Happy on new healthy diet

[soyabean]

I've been on a new "diet" for a few weeks now, and I am really happy on it. I just want to post this here, so that if I start to crave junk food, I can read this and remind myself how much I'm getting out of it atm.

I decided to change my diet, which featured a lot of junk food and soft drinks, as I wanted to get healthier and lose weight.
I decided on the following rules about what I eat - vegan (obviously), no hydrogentated fat, no chemical sweetener, no food with added salt/sugar (with the exceptions of baked beans, which means I can still eat at the local pub with my gf, they do baked spuds with beans - and vegetable stock/marmite which I used to make a base for hotpots, soups etc.)
As a result, i've been living almost entirely off fruit/vegatable/nuts and home cooked recipes involving all natrual ingredients, with no salt etc - I was orignally going to have "no junk food" as a rule, but by banning added salt and sugar, I can't think of single "junk" food that I would eat now anyway.

So far I'm lost 3/4 of a stone, and dropped a jeans size - but more importantly, I'm really enjoying food again, learning to eat when my body is hungry, not because I'm craving salt/sugar/caffeine etc.
Never thought it would be so easy to give up soft drinks, store bought bread, crisps etc - but once I decided to do it, it was easy :)

[DancingWillow]

That's wonderful, soyabean! You've made amazing positive changes :D

On a concerned note...are you including legumes when you say "fruit/vegetables/nuts"? Please eat enough nuts and legumes for the protein. Also, are you eating healthy grains, such as quinoa?

Keep up your goals!!

[soyabean]

That's wonderful, soyabean! You've made amazing positive changes :D

On a concerned note...are you including legumes when you say "fruit/vegetables/nuts"? Please eat enough nuts and legumes for the protein. Also, are you eating healthy grains, such as quinoa?

Keep up your goals!!

I'm not 100% what a legume is :) Does that refer to beans/peas/lentils etc? If so, then I'm eating plenty of those :)

[DancingWillow]

Yes, that's what legumes are... glad to hear that you're eating them :)

[Tigerlily]

How do you do it without salt or sugar? I have messed up sinuses and pretty much can't taste anything unless it's salty or sugary... :o I'm having a hard time trying to give it up because everything just tastes like cardboard.

[soyabean]

I love the taste of food without adding any salt or sugar to it.
At the moment I'm learning to love the natural taste of vegetables and fruits and nust etc without having it all hidden by added salt, fat, chemicals etc in teh processed food I used to eat far too much of.

[Tigerlily]

Interesting. Maybe after a while the cardboard taste will go away?

[speedylemons]

I bet it could work tigerlily!

That's awesome soyabean, that's basically what i've done as well! I love food in its original state and it seems to really help balance out my hunger etc.. its almost easier to listen to my body or something.

[ladyaprille]

im having a hard time giving up diet coke, no added sugar squash - things with aspartame in. I dont really like herbal teas-- and i like the fizzy feeling :o any suggestions to what I could have thats low calorie, and tasty- I dont like sparkling water- that tastes like sucking on a pound coin. I will be off them b the end of this year , i will, i will, i will x:mad:x

[ladyaprille]

oh, and well done soyabean. thats so good!! I live an hour from leicester :) could smell your homemade cooking. MUST TRY MARMITE STOCK.. HOW DO U DO THAT?? XXX

i eat marmite by the spoon - eek

[puffin]

Thats great soyabean. Glad your feeling well and happy.

[cvC]

im having a hard time giving up diet coke, no added sugar squash - things with aspartame in. I dont really like herbal teas-- and i like the fizzy feeling :o any suggestions to what I could have thats low calorie, and tasty- I dont like sparkling water- that tastes like sucking on a pound coin. I will be off them b the end of this year , i will, i will, i will x:mad:x
Why don't you try some of this stuff, although I'm not suggesting you get a pack of 24:

http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/494284.html

They're available for 75p or thereabouts at my local Holland and Barrett and I know that's more than a can of diet coke costs, but at least they don't contain something that was once listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent. Here's something mentioning that and Aspartame is also known to be addictive:

http://www.wnho.net/the_ecologist_aspartame_report.htm

I was depressed to read that "diet" "soda's" are to be the only ones available at American high schools:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14492998.htm

[cvC]

How do you do it without salt or sugar? I have messed up sinuses and pretty much can't taste anything unless it's salty or sugary... :o I'm having a hard time trying to give it up because everything just tastes like cardboard.

I was speaking to someone recently who had been to a naturopath and, as well as being put on a special diet, was prescribed " Horseradish pills" for his sinuses. I don't remeber exactly what he said, but it was something to the effect that he'd had a problem with them for a long time and was now enjoying a considerable improvement.

I don't yet know how to quote from two posts in one post - would someone mind telling me? - but you mentioned elsewhere about stuff tasting like cardboard without salt. It occurs to me that, while most people think of it as a condiment, the food it goes with is often perhaps a condiment for the salt. I think I've read that appetite for food is often in fact disguised thirst and perhaps this is what is happening. I was reading an interesting chapter about salt in an online book a while ago, which is here:

http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020126shelton.orthotrophy/020126.ch16.htm

[Tigerlily]

Thanks. Sadly I don't think I have the money to visit at naturopath. :(

[ladyaprille]

thanks cvc! i shall try it- definately as a treat now and again though because theyre quite high in calories. But anything is better than artificial poopoo. (aprille cringes to think her dad has just bought her a tray of 24 no added sugar dr peppers :( )

[cvC]

Thanks. Sadly I don't think I have the money to visit at naturopath. :(

I remember you saying that you're going to visit the Whole Foods in Toronto and, at least some of the Fresh and Wild shops in the UK, which are a part of the Whole Foods group, there are neturopaths behind the counter in the herbs section and who I think can can be consulted for free. You do now know about the horseradish and I did a search and this from a number of results that mention it:

"Horseradish contains volatile oils that function as a nasal and bronchial dilator to clear stuffy noses or sinuses"

http://www.medical-explorer.com/sinusitis.php?005

[cvC]

thanks cvc! i shall try it- definately as a treat now and again though because theyre quite high in calories. But anything is better than artificial poopoo. (aprille cringes to think her dad has just bought her a tray of 24 no added sugar dr peppers :( )

Perhaps you could take them back if he's still got the receipt. Your father might also have another record of the purchase if he made it with a credit card.

[Tigerlily]

I remember you saying that you're going to visit the Whole Foods in Toronto and, at least some of the Fresh and Wild shops in the UK, which are a part of the Whole Foods group, there are neturopaths behind the counter in the herbs section and who I think can can be consulted for free. You do now know about the horseradish and I did a search and this from a number of results that mention it:

"Horseradish contains volatile oils that function as a nasal and bronchial dilator to clear stuffy noses or sinuses"

http://www.medical-explorer.com/sinusitis.php?005

Thanks. I'm just worried I might mess something up as I have never been diagnosed with sinus problems. I just have a feeling that I have it, you know?

[soyabean]

oh, and well done soyabean. thats so good!! I live an hour from leicester :) could smell your homemade cooking. MUST TRY MARMITE STOCK.. HOW DO U DO THAT?? XXX

i eat marmite by the spoon - eek


Just get a big teaspoonful of marmite and dissolve it in boiling water, and then add some vegetable stock powder or a stock cube - i find it gives a much more interesting taste than just the stock powder on it's own.

[cvC]

I had a look at the ingredients of the Whole Earth cola and it contains corn syrup, which is also something to avoid, as the link below makes clear, but is probably not as bad as aspartame. They used to do four-packs of the Whole Earth stuff at my local Sainsbury's, but now only do their lemonade, which isn't so interesting - I think it goes for £2.19 for four or thereabouts. It isn't the biggest Sainsbury's and the cola may well be on sale at other branches and other supermarkets too.

http://www.rense.com/general69/fruc.htm