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Post by skwiziks on Nov 26, 2012 17:00:47 GMT -5
My health goals are fairly limited, I think. I want to lose weight, and be more aerobically fit. Any muscle mass gained in the process is nice, but not a primary concern. To use parlance from /fit/, I'm going for "otter mode".
I also have a sensitive gastrointestinal system, and am troubled by eggs (always), cream (always), cheese (always), oil (sometimes), and red meat (sometimes).
I'm wondering if a mostly vegetarian diet, that focused on plants, grains, and fish/chicken would be the way for me to go.
What would be a good ratio? Would I have any nutritional concerns? What's an easy way to cook fish?
Thanks for any input/help!
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Post by deathmineral on Nov 26, 2012 19:44:09 GMT -5
Well I'm not sure what you're looking to do for aerobic fitness but nuts are usually good for that, almonds would be my recommendation. A lot of greens is great for it, if you like cucumbers in particular it would be good for hydration.
Fish in particular might be better for what you're aiming at than chicken but that doesn't mean to go for one over the other. They're both going to be good for you, I've seen some people think that they don't need protein if they're going for aerobics but you in fact still need plenty, so a combination of chicken and fish is good. Fish might be the more beneficial of the two for it's omega-3s though. My recommendation is salmon, you can find a lot of good recipes for it and it comes prepackaged easily. That or tuna, either one you should be able to find fairly simple recipes for.
Another thing worth considering is berries, blueberries and goji berries in particular I've heard are good for aerobic and cardio exercise, though I don't know how true that is. Regardless, I would still recommend adding them, like nuts, they can be an easy and fast snack or meal, which is important for aerobics and cardio because they benefit better from many small meals throughout the day.
Just out of curiosity, have you tried egg whites? If it's just the yolks from eggs that you have trouble with then egg whites would be a great source of protein as well.
I can't think of any nutritional concerns you might have, other than a calcium and vitamin C, but you might be able to find those in one of the food groups you're considering. I'm guessing you can drink milk though? You don't have it listed as being a problem for you, but I wouldn't want to assume it since you listed other dairy products. For the most part, plants really cover the majority of nutrients your body needs, and aside from the tongue, most bodies never reject plants. No idea on the ratio.
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Post by skwiziks on Nov 26, 2012 23:34:14 GMT -5
Milk is...questionable, but I can try and incorporate it in. And eggs have enough of a negative reaction that I've decided to wipe them out entirely unless they're thoroughly processed into something else.
The nuts and berries angle I hadn't considered. Thanks!
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Post by inkwell on Nov 27, 2012 0:42:33 GMT -5
There exists plant-based milk (soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, etc) with all the minerals from cow milk added to it, maybe that might work for you?
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Post by DarthAvarous on Nov 27, 2012 20:57:43 GMT -5
I'm wondering if a mostly vegetarian diet, that focused on plants, grains, and fish/chicken would be the way for me to go. What would be a good ratio? Would I have any nutritional concerns? What's an easy way to cook fish? Thanks for any input/help! Most diets that focus on plants will be healthier, it's just in their nature (Pun intended). As far as ratios, try to have half of your plate be vegetables, 1/4 lean meat (Fish and skinless chicken in your case), and 1/4 whole grains. I follow this and limit my fruits to 2 - 3 servings per day and eat almonds in between meals. The easiest way to cook fish would be in a pan. Medium heat, spray a little Pam so it won't stick. Add the fish (Skin side down if it has any) and cook until the top of the edges start to turn opaque. Flip it once and let in finish cooking. If you do decide to go the vegetarian path, just make sure to get all of your essential amino acids. Do this by eating complete protein sources. You can Google a list of them, but my favorite is quinoa. Can be used a zillion (Very technical term here) different ways. Also, if you never had milk again it wouldn't be a big deal. The importance of milk in the diet is complete hyperbole. Everything in milk can be found and completely absorbed in a good multivitamin. |
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Post by skwiziks on Nov 28, 2012 4:30:54 GMT -5
Wait, quinoa has all the essential amino acids? Thank the gods I live in a hippy town.
Thanks for the advice!
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Post by skwiziks on Nov 28, 2012 4:31:42 GMT -5
There exists plant-based milk (soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, etc) with all the minerals from cow milk added to it, maybe that might work for you? I've had bad experiences with soy milk, in that I've never liked it, but I forgot about the almond and etc. milk. I'll keep that in mind. |
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Post by DarthAvarous on Nov 28, 2012 8:48:59 GMT -5
There exists plant-based milk (soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, etc) with all the minerals from cow milk added to it, maybe that might work for you? I've had bad experiences with soy milk, in that I've never liked it, but I forgot about the almond and etc. milk. I'll keep that in mind. Yeah soy "milk" doesn't do much for me either. But some of the others can be useful in cooking. Here's funny skit on milk by Lewis Black. Word of warning, he drops the F bomb a couple times. |
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Post by skwiziks on Nov 29, 2012 3:38:57 GMT -5
Ah yes, a classic.
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Post by Van on Nov 29, 2012 5:24:33 GMT -5
Almond milk is pretty ballin', though.
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Post by inkwell on Nov 29, 2012 13:55:59 GMT -5
Yeah, almond milk is nice. The problem I have with plant-based milk and dairy products is that I don't know when they go bad. I know when milk goes bad (accidentally put week-old milk into my morning coffee once, it resulted in a 1-inch diameter ball of coagulated proteins, haha) but with plant milks I have no idea. I mean, in what ways do they change? How can you tell if it's gone bad?
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Post by rainpony on Nov 30, 2012 8:21:28 GMT -5
I usually trust the smell, it's always a quite effective way to say if food has turned bad :-)
Trust me, passed soy milk smells *bad*. As for almond rice and all I don't know though.
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Post by DarthAvarous on Dec 1, 2012 0:37:22 GMT -5
Yeah, almond milk is nice. The problem I have with plant-based milk and dairy products is that I don't know when they go bad. I know when milk goes bad (accidentally put week-old milk into my morning coffee once, it resulted in a 1-inch diameter ball of coagulated proteins, haha) but with plant milks I have no idea. I mean, in what ways do they change? How can you tell if it's gone bad? Until you open the package it will be fine until the use by date Most almond milk is packaged and processed aseptically. Once you open it, it depends on how you store it. Refrigeration will always extend the shelf life. Just make sure to read the labels for how to properly store it. And the smell test is always my first step. |
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Post by skwiziks on Dec 2, 2012 0:54:20 GMT -5
Then a small taste.
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Post by gymrat on Dec 15, 2012 20:46:34 GMT -5
If you really need to cut out animal products that's fine, but you need a source for vitamin B12. This cannot be found from animal sources.
I'm no expert on vegetarian diets, or diets in general, but no matter how you go about cutting your animal intake, make sure that you supplement B12.
It should also be noted that most animal fats/oils have better Omega-3/Omega-6 ratios than plant fats/oils. Might want to get some fish oil or other Omega-3 supplement to help keep that ratio in balance.
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