Is my diet bad???

petethebrick

Well I know that it is so just looking for any comments on easy ways to improve it from a nutritional point of view - I'm not overweight, it's from a health aspect I want to improve

Breakfast: Weetabix with one kiwi and milk

Lunch: Homemade cheese sandwich

Dinner: Big bowl of pasta with heap of tomato sauce (2-3evenings)
Pizza (2 evenings)
Rice with frozen fish (1 evening)

Snack: Two slices toast with butter (every evening)
Apple or orange (most days)

This is my diet nearly every week (boring I know). Is it that bad? Would adding salad to sandwich and frozen veg to evening meal suffice?

aonfocaleile

To me, it seems like you're not eating enough fresh food, especially in the evenings. I'd go mad with boredom on that diet every week!

Try cutting the pizza to once a week or include some chicken or mince with the pasta and tomato sauce. You should experiment a bit - maybe try a stir fry with rice one evening. There are loads of meals which can be prepared quickly and easily. Are you relying on pizza and pasta because they are handy?

And I really don't know how you can face the same sandwich every day! Adding some salad would be a bit healthier, definitely.

peepeep

For your lunch you have a "Homemade cheese sandwich"?

You make your own cheese?

Are you pescatarian?

neuro-praxis

You're not eating much of what your body needs - vegetables and good proteins.

I would suggest snacking between meals on some fruit and some small portions of nuts. Make sure your bread in sandwiches is wholemeal. Have a salad or a bowl of vegetable soup every day as well as your sandwich. At dinner at 2 portions of vegetables if you can, and a source of protein. As Moonbaby was saying, we don't know if you eat meat or not. If you don't eat meat, you really need to learn how to cook, and introduce pulses into your diet, or more fish, or eggs.

Frogdog

neuro-praxis wrote: »

You're not eating much of what your body needs - vegetables and good proteins.

I would suggest snacking between meals on some fruit and some small portions of nuts. Make sure your bread in sandwiches is wholemeal. Have a salad or a bowl of vegetable soup every day as well as your sandwich. At dinner at 2 portions of vegetables if you can, and a source of protein. As Moonbaby was saying, we don't know if you eat meat or not. If you don't eat meat, you really need to learn how to cook, and introduce pulses into your diet, or more fish, or eggs.

+1 definitely to the above.

Personally I try and get protein and carbs into each of my meals. I eat 5 small meals a day, rather than 3 medium meals. So if I was eating what you are I wouldn't be getting enough protein in my diet. There's a rough general rule (not set in stone) about getting a ratio of 40:40:20 of carbs : protein : fats in your diet for it to be considered "healthy". You seem to get plenty of carbs - weetabix, bread, pasta, pizza but very little protein.

Your goal is to eat healthier so I would cut down on the bread a bit, and whenever you do eat it make sure it's brown bread. And brown pasta, brown rice etc. Also I'd suggest porridge in the morning, but Weetabix is a decent cereal. Try adding some eggs (poached, scrambled or boiled in the morning) or an omlette in the evening, some chicken breast fillets (plain - no breadcrumbs), lean red meat like fillet steak, turkey, salmon, tuna, mackerel, some nuts, milk, cheese, natural yoghurt etc into your diet and you should be fine. The fish will also give you the healthy fats your body needs. Try for 3 servings a week.

Mellor

Less carbs more protein was my first thoughts

metamorphosis

Mellor wrote: »

Less carbs more protein was my first thoughts

+1. Lot of bread form to consume every day. Maybe swap some for a ryvita or an oatcake.
More fresh fish or tinned like tuna/prawns etc.

Where's your fruit and especially veg?!

ronaneire

No to frozen veg. Yes to fresh veg. Try some wholegrain pastas and brown rice far better for you.
Don't forget the body needs fluids too.

El_Dangeroso

OP do you eat fish?

If you don't like fish then you need to take a good fish or flax oil to get some omega 3 in your diet.

cathysworld

Get a health check up at the doctor, that will give a good indicator if you have a healthy diet or not

olaola

ronaneire wrote: »

No to frozen veg. Yes to fresh veg. Try some wholegrain pastas and brown rice far better for you.
Don't forget the body needs fluids too.

Frozen veg is more likely to have a higher nutritional value than fresh. Doesn't really matter if it's frozen, some foods just don't come out that well at the other end (brocolli etc). But peas are a winner.

WesternNight

Add vegetables. Cut way back on the processed food...the pizza, frozen fish, tomato sauce will be absolutely ladened with salt and are nutritionally void for the most part.

Variety is the key. Quick and easy stir fries are a good way of getting more vegetables in...and adding chicken or beef or prawns (if you do eat meat and shellfish) would be even better. Pretty tasty too.

As someone else said, snacking on fruit and nuts is a good idea. Things like sunflower and pumpkin seeds are great too...handy for a quick snack and highly nutritious.

I would recommend getting a good book on nutrition and learning about what you should be eating and about what's in the foods you normally eat. The mere knowledge of how much salt is in a frozen pizza is enough to put me off them for life!