Please share healthy eating/cooking information

cozyblanket

Wed, Jan 04 2017, 5:20 pm

I already know a decent amount. But I want to know more because so there is a lot I don't know. Please comment on what you think others can benefit from.

Any flour (gluten or not) and sugar are to be avoided as they cause blood sugar to go up too much. In case you are wondering, flour is processed even if it sounds healthy.

Coconut oil is best for frying, other oils are not safe at high temps. Canola/Olive best for salads and baking.

Of course, whole foods are best. Substitute oat bran for flour/bread crumbs because it isn't much processed.

Fruits and vegis and protein is important.

But there is so much more to know... please share!!

I try so hard but it is just so hard to really provide healthy food for my family... it takes time...

Please share more healthy eating tips and also ideas of how to do this with a busy household.

TIA

allthingsblue

Wed, Jan 04 2017, 5:35 pm

Whole wheat flour is good, in moderation. It has fiber and other nutrients.

The jury is out on coconut oil. It's not necessarily all that it's hyped up to be.

To be healthy, stick to a Mediterranean diet. Mostly plant based foods, with adequate protein, and adequate saturated fat. Proteins and fats should be modest amounts of fish, poultry, dairy, meat. MODEST.

cozyblanket

Wed, Jan 04 2017, 5:47 pm

allthingsblue wrote:

Thanks.
Please elaborate about coconut oil.

Please give specific examples of the mediterranean diet.

cozyblanket

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 7:08 am

I want to learn from other ppl who know more than I do - about a very important topic.
Like "lets share sensory mishegasim" or "what is the funniest thing your MIL did to you?" - this is way less random than those, much more relevant to more people. Something we can ALL learn to improve on (I assume all imamother and their families eat!). How is wanting to improve health radom? Just confused by your comment, not offended!

Almost all OPs are random. That's the nature of the website.

thanks for the book suggestions, though. Might just get that book.

cbg

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 7:30 am

IMO- canola oil is very inflammatory.
Inflammation is the pre curser of many diseases.

Meat, chicken,fish, eggs are bombarded with hormones. Whenever possible try to buy organic.

I try to use animal protein as a side dish. Fill your plate up with 3/4+ veggies, preferably raw, if your digestion can tolerate it.

Fruit is good, but too much can spike insulin/sugar.

When you eat foods full of nutrients, your body gets what it needs, and you are satisfied. It makes it easier to stop eating when you are almost full.

Legumes are not for everyone. Some find it very inflammatory.

Understand how process foods work.
This is how I think of it.
It's like you are eating plastic
The body can not understand what these so called nutrients are.
So, it takes it and encapsulates it around a certain type of fat/lipid
This fat on the outside, junk on the inside causes inflammation and sits in your body and is very hard to get rid of.

Soda is poison, this is a given, but I hear people all the time say, "we only drink it on Shabbat". Will you drink bleach on Shabbat.
If one does anything healthy at all remove the soda completely.

Don't ever use consume, bullion, onion soup mix, anything with msg.
Even if it says NO MSG. It still has the glutamate, they just remove the sodium. This is one of my pet peeves, since this is hidden in other ingredient names that we may think are healthy, or at least harmless.
Glutamate is a neuro- toxin. It changes the brain into thinking it wants more and more of a certain product. It makes food have addictive qualities. Think about the Pringles commercial that when you pop you just can't stop.
How many of you can say that about carrots.

allthingsblue

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 7:58 am

cozyblanket wrote:

Thanks.
Please elaborate about coconut oil.

Please give specific examples of the mediterranean diet.

In short, coconut oil raises LDL (bad) cholesterol in addition to HDL (good) cholesterol.

Mediterranean diet: you can read about it online. Have a lot of veggies, salads, soups, legumes, whole grains (unprocessed), and a modest amount of meat, chicken, fish, dairy.

cozyblanket

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 8:14 am

Thanks both of you!

So which oil is good???
For salad/cooking? Olive oil is just soooo expensive...
What about frying? I was told a few yrs ago that coconut oil is the only one that can withstand high heat.

cgb - why is canola oil inflamatory? what oil do you use?

If legumes aren't for everyone and eggs/chicken/fish aren't so great, then what protein do you suggest?

cozyblanket

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 8:18 am

seeker wrote:

I loved the book Real Food by Nina Planck. It was a pleasant read and very informative, and made lots of sense.

Any other comments on this book? Worth it to buy?
I'm pretty frugal... don't buy things that I don't think carefully about (thus my comments on olive oil -and organic - being expensive.

allthingsblue

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 8:28 am

Fish etc are great sources of protein. Just limit them to serving size, and you'll have plenty of protein.

Personally I eat a lot of low fat dairy because I love it. And my body tolerates it nicely.

Oil: I use olive and canola. I just sauté thinks quickly so it never reaches the smoke point. I never (or rarely) fry foods for longer periods.

cozyblanket

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 8:39 am

OK so how long is a saute vs a fry? I love sauteeing onions and fresh garlic... but maybe it turns into a fry... please help me know the difference!

So confused about coconut oil... I should stop using it bc it raises my bad cholesterol? I have a huge thing of it from costco... I thought it was so healthy.

cbg

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 8:48 am

cozyblanket wrote:

I use olive oil cold, and coconut oil for cooking.
It needs to be a good quality olive oil
Yes it's expensive, but you don't need to be using 3 TBSP of oil in your salad.
By us, oil in the kitchen lasts a long time. (Verses candle lighting)
I don't fry. I oven fry.
I have a misto sprayer that I fill with coconut oil, or I use parchment paper.
If you need the taste, spray it AFTER its cooked while still hot.

Legumes, is not for everyone, if your body can tolerate it GREAT.
If I eat legumes, I can hardly walk from the knee pain.
Some I tolerate better than others.
I do eat animal protein, but I don't need to eat a 10oz steak.
Too much protein can also spike blood sugars, especially if you are being careful with carb in take.

Pineapple

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 9:17 am

cozyblanket wrote:

Try avacado oil for frying/sautéing

cbg

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 1:23 pm

Pineapple wrote:

Try avacado oil for frying/sautéing

Yes also very good,very anti inflammatory and can hold high heat.

As far as whole wheat, yes it's good, but is high on the glycemic index, 95+, meaning it will make your insulin levels rise too much too quickly . insulin is the fat storing hormone.
Also, unless you make your own, you don't know what percentage is really whole wheat in bread.

I heard that a lot of whole wheat flour is regular flour with a little bran and Carmel coloring added to give it a brown color. By law, any ingredient that is less than 5% does not need to be on the label. Also ingredients that is needed for the processing of the food does not need to be on the labe.
Is this really true?

seeker

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 5:37 pm

cozyblanket wrote:

I'm sorry, that's not what I meant - the question is not random, I meant the list of healthy cooking advice was random. Avoid all flour? Use canola oil for your salad? Well, maybe, but where is this coming from?

My favorite rule of thumb is not to buy anything if I can't identify the ingredients.

I never heard that thing about whole wheat flour, but I do know many whole wheat BREADs that do that. My favorite whole wheat breads are NOT brown. The brown stuff is molasses and artificial coloring! Ick.

iammom

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 5:49 pm

allthingsblue wrote:

Any suggestions for a book on the Mediterranean diet? I read online about it but I need help incorporating it into daily living.