How do I start eating healthier and make sure I get enough protein and vitamins?

19 replies

• quartzquandary·Jul 23, 7:05 PM

  Your first step should always be to consult your doctor. They can help you!

• ms_ankylosaurous_2·Jul 23, 7:30 PM

  Maybe find a dietician. But. Learn to cook from scratch. Look for basic cookbooks that cover everything - I have a joy of Cooking from the 60s that is amazing. Learn how to make soups and chili. Burritos. Start with fruits as simple as apples and bananas as snacks. Whole grain bread wiith nut butter. Boiled eggs. Choose salad instead of fries when you are out.

• localdisastergay·Jul 23, 9:18 PM

  To a certain extent, what is healthy is going to be different for everyone based on their exact goals and medical conditions. As a general rule, there are three different macronutrients: protein, fat and carbohydrates. You need all three of these. You also need fiber and it is good to have a variety of different plants (whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables and fruits). Personally, I try to have every meal have some amount of each type of macronutrient, some fiber and a few different plants. A good example breakfast might be a smoothie with some Greek yogurt, a frozen fruit blend and some kind of milk. You can add things like peanut butter (if you think the taste will be good with your fruits). You can also try things like chia seed pudding or overnight oats, which are also good things to add fruit to. If you don’t usually eat much fruit, frozen fruit is a good place to start because it won’t go bad. Overall, start by finding ways to add in vegetables to things you already ea

• misty_anne·Jul 24, 6:24 PM

  Start small. Get a multi vitamin and try to eat an extra piece of fruit or veggie each day.

• lightzn_2·Jul 24, 6:46 PM

  Add fruits or veggies into each meal where you can. Try to eat as little processed foods as possible and stick to whole foods. What helped me was thinking 'if it didn't exist 100 years ago, it's probably not good for you'- that isn't something to *always* go by but imo it helps. A lot of today's super processed stuff lacks enough micronutrients. These are some of my fav breakfast meals to give u some ideas Breakfast : Eggs - easy to add veggies too like spinach and tomatoes or peppers and onions in a scramble or omelette Oatmeal - can add fruit and honey for natural sweeteners, nuts, cinnamon, peanut butter Whole grain toast - add jams, peanut butter, egg, tomato, avocado, etc Plain greek yogurt - honey and fruit will add natural sweetness, can add chia seeds for good fiber (just be wary that flavored yogurt from the store generally has a lot of added sugar)

• old_city_8753_2·Jul 24, 7:55 PM

  Thank you so much for this I appreciate it ,I will start with smoothies for breakfast.

• old_city_8753_3·Jul 25, 3:30 PM

  I should learn how to cook for myself so bad ,any book recommendations?

• anniebanniefofannie·Jul 25, 5:37 PM

  I like to make smoothies. They help me get extra veggies and fruits and you can add a scoop of protein powder to boost your protein. I like to use [this](https://share.google/images/2y4990Jg41krUfPca) as a guide for a balanced smoothie. Use whatever veggies/fruits you want. Figure out what you like. I tend to use frozen fruit because it keeps and it thickens the smoothie more. Other than that, I try to make about half my plate veggies (I love a salad. If you don't know where to start with that, The Salad Lab is a good place. You can find her on TikTok, or she has a cookbook with the same title). Protein can come from a lot of sources and you can build in extra with simple swaps. For example, I like to use plain Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream whenever things call for sour cream. Find things like that, that work for you. It's easier to make dietary changes one small thing at a time. Talk to your doctor to see if you are deficient in any vitamins, take a supplement if needed, and b

• akawhitey2·Jul 25, 6:02 PM

  Obviously talking to your doctor is best, but here are some general guidelines. In general, the My Plate nutrition guide is a great way to explain the basics of nutrition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MyPlate Firstly, try to eat mostly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins. Vary up the types of things you eat. We need a lot of different food stuffs to get complete aminos, so eating a variety of things is good. For protein, as a growing person, about 60% of your body weight in lbs -> grams is good. So for example if you weigh 120 lbs then aim for eating around 72-80 grams of protein a day. If you are doing a lot of exercise, like lifting or longer distance running, sports, maybe up that to 75%. But the cultural moment focuses a bit too much on protein specifically. Just try to make sure you have something with some protein each day. Beans are great, lean meats like turkey or chicken or fish are good too. But a ton of non meat food has protein too. Tofu, for instance. O

• old_city_8753_4·Jul 25, 6:07 PM

  I'm kinda nervous about buying honey because I think it's just sugar they put in a jar in the markets and where I live original and real honey are so expensive it's crazy ,but thanks for your recommendations I appreciate it

• ms_ankylosaurous_3·Jul 25, 6:30 PM

  Start looking in your local library to read and test things out. Joy of Cooking.better homes and gardens cookbooks. I’m in Canada, and the Canadian Living cookbooks are good.

• old_city_8753_5·Jul 25, 8:48 PM

  I appreciate your response! I'm kinda nervous to start ngl because I'm like why did I never start sooner and why I don't know these already 😅

• alpacaapicnic·Jul 25, 11:51 PM

  Mostly plants! Small tactical tip is to shop the produce department first - especially if you’re hungry.

• alpacaapicnic_2·Jul 29, 7:46 PM

  I found Melissa Clark’s Dinner to be an approachable gateway, and the recipes in there are soooo good I still cook out of it regularly. That book taught me how to cook.

• generalarmitage·Jul 29, 8:14 PM

  Look and see if there’s any beekeeping/ farmers markets! It might be a little pricy but an added benefit of local honey is that it can help mitigate allergies by introducing triggers in small amounts

• anniebanniefofanni_2·Jul 30, 6:46 AM

  We all start somewhere! I was in a similar position to you 10 years ago. You read/watch, experiment, and learn as you go. But small changes are key to staying on track. If you change everything all at once, you're more likely to quit. Saying this as someone who's done that several times as well. 😅

• bocepheid·Jul 30, 8:45 AM

  I'm 65m and have eaten a lot of different ways. If I were speaking to my 20yo self, I would advise two things. I make a daily green smoothie; I'm convinced that at least a little bit of nutrients every day helps a lot. I put in kale (any greens), apple, banana, carrot, yogurt, some seeds or nuts, and things on sale like strawberries or oranges. I thought it would be expensive but it's actually cheaper when I build my diet around it, and buy it in bulk and keep things in the freezer. (Note, I make a 2 liter smoothie.) It solves hydration issues and makes grocery shopping easy. The second thing is a conversation I had yesterday with my doctor. She told me to get 20g protein first thing in the morning. A serving the size of the hand without the fingers. It is \*hard\* to get that much protein. Basically 3 eggs. I'm trying to get more protein via yogurt and seeds/nuts in my smoothie but it hasn't been easy.

• disnoop·Jul 30, 9:15 AM

  What are your likes and dislikes ?!

• angry_housecat_1312·Jul 30, 11:03 AM

  I know there are apps that help you track macros (calories and nutrients). Some are free and some require subscriptions. I honestly can’t remember any of them, but hopefully others here can weigh in more helpfully with recommendations if you’re interested! A multivitamin could be a really great step, as well as eating more fruits and vegetables. I *strongly* recommend not taking a multivitamin on an empty stomach though. I’ve done this a few times and it always makes me nauseous. Spare yourself that misery!