3.02.2009

Healthy eating habits


Now that I have someone dependent on me, I know that I want to be a role model for healthy eating. I can picture my little boy eating tofu and veggies and soy chicken nuggets - he doesn't have to know, right? It's fine if he eats meat, but I want him to be healthy and not know that McDonalds exists. I didn't grow up as a healthy eater. I became aware of eating and became healthy my sophomore year in college - 11 years ago. When I wanted to drop pounds for crew, I started doing research, kept a food journal and became really aware of what was healthy and what I was actually eating. Ever since then, there's no going back! It is a lifestyle change I was definitely more fun and less anal just eating anything anytime, but I'm more educated and feel much better about myself now than I did then! I'm not as hard core as back then, especially throughout the pregnancy and now (what is it with peanut butter???) but I am mostly a good eater. My downfalls: cheese, butter, baked goods, and peanut butter from the jar.

Now, I always bring healthy food to places just incase there are no healthy options.
I think the last time I ate McDonalds was when I was 12 or 13. I don't really do sandwiches or hoagies or anything like that unless it is a splurge! I try to eat only things that I know the nutritional value of - I just wish I followed this for baked goods.

Family/friends have been dropping off dinners to help us out, and I am kind of disappointed in what they bring! I feel like, gosh, do you not know me?? I got really frustrated at my parents, it hit the fan when they brought take out pizza/subs one night and I felt horrible. But, I really try hard to be a healthy eater, and when people are bringing crap food, it is really hard to eat well.
I ate so much lasagna the first 2 weeks, that I'll never make a lasagna for anyone again! Fettucine al fredo - which you can't even pay me to eat a whole dish of, plus all these baked goods and random cookies and cakes that I don't want in my house! My baked goods rule is make them and bring them to work or send them to Bill's work. Have a few and get rid of them!

So, I kind of feel frustrated that people don't know what I would like to eat and get that. There are so many options out there today! My co-worker that got me the diamond organics gift certificate is right on the money! I sound so ungrateful - but it is frustrating! I do appreciate the help people have given us.

When did you start eating well? What made you aware? Did you grow up eating well? What foods do you "cheat" on or are your trigger foods? What helps you to continue eating well despite bad food all around you? Does your significant other eat well too ? What tricks have you used to get your kids to eat well (if you have them!)

He's so tiny!! I like him this size!

18 comments:

  1. LOL I do NOT eat well at all. If I could live off of pizza and ho hos all day I would and sometimes come close to it. I grew up in a house that didn't have a lot of candy/junk and it backfired (I'm not saying this will happen to you, I'm just saying that's what happened to me). I've wanted nothing to do with healthy food since I've been on my own (from college on)

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  2. I started eating healthier in college and have progressively turned to a better diet overall. I don't really care to eat out that much because it's harder to find the kinds of foods I know are good for me...though I do love sandwiches!

    My mom wasn't very unhealthy per say but meat and potatoes were a staple and we could have soda...and well I got my sweet tooth from my dad, we'd start our day with cake! My mom isn't a fan of veggies so we generally had corn and potatoes...broccoli in cheese.. yea I didn't really know about all the other options and ways to cook until I lived on my own post college.

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  3. I grew up eating crap but now am pretty hard core about nutrition. I will credit my husband for helping me with my eating habits- he grew up eating really well and maintains those habits today. We eat tons of fruits and vegetables and whole grains and all that. I'm convinced that I train and race WAY better when I skip the sugar and sweets so that's my motivation to not eat the bad stuff. I look at food as fuel and choose to only give my body the premium stuff. :) I don't know where the local fast food restaurants are bc they don't even exist in my world... So like Nick, Moana won't know that McDonalds exists... At least until she goes to school and has outside influences. :)

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  4. I started eating well once I turned 27. It's not like I ate bad, but I knew I could do better. I'm not getting any younger. I began cutting out white flour, white rice, white sugar and such. I'd replace fries with broccoli. I did away with deep fried food. I guess I ate pretty okay as a kid. We didn't have too much junk around. Anyway, I can't say that I deny myself anything. You can have what you want in moderation. It's just that once you start eating healthy, some things you just don't want anymore. If it's just going to sit in your throat afterward then why bother? A big thing is learning to cook well. I've realized that I can eat just about anything if I make it from scratch. Of course, it's not an excuse to overeat. Again, everything in moderation.

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  5. I grew up eating healthy because of my parents (and even more so when my dad found out he had high cholesterol). I remember after school if I was shopping with friends they would be getting hot chips and I'd be buying a whole wheat roll from a bakery! I was OK in college, but tended to eat waaaay too much white bread (I worked in a gourmet Italian bakery). Then I went in the opposite direction and was super fanatical about how much I ate. Now I eat healthy not only for running and working out, but for general well being. That doesn't mean I don't eat crap occasionally, but I definitely notice that when I have a day where I lack fruit and veggies of wholegrains I feel blah. the other great thing about growing up food-wise is that I was exposed to a lot of different foods and as a result can be a pretty flexible eater. My husband and I have vowed that any children we have will eat a variety of things - hopefully we're not deluding ourselves, but since we were brought up the same way we at least have a good starting point! :o)

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  6. Oh girl, I have a thing for peanut butter out of the jar too.

    When J and I started dating we were both heavier. After we spent our first Christmas together, we saw the pictures and could not believe it. He was 250lbs and I was like 165. We decided we were going to join a gym and go on a modified version of the Atkins Diet (basically, dropping potatoes, chips, breads, rice, etc and subbing veggies and fruit) Also, we kept our meats pretty lean. While we didn't do a drastic Atkins Diet ( I think what we did is now the South Beach diet) it did teach us to pay more attention to what we were eating. We started drinking diet sodas instead of regular, cut out all fast foods, switched to low fat dairy products, started drinking way more water, ate salads everyday...all while working out and lifting weights 5-6 days a week. After 6 months, J had dropped 70lbs and I had dropped 16. We really did just have to change our lifestyle. Dieting never works.

    That's not to say I don't eat bad, I just don't eat bad everyday like I used to. But I love pizza, lasagne, baked goods, etc. But like you, I can't stand to have that stuff in my house for long. It's too much.

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  7. I've been all over the place on the eating spectrum -- grew up eating well, if not a little nutritionally dated, then went vegetarian at 16, spent a few years in there as a vegan.

    Husband grew up eating TERRIBLY! Just the other day, my MIL was telling my nephew he couldn't put jam on his pancakes because he needed "something healthy, like butter and syrup." I had to bite my tongue!

    I'm not a fan of trying to sneak foods into Lola's diet -- I always tell her exactly what she's eating, and just try to model good habits. She has to try everything on her plate, but that's about the only rule. She's surprisingly good at eating what her body needs -- maybe not all the veggies or protein in one meal, then she'll catch up later. I'm personally averse to fast food, but also conflicted about obsessively sheltering her from it for fear that she'll go nuts some day when she's on her own -- that one's a tough call.

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  8. I grew up eating not so healthy and then went through a real healthy phase and now I fall somewhere in between. I have LOTS of trigger foods. For me it is all about grocery shopping. If it makes its way into the house, I will eat it. If I can be smart at the grocery store I'll be smart at home.

    And while I don't want Zach eating fast food, I think a meal at McDonalds every now and then isn't the worst thing in the world. The worst eaters I knew in college were the kids who never ate McDonalds growing up or had grown up thinking crankers were in fact cookies.

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  9. Overall I am a good eater. However, there is room for improvements. I cook pretty much everyday so I can control what I put in my food. We are lucky Morgan likes to eat veggies and does ok with meat. But, I am a strong believer that she need the nutrients in the meat. The only thing we don't really give her is juice because of all the sugar, so it is milk or water. We give her snacks (a cookie, a little pudding)when we have them in the house if she eats all her dinner. She is too little to understand nutrition, but I hope to teach her about healthy eating and moderation and how food should be respected.

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  10. Oh gosh. I know what you mean. Even though most of my family reads my blog and knows I am on a "healthy lifestyle" quest, they still try to get me to eat crap, especially my mom.

    Growing up, we ate somewhat decently, but I learned emotional eating from my mom. I turned around in college, and began to study health. My bf at the time (now husband) did as well. Now we eat healthy together with treats every once in awhile.

    I would be afraid to live my (ficticious) kid with my parents or his. We would definitely raise our kid vegetarian.

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  11. I can understand how that is really frustrating. It's like you don't want to waste the food and appear ungrateful, but you don't want to eat it and be unhealthy either.

    The BF is a horrible eater and sometimes he rubs off on me, although I'm making an effort to try to reduce the number of times we go out for food.

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  12. I totally understand your frustration. I'm really lucky now, though. My family takes into consideration how I prefer to eat and will always have something for me. It's really stressful having stuff around that isn't what you're comfortable eating.

    I didn't grow up eating well. We were a meat and potato family with ice cream every single night before bed. It was a big change to switch to how I eat now, but I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. Thankfully Andy eats pretty healthy, too so I have the support I need.

    As for peanut butter out of the jar...I can't stop myself! I'm tortured by it.

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  13. I started eating healthy after college. My biggest downfall is cheese and I think it makes it into probably half of my meals! I should cut down!
    I bet everyone keeps brining cheesy pastas because they're easy to make in bulk and because they're comforting foods. But I hear what you're saying...it's a nice thought but if the thought is to help you because it's hard to find time to cook, shouldn't you be thoughtful enough to provide foods that you would cook yourself?

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  14. I am so impressed that you eat so healthy. Sometimes I don't eat as well as I'd like because everyone around me, and family included, eats whatever they want and it is just easier to go along. It's tough, but it seems like you really have it down.

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  15. chris and i always talk about this for when we have kids... teaching them good habits without giving them a complex about food or weight, etc... its a tough job!

    i ate HORRIBLE growing up and through my first couple years of college. when i really got into working out my junior year, i started really eating healthy and its stuck with me! i also havent eaten meat in a few months :) i didnt eat meat at all growing up and just dont like it so i cut it out again.

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  16. I grew up eating horribly. That's how my family ate.

    When I got to be 13, I decided I'd eat "healthfully" but had no clue what that was and just went ultra-low fat (less than 15 g a day)

    Thankfully, I know better now!

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  17. I haven't eaten red meat or pork in over 7 years now, I think this really helps me eat better.

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  18. I'm quite fanatical about what I eat, that's why I like to cook my own food. I was more relaxed when I was preggers, but now I'm back to my usual weird self :-)

    That's quite an impressive treadmill. I particulary like the Care Bears on your sofa :-)

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