!
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[Touran]

[Mr Mustache]

I'm a good cook :)
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The people are like wool to me

[Mr Mustache]

I buy most of my produce from farmers markets.
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The people are like wool to me

[Cossix]

[Predator Goose]

[spinach]

[spinach]

[glossolalia]

farmers markets are great but the one around here is stupid expensive with some things

a really cheap place for some vegetables is mexican groceries, i don't know if they have those where you live but most of them have stuff for like 1/3 the price of normal groceries and it's worth rooting around the bad stuff for

[psiga]

Antioxidants are only useful if they're right where oxidation is happening. For the most part, this is only vitally important right up in the mitochondria, which are the body's little power plants. The antioxidants that you ingest in...stuff, whatever, are not likely to get there. I mean, it MIGHT help fight oxidation in other parts of the body, but most of those parts are expendable, insofar as they'll regenerate without mucking anything up.

Stuff that contains antioxidants among other things, like green tea, or oranges, or whatever, are still very good for you, just for different reasons.
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[spinach]

Also, weekend farmer's markets are great. You buy directly from the farmers, so not only do you get to see the dudes who blanket the shit to feed the seeds to grow your food, you also get pretty damn good prices.

I don't know if they call them something else in places, but here farmer's markets are both physical stores that are always there every day, selling the goods of local farmers, and those weekend deals which are outside, in booths and tents. Both are great. The one near my grandmother's that I've gone to my whole life has closed down. So long, Plowboy's.

[km]

You want oxidation in the Krebs cycle. Otherwise you die.
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vi) RPGs (Role-Playing Games)
For adolescents; half-formed personalities roaming (in packs) in search of identity.

[spinach]

it'd take far more than the average dude could reasonably ingest to fuck up the krebs

[psiga]

If I recall correctly, the problem is that as each mitochondrion burns its fuel, it will intermittently misfire a bit, sending out a free-radical that will pull shit from other molecules in order to find stability. This happens right by the little power plant, so they are damaged over time by the free-radicals.

If antioxidants are, for example, injected into that region specifically, then it extends the functional lifespan of the mitochondria. But, to my knowledge, there ain't anythin' that you can casually eat or pill-pop in order to get that same effect.

So yeah: Marketing hype is marketing hype.
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[shrugtheironteacup]

DAIS just run six miles every day and then eat any damn thing you're in the mood to like Trozz.
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[Cossix]

[falsedan]

[Greng]

[glossolalia]

goose just let the chicken thaw overnight, remove the giblets if you want, cover a deep pan/dish with a large sheet of parchment paper, pour some olive oil all up ins, put the chicken in the pan, put all your vegetables and stuff around it, maybe a few minced garlic cloves, throw some more olive oil and some salt and pepper and rosemary on it, loosely wrap it in the parchment paper (ie as tight as you can but don't kill yourself over it) and shove it in the oven at 350F for probably like two hours (20 mins per lb is the theory)

the onions and potatoes and carrots should cook to perfection along with the chicken. the parchment paper and olive oil is important because it will keep your chicken moist as fuck

it's good to do for yourself on a sunday so you have leftovers for the work week, and it is also impressive to guests

[Mr Mustache]

Y'all should let moose be malnourished. Maybe he'll become too weak to post?
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The people are like wool to me

[boojiboy7]

Suggesting starvation for another poster is awesome.

[Broseph Stalin]

[boojiboy7]

yeah i know they are worth making posts for aren't they. Or, you know, we really need yet another "everyone hates goose" post. Except, you know, the people talking to him.

+1

[scratchmonkey]

I have eaten so much broccoli in the past two days.

It makes up for visiting my grandfather last weekend, who believes that "salad" means "jello with carrot shavings and fruit suspended in it".

[Toptube]

[Predator Goose]

Thanks a lot for the tips guys! Falsedan, you haven't steered me wrong yet*. I'll give the roasting a go with various chicken bits this weekend. It's just me so unfortunately I won't be able to do the full chicken wrapped in parchment paper gloss, just some chicken breasts. I'll try to adapt it by roasting the vegetables a little first, and then throwing in the chicken and wrapping it all up to finish out the cooking time. Thanks again!

Not sure if I'll try putting all that in an enchilada this weekend or not. That's another one of those things I've never tried.


* Except maybe about the shampoo. I've been trying the every other day thing and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It's more manageable this way in the winter though, so success!
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I can no longer shop happily.

[Mr Mustache]

Die(t) moose.
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The people are like wool to me

[bloody heartland]

I think greng was telling me about lentil soup yesterday. Going to look into making batches of that as my work food then start cooking stuff in the PM when I get home.

I need more ruffage, I think.

[Greng]

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2089/spiced-carrot-and-lentil-soup

That but I'd throw an onion and definitely some peppers in there too. Go for the coconut milk variation. Oh... it doesn't mention it but at the end of the cooking process, before blending it up, throw a load of fresh coriander in there too.

Super cheap
Super healthy
Super tasty
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Steam ~ Be Preying | Resident Evil.net ~ ElSpank