Trying to introduce more fresh produce into my diet.

[Metalhead]

I have been making an effort to replace the potato chips with vegetable sticks, and to replace the candy with fresh fruits.

My body is so used to snacking on junk food that it is resisting these changes. Visions of Ruffles potato chips flood my mind when I snack on fresh broccoli instead.

Anybody have any brilliant ideas on how to move past this stage?

 

[Misery]

With broccoli, try pairing it with different things.

Personally I love the stuff, BUT it has to have something going with it. I usually use a bit of butter or margarine... not too much, just a little, spread that while it's still hot... and that's just lovely. Cheese can also go with it. There's probably other stuff you could try too, I dunno.

Even if you dont want to put anything on it, I'd suggest heating it in the microwave for a bit. Just better when heated (or at least I think so).

 

[Outdated]

Here's what I use when I have to, a cheap fruit and nut mix. A packet of dried fruit that you use in making cakes and a large packet of salted peanuts mixed together. If eaten by themselves the peanuts are fattening, but there's something about the mixing with the salt and the fruit that changes that.

Eat it by the handfulls as often as you want, eat it until you are full and you can skip a meal here and there. Eat it by the bucket full and you'll still lose weight.

 

[Rodafina]

@Chameleon In Recovery recently suggested the good idea of sprinkling salt on crunchy veggies as a substitute for chips and less healthy things. I realize adding salt is not the perfect answer to trying to eat healthfully, but it could certainly be an intermediary step to cut out the really bad stuff and start replacing it with veggies.

 

[Rodafina]

Here's what I use when I have to, a cheap fruit and nut mix. A packet of dried fruit that you use in making cakes and a large packet of salted peanuts mixed together. If eaten by themselves the peanuts are fattening, but there's something about the mixing with the salt and the fruit that changes that.

Eat it by the handfulls as often as you want, eat it until you are full and you can skip a meal here and there. Eat it by the bucket full and you'll still lose weight.

I'm having an autistic moment and cannot tell if you are joking or not. Is this serious advice?

 

[Metalhead]

All great ideas! Thanks for the input.

 

[Outdated]

I'm having an autistic moment and cannot tell if you are joking or not. Is this serious advice?

Yes, that's serious advice. When I was working I'd take that in to work with me in a tupperware container and snack on it all day long. Come lunch time I wouldn't be hungry and I'd just keep snacking on the fruit and nut mix instead.

 

[Rodafina]

Yes, that's serious advice. When I was working I'd take that in to work with me in a tupperware container and snack on it all day long. Come lunch time I wouldn't be hungry and I'd just keep snacking on the fruit and nut mix instead.

I agree. If you don't consume too many calories elsewhere, different types of nuts are a really great snack. Especially, walnuts and almonds as far as nutritional value goes. I don't eat meat and have trouble with lots of foods these days, so 90% of my diet is made up of frozen veg (warmed over a skillet), nuts, and beans. I'm doing pretty well, too in terms of energy, alertness, and digestive health.

 

[tree]

euuw
raw broccoli?


I like broccoli, cooked.

As a snack, raw???
Too hard core for me.

--
I just realized, apparently I don't snack.

It's a meal, or it's water (as far as ingesting food type substances.)

 

[Metalhead]

euuw
raw broccoli?


I like broccoli, cooked.

As a snack, raw???
Too hard core for me.

--
I just realized, apparently I don't snack.

It's a meal, or it's water (as far as ingesting food type substances.)

Yeah, I really was trying to snack on raw broccoli florets without any dip or seasoning. It was not working well for me.

 

[Outdated]

Also when I want to lose weight, and I'm getting to that stage now, there's 3 core foods that I completely cut from my diet.

Pasta, Potatoes, and Bread.

Less carbs, more protein.

 

[Rodafina]

Yeah, I really was trying to snack on raw broccoli florets without any dip or seasoning. It was not working well for me.

Definitely ditch the raw broccoli, even the hippy veghead circles I'm around (my family), don't snack on raw, plain broccoli. Don't judge veggie snacks on raw broccoli alone.

Also give it a good chance... as I understand it, our body can get really used to salty and sweet, so artificial salts and sugars will make natural salts and sugars taste very underwhelming at first, but if you persevere, your taste buds will start to get used to the more natural stuff.

For raw stuff, I like:
carrots
cucumber slices
red pepper slices

For sweet stuff:
bananas (filling, too)
Dates are like candy to me.

I realize I am the opposite of @tree. I don't eat meals (sensory overload), only snacks, so I have to make sure they are real food and healthy snacks.

Lastly, go hard on the water or herbal teas if you can. I've read about how so much of the time when we are in a hungry snacking mood we are actually dehydrated and thirsty.

I'm definitely no expert here, but I think your goals are really good ones.

 

[Lysholm]

Fast food, snack, and soda companies have decades of research and huge budgets for food scientists to r&d food additives which deliberately make it harder to stop eating crap. Aiding this is human biology which adapts to its environment, including diet, so when your body gets used to eating something it's physically uncomfortable to change it. This works in reverse, BTW, as soda and cheese puffs taste funny when you don't usually eat them.

I think you just have to power through this stage. But you don't have to go crazy. I'll eat raw broccoli because I enjoy it, but you make it sound desperate. Diet is more than healthy this versus processed that. If you eat carrots with a bit of ranch it's way better than eating a bag of chips. And grabbing a can of vegetable juice to wash down a burger is a reasonable balance for nutrition's sake.

And everyone's background plays a role in muscle building and fat storage. I mean genes and living environments. Certain foods do things to one person they won't do to another, etc. You have to experiment. And you'll have to allow yourself to be fat if you're just gonna be fat. Some people cannot get rid of their belly without extreme measures, so don't think a gut means you've failed or all your efforts were in vain. Your goal is to be as healthy as you can be, whatever that looks like.

 

[Outdated]

This works in reverse, BTW, as soda and cheese puffs taste funny when you don't usually eat them.

That is so true, After spending years living in the bush I couldn't stand the smell of fast food places, the oil smelt like a truck depot when they're changing the gear oil. 3 years back in a city and I'm eating all that stuff again.

 

[tree]

@Rodafina

Dates would destroy me.

I can have, theoretically, 10 raisins.
In practice I use only six, if I am having any.

Bananas, nah.
Those are latex.

Apples I eat every day during the season (fall through
whenever the ones I bought run out). I got three +
bushels fall 2022.

 

[Forest Cat]

I think other people had good advice so I just want to wish you good luck with the food.

 

[Aspychata]

First of all protein keeps you fuller longer. So protein powder, (read label), then faux milk, or banana and some water make a fast meal Smoothie.

My food groups are crunchy and creamy. So l had popcorn chips, with non-fat yogurt with avocado and very little jalapeno ranch mashed into yogurt.

Buy corn tortillas, low in calories, toast in oven, break into chips, make a bean avocado onion layer dip, very low calorie with taco seasoning. Just eat protein the size of your fist, thats size control. Make everything spicy, that is filling.

Soup be it broth or some vegetable pureed, and spiced up, very filling. Lentils, especially red are rich and filling and excellent source of protein.

Take a sweet potato, put a fork mark in it, microwave for 5 mins, remove skin, top with something, or fry up like hash and eat a fried egg and faux bacon. Very filling. High in potassium.

Popcorn fills you up when you are just craving something. Just get plain popcorn.

Online you can buy orange cheese powder from health food store, lots of flavor, almost zero calories use it on anything. Right now l have parmesean romano, tastes good in a egg omelet, or in a baked potato.

Simple plain yogurt with ranch powder dressing, like 10 calories, put it on broccoli and you hit your crunch and a creamy taste.

Carrot salad, low calorie mayo mixed with some nonfat yogurt, add raisins, good crunch and filling. Same with coleslaw, buy angel coleslaw, throw into soups, throw into to burritos, make a low cal ranch dressing, mix avocado into dressing, very filling, and you have a easy healthy side.

Because sometimes in life, you need to trick your belly and feel full.

 

[Rodafina]

Bananas, nah.
Those are latex.

Interesting. I just did some googling and learned a lot.

 

[Mr. Stevens]

Here's what I use when I have to, a cheap fruit and nut mix. A packet of dried fruit that you use in making cakes and a large packet of salted peanuts mixed together. If eaten by themselves the peanuts are fattening, but there's something about the mixing with the salt and the fruit that changes that.

Eat it by the handfulls as often as you want, eat it until you are full and you can skip a meal here and there. Eat it by the bucket full and you'll still lose weight.

Yes! I do something similar for lunch every weekday. Carrots, green peppers, two apples, and some unsalted peanuts. I just fill up my little plastic container.

 

[Metalhead]

I just steamed the raw broccoli with a little bit of kosher salt. That made a world of difference.