Eating right...

[Toadrax]

MyPyramid Menu Planner

The above link is kind of cool.. my question is: How the hell am I supposed to eat anything like that? I mean seriously...

Is there a place I can go to and just buy like a box of cheap meals that are good for someone who is supposed to eat 2600 calories a day?

I don't have time to plan all those meals and/or cook them.

[kevinpate]

nutri system? jennu craig? Healthy choice Frozens?
a tad pricey, but one answer to the no time but want to avoid fast foods

[sweetdaisy]

I understand your frustration, Toadrax. It's very tough to eat "right" when you don't have the time to plan & cook meals on a daily basis.

I've tried Nutrisystem, but it required too much additional "work", i.e. more trips to the grocery store for fresh fruits/veggies than I had time for. And WAAAAY too much planning, IMO. I am a fan of the Healthy Choice/LeanCuisine/Weight Watchers frozen meals because of their ease. However the quality of the various meats in the meals is a little questionable sometimes (spongey chicken, tough beef), but if you're hungry enough, it doesn't matter that much.

Something I used to do when I had a little bit more time was to cook for the week on Saturday or Sunday and freeze the meals. Then I could just pop them in the microwave through the week and add a salad or frozen veggies or whatever. I'd also purchase all my fruits/veggies and divide them up into baggies so I could just grab one and throw it into my lunch bag. If you have a couple hours available in a day to do some cooking for the week, I think this is one of the best options.

[Toadrax]

The problem with stuff like Healthy Choice is how few calories they have in a meal, I don't mind the fact that they taste bad. I am not on a diet or anything, my weight is excellent. I just want to feel better and be less fatigued all the time. A lot of it may be that like 1000 of the calories I get in a day is from Dr. Pepper and I don't really eat a lot otherwise..

I guess I could just eat like 2-3 of them in a setting :P

[bandnerd]

Here is my opinion on this:

If you don't have the time to take care of yourself properly, then you need to cut something else out. Not taking care of yourself now will only result in you being unhealthy later on, thus negating all the good work you could have done if you were healthy. A few hours now can save you a few YEARS later.

I sit down every Sunday morning and plan out my week. Then I do my grocery shopping for just that week. I make it easy on myself--I look at what's in the pantry, and mentally make up some meals. For example, I have cooked shrimp in the freezer, whole wheat orzo in the pantry, and fresh parm in the cheese drawer. Add a salad, and it's a meal, and all I have to buy is the salad stuff, which can last us quite a few days. In fact, I have the ingredients already on hand for almost every meal I'm making this week.

I also like to make enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. All I need is my mini-fridge at work and a micro and I have my lunch. I just pack it up the night before, throw in some fruit and a yogurt for a snack and it's done.

It irks me when people say they don't have the time to eat well and take care of themselves. It really does. Plan it into your day and it's easy.

ETA: And if you would wean yourself off all that DP, then you wouldn't get the caffeine and sugar high and crash. THAT is a big part of why you feel fatigued. You gain no nutrition from that crap, and wasting 1,000 calories on it daily is not really very smart. I barely ever drink any caffeine, and allow myself a regular soda once in awhile, and I have plenty of energy to spare every day.

[Toadrax]

Maybe I could just post an add on craigslist looking for a health nut girlfriend.

[sweetdaisy]

LOL, Toadrax! Very cute.

Something I have also noticed in my own diet is anytime I consume pasta of any type (whole wheat or overly processed), I get extremely fatigued. I'm in the process of removing pasta from my diet completely.

And while I know too much caffiene is bad, sometimes that's the only thing that keeps me going in a day...but it's mostly coffee that I do, so I don't have the extraneous calories from a sugary soda.

[kevinpate]

If you're not going to eat well, diet soda can become your new best friend.

Like nearly all soda, diet varieties also come in those oh so handy single serving 2 liter bottles. One in the morning, one in the afternoon and life goes on until you kick your feet up for the night.

[Toadrax]

So I went to subway to eat today... I picked something random on the menu with chicken on it.

The lady was like.. erm, what do you want on it?

I was like.. erm.. load me up? She was like, "with what?" Erm..

I was acting as hard as I could to make it look like I knew what I was doing, but I really had no clue. I don't know the name of any of the vegetables they had besides like.. the tomatoes.

This food product wasn't too bad.. taste weird. It has lots of green stuff in it that I am not used to.

[bandnerd]

I'm sorry, but what on earth did your parents feed you when you were growing up? Did you only eat brown and yellow foods...i.e. fish sticks and kraft mac and cheese?

You don't know what lettuce or pickles are? You've NEVER eaten at Subway before?

What on earth have you been eating all this time?

[Toadrax]

I was an only child and my parents worked two jobs so I lived mostly on cheerios, dr. pepper, and pizza

Entering my 30s now, whee.

[bandnerd]

Wow. I'm amazed you made it this far without being morbidly obese.

[FritterGirl]

One of the major pitfalls of the diet foods we've come to know and love - including Lean Cuisines and similar low-calorie meal options - is the amount of sodium in each. It is astronomically high and terrible for your heart.

The current Recommended Daily Allowance is less than 2,400 mg per day, although most nutritionists I've talked to claim that it's better to shoot for around 1,700 mg, especially if you're not drinking enough water to keep your electrolytes balanced.

A typical Lean Cuisine, while only 300-400 calories, will have up to 600-700 mg of sodium, so I wouldn't recommend them for every meal.

While I love fresh veggies and fruit, one thing I've discovered recently that I really like are these little individual serving steamer veggie packs from Green Giant. A quick 4 mins in the micro and you've got 1-2 servings of fresh, hot veggies, and they're all very delicious. And they're not too high on the sodium count, either. About 90 mg per. They're awesome for lunch, or as part of a quick meal when cutting and chopping fresh vegs won't work!

I also try to steer clear of table salt and opt for Mrs. Dash when I can to add spice to a meal or salad.

[soonerfan21]

those Green Giant veggie packs are the best! I'm not the best veggie eater but those sure make it easy and convenient especially at lunchtime. One thing we do is grill a bunch of chicken breasts on the weekend and then take one in a baggie for lunch with the veggies.

I have also "discovered" almonds for a quick and easy snack. easy to carry with you and high in the goodies they pack in.

[sweetdaisy]

Ooh! Thanks for the info on the veggies packs! I'll look for those next time I go to the grocery store.

I've started purchasing the "Buy One Get One Free" meats from Homeland, (the pre-seasoned steaks, chops, chicken, etc.) and grilling them over the weekend so I'll have meat available for lunch or dinner through the week. They last me the whole week, and the package is about $5 each (big money saver!). The ease of the veggies packs would be a great addition to the need for a quick prep meal.

And Fritter girl, thanks for the reminder of the sodium in the Lean Cuisines...the convenience is great sometimes, but like you said, they shouldn't be eaten every day.

[Toadrax]

That sounds like a good idea.

[dismayed]

Hey Toadrax I have a suggestion. There is a new type of business getting really popular, I don't know what the type is called but basically you go to the company's website and they have a menu that they post online and it changes every month. You can select from a bunch of different meals. You can select six and either show up at the place and build it yourself with their chef equipment or pay and extra couple bucks and have their chefs put everything together for you. The one I use is called Super Suppers:

Super Suppers


For about $115 you get six entrees, which you can ask them to split in half so really you get 12 entrees. All you do is swing by and pick it up. They are all individually wrapped and are high-quality (like restaurant quality or home cooked quality) but all you have to do is throw whatever in the oven or on the stove for a few minutes. Typically it is about a 20 minute prep time.

I use Super Suppers because they post all their nutrition info on their website and they tend to make healthier options. But there's also Pass Your Plate and Dishing It Up:

Pass Your Plate
Dishing It Up!


If you are only eating at home a few times a week the 12 entrees could easily last a single person a month.

Other than that you might try hitting up the deli counter at your grocery store. Hope that helps.

[Toadrax]

While I love fresh veggies and fruit, one thing I've discovered recently that I really like are these little individual serving steamer veggie packs from Green Giant. A quick 4 mins in the micro and you've got 1-2 servings of fresh, hot veggies, and they're all very delicious. And they're not too high on the sodium count, either. About 90 mg per. They're awesome for lunch, or as part of a quick meal when cutting and chopping fresh vegs won't work!

I just tried one of those right now.

ACK! I didn't like brocoli when I was a child and I certaintly can't stand it now.

I mean, I don't expect to like everything I eat.. but I physically can't finish this serving in front of me. I consider myself to be a tough guy, but this is too much.

I have a little faith in my body... why would it revolt and gag against my will if this was really good for me?

I tried adding a little cheese to it, but it just made it worse.

[flintysooner]

Another possibility is Home | organicgourmet
I haven't tried it but have wanted to.

[soonerfan21]

Toadrax don't give up on the Green Giant veggies after one try. the one I love has sugar snap peas, carrots, black beans and edamame in a nice sauce. Cooked right they are super for a quick and healthy lunch. But somehow I'm wondering if you are really looking for healthy!

[Pete]

The whole key is moderation, portion control and regular exercise.

In our culture, you have to make a real effort on all those fronts. Over the last 20-30 years, almost everyone eats out all the time and portions and content are pretty outrageous. Plus, everyone tends to sit down all day and never walk anywhere, so you have to plan exercise or it just isn't going to happen in the regular course of life.

A deck of cards is about the right size of any portion of anything. Compare that to what you get at virtually any restaurant and you'll see how warped this has all become.

Also, I really try and limit animal fat: cheese, butter, fatty meats. I need the carbs because I do a lot of training for triathlon, plus they aren't inherently bad for you like fatty foods.

And I do try and plan me meals on Sunday. I often grill a few chicken breasts that I can incorporate in various meals throughout the week. And I try to keep on hand quasi-healthy snacks, like fruit and whole grain crackers.

[AFCM]

I have also "discovered" almonds for a quick and easy snack. easy to carry with you and high in the goodies they pack in.

Those are great, but you have to make sure to get the almonds low in sodium. I purchase Blue Diamond -- comes in a tall bottle/can -- that come in different flavors like Vanilla Nut Bean and Cinnamon flavor, both of which are low in sodium and great-tasting. So, you can get your beneficial unsaturated fats and calories, fill up the tummy for a while, and feel good about yourself afterwards.

Look for those soonerfan; they're great.