FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Eating Well - Those Fruit and Vegetables

Guest_1055
Community Member

​​Hello

I have chosen to start up this thread in hope it will help those who need or want to eat better. Personally I have issues with comfort eating, that is you turn to a certain food, because you think it will help you feel better. This food may be ice cream, biscuits, fatty take aways, sugary drinks, potato chips etc and my big one.........chocolate.

If you take a real deep look, these foods actually don't help us feel better at all.

I have tried removing some of these food items from my diet. But have found I can do it for a few days, then fall back into the old habits.

When you are feeling depressed and unmotivated, it is a challenge to eat the foods that you know will benefit your body and mind. Because sometimes you just don't care enough about yourself. Well that is my personal experience. And if you are the one that prepares food in your household that is more of a challenge. Again that is my experience.

And for those who go through episodes of anxiety, you may have no or little appetite at all.

So anyway what I have been thinking about is taking baby steps to better health. One of those steps is to :

Eat more vegetables and fruit

So I guess this thread is for anyone really. A place to share hints, advice and encouragement regarding the consumption of vegetables and fruits. One could use this thread like a food diary to report the vegetables that they have eaten that day. Thus helping each other be accountable. Helpful books, websites, vegetable gardening tips. And even recipe ideas. But I am thinking only one step at a time. So only focus on the vegetables and fruits for now. And see how that goes. I have looked at the whole "eating healthy" big picture, and to be honest , I felt overwhelmed by it. So I figured as long as we are moving in the right direction towards better health for our body, emotions and mental health..........well that has to be good.

Here we go then!

Much love to all

Shelley

19 Replies 19

Thanks heaps for the tips.

Yes, I need to get it out of the house...if it's here I will find it hidden or not.

The teeth brushing is a fantastic idea! I shall try that.

Cheers

topsy_
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

Thank you ladies for all the info. Do any of you find it more expensive to buy extra fruit & veg? My hubby asked for more fruit last time I grocery shopped but whatever I buy he eats in the first couple of days. I plan for it to last at least a week!!

I'll check out that other app too. I never thought of just testing what difference different food choices would make.

Years ago I saw a dietitian. She said I was allowed to have 3 of those Lindt "ball" chocolates - everyday if I liked. BUT, I had to walk into town to buy them & walk home & I was only allowed to buy 3 at a time!

Hey Carol.

Thanks for your encouraging words. Yes having greens in a drink takes a bit to get used too. But I assure you, that I couldn't taste the baby spinach at all in the fresh juice I make.

Then if you can eat salads, that's good. Have you seen those "salad in a jar recipies?" They are basically a healthy dressing in the bottom of an airtight glass jar. Then you place like hard vegetables say greater carrot, radish. Anyway you layer your jar in different coloured vegetables with the green leafy ones on the top. Place on the lid and refrigerate until you are ready to eat. Apparently they can last a few days in the fridge. You may be able to do this Carol, and make a few on a day you feel OK. Plus it sounds creative and fun to make. And I know you are creative. Anyway I am going to give this a go.

As for the chocolate eating, well as you know I do struggle with this also. In fact I ate a whole packet of chocolate biscuits the other day. I was feeling down and needed a pick me up. Sure it picked me up for a little while. But the following morning the headaches started. I am sick of choosing this way out to pick me up. It is not wise.

So one of the reasons I am eating more leafy greens is change my taste buds from wanting the unhealthy stuff to desiring the beneficial foods. I have read that this indeed happens.

Yummy grapes and strawberries, good choice.

Much love to you Carol

Shelley xx

Hello Joelle

I hope that it is OK to call you that here, I saw this name on another post you wrote.

You have issues with chocolate too? So how long did you go on the "clean" lifestyle last year. Does that one have lots of greens in it. I have looked into a few different lifestyle choices. Pretty much all of them encourage us to eat more vegetables especially the rich coloured ones including the greens. So did you feel better eating this way? Did it affect your mental and emotional health in a good way.? I can't remember is the "clean" like whole foods, so no processed stuff?

I have a tribest personal blender, it is pretty useful. Is yours like a personal blender? I think I will give that smoothie recipe a go, and I will add spinach to it.

Thankyou for all your tips, oh are you eating better now?

Here is a hug if you would like one

Shell xx

Hello yellownanna

As to whether fruit and vegetables are more expensive. Maybe that depends on your circumstances. I am coming from a junk food lifestyle pretty much. So for me I hoping to get rid of all processed foods including take a ways. I know that sort of food is expensive so I think if you compare it to that, buying fruit and vegetables is most likely cheaper.

Do you make smoothies? Because you could freeze a lot of fruits for them. And you can buy bananas much cheaper if they are going black. Which is a good time to peel and chop them and freeze for a smoothies later on.

For these juices I have been making this last week. I bought a family size pack of baby spinach for $5 this lasted a few days. Then the pears were in season I think, so they were cheaper. And carrots always seem like a good buy.

I am not sure if I answered your question though. But you could give the smoothie idea a go if your hubby would like it. It might work. It may satisfy him??

Love

Shell xx

Hello to all and a big hug to lovely Shell,

I bought some soy and lindseed bread today for me as the rest of the family eat white.

I made a sandwich for lunch with avocado instead of butter and ham and sliced button mushrooms. I ate a baby carrot on it's own and for afternoon tea I am having some natural youghurt with some fruit and nuts. The fruit and nuts and seeds were from the help your self section in the supermarket. It was a lot cheaper than the dried fruit section and had a bigger range of fruit and nuts in the mix. Yummy and a good afternoon pick me up.

Thanks Shell, I am feeling motivated by you! xx

Hi Shelley,

No, I don't mind you calling me Joelle, all good. I actually had a little smile on my face because you remembered my name.

Oh yea. Chocolate is...my kryptonite (not to let my geek side show). Up until about two weeks ago, I was feeding my depression with it. It was a constant cycle of eat chocolate, hate myself for it. I think for a couple of weeks, it was the only thing I ate. It got to a point where I wasn't even enjoying it anymore, I would just cram as much chocolate into me as possible. Then I, like you, got sick of myself doing that. I hit a very low point that seemed almost all self loathing. I thought that I had to change something. So almost two weeks now, back to my clean eating.

So last year, from end of September to the beginning of Jan this year, I had the healthy lifestyle. There's only so much exercise can get you without a clean diet. By "clean," I mean rethinking my carb intake especially, that was the biggest shift. I was putting on a lot of weight so for the first month I went carb-less, but added complex carbs in because I could feel my body getting fitter and I could push myself more. So, definitely a lot more vegetables on the plate with all the colours in there. I hate cooking so I would cook in bulk, this was a huge challenge for me. Spinach is a staple for me. I don't juice it, I just eat it. All the veg, especially when not cooked too much has a lot of fiber, and veggies are versatile. Complex carbs just means less processed. The reason we can keep eating chocolate is one it tastes great, but also it consists of more refined sugar, so the body doesn't have to work too hard to break it down, and it burns right through us, we end up feeling tired and wanting more, literally. So, swapping out the "white" for "wholemeal" essentially. Brown rice, wholemeal pasta, sweet potato, rolled oats, not the quick oats, if you have to wholemeal bread. And then after that, portion control. I tend to make all the pasta sauces and would puree tomatoes that buy tomato paste because I can control the sodium in there.

On the diet, yes I feel better (especially when it comes to the digestive system), I can say that honestly. But, I am struggling a lot with other things. So, I'm not sure how to gauge it with mental health. I am able to push myself to exercise and force myself to eat because I need the fuel, so that's something. I have lost weight, so that helps.

I ran out of space...

I forgot to mention to eat 4-6 times in the day depending on how you feel on your new diet. But the snacks should be relatively small, like eating nuts if you can. I also have a cheat day once a week, guilt free, because I know I exercise 5 times a week and eat what feels like meat and leaf the other days haha. And during the week, I eat a some 70% cocoa dark chocolate, just to keep myself in check. It is all about moderation.

The nutribullet is just a blender, yea, according to their marketing it is a "nutrient extractor." I usually make berry juices to get the antioxidants. My mum does the complete veg and fruit thing, if you want I can ask her for some recipes?

I'm not sure if I answered your question, I feel like depression and anxiety encompasses it all, so I can do it but it takes a lot out of me to get it done...I don't mean to put you off, because I would always suggest eating better. But I hope I gave you and idea of what I do. If you want a typical food day for me, I can type that out for you also. You should definitely give it a real try. I will say that last year, at first it was hard, but as you mentioned Shelley, you get used to it, takes a couple of weeks, less so the second time around for me. By December, I felt good. because I had stuck with it. I managed to lose 10 kilos in those few months. The healthy way, not the lack of food way. When I had started last October, I felt like my depression was outpacing the meds I was on. I thought, I should exercise, so I did, it was hard, I was hard on myself. Then I thought it's pointless without the food. So I changed it up. And then a few months later because I achieved a lot, I felt good. So maybe it's a gradual effect, or at some point I came out of the wave and I was able to just feel good. Sorry, this is as clear as I can be. Right now, I'm back under so...and I'm trying again. I can keep you posted.

I would love a hug, thank you.

Lost Girl, well done, sounds well planned. A start is all you need 🙂

Yellownanna, I would suggest visiting veggie markets, the produce is fresher and cheaper, and there is often more variety.

I hope I was helpful

Joelle

There's always something else...

Shelley, I understand that you get migraines? What is your fluid intake like? Are you getting enough water? It's just as important as the other aspects to your diet.

Also, I realized that my meds make me retain fluid, so that's why I manage my sodium intake and it helps to drink water and exercise. Maybe something to think about?

xx

One of my posts is missing...