Canned/packaged foods OK to eat?

Hi All,

I've lurked here on-and-off in the past but have just recently "gotten with
the program". (For now,) I'll spare everyone the drama of my diet story. I
do have lots to lose, I am counting calories and doing some moderate
exercise, I have changed my lifestyle, and I accept the fact that I've got a
long road ahead of me.

I'd like to ask for some help here. I'm a newly-divorced guy, busy as hell
with work, and I don't have the desire to cook. I've been eating
canned/packaged food as well as pre-packaged salads and fruit salads from
the grocery store. A few days ago I actually read *and paid attention to*
the food labels on the stuff I've been buying. It was a wake-up call,
telling me that I need to watch not just how much I eat, but the
health-quality of the food I eat as well.

I have a two part question: What can I do to stick to my "microwave
lifestyle" and still eat healthy? And if the answer is "nothing", then...
what can I do, minimally, to start eating not-as-bad foods?

Thanks,

E.M.

em wrote:

Hi All,

I've lurked here on-and-off in the past but have just recently "gotten
with the program". (For now,) I'll spare everyone the drama of my diet
story. I do have lots to lose, I am counting calories and doing some
moderate exercise, I have changed my lifestyle, and I accept the fact
that I've got a long road ahead of me.

I'd like to ask for some help here. I'm a newly-divorced guy, busy as
hell with work, and I don't have the desire to cook. I've been eating
canned/packaged food as well as pre-packaged salads and fruit salads
from the grocery store. A few days ago I actually read *and paid
attention to* the food labels on the stuff I've been buying. It was a
wake-up call, telling me that I need to watch not just how much I eat,
but the health-quality of the food I eat as well.

I have a two part question: What can I do to stick to my "microwave
lifestyle" and still eat healthy? And if the answer is "nothing",
then... what can I do, minimally, to start eating not-as-bad foods?

Thanks,

E.M.
If you are not sensitve to sodium, some of the packaged dinners aren't
bad. Adding salad etc is good. bags of frozen vegetables are easy to
nuke and quite acceptable quality. Season to taste with what works for
you, presumably not butter and cheese. 100 percent whole wheat bread to
make a sliced chicken or turkey sandwich works.

Chris's turkey burgers with ff cheese works for her. See her archival
food postings.

--
Del Cecchi
"This post is my own and doesn’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions,
strategies or opinions.”

On Jun 13, 12:31 pm, "em" wrote:
Hi All,

I've lurked here on-and-off in the past but have just recently "gotten with
the program". (For now,) I'll spare everyone the drama of my diet story. I
do have lots to lose, I am counting calories and doing some moderate
exercise, I have changed my lifestyle, and I accept the fact that I've got a
long road ahead of me.

I'd like to ask for some help here. I'm a newly-divorced guy, busy as hell
with work, and I don't have the desire to cook. I've been eating
canned/packaged food as well as pre-packaged salads and fruit salads from
the grocery store. A few days ago I actually read *and paid attention to*
the food labels on the stuff I've been buying. It was a wake-up call,
telling me that I need to watch not just how much I eat, but the
health-quality of the food I eat as well.

I have a two part question: What can I do to stick to my "microwave
lifestyle" and still eat healthy? And if the answer is "nothing", then...
what can I do, minimally, to start eating not-as-bad foods?

Thanks,

E.M.

You can actually cook real food in the microwave and circumvent all
the preservatives and salt in the packaged meals. It won't take any
longer to cook.

The easiest thing to cook in the microwave is fish! And what are you
supposed to factor into your diet? Lots more fish. This is how you
do it.

Take 1 fish filet (whatever kind you like), place it on a plate. For
salmon/trout put it skin side down.

Sprinkle it with a little salt, pepper, other herbs (I use dill weed).

Cover it with waxed paper.

Cook it on medium power for 5 minutes. Turn it 45 deg (unless your
microwave has a carousel) and cook 2-5 minutes more, depending on the
size of the filet. Let it cool slightly in the microwave.

Serve it with baby carrots or other sliced vegetables and you'll have
a healthy easy meal.

Good luck,
Susan B.

"Del Cecchi" wrote in message

If you are not sensitve to sodium, some of the packaged dinners aren't
bad.

I have assumed that, becuase my bp is on the high side, that sodium is bad.
That is my biggest concern re. pre-processed foods. Maybe that is a bad
assumption. Is there a direct correlation between sodium intake and high bp?
Maybe I should take this up with my doctor.

"em" wrote in message
...

"Del Cecchi" wrote in message

If you are not sensitve to sodium, some of the packaged dinners aren't
bad.

I have assumed that, becuase my bp is on the high side, that sodium is
bad. That is my biggest concern re. pre-processed foods. Maybe that is a
bad assumption. Is there a direct correlation between sodium intake and
high bp? Maybe I should take this up with my doctor.

By all means check with your doctor. I have high BP and have problems with
sodium so the dr. had to adjust my meds. It made a big difference.

Most people don't have problems with salt, but some of us do. The packaged,
canned diet generally includes a lot of salt. Hit the produce section and
eat what you find there---most of it does not need to be cooked.

I often buy large bags of frozen mixed fruit and low fat yogurt. The frozen
fruit is especially good during hot weather. The fruit and yogurt have very
little salt.

If you like using your microwave, then consider getting an egg cooker. I
have one from Nordicware that allows me to cook up to four eggs at one time,
takes just eight minutes. Eggs keep for a while and can be fixed in a hurry
in a micowave oven.

If you are looking at frozen dinners, check out various products at your
store. However, if salt is your concern, you would be better for you to
stay away from this stuff. And whatever you do, stay away from canned soup
if you have problems with salt. Even the lower salt versions are still
loaded with salt. Anything that is pickled is also not good for those who
are sensitive to salt. Even cottage cheese has a lot of salt in one
serving. You do have to read those labels.

If you want to talk more about salt problems, there are some good sites on
the net, and I will be happy to try and help you.

em wrote:

"Del Cecchi" wrote in message

If you are not sensitve to sodium, some of the packaged dinners aren't
bad.


I have assumed that, becuase my bp is on the high side, that sodium is
bad. That is my biggest concern re. pre-processed foods. Maybe that is a
bad assumption. Is there a direct correlation between sodium intake and
high bp? Maybe I should take this up with my doctor.


Janie gave a good reply. As I understand it, the BP of some percent of
people is affected by sodium intake. The way to find out if you are one
is to go on a low sodium diet for awhile and see what happens. There
are probably other reasons why limiting sodium intake is a good idea.

The only realistic way to have a low sodium diet is to eat mostly
minimally processed foods.

Discussing sodium consumption, blood pressure, and diet with your doctor
is a good idea. The heart association web page also has information.

--
Del Cecchi
"This post is my own and doesn’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions,
strategies or opinions.”

On Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:31:42 -0700, em wrote:

Hi All,

I've lurked here on-and-off in the past but have just recently "gotten with
the program". (For now,) I'll spare everyone the drama of my diet story. I
do have lots to lose, I am counting calories and doing some moderate
exercise, I have changed my lifestyle, and I accept the fact that I've got a
long road ahead of me.

I'd like to ask for some help here. I'm a newly-divorced guy, busy as hell
with work, and I don't have the desire to cook. I've been eating
canned/packaged food as well as pre-packaged salads and fruit salads from
the grocery store. A few days ago I actually read *and paid attention to*
the food labels on the stuff I've been buying. It was a wake-up call,
telling me that I need to watch not just how much I eat, but the
health-quality of the food I eat as well.


That's a start. Read the labels on ALL packaged foods you buy. Some
will be a wake-up call, others, you may find, are not so bad.

You might look and see if your store carries any of the Kashi
microwave dinners. Those aren't so bad.

Another packaged item I've found that I really LIKE, is Tabatchnick
frozen soups. No *funny* sounding ingredients.


I have a two part question: What can I do to stick to my "microwave
lifestyle" and still eat healthy? And if the answer is "nothing", then...
what can I do, minimally, to start eating not-as-bad foods?


As above, venture beyond what you've been buying and look at other
brands labels and compare. Also, with things like packaged store
salads, you may be able to discard extras, like croutons and other
crunchy things (often harboring trans-fats) while adding some healthy
nuts instead. And perhaps discard the salad dressings they come with
and to to a quick olive oil and vinegar or olive oil and lemon juice
that you can easily whip up in seconds at home.

Or, at minimum, commit to using only 1/3 to 1/2 of the dressing
packet.

Consider buying pre-chopped veggies and bags of spinach at the
supermarket for making quick salads with.


Another way to go is to do a little food prep. If you like salads,
make up your own, put them in tupperware or ziploc containers. I like
this route myself... I usually cook a big batch of fresh chicken
tenderloins or breasts one day a week, then freeze what I won't use in
the next day or so. Then every morning, it takes me a half hour or so
to make up four salads, three for myself to eat during the day and one
for hubby to take to work with him for lunch.

The basic salad is this, and I put it into the containers in this
order, for a nice presentation when I dump it out on a plate later.
But you can order it as you like... reverse it for eating in the
container!

3-4 ounces of lean protein
6 or so baby carrots (just dump 'em out of the bag)
Sweet red bell pepper sliced.
Cucumber sliced.
One slice of red onion.
Big handful of spinach or baby spinach from a bag of the washed stuff.

Obviously, you can use larger containers (mine are 2.5 cups each) if
you need more food. It's possible to add dressing and take to work, or
leave undressed and add dressing as eaten.

I've found that salads like these keep pretty well too, for 2-3 days
easy. So you could just make a big stack in the fridge and munch as
needed. Substitute different veggies as desired, along with different
lean proteins. Occasionally top with some nuts... you can buy
pre-chopped nuts to make this easy, or just use whole ones. It all
works, LOL!


I also like to cook up big batches of healthy soups or chili, or
lentils and lean turkey sausage (all with plenty of veggie content)
and freeze portion sizes. If you set one day aside a week for cooking,
you could supplement your packaged food diet nicely. But if you don't
like to cook, the above salad thing does keep cooking out of the
equation.


--
Cynthia
262/239.5/152

On Jun 13, 3:31 pm, "em" wrote:
Hi All,

I've lurked here on-and-off in the past but have just recently "gotten with
the program". (For now,) I'll spare everyone the drama of my diet story. I
do have lots to lose, I am counting calories and doing some moderate
exercise, I have changed my lifestyle, and I accept the fact that I've got a
long road ahead of me.

I'd like to ask for some help here. I'm a newly-divorced guy, busy as hell
with work, and I don't have the desire to cook. I've been eating
canned/packaged food as well as pre-packaged salads and fruit salads from
the grocery store. A few days ago I actually read *and paid attention to*
the food labels on the stuff I've been buying. It was a wake-up call,
telling me that I need to watch not just how much I eat, but the
health-quality of the food I eat as well.

I have a two part question: What can I do to stick to my "microwave
lifestyle" and still eat healthy? And if the answer is "nothing", then...
what can I do, minimally, to start eating not-as-bad foods?

Thanks,

E.M.


Hi em. This is tricky because it depends on how your body works right
now. For example, I cannot handle a reduced calorie diet because I am
sensitive to carbohydrates. That means, I do not lose any weight on
reduced fat or calorie diets but I do lose weight on low carb diets. I
have tried both twice and both times had greater success with the low
carb diet. I did go on the Subway diet and that worked for a minute.

Just in case you enjoy the reduced calorie/fat diet, I suggest you eat
lean meats and eat fish. Mix it up a bit though because you may get
sick of both really quick. If you're going to eat bread, stay away
from the white stuff. If you're going to use dairy, go for the fat
free or reduced fat. Eat tons of veggies because that's where you're
nutrition is. If you like fruit drinks, I recommend shooting for
drinks that are 100% natural fruit juices. If you like cookies and
snacks, get those Nabisco 100 calorie snacksor even Snack Wells. When
I was on my reduced calorie diet, I overindulged in those things.
Instead of 100 calorie packs, I ended up having 300 calories by the
end of the day with those things. lol


http://www.chooseadietprogram.com