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View Full Version : How do you eat healthly?



Ash
20-May-07, 13:23
hey everyone im curious what ur views are on this..... there is soo much food out there that i thought was good for u but now all u see on the tv that these things are full of sugar and additives ect...... i try to eat healthy i have a 3year old but lately ive found most food are full of rubbish, i try to cook from scratch most nights but sometimes it would be nice to buy something thats easy to make and healthy for you but im finding it hard VERY lol :roll:

Solus
20-May-07, 13:51
Clean knife, fork and plate is healthy for me, :D

Bill Fernie
20-May-07, 14:25
Try to buy items that can last two or more days. For example a piece of meat (Pork, Ham, Beef, Chicken) cooked on one day but to last two or three days. First of all cooking once every two days or so saves energy. Use part of the meat hot for the first day with vegetables. Second day serve cold with salad or if preferred cook again in other dishes e.g chicken in Rissotto with rice etc.

Using the second day makes the meat easier to cut and can be cut thinner to go further (most folk eat too much meat these days).

Chcken usually produces stock that can be used for soup that can also last two or three days. Adding a can of tomato soup on the second or third day helps change the flavour but is still has all the healthy vegetables etc you have added yourself. If there is too much soup and you do not want it on more than one day freeze it for a later date.

Baking days have almost disappeared from many homes but they can be a way of producing a range of dishes all on one day to last a few days. Mince and steak pies using the same pastry can be on the go for a couple of days. Whilst the oven is hot it is worth baking other items to save expense such sas cakes and scones. Scones without sugar and used with cheese etc rather than jam may make a change.

None of this is my idea. My mother started out the week on a Monday as baking day and made all sortsof things that lasted through the week from potsof soup using the weekend left overs of chicken or beef and tray bakes of all sorts thathelped fill a family of six. Larger cakes were always in tins with fruit loaf maturing for a day or two. Smaller cakes and cheese straws were usually made that day and lasted a couple of days. So one day week was a big cooking day and the rest of the week meals were set around that one big plan saving time and energy on the cooker. The soup pot was often topped up with another round of something during the week. Frugality was obviously part of the regime but it was very healthy with no ready made meals ever on the scene.

Changes came and went as my mother tried out new things like pizza (home made), and Italian or Chinese to vary the menu as we got older. But always Mondays were baking and big meal preparation days. From time to time bread was tried but not often as it took too long I think.

Home made scones and sponge cakes were usually spread with homemade raspberry jam made from the fruit from our garden. We grow them now for the same reason - very tasty and healthy. We have strawberries in the garden and we are still eating strawberry jam from last summer. Rhubarb is on the go now and cheap if you have it in the garden. Not something we eat a lof of but from time to time it makes a change and it is easy to prepare. Freezing some is very easy and you can have it in the winter if you get it ready now.

When I was young we used to grow peas although few ever reached the pot but we all knew it was good for us to eat them fresh right after picking. We grow them now and still few reach the pot and grazing in the garden on sunny evening is very relaxing (and absolutely no additives).

A little planning for the week helps to make life easier and if food is prepared with the next day in mind then it makes life easier and you do not have to cook every day if the second one is using yesterdays ingredients in salads. Soups are great fillers for growing children and you can add all your own vegetables and cut down the salt and sugar.

NickInTheNorth
20-May-07, 14:26
very few things in reality are un-healthy in themselves. It is usually that people eat too many of some things.

If you buy fresh, not processed foods and cook them yourself then in general you will be eating a healthy diet. Make sure you are getting your "five a day" fresh fruit (or tinned!), fresh veg (or frozen!) fruit juices etc

Eat fish - fresh or frozen or canned

Limit red meats

Something easy and quick and good for you? Packet of pasta, jar of pesto, salad or veg. Maybe 10 minutes from start to finish, healthy and tasty :) If you prefer to add some fish or meat too.

And very occasionally just have whatever you fancy, no matter how "bad" it is supposed to be, it won't hurt you at all.

brandy
20-May-07, 14:57
everything in moderation.. *Grins* i have an aunt and uncle, that are always on "diets"... she eats enough for 3 people.. and wonders why she isnt loosing weight as she is following the "diet"
but seriously.. i do find it hard with my two.. as i have one that dosent like meat.. and the other would eat meat from the cow!
right now, we are going thru a sporticus stage! which is really helping!!
as we are using him as an example.. see sporticus likes sports candy! not yucky sweets.. sports candy makes you big and strong like sporticus!
works for the fruits.. but still looks at you crazy with the veg!
we bought baby tomatos yesterday. and hubby and i were munching, btw i hate tomato's but were giving them a go for the kids benifit!
and gave one to my 4 year old who looked at it.. and said .. this is blues food! and gave it to the hamster!
he knows that the guinea pig and hamster eats lots of fruit and veg! little rascal!
i was informed recently that its a "healthy choice" to dilute apple juice..
there is so many dif. rules now.. i just get confused, and now say.. everything in moderation!

NickInTheNorth
20-May-07, 15:03
Diets are brilliant for losing pounds - from your wallet!

It is amazing just how much veg you can hide in pasta sauces, pizza toppings, casseroles, curries etc

When I've worked as a school cook in the past the little darlings have eaten so many veg you just would not believe it :) The boss could not believe just how much spinach we got through at my school!

sassylass
20-May-07, 18:36
Fresh is the way to go, imo. It's easy enough to cook quick and tasty vegetables - stir-fry, steam, roast - with a bit of meat and a starch, and presto it's on the table in the same amount of time as processed food would be. Just the thought of eating so many additives, preservatives, dyes, and chemical flavours makes me shiver. Imagine the conversations chemists have in their labs "if we mix this chemical with that chemical, it might taste like strawberry.. Go on taste it...go onnnnnn" [lol]

karia
20-May-07, 19:07
Two things I wouldn't be without that make healthy eating so easy.

1. My steamer, boils potatoes, rice, pasta etc. in the bottom, steams other
veg in the top. keeps in the vitamins.

2. My George Foreman grill, cooks meat chicken etc on both sides at once
so very fast, plus it's slanted so excess fat drains off.

Hope this helps!

Moira
21-May-07, 12:32
Lots of good information, tips & recipes on this website - have a look :)
http://www.healthyliving.gov.uk/

golach
21-May-07, 12:56
Lots of good information, tips & recipes on this website - have a look :)
http://www.healthyliving.gov.uk/

Moira, no mention on the limit of red wine that can be consumed [lol]

squidge
21-May-07, 12:57
Dont buy ready meals.

veg and fruit and fish and meat. milk cheese eggs, bread and yoghurt.

I try to avoid as much processed food as i can - any quick ready meals are usually Pizza, The kids are told to snack on Cereal and Toast so i dont buy loads of crisps and chocolate biscuits. I dont bake - i havent time or the patience although i do make biscuits occasionally but they get eaten in about five minutes.

We only have fiizzy pop at weekends but we do have a blow out. Everything in moderaton if you ask me. Learn to enjoy cooking and you will find that its easier to cook healthily and feed your children good wholesome food

Moira
21-May-07, 18:18
Moira, no mention on the limit of red wine that can be consumed [lol]

Ah - that's the easy part Golach. Look on the red wine as fruit & make sure you get your "5 a day" ;)

htwood
21-May-07, 19:11
Moira, no mention on the limit of red wine that can be consumed [lol]

Golach, ye only hafta be able to stand steady in front of your cooker without catching yer clothes on fire. Only you know how much red wine that will be. Or just have the missus ready with a broom, she can beat the fire out.

karia
21-May-07, 21:43
The thing about limits..is that you can only exceed them!

Pass the 'vin rouge':D

Five, you say....? !!

Karia x

golach
21-May-07, 22:19
Golach, ye only hafta be able to stand steady in front of your cooker without catching yer clothes on fire. Only you know how much red wine that will be. Or just have the missus ready with a broom, she can beat the fire out.
Ht, my goodness, you Colonials have some funny drinking habits, in my household, we drink the red biddie at our meal not when we are cooking :confused