Low energy during the day, need to change my diet

[L_Sludger]

I've been eating lousy foods recently. I'm single, live alone, and have been eating pre-packaged foods for the past few months, exclusively. As a result, I've gained about fifteen pounds, feel tired all day, and think that my poor dietary choices are slowly killing me. The complex ingredient lists and preservatives of the frozen, microwaveable food I'm eating cannot be healthy in the long term.

I want to try a healthy diet of natural foods, but need to start off basic and cheap, if that is possible. I don't have anything to cook with except for an eight inch saucepan, have no spices, and a basically empty cabinet except for some instant coffee, cereal bars and ramen noodles.

Can someone point me in the right direction? The simpler and cheaper, the better. I was thinking about starting off by cooking some lentils, but can't fathom much more than that right now.

 

[mcrn]

Eggs are great, cheap, and fast.

 

[StevieC]

I have to eat properly because of health concerns and can tell you that I feel great since switching to the following diet and lost 30 lbs by doing nothing but switching to this diet.

Breakfast 3/7 Days a week is an apple, handful of almonds and some lightly buttered whole-grain toast. - Cup of Coffee or Green Tea - Whatever I feel in the mood for.

The other 4/7 Days a week (not in a row) I have Eggs, Toast and sliced tomatoes with some salt/pepper and coffee. Sometimes I will have Bacon instead.

Lunch & Dinner consists of 1/4 Protein, 1/2 Vegetables, 1/2 complex carbs or starches like Potatoes. (Sometimes I will treat myself and have something I crave like a burger/fries or Pizza, but limit it to 1 meal a week)

I eat alot of brown rice and kidney beans and a lot of dark leafy greens.

For snacks I eat a lot of seeds, nuts, fruit, and raw vegetables.

I eat no refined sugar, processed foods (including lunch meats), HFCS or chemical additives.

I have better than perfect Cholesterol.

If you are going to salt anything to taste use a quality Sea-Salt that contains minerals and not bleached/boiled sea-salt that has been iodized. (Health Food stores are the place for this, not grocery stores)

More info, PM ME.

Steve

 

[Drew99GT]

Keep it simple - it's easy and cheap to do things like roast chicken and vegetables in the oven. Stick a couple chicken breasts in a baking dish atop some potatoes, celery, carrots, onions etc., get some all purpose seasonings to shake on, add some chicken stock or cream of chicken soup, cover with foil, and bake at 375 for an hour or so. I do a lot of cooking like that.

One of the greatest inventions for single guys who like to eat good, cheap and healthy, is a crock pot. Buy one along with an easy crockpot recipe book, and you can make stuff that will last an entire week!

Another great and easy thing is to buy a grill pan - that way you can grill things indoors on a range - you can grill chicken or some cheaper cuts of steak, and make chicken or steak salads with green leafy lettuce and other fresh raw veggies with low calorie dressing.

If you must eat frozen microwavable stuff, in ll honesty, Healthy Choice dinners really aren't that bad! I eat quite a few of them as well - the ones with a protein and various veggies and such. It's when you eat the Banquet "mechanically separated" meat TV dinners like chicken nuggets where you run into trouble. Those are fairly close to dog food.

 

[StevieC]

Drew a lot of soups on the market contain MSG in them and if the goal of the OP is to feel better he might want to make some chicken stalk from scratch using non-MSG bullion cubes for your recipe above instead of using canned soup.

MSG is hard for the body to break down and can lead to water retention in the body and excessive tiredness. Also for people like me who are sensitive to it. (MIGRAINES)

Great idea though!

 

[dparm]

You need to mix carbs, fats, and proteins. Each provide energy for different durations.

Carbs = fast & short, 1hr or less
Fat = medium duration, a few hours
Protein = long duration, several hours


If you pack on too much of a single group, you will not maintain a steady energy level.

This is why you mix things like triscuits (carbs) with cheese (fat).

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
Drew a lot of soups on the market contain MSG in them and if the goal of the OP is to feel better he might want to make some chicken stalk from scratch using non-MSG bullion cubes for your recipe above instead of using canned soup.

MSG is hard for the body to break down and can lead to water retention in the body and excessive tiredness. Also for people like me who are sensitive to it. (MIGRAINES)

Great idea though!

Campbells doesn't add MSG to their stocks or to their healthy versions of their soups.

 

[StevieC]

Campbells does to... Maybe not to their healthy version but their regular cans here have MSG in them. Check a can of Chicken Noodle for example.

I will see if I have a can to show you...

 

[hate2work]

I'm not sure that "basic and cheap" is going to work with what you're asking to do.

Eight weeks ago my wife found a magazine in the local library, and it has changed our eating habits 180 degrees. All 4 of us feel much better, have more energy, and now have zero elimination problems, if you know what I mean. This publication is our new "cookbook bible", and we will probably cook these recipes the rest of our lives.

The name of the magazine is called "Clean Eating". All the recipes are fairly simple, with many only having 5 or 6 ingredients. Yes, it takes some planning, but no more planning than regular cooking. They produce this magazine every 2 months, and it's full of great meals and snacks.

Here is the website

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/minisite/ce_index.htm

 

[StevieC]

Also to the OP, check your B-12 level, Iron, and Hemoglobin through your doctor to see if you are critically low from this past diet...

 

[JimPghPA]

Get rid of all the beer and soda (pop), and I do not mean drink it. (give it away or throw it away). Get some good OJ (not from concentrate) and fill a glass 3/4 with water (perferably filtered) and the rest of the way with OJ. This way you do not over do it on calories from drinking too much OJ. And it is low in cost because diluted this way it last a long time.

You might also drink tea instead of soda. Try it with no sugar and no (cream or mild). I have large white mugs made by McCoy. The tea cools much faster if you put the mug in a lager bowl of cool water. You can find these mugs on e-bay but be sure to e-mail the seller before paying for it, and have them put very thick pading around the mug and handle. Half of the time these mugs get broken in shipping.

In general eating healthy is a little more expensive. But it saves you health cost in the future.

Try to buy fruit and vegies that are fresh, not frozen or in a can.

 

[JHZR2]

As a single person, I know I found that when I was real busy, it was very possible for it to appear to be more cost-effective to order out than eat healthy making your own.

Sometimes it is true, and you CAN do it that way to some extent.

It starts with just watching what you are eating.

it is really easy to go raw - carrots, etc are easy. I like the suggestion to eat almonds, but think about your choices - go raw, not smoked, salted, etc.

I found that it was easiest to set up a meal in a non-stick skillet (careful to not scratch the coating). Some ideas:

-Boneless skinless chicken breasts with boiled broccoli, frozen spinach, etc. You can go all sorts of ways with sauces, spices, etc.

-Big batch of chili or taco meat. Just skim the fat or start with lower fat ground beef - tasty and good.

-Eggs with onions and bacon or sausage. Start by cooking the bacon/sausage and then use some of the grease to brown the onions and then crack eggs in. Salsa on top with a burrito is a nice meal.

Watch the "extra" stuff youre eating. Drink lots of water. Remember that fruit is good, especially fruits with protein - apples with cheese, bananas with peanut butter.

Good luck!

 

[JimPghPA]

Real important to have your blood work done. You are probably low in iron, or Vitamin D, or B12.

Only by doing blood work will you find out what is low. And if you are low you will require follow up blood work to find out how much you have to take to get things to a good level.

 

[StevieC]

 

[Drew99GT]

Did you read what I typed?

"Campbells doesn't add MSG to their stocks or to their healthy versions of their soups"

I cook with the stuff all the time. It's the "Healthy Request" versions - no MSG, reduced sodium, basically less poisonous!

 

[StevieC]

I did read what you typed... If they didn't add it why is it on the ingredients list far from the bottom? YEAST EXTRACT is also another way of Saying MSG and that is also listed.

I just use non-MSG boullion cubes and I'm fine. If I eat a can of this I will have a Migraine within hours.

Steve

 

[dparm]

Have you had a physical lately? Also, have you ever considered seeing a nutritionist?

I went to a nutritionist for a few months after college so I could develop some good eating habits as an "adult". It really did show me how to be smart with eating...without feeling like I was constantly dieting or forbidden from eating anything good.

 

[silverrat]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
I did read what you typed... If they didn't add it why is it on the ingredients list far from the bottom? YEAST EXTRACT is also another way of Saying MSG and that is also listed.



read it again

 

[L_Sludger]

Guys, thanks a lot for the posts. I'm almost overwhelmed with everything.

Some more background:
I just graduated college and moved far away from home.
I am living on my own, and have left a $10/hr job for a $13/hr job. I do back-breaking labor and do not get any benefits whatsoever - no health insurance. I can't afford to see a doctor. My diet, until now, has been $.33 frozen tacos, dollar store hot dogs loaded with sulfites, cup and brick ramen, and sometimes stuff from the dollar menu at Carl's Jr. (local fast food chain). I have a gym membership but rarely find the motivation or energy to actually go work out.
This lifestyle is killing me and the money I think I save from eating that khrap is actually going to cost me MUCH more, later on, from health complications down the line. Well, that ends right now.
The local grocery store has $1.99 deli sandwiches. I will go there when time is tight and I need to eat. They have roast beef on whole wheat sandwiches so I know that they're healthier than frozen burritos or a burger.
I picked up some tomatoes, peaches, apples, bananas, eggs, 7-grain whole wheat bread, string cheese, lentils, all natural chicken drumsticks, canned spinach, and jugs of water. I can refill the 3 gallon jug for $.60, and it's a lot better than the garbage that comes out of the tap at the place I'm living in.
I'm throwing the ramen away. I'm going to have to eat a healthy breakfast every morning, so that will start tomorrow.

I'm hoping that the more balanced diet I'm about to take on will improve my overall sense of well-being, and get me feeling energetic enough to go to the gym without needing to take stimulants like caffeine or ephedrine.

Thanks again for all of the posts, I've read them carefully and will re-read them a couple of times.
When I told my sister of how I was living, she was disgusted and wanted to send me money to spend on better food. That's a really shameful position to be in.

I'd like to go for the organic food route at some point, but for now I'm hoping that ordinary grocery store fruit and veg foodstuffs will get me on the right track.

Regarding soda, I don't drink it often. When I do, it's always diet soda. It still isn't good for me, though. There's nothing like good, clean water to quench thirst.

 

[chubbs1]

ALL the responses are great, now you have to get out and do the stuff. It seems monumental at times but getting out, hittin the gym and changing the diet are all lifestyle changes that have to be substituted for what you are doing now. It takes effort, but it pays off. Especially when you get some females