View Full Version : A Good Diet
Hi everyone
As part of my bid to tackle panic/anxiety I want to eat well. I read about carbohydrates/protein etc, now I may sound dumb but I have no idea what works what in my body, and whats good to eat and what isnt. Any tips would be appreciated.
Even better - you could write me my shopping list!!!!!!!!!
or even better still - you could do my shopping for for me!!!!(jokin)
No-on a serious note now, can anyone advice me.
Thank you Michelle
thanx michelle,
just got home,and had a great laugh at your post,who knows,there might be a compulsive shopper out there,who will do mine as well, (joking).
hope radar answers this soon,as ime on a health kick at the mo...bought some willow mineral water,which has had such great publicity lately,and ime drinking it 24/7...so not had my wee dram of whisky at nite.
its been difficult for me to eat healthy,as ime now living on my own,and i know i eat really badly,but with winter coming,i know i need to eat better.
thanks for posting the question,ime sitting here,with pen,and paper poised...come on meg,pull your finger out lol.
take care michelle...bryan.
I think it would be far more fun and beneficial for you and Mich to come up with some ideas and then everyone can comment and add to them and build their own preferences into a healthy diet.
Meg
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
nomorepanic
12-11-03, 19:35
He He - I had to laugh at Meg's reply. I could just see Bryan sat there with his pen and paper ready to take notes.
Seriously though I think maybe we should relieve Meg of this duty and come up with some stuff ourselves :-)
You need to follow the guidelines of 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. This can be quite hard because eating a pound of grapes does not mean you have had 2 portions etc. I like convenience food so apples, grapes, bananas etc. In the evening I have veg with my evening meal.
I still don't think I get the full 5 portions a day though!
I am dieting as well so I need to watch the fat content of food - though the diet is a constant battle at the moment.
I am a great believer in good old fashioned healthy food - meat and 2 veg - lol and don't eat much junk food like pizzas, burgers etc but I love crisps!
As an aside, when I spoke to my doctor about my diet he said he could refer me to a nutrionalist who would help me go through the foods etc. I have not done this yet but just a thought.
Nicola
ok,leave it to a man to sort this out ....after all,its well known were the best cooks lol.
i have no idea wot foods,are good for wot part of the body...but trust me,follow this,and you will be physically healthy. mmmmmmmm.
ok,you need just one appliance...a large slow cooker.
ingredients..nice piece red meat (beef),dont bang it about,keep the blood in,and buy it from a good butcher,not a supermarket..wink at the butcher,specially if he looks like fred elliot lol.
potatoes,buy wots in season,buy the best...this is cost affective,and makes all the difference to taste.
veg...ime a holic lol...carrots,brocolli,leak,green cabbage,fresh peas,mushrooms,and a large onion.
never forget the magic ingredient...garlic.
thats all there is too it...chop everything up,put in slow cooker,with oxo...bisto...your choice...dont forget the water lol.
turn on cooker in morning...beautiful healthy meal ready at nite...keep cooker running,and tomorrow nite,it will taste even better....meg,eat your heart out lol.
ok,someone elses turn now...best wishes...bryan
Nic and I will be pleased to come for the first nights meal. LOL
See you do know enough to do better than 30% of our population already ,who never touch a vegetable of any sort!
nomorepanic
13-11-03, 21:34
Nice one Bry
Cool answer Meg
We must go to Bryan's for dinner - he seems to have it made!!
Nicola
So then I guess I need to buy a slow cooker!! (or just go to Bry's!)
So is it right to reduce anxiety - eat less carbohydrates and more protein!! like I said im clueless, I do eat at least 1 meat and 2 veg a week, and a pasta dish, and a rice dish (not a very good cook though!)
Please dont tell me I cant have my takeaways!!!!!!!!!
Cheers Michelle
hi michelle,hope your keeping well,
as you can see,ime not an expert on nutrition,but i was brought up by my grandparents on a small farm in south wales...everything we ate was fresh,inc fish and meat.
my cousin,uncles,and grandad,all worked underground in the local coal mine,and would come home expecting a good hot healthy meal,with lots meat,veg,and potatoes to be ready on the table for them.
today we live such an unhealthy lifestyle...its all take-aways,and microwave food,specially in areas such as london...i should know,cos ime guilty of this myself.
my wife was a wonderful cook,and i was spoilt...now shes gone,and my daughters have recently moved out,ive really got to practice wot i preach,and start eating better...easier said than done!
thanks for starting this topic,i really love talking about cooking,and food in general...best wishes..bryan
To reduce anxiety - which are hypoglycaemic troughs...
Reduce simple sugars and simple carbohydrates, increase complex carbohydrates and protein
Ie
Change Frosties for porridge
Chocolate snacks for nuts and seed snacks
Grapes for pears
White bread and jam sandwiches to wholemeal bread and marmite/cheese sandwiches
Try to make your pasta and rice brown ones . They do take ages to cook though.
Don't do it all at once if you're not used to it - your innards will complain no end !
Always eat breakfast and something (nuts/fruit/ryvita etc) each 2 hours throughout the morning . Some people do not have hypo issues even though they are anxious. Try it and see but ensure your caffiene intake is down too.
Most takeaway convenience foods do have a high sugar content but unless you think food really affects you it's not a big issue and normally its in the am that it's more noticeable anyway. I'd rather you were eating proper takeaways with substance than Pizza and Burgers with chips though...
Meg
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
Thank you Bry for your comments - hope you are well too.
Thank you Radar for the above, I have been looking for this information for a while now it is really helpful, Im gonna print it if I can in a minute - its a good start anyway, and helps me understand what simple and Complex carbs are.
Ive just been on google searching for some info too! I did a search on google for "Anti Anxiety Diet" and it gave me 2 pretty good web pages with info on complex/simple carbs. (www.ivillage.co.uk - but i could only get to the actual page I wanted with the correct info on through the google search)
The reason I am so keen for this info is beacause I feel really shaky and week when im hungry, and I dont think the feelings help with my anxiety, and sometimes when I feel anxious I feel a need to eat! is this weird?
Cheers Michelle
PS. The first ever panic attack I had - was just after I had ate a cadbury's cream egg. Since then I have reduced chocolate virtually to none, dont drink coke, or Tea and only have a couple of cups of Decaffinated coffee a day.
michelle,
ime a paramedic,based in central london...i cant look at my watch and say its break time...when ime hungry,i have those feelings in my tummy as well...its normal,the answer is too eat little,and often.
once a week i go to sainsburys,and buy a kilo pack of walnuts and raisins..every morning i pour some into a tupperware box,and keep in my ambulance...ime a constant nibbler lol....bryan.
hi everyone,
Cheers for all the good information on how to eat well to help prevent panic attacks. Will try to make Bryans recipe over the weekend and will pass on my verdict, although it has to be said I've been known to be a disaster in the kitchen. How hard it can it be? Anyway,My weakness is chocolate and have often tried to give it up but just fail miserably! Does anyone know of any subsitute which tastes just the same but has no sugar???
see ya
sadie
hi sadie,
were going to have to stop meeting like this lol.
i always read wot radar(meg),has to say,and then i read it over again..she gives such great advice to everybody.
when were unwell,be it the flu,or anxiety related illnesses,and we know that eating or drinking something will make us feel worse,then we avoid those products,like the plague....now, when it comes to anxiety/panic,its well documented on here that chocolate can increase the likelyhood of further attacks,we tend to ignore the advice.....everybody loves chocolate...i was sent some by a friend in america..had a couple,and thought...god theyre a bit sweet,not only was the sugar content higher than our chocs,but they had 7 E additives as well...so,i binned them...no wonder so many americans see a therapist as a normal part of their week.
so,my friend,please try to find an alternative to chocs,i eat nuts non stop,but as nicola says,ime a nut myself lol,ime afraid the same goes for coffee,i have one coffee a day ,compared to an average of twelve a day...ive found a great mineral water,called willow,its received great publicity over the past year,and i drink it 24/7 now...even stopped having my wee dram of whisky at nite...although if i get a bad cold ,i will have a drop of whisky,as ive found over the years,that it does kill a few of the germs...well,thats my excuse.
best wishes...bryan.
Hi Sadie
There are a lot of diabetic chocolates out there that dont contain sugar - Thorntons do a good range. They contain sugar substitutes that dont affect your blood sugar.
Also dark plain chocolate has a lower sugar content than milk chocolate - check the labelling( but don't give it to dogs - Toxic for them) also health food shops carry carob which is a substitute and has a lower sugar content
Meg
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
forgot to mention though go easy on the diabetic chocolate, sugar substitutes can give explosive results if you know what I mean![:0][:0]
thats why i didnt mention them lol...bryan.
Can anybody tell me where I can find alist of complex slow release carbohydrates or whatever they are called? I know brown rice is better than white rice etc, but brown rice has never been a meal!!!!
I do the five fruit/veg thing, and chicken/fish, but I struggle for good snack/quick meal ideas, particularly at the weekend, when I'm flitting here and there. So I end up with crisps and chocolate for a quick energy boost, then end up feeling anxious after (yes I know I'm stupid for keep doing it but I LOVE chocolate, and crisps, and it's easy to eat when your driving!!!)
Can anybody recommend a good cook book?
Charlie
Hi Lottie,
Snacks for me have become a lot of fruit, seed, nut, grain mixes. I make up about 3 months worth at once in a huge plastic storage box and decant into ziplock bags. I recently caught my partner who swore he wouldn't ever eat 'that stuff' raiding the cupboard for a bag to take to work.
I fill it full of a huge variety of stuff that I get from various places and then devote a couple of hours to making it.
I went on an 8 mile hike yesterday and when people were flagging it did wonders as it's bursting with short and long term energy.
I could send you some and see how you get on with it.....!
As for meals - one of the quickest is baked/microwaved fish. Only needs minutes.
I'll have a think about recipes and cookbooks.
Meg
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
Bit like your partner, not sure it's for me, but willing to try anything (like sultanas a lot though).
Maybe you could send a recipe/sample, whatever is the easiest.
It's a list of "good carbohydrates" I am interested in as well.
I have noticed that I always feel better the next day after having had brown rice for tea.
Have started making it more "interesting" by disgusing it with those Knorr rice cubes, peas, mushrooms and sultanas!
However, other than brown rice, with fruit and veg, am running out of ideas.
And it gets all over the seat when you try and eat it in the car!!!!!!!!
Charlie
I'll happily send you some if you like....send me your address by email.
There are all sorts of books I gather from making a couple of phonecalls.
Good carbs- bad carbs, eating low on the glycaemic index being two. I've not used them.
I expect there'll be many on Amazon if you plug in carbohydrate receipes but of course with the Atkins being all the rage, you'll have to plow your way through all the low carbs books too ..If you find one that's good I'm sure Nic would like to know to add it to her book bit.
I totally agree about the car but hey .... so does cake !!
Meg
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
Charlie,
I find dry cereal to be a good snacking food, not the high sugar ones ie coco pops, sugar puffs but the wholegrain variety or sultana bran (which incidentally is my fav). Not so messy either in the car!
Kate x
hi charlie,
i nibble on wanuts,and raisins...but ive usually got a healthy biscuit bar on me as well...ime popping to the shop soon,will gat some,and post there name,and contents...best wishes..bryan.(god my spelling)
nomorepanic
17-11-03, 17:59
Meg
Just one question on your "mix" of nuts, seeds etc. Have you ever worked out the calories for each bag as I am dieting and need to be careful on how many calories I eat a day and I know that nuts are high in fat too.
Nicola
Hi Twister,
Took your advice today and went to Thorntons to buy some chocolate but the shop assistant said because I am not diabetic they dont recommend you eat the chocolate because of some of the ingredients!
sadie
Yes Nicola, I'm sure they are fairly heavy and no I haven't done the sums.
I haven't noticed any weight going on but Kate's sultana bran and that sort of stuff will definately be lower in calories...But this works for me. I don't eat kilos of the stuff each day . Probably about 2 handfuls at most.
Meg
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
nomorepanic
17-11-03, 19:04
Ok thanks Meg :-)
I will try to get some and weigh them out and have it as my 150 calorie treat (you remember the RC diet don't u)?
Nicola
the shop has run out of my biscuit bars,so i cant tell you the content...but theyre called ..nutri-grain..,and i eat about two a day,with my walnuts lol.
best wishes..bryan.
Nicola - even though nuts are very high in fat it has been proved in various studies that in average amounts you wont put on weight by eating them because it is all 'good fat'.
Sadie - that is strange! Dangerous chocolate! I ate it all the time when I was on the Atkins diet and survived, its only contains a sugar subsitute which is non-digestible,I bet thorntons would like to know their sales people are turning customers away!
nomorepanic
17-11-03, 22:42
Emily - I hear that walnuts are very good for cholesterol levels and guess what - we have a walnut tree so I have carrier bags full of them. Just daren't eat them cos once I start I won't stop - lol
Nicola
Nic - although these are good for you in general, it's mainly aimed at people who have hypoglycaemic tendancies, so if you're not affected then there is no need for you to change anything from RC.
Meg
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
oooooooow,emily,
i really hope you were on adkins short term!!
bryan.
nic,
ime coming to potton,fill my boot up with walnuts lol,
plus i fancy sunday lunch at that great pub!
best wishes. bryan.
Have discovered a really easy way to make a good meal (although after Brians one pot recipe, it's still only two easy dinners!!)This is really good when I;m running low on time, and includes shower time!!!
Chop up some mushrooms, carrots, brocolli, get some peas, sultanas, almonds, anything you like in rice really and leave to one side.
Put some brown rice in a big (microwaveable) bowl. Use a cup to measure it. Add double the amount of boiling water. Cover and cook on full power for about 15 minutes. (You may need to experiment, I haven't got a clue what wattage our micro is!!) If you find rice bland, you can add a Knorr rice cube or similar.
Take your shower
Return to the kitchen. Add the prepared veg to the rice and stir. You may need to add some more water. Cover and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
Whilst this is cooking, you can grill some bacon, or poach some fish to go with it.
If I fancy chicken with it, I cube a chicken breast, put it in a relatively deep roasting tin, add some water, cover with tin foil, and cook in the oven on about 200. PUT THE CHICKEN IN AT THE SAME TIME YOU START THE RICE.
By the time you've got out of the shower, the chicken should be cooked through (and it's nice and juicy too!)
You can make your chicken more interesting by browning off in the fyring pan with some herbs or spices, or waiting till the rice is cooked, and frying the whole lot up paella style, or simmer in some curry sauce.
I usually end up making too much, so quite often have saved time by creating another nights meal. Be very careful when re-heating rice though, make sure it thoroughly warmed through. (Another tip is to put the rice to be heating into your microwave bowl, add boiling water, and microwave for about 5 minutes. It stops it drying out too much.
Charlie
Oh No!!
All the 'bad' foods i eat!!
Not to worry i will just 'add' some healthy ones to my bad ones!!
I must admit i'm a meat and 2 veg sort of girl (with cake for afters!!!)
Talking of food I had crunchy nut cornflakes on saturday and coconut on sunday!! getting there
(i don't know if you can be allergic to coconut but I thought you can as i have classed it in the 'bad' category) so it was difficult eating it but i did and i'm fine (ps don't want ot know if u can be allergic!!)
Anyway baby steps getting there!!
Love
Lucky
thats great news lucky...i said your going to be a star...and here you are.
charlie,the next time you make too much,you can send me a doggy bag lol.
great recipe...best wishes...bryan.
Lucky ,
That's fabulous news.
Drop it in as an aside- why don't you !!!!
Doesn't even sound like you were shaking too much doing it .
Keep it going
Meg
Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...
nomorepanic
18-11-03, 20:27
quote:Originally posted by benoo5
nic,
ime coming to potton,fill my boot up with walnuts lol,
plus i fancy sunday lunch at that great pub!
best wishes. bryan.
Bryan
You are more than welcome to come anytime mate :D
I will save you a nice big bag of walnuts and take you to the pub - lol
Nicola
nomorepanic
18-11-03, 20:28
quote:Originally posted by Radar
Nic - although these are good for you in general, it's mainly aimed at people who have hypoglycaemic tendancies, so if you're not affected then there is no need for you to change anything from RC.
Meg
I am resisting the temptaion by hiding the nut crackers [:I]
Nicola
nomorepanic
18-11-03, 20:30
Lucky
You sneaked the nut post in and yet a few weeks ago you were terrified! I call that BIG progress.
Well done to you :-)
Nicola
Thanks to Michelle for the ivillage website address. Just a note to anybody else who is trying to get on - it takes for ever, and I could only open it through the google search engine.
It took me the best part of four hours - but persevere, it's quite good.
Interestingly, and i'm not advocating the diet as a whole, but I have discovered that the MAINTENANCE part of the Atkins diet works by eating mainly COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES. There is a very good section on complex carbohydrates, and some recipes.
So if you know anybody who has the diet book, borrow it for some ideas from the maintenance part (only). You can add your own sensible eating to it to make it a balanced diet, and lower in calories by cutting down on the recommended intake for red meat, and saturated fats, and not eating the suggested amounts of cream!
Charlie
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