Tell the Truth, How Healthy do you Eat?

Cafe Society
1

I have good intentions to eat healthy, I really do, but sometimes I fall just a sliver shy of the mark…well, maybe an inch or two this side of the mark…ok, a mile away from the idiotic mark!

**Here are some of the healthy things I do: **
[ul]
[li]I eat steal cut oatmeal at least 3 mornings per week[/li][li]I switch out bad carb snacks for good carb snacks [del]all the time[/del] sometimes[/li][li]I rarely eat more than 3 or 4 oz of meat at dinner[/li][li]I eat a lot of vegetables and salads[/li][li]I rarely eat the really bad sugary-fatty stuff, like ice cream[/li][li]I usually go meatless a few days a week, like switching out a beef patty for a portabella mushroom cap[/li][li]I drink no sugary sodas or fruit juices[/li][li]I like fish[/li][/ul]
Here are some of the unhealthy things I do:
[ul]
[li]I eat eggs and bacon, or scrapple or sausages a couple mornings per week[/li][li]Some of the good carbs I switched out for bad carbs aren’t so good—like vegetable potato chips (good in theory, not in execution)[/li][li]On the rare times that I do eat more than 3 or 4 oz of meat, it might be a side of beef. [/li][li]I eat a lot of starchy vegetables and I like fatty dressing on my salad[/li][li]I should eat none of the really bad sugary-fatty stuff, like ice cream, because I’m diabetic[/li][li]I like to put cheese and sauce on my portabella mushroom cap and stick it between a pair of buns[/li][li]I drink a lot of wine[/li][li]I mostly like fried fish[/li][/ul]

When I learned that recent research showed lard wasn’t the killer it was claimed to be back in the 60’s, and apparently less unhealthy than vegetable oils and shortening, I went out bought a lot of lard—so much so that you can think of me as the big tub of lard guy.

I don’t believe in waste, so I gave the vegetable oils to my kids and dog (poring it over their Cheerio’s and Kibbles and Bits). So, that’s a good thing, right?

Anyway, it’s not my fault my eating habits aren’t ideal. My kids don’t like the healthy crap I make, so I have to make unhealthy crap to make them happy…that’s a good thing, right? Making your kids happy is good.

But, enough about me. What about you? Break down your healthy/unhealthy eating habits, you fatties.

And, for you young people out there who think the health craze is something new—it ain’t: case in point.

Of course the craze even predates that clip—recall, for example, The Illustrious Dr. John Harvey Kellogg Corn Flake

But, speaking of the comedic god, Sid Cesar, and his side-kick, Imogene Coca, it saddens me that Coca is largely forgotten, though she was, IMHO the funniest girl to have ever graced our planet. Certainly the equal to Carol Burnett (who considered Imogene an inspiration). Maybe I’m biased, because she was a Philly gal. But, check out this pantomime sketch and tell me she wasn’t something special.

Sidebar: Don’t sic CPS or the SPCA on me. I don’t really feed my kids or dog vegetable oil. We eat pretty healthy…once in a while. Anybody got a Snickers bar?

2

Breakfast:
Bad news: I eat bacon every day, toast and butter and a load of carbs
Good news: it’s only one strip of bacon, one piece of whole grain bread, and the carbs consist of mixed fresh fruits topped with yogurt and homemade granola. We usually have steel-cut oatmeal once or twice a week, made with dried thyme and topped with a fried egg and the strip of bacon (crumbled).

Lunch: I don’t always eat lunch, but rather have a very early dinner.

We don’t eat much red meat, mostly seafood and chicken.

I pretty much quit eating chips and prefer to snack on a few seeded crackers (Miltons!) and cheese.

I don’t eat enough greens unless my wife shoves it under my nose.

I still have a weak spot for burgers and pizza.

3

Is that anything like steel-cut oatmeal? :wink:

Seriously, I always try to eat a balanced diet (meat, fish, veg, carbs) and use lots of olive oil. I seldom eat out and avoid processed foods with lots of additives. Breakfast is usually a tall glass of juice and a cup of black coffee with no sugar. I don’t use white sugar at all. I occasionally eat white bread, but most of the time I have high-fiber whole grain stuff.

If I fall short anywhere, it’s in my consumption of dairy products. I’m 60 years old, and I still love milk with my meals. No way would I eat margarine; I want only butter on my food.

I also still drink soda pop from time to time when I should have juice or just plain old H2O.

I also eat way too damned much East European food, with all the animal fat that entails.

4

No, I’m a shoplifter, and proud of it!

5

I eat reasonably healthy, I guess. I’m a vegetarian, lots of fresh vegetables, cook at home almost every night. Not much fried food. Our main oil is olive oil. I work at home, so I usually eat home cooked food at lunch instead of going out to eat. I recently admitted that I was drinking too much, so I gave up my nightly cocktails. Now I just have one beer with dinner. Breakfast for me is usually a bowl of Crispix or Cheerios.

On the negative side, I could probably do without the ice cream I have most nights. I don’t eat big portions, but it’s something I could probably skip more often. I also have a weakness for the massive Chipotle burrito. I should probably not eat those so often. And I should probably eat more fresh fruit.

All in all, I think I’m doing OK as far as eating decently. My weight, blood pressure, etc., are all good. Mainly I should exercise more.

6

I, too, can brag of good vitals. But, I’m on 1,200 medications and my innards are now mostly surgically synthetic.

7

Not so much. Too much red meat, probably too much sugar and fats. Bacon or sausage on the weekends, because I believe that taking oneself out to Sunday breakfast is one of life’s finer pleasures.

On the plus side, I make myself eat my salad and occasional broccoli and always buy the bread with the gazillion grains and cereals. I generally don’t have much in the way of processed junk food in the house and I don’t drink sugar-loaded beverages. I cook with olive oil, mostly.

So far I’m in my mid-50’s and my cholesterol levels have only recently climbed to slightly elevated levels. More exercise is probably what I need most to handle that.

8

I agree with this article:

I love nothing better than premium extra-virgin olive oil…but I love it at room temperature sprinkled over a salad, or dripping obscenely from a Philly Italian Hoagie, or as a spiced dipping sauce for my pretentious bread dipping parties (I don’t really have those), but I rarely fry with it. If I do, it’s only for a quick sauté for something I want to taste like olives.

I don’t fry much with it, because:

1: Olive oil has a low smoke point. Lower fry temperature means less crisping and more absorption of oil into your food.

#2: Ewww, who wants olive oil flavored Chicken McNasties?

When I switched back to lard, from vegetable oils, it brought back memories of my mother’s wonderful fried foods, crispy with no sponged in oil. It’s mainly for that reason I think it’s the healthier choice: not much fat actually gets into the food if you fry it right. Of course frying in general should be only an occasional treat, no matter what fat you use.

9

Good News. Eggs are no longer considered bad. They are even called a super food now. I poach two and have them over toast for breakfast. No bacon if I’m being a good eater. :wink: I skip the bacon 2 out 3 times.

http://authoritynutrition.com/6-reasons-why-eggs-are-the-healthiest-food-on-the-planet/

I make a point to eat a green vegetable. Lima beans, green beans, broccoli, or spinach with my meals. The other side item is usually mac & cheese or mashed potatoes. The cafeteria we frequent has lean roast beef. Ham.

At least one meal a week is vegetable soup with a cornbread muffin crumbled into the soup. We make a pan of cornbread muffins and keep in the freezer.

rarely eat desert. We don’t buy cookies , chips or other snack items and keep in the house. I’ll eat chips with a deli sandwich at a restaurant.

10

Poached eggs! :slight_smile:

I may have to marry you. I’m a straight male. If you’re male, I know a surgeon who can make us compatible.

Poached is my favorite way to do eggs. I was pissed when eggs became eggsona non-grata, then thrilled when they rolled back into acceptance, like lard.

I’m old school with poaching: crack egg into boiling water with a splash of vinegar, twirl around, then plop them onto one or two slices of burned toast covered with real [del]lard[/del] butter (even I’m not hard core enough to larder my toast).

But, on those occasions you do include meat, try sliding a nicely fried slice of scrapple between the egg and toast. You won’t regret it. I bet Imogene Coca liked em like that, too.

11

Not uber healthy. My macronutrients aren’t very good. However I do eat a micronutrient rich diet so I am getting ample vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals due to green juicing (that is the only way I eat vegetables).

12

Can you please speak English? :smiley:

13

Another vote for poached eggs. Yum!!! They are a Sunday morning staple at my house.

My diet is great when work isn’t too pressing and I have time to cook. I like to cook and, by and large, I like healthy foods. Love most fruits and veggies and prefer chicken and fish to beef.

I am a bread-o-holic, though, and can’t get my morning started without some good toast and a cup of tea. I don’t eat anything else, really, for breakfast except for my poachies on the weekend.

When I work a lot of hours, though, my diet goes to hell in a handbasket. I either don’t eat or I eat whatever fast food someone will deliver. Dinner when I get home at 9 or 10 pm is usually a Hershey bar or a handful of M&Ms. And boy do I feel it, too. I get cranky with a bad diet.

Once a month I treat myself to a really nice dinner out. No restrictions or no-no’s, I eat whatever I want, drink some good wine, and have dessert. That’s when I go for the big ole steak. Porterhouse when I can get it, nicely marbled, and medium rare.

14

I have a highly varied diet and it includes a lot of vegetables, especially better than average on green and yellow vegetables. It’s probably heavier on meat and cheese than a modern dietician would prefer, and there’s also an abundance of fried foods in my repertoire, including bacon and other animal fat. Not as many fruits as there should be, although I’m good on citrus (mostly via an addiction to limes).

15

I don’t eat healthy at all. I eat what’s here and buy what I like to eat. I have way too many other things to worry about and stress over.

16

Lots of protein; lean meats, chicken, fish, ham, some steak. Lots of good, complex carbohydrates in the form of oatmeal, brown/white rice, veggies and sometimes sweet potatoes. Plenty of fats in eggs, protein bars, olive oil, butter, peanut butter and red meat.
ETA: Im realizing i dont eat much of any fruit. :confused:

17

Not at all. Neither do I eat unhealthily. I eat whatever the hell I want, and if it kills me then at least it was a life where I didn’t waste any of it eating bland crap.

18

I’m so thankful my mom started the rule of no chips or other junk calorie snacks in the house. She understood if its on the counter top, it will be eaten. I chafed at that rule in school. Wasted my allowance at the vending machines. At least for awhile. I often needed that allowance for other things besides vending machine snacks.

It just became a lifetime habit that I followed in my own home. Chips are a rare treat at a deli. I enjoy them, but not as a daily snack.

We keep bananas and eat one every day. Summertime means fresh cherries, grapes, and cantaloupe.

19

I eat a very healthy high fat, medium protein, low carb diet. It has quite literally changed my life.

20

Coincidentally, I was recently pondering this very thing. At the moment I have not only braces on my teeth but also an ill fitting, half broken, temporary upper denture so my food choices are severely limited. If it wasn’t for all that, I would eat salad and nuts and fruit and whole grain cereal. As it is my daily consumption is usually a teaspoon of peanut butter and a glass of lowfat milk for breakfast, a banana for a midmorning snack. Lunch is usually a bowl of soup and a hunk of sourdough bread. I say usually because I have pizza once a week, and would eat it every day if I could afford it and it wasn’t so fattening. That is, at least, on the days I wasn’t eating a Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich or a Chipotle burrito or McDonalds french fries or Popeyes or Arby’s french dip sandwich. I freaking love fast food and don’t indulge nearly as much as I’d like to. I consider that my big effort at living a healthy lifestyle:D

I almost never eat dinner, and I have few glasses of wine a night. You’d think I’d be thinner.