Eating Healthy?

[EmilyElizabeth]

I've been on a gluten free diet for a year now. I've been really good about not straying from the diet but I really have no idea how to eat healthy. I spent my childhood and teenage years eating whatever I wanted without any weight gain so nutrition wasn't something I paid much attention to. Lately I've been concerned with the quality of my diet. I make attempts at eating healthy but I don't know what I'm doing. I'm so confused and frustrated I end up eating all sorts of incredibly unhealthy food because I feel like my efforts are futile. I don't know what I'm doing. Does anybody have any good info on how to eat healthy on a gluten free diet?

Thanks

[gfp]

A friend who had serious medical issues read a book lately... and he summed it up saying

"If it doesn't look like vegetables, meat don't eat it".

Another nice maxim is "nothing in excess"

Unless you have other dietry restrictions then a little fat is no bad thing...

My personal preference is I try and not eat anything comes in a tin, packet or similar.

I try and base my diet on fresh vegetables, meats and fish and fallback on frozen (peas etc.) and a few tinned items ... (canned tomatoes are a stock item for me).

This seems very difficult for many people but really its not... its only a matter of getting used to it.

The first thing is discover the joy of cooking... for me this is always marred by washing up so I always have to have a dishwasher..

I buy fresh food so I make sure I have enough refrigerator space... to this end especially many Americans are in a habit of storing things in a refrigerator that don't need to be but you can also invest in another one.

The basic rule is if you start with fresh vegetables and meats/fish almost everything will be healthy... some will be healthier than others but almost everything will be healthier than prepared foods.

The more vegetables you can get in the better, obviously. Try not to just eat only meat+ starch item (potatoes/rice) but add selectons of vegetables for the vitamins and minerals.

Just a quick example... take a typical burger meal.

Make your own burger, its just ground beef... just roll it in a ball then flatten it. (You can also buy them but I'm just illustrating how easy it is)

Then lets cut out the fries or only have a few...

Then you can add some vegetables as filler ... forget the bun and instead go for higher quality stuff to fill you.

You can have a fresh salad or you could have some steamed or boiled vegetables ... frozen peas or green beans or even broccoli or spinach

This sounds quite boring... so you can actually boil the brocolli and then you can fry it with a little bacon for 2 mins ... and you can cook the spinich like this from scratch. Throw in some fried onions or garlic etc.

Now instead of the burger you can have a steak, or take chicken breasts and just grill them. Add some variety.

Its winter here in the Northern hemisphere. Try taking carrots and boil them (I like to ad 30% Swede) then just mash or puree them with some butter, sour cream and salt and pepper.

Most things can be spiced up with a sauce... learning to knock these up is a good investment.

You can also make marinades and coatings.

A simple example is taking chicken legs, pull the skin back and put in some butter, mixed herbs and garlic then just put them in the oven for 30 mins.

Take the juice that comes off and you can make a sauce really easily... mostly you can add a few items and corn starch for a basic sauce.

I tend to keep wine I don't drink... and you can add a half cup to a sauce and let it boil for 2-3 mins before taking off the heat and ading cornstarch already dissolved in water.

For a bit of variety you can place some bacon or proccutio over the checking when cooking and the flavor will mingle.

Its a bit of extra fat BUT overall its healthy...

Anyway, this is what works for me....

[Sweetfudge]

A friend who had serious medical issues read a book lately... and he summed it up saying

"If it doesn't look like vegetables, meat don't eat it".

Another nice maxim is "nothing in excess"

Unless you have other dietry restrictions then a little fat is no bad thing...

My personal preference is I try and not eat anything comes in a tin, packet or similar.

I try and base my diet on fresh vegetables, meats and fish and fallback on frozen (peas etc.) and a few tinned items ... (canned tomatoes are a stock item for me).

This seems very difficult for many people but really its not... its only a matter of getting used to it.

The first thing is discover the joy of cooking... for me this is always marred by washing up so I always have to have a dishwasher..

I buy fresh food so I make sure I have enough refrigerator space... to this end especially many Americans are in a habit of storing things in a refrigerator that don't need to be but you can also invest in another one.

The basic rule is if you start with fresh vegetables and meats/fish almost everything will be healthy... some will be healthier than others but almost everything will be healthier than prepared foods.

The more vegetables you can get in the better, obviously. Try not to just eat only meat+ starch item (potatoes/rice) but add selectons of vegetables for the vitamins and minerals.

Just a quick example... take a typical burger meal.

Make your own burger, its just ground beef... just roll it in a ball then flatten it. (You can also buy them but I'm just illustrating how easy it is)

Then lets cut out the fries or only have a few...

Then you can add some vegetables as filler ... forget the bun and instead go for higher quality stuff to fill you.

You can have a fresh salad or you could have some steamed or boiled vegetables ... frozen peas or green beans or even broccoli or spinach

This sounds quite boring... so you can actually boil the brocolli and then you can fry it with a little bacon for 2 mins ... and you can cook the spinich like this from scratch. Throw in some fried onions or garlic etc.

Now instead of the burger you can have a steak, or take chicken breasts and just grill them. Add some variety.

Its winter here in the Northern hemisphere. Try taking carrots and boil them (I like to ad 30% Swede) then just mash or puree them with some butter, sour cream and salt and pepper.

Most things can be spiced up with a sauce... learning to knock these up is a good investment.

You can also make marinades and coatings.

A simple example is taking chicken legs, pull the skin back and put in some butter, mixed herbs and garlic then just put them in the oven for 30 mins.

Take the juice that comes off and you can make a sauce really easily... mostly you can add a few items and corn starch for a basic sauce.

I tend to keep wine I don't drink... and you can add a half cup to a sauce and let it boil for 2-3 mins before taking off the heat and ading cornstarch already dissolved in water.

For a bit of variety you can place some bacon or proccutio over the checking when cooking and the flavor will mingle.

Its a bit of extra fat BUT overall its healthy...

Anyway, this is what works for me....

GFP has the right idea. the key is to make it work for you. don't think of it as a "diet" but rather as a lifestyle change. and while you're getting used to cutting everything else out of your diet, allow yourself the occasional "treat". but to keep yourself from over-indulging, get rid of everything you shouldn't be eating. i like to keep a bag of homemade cookies in the freezer, that way i have to take the effort to warm them up, and am not constantly reaching for them. it is very frustrating when i'm craving something sweet! but it helps. and as far as meal ideas, there are a ton on this forum. just browse through the recipe section.

[Mango04]

I've been on a gluten free diet for a year now. I've been really good about not straying from the diet but I really have no idea how to eat healthy. I spent my childhood and teenage years eating whatever I wanted without any weight gain so nutrition wasn't something I paid much attention to. Lately I've been concerned with the quality of my diet. I make attempts at eating healthy but I don't know what I'm doing. I'm so confused and frustrated I end up eating all sorts of incredibly unhealthy food because I feel like my efforts are futile. I don't know what I'm doing. Does anybody have any good info on how to eat healthy on a gluten free diet?

Thanks

Eat whole, natural foods. Don't eat processed, packaged convenience foods. Maybe start by adding lots of fresh vegetables to your diet, and taking out at least one synthetic ingredient (such as hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup or splenda).

[EmilyElizabeth]

Thanks for all the advice! You guys are really helpful.

I do have a question about some of my favorite gluten free staples. Are things like corn tortilla's or corn chips healthy? Or is that something that I should try to avoid? And someone mentioned cutting out things like splenda? I drink diet soda everyday I know there is some controversy over sweeteners, are they really adverse to my health? Oh and what vegetables and fruits would you recommend as far as being the most nutritious?

Thanks again.

[Mango04]

Thanks for all the advice! You guys are really helpful.

I do have a question about some of my favorite gluten free staples. Are things like corn tortilla's or corn chips healthy? Or is that something that I should try to avoid?

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert or a nutritionist

Corn chips aren't particularly healthy, but they are okay to eat in moderation. Not all corn chips are created equally either...some are organic, some aren't, some are baked, some are fried, some use healthier oils than others...try to find organic corn chips with minimal ingredients if possible.

For tortillas, sprouted corn tortillas by Food for Life are a good choice. Sprouted grains are much more nutritious and are more easily digestible (they contain more nutrients and necessary enzymes).

And someone mentioned cutting out things like splenda? I drink diet soda everyday I know there is some controversy over sweeteners, are they really adverse to my health?

Yes, there is controversy, but I think Splenda is toxic. Do some research on it and read both sides of the story and decide if it's something you want to put in your body (and your brain). Stevia is a good natural sweetner if you want another option.

Oh and what vegetables and fruits would you recommend as far as being the most nutritious?

All of them. Just start eating lots of vegetables. Organic dark leafy greens are particularly good. www.whfoods.com provides charts that outline different nutrient contents of various vegetables and fruits.

If you're confused, just remember you can't lose with lots and lots of vegetables, and usually, if you can't pronounce an ingredient, it isn't a good thing to put in your body.

I don't know if that helps, but those are my thoughts anyway...