*Trigger warning* Eating for Health and Wellness

[Guest_1055]

I have been struggling eating and eating healthy foods over the last couple of weeks. I really do not want to go back further to how I use to eat, that is eating junk food, takeaways, copious amounts of chocolate, processed junk and comfort eating.

Finding it challenging to stay motivated to actually prepare what I know helps me feel better mentally, emotionally and physically. Plus I have been feeling overwhelmed with other stuff happening in my life, which somehow makes it more challenging. The old unhealthy comfort eating thing is coming back. And I think I am getting concerned and scared about that. I so much do not want to go back to how I use to be. I was so sick. Plus I now have some physical things not right in my body , so I need to be more careful and mindful of what I eat. ( Pre cancer cells , high blood pressure )

I was eating really well since Febuary of this year, it’s just the last couple of weeks I haven’t.

So I would like to use this thread to help me be accountable to Beyond Blue people. So like a diary where I can post and report what I eat. And also any healthy eating tips, motivating strategies to help eat better or anything related to healthy eating for our bodies including our mental health.

[Ggrand]

Hello annie, and everyone..🤗..

Your dinner sounds really nice..

Im not much of a cook but I’m learning and trying different things..

I didn’t feel to cook tonight..I put a piece of crumbed whiting, and a handful of chips into my air fryer for 25 minutes...Later I had a small warm apple pie..

Not very exciting but enjoyable...

Grandy

[Guest_1055]

Ooh Annie, you opened up this thread again 🙂 I got such a surprise to see it.

I like all those vegetables you had. Especially zucchini.

For dinner last night I made lentil tacos. Basically I make like the vegetable part and then scope out some and add lentils to it. The remainder I add beef mince. Because the guys in my family like it that way.

In mine was: canned lentils, onion, garlic, tomatoes, diced mushrooms, grated carrot, red capsicum, cumin, ground corriander and a small amount of chilli flakes.

I put some of that in a cos lettuce leaf. Topped it with corn kernels and cashew sour cream. It was super messy to eat, but very yum

[Guest_2496]

Hi

Grandy - I’m not a great cook either so I thought I’d get some ideas here. The air fryer sounds interesting...

Shell - your dinner sounds yummy. That’s a great idea with the lettuce leaf. I’m looking for new ideas / variety to keep my main meals healthy.

[Guest_1055]

I am struggling with emotional eating again. Well I have been all this year and parts of last year.

When I eat junk mainly chocolate, my mental and emotional and physical well being appears to go down hill.

I can really see that now. 2018 was my best year of eating super well. I felt so much better. I was far less emotional, far less down and I had ever so much energy. Now I am so much more tired. I also lost 20 kg in that year. Now my weight has gone back up. I definitely feel more depressed.

So I am hoping that I can take care of myself better by eating healthier foods. And lose the weight as well.

I really did feel so much better about myself in 2018. I felt that I did not have to hide away because of the shame I felt.

Anyway today I made a chilled mocha using soy milk, frozen banana, cacao powder, coffee and a medjoil date. Blended it all. Very yummy. Then I made home baked beans on oaty seed bread. Drank a large hibiscus tea.I was going well there.

Then I went down hill..... After shopping in which I bought a block of chocolate and scoffed the whole lot😭. Bought fruit bread and had about 4 slices. My tummy now feels like concrete. I don't cope well with bread that has wheat. And I knew that, but chose to eat it anyway. I also ate a bowl of grapes. Plus water and an orange juice (no added sugar one).

As you can see, not many vegetables there except tomato and onion in the baked beans.

Hope I can do better tomorrow

[Guest_1055]

Just been doing a search on here for any threads that are about healthy eating, comfort eating etc. So far I have found these ones:

This is one I started

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/comfort-eating#qibhV3HzvGGEbv8A...

Here is another one

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/help-i-want-chocolate#qjESGHHzv...

From Mrs D

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/encouragement-for-weight-loss-a...

And this support page

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/staying-well/eating-well

[Guest_1055]

It's now 2:30 am. Cannot sleep. I already know it is from the caffeine in the mocha from yesterday. I was so much hoping I would be okay with it. I hardly ever drink coffee. But so much felt like it yesterday.

Okay

[CalmCat]

Hey Guys,

Thought I'd share a full thought.

If I don't look after my gut health I suffer.

Each day I have 4 dried figs, and always have a healthy dinner, with junk food only consumed once a week.

Without a healthy diet, I can't sleep, get stress and anxious easily.

I find milk at night helpful.

Regards,

Doz

[Guest_1055]

Nice to met you Doz,

I tried a dried fig for the first time last week. Very yum. Do you know much about gut health and how it is connected to brain and/mental health?

I don't know a huge amount, but I do know when I eat more vegetables and no junk food at all. I generally feel so much better.

And junk food definitely can make me easily stressed. Or rather not able to emotionally handle problems in life. Cry so much more, jumpy and on edge.

A lot of people say drinking warm milk helps them to sleep better.

[Guest_1055]

I am trying to tell myself I did okay today in regards to food.

Sometimes I am so obsessed about it. I think about it a lot. Sick of thinking about it.

I desire other things in life to make me happy. Not food as my source of happiness.

Today, I made a large salad that had quinoa, roast sweet potato, tofu and a mixture of lettuce, purple cabbage, carrot with a lime date dressing. It was super yum. I also drank another OJ.

Felt sad today so again turned to chocolate. I don't want to say how much I ate of it because I feel ashamed.

Properly will make a vegetable juice later.

[Guest_1055]

Okay for dinner, I made about 700mls of fresh juice.

I really did not feel hungry, but I wanted all these nutrients from the juice to flood my body. It had cucumber, organic celery, apple, baby spinach, green capsicum, ginger and lime.