Food MOT - what could I be doing better?

Interrobang

I turned 40 this year so I reckon everything, including my eating habits, is due an MOT. I'm trying to do a bit of a sanity check on what I currently eat and how I eat, and would appreciate any feedback on what I might be missing, what I could do better, what I should be avoiding, etc.

Below would be examples of what I would normally eat from day to day:


Breakfast:
- Omelette with veg (peppers, spinach, broccoli, spring onion, etc.)
- Frittata with veg (tomatoes, squash, peppers, sweet potato, spinach, etc.)
- Scrambled eggs with baked sweet potato

If I've any leftover ham (the real stuff, not the packet stuff) or salmon, I'll throw a handful of this into whatever I'm cooking for breakfast.


Lunch:
Usually a large salad which consists of something like:
- Plenty of mixed salad leaves (lettuces, baby spinach, rocket, etc.)
- Mixed peppers
- Tomato
- Shredded carrot
- Chicken, tuna, salmon or steak pieces
- Grapes, apple slices, orange segments or chopped pineapple
- Handful of mixed seeds or small handful (about 10g) of chopped nuts

If I'm not feeling too hungry, I swap this for some home-made soup.


Dinner:
- Chicken, turkey, fish, beef, pork or lamb with sweet potato and steamed, stir-fried or roasted veg (e.g. spinach, broccoli, squash, courgettes, aubergines, carrots, parsnips, etc.)
- Home-made chicken, beef or lamb curry with veg and sweet potato
- Chicken or fish with ratatouille

I normally throw a handful of mixed seeds on top of whatever veg I'm having. I might add some fruit, depending on what I'm having (e.g. pineapple with ham, poached apple or pear with pork, etc.)



Three meals a day suits me as I don't have time to be preparing any more than that, and I wouldn't eat between meals as I just don't feel hungry. Fluid intake would be about 2.5 litres of water a day and a few cups of peppermint tea.

I prefer to avoid dairy as it makes my eczema flare up, and bread makes me feel crappy, bloated and sluggish. Foods that I don't like and will never eat are Brussels sprouts and potatoes - I just don't like them!

Any feedback appreciated - thanks! :-)

Stench Blossoms

Looks pretty good to me.

Coconut in salads? Love it. Gonna try that.

re.mark.able

Very good indeed. good to hear the aversion to dairy and wheat - someone actually listening to their body rather than getting drugs to mask the symptoms.
Maybe consider looking into reducing the amount of animal products you have per meal - having meat for pretty much every meal is a bit excessive, i know the atkins diet is an extreme example but it's an example none the less of what excesses of animal products can do to your cardiovascular system, and the calories add up pretty quick. You could substitute in rice or beans or nuts to make sure you don't get hungry.
Apart from that, without being specific and without any knowledge of what kind of health problems you may or may not have, maybe consider doing some reading into whats in your water and in your food if you're looking to better improve your health. I can provide links if that's what you want.

Mellor

Looks pretty good.
Reading through lunch, I thought fats were a bit low until i seen the seeds and nuts.

Interrobang

Love the idea of coconut in salads! Definitely going to use that one.

Couldn't not add nuts and seeds - love them :-)

re.mark.able wrote: »

Maybe consider looking into reducing the amount of animal products you have per meal - having meat for pretty much every meal is a bit excessive, i know the atkins diet is an extreme example but it's an example none the less of what excesses of animal products can do to your cardiovascular system, and the calories add up pretty quick. You could substitute in rice or beans or nuts to make sure you don't get hungry.

Never thought of that, thanks. One meal a day will always be fish, and I guess I never really think of it as 'meat'. Breakfast is usually vegetarian, but if I don't finish my portion of dinner the evening before the leftovers will go into it, usually about twice a week. I do like mixed bean stews and curries, though - cannelloni, kidney beans, butter beans, chickpeas, etc. - cooked up with tomatoes and a load of veg. Must introduce more of that.

Any links would be great. I've only recently started to educate myself so I'm not well up on different was of eating and how they work. I've pretty much stuck to my mother's approach that if it comes on it's own without a label and a ton of crap added it, it can't be too bad. I've no health problems, thankfully, and activity levels would be good. I've just become more conscious of looking after this body of mine and want to pass on good habits and an understanding of good nutrition to my kids. This forum has opened my eyes and reassured me a good bit, but there's always room for improvement.

Thanks. :-)

Stench Blossoms

I don't think there's anything wrong with the amount of meat you are eating.

It's defo not excessive anyway.

thegreatiam

seems like the right amount of meat in your diet.

If you're not suffering any symptoms or downsides why change?

Seems like a well balanced and varied diet.

Interrobang wrote: »

I've pretty much stuck to my mother's approach that if it comes on it's own without a label and a ton of crap added it, it can't be too bad.

This would be the most sensible method.

Cant imagine you are eating too much or too little if you occasionally have leftovers and reuse them, so portion sizes are probably fine.

keep at it

re.mark.able

I'm so glad you said this

Interrobang wrote: »

I've pretty much stuck to my mother's approach that if it comes on it's own without a label and a ton of crap added it, it can't be too bad. [...] but there's always room for improvement.

Firstly, you're in a great position to make further improvement - no dairy, no bread and tonnes of vegetables and living by the philosophy that you decide what is added to your food (i.e. you buy chicken, not chicken with bread crumbs, sugars and spices - you buy your food with nothing on top of it), same as your fluids - nothing is added on top or with it.

If you are serious about educating yourself about your health and improving it further (problems you mightn't even realise - joint aching, headaches, coughing, sneezing, frequent itching - all signs that there is something inside of you that shouldn't be there) then you should now start looking at what is put INTO your food. Our bodies and blood carry around things we absorb from our foods and environments - likewise our food absorbs what it is fed and what environments it is subjected to and it passes on that stuff to you.

Your mother, given that you're 40 now, grew up in a time where this was much less of an issue. But if you're shopping in a conventional supermarket then you'll appreciate this information.

Unbiased information on getting the best water possible for yourself:
http://www.waterfyi.com/alkaline-water/faq/#Should I be concerned about fluoride in my water?

Truths about conventional food. The information is based in the USA but it still apples very much here too.
http://www.sierraclub.org/truecostoffood/movie.asp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Id9caYw-Y&list=PLkWlsYQBAQw9IBNzgtA1tmdsJBixJqO6t&index=86
http://gmofilm.com/trailer.aspx
and an irish perspective too:
http://iofga.org/gm-food/

I hope this is the kind of improvement you were looking for

Interrobang

If you're not suffering any symptoms or downsides why change?

If I don't need to tweak it, then great! I enjoy the way I eat now, but I want to make sure that there isn't anything else I should start adding to it, or cutting back on, to minimise general wear and tear (keep my joints happy, make sure I'm looking after my bones, help stave off some of the side effects of menopause whenever it hits, that sort of thing). I don't take any supplements, and only ever took folic acid when we were planning on having a family (unless you count the spoon of cod liver oil my mother used to dose us with daily when we were kids )

Your mother, given that you're 40 now, grew up in a time where this was much less of an issue. But if you're shopping in a conventional supermarket then you'll appreciate this information.

Thanks for the links - will have a look at them now. I shop all over the place, really. Some foods from the supermarket; beef from a local farm; eggs from a colleague's own free range hens; ham from the farmers' market; fish from a great fishmongers that sells their own catch. We grow some of our veg in season and buy the rest from a mix of markets and supermarkets out of season, and the same goes for apples. Other fruit comes from wherever's handy.

thegreatiam

Interrobang wrote: »

...but I want to make sure that there isn't anything else I should start adding to it, or cutting back on, to minimise general wear and tear (keep my joints happy, make sure I'm looking after my bones, help stave off some of the side effects of menopause whenever it hits, that sort of thing).

You can add supplements as you age, multivit and cod liver are pretty standard, Iron may be useful as you get older.
My mother swears by evening primrose oil, says all women should take it no matter what their age, helps with ... cramps or something. I got a bit queasy and had to leave the room before she finished. But my missus started taking them too and is a convert. take a bigger dose as you get older.

Generally with a good diet you will get most nutrients you need. Although, look into vitamin D and omega 3 and 6 as they can be quite tricky to get enough of in the right amounts afaik.

Interrobang

Ah, yes, evening primrose oil. I'd forgotten about that one, but many people I know swear by it. Thanks!

cletus van damme

good diet

only thing I might suggest is adding some mackeral/sardines and some fish oil supplementation.

I know you've salmon in already but I find more oily fish I eat the better I feel.

It's a good diet so I'm really only picking