BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Low Carb Starting my new life tomorrow

You're exactly right Jilly - studies have shown that if you eat a food 10 times you begin to train your taste buds to like it. It makes sense evolution-wise. If you are going to be fed this item and it's how you are going to survive, you might as well get used to it.

What's scary is that some modern day kids are getting scurvy, because they subsist on pizza, mac & cheese and coke.

is that really true, about modern kids getting scurvy? That's pretty disturbing.

Yes, it shows up in News of the Weird and such whenever it happens, it seems. The last one I heard of was a teen in California, he simply drank soda and ate pizza all the time. Not really 'unusual' - but it gave him no Vitamin C. If you think about it - if a kid doesn't drink orange juice for breakfast, where do they really get it?

there is lots of vitamin c in tomatoes. But i guess pizza sauce doesn't have much left by the time people eat it.

Salsa is one of those really good for you snacks; tons of vitamin c.

Well here's what I have to say about Atkins...Southbeach or any low carb diet... it has worked for me! And... if you think about it... how can a diet be "bad" (as was suggested) when it restricts refined sugar (i.e. Snicker's candy bars, cakes, cookies, etc.) and promotes whole grain bread and fresh vegetables???? I see nothing wrong with low carb. We are a society of HIGH CARB eaters. We run through McDonald's and grab a big mac (with bleached flour bun) and now we are asked if we want TWO fried apple pies for a dollar. Refined sugars and high carb living has become a way of life here in America. A diet that promotes a return to more basic, whole foods and unrefined sugars is a GOOD thing. It doesn't "cut out" an entire food group. On the contrary, it directs you to drastically reduce your intake of that which is keeping you fat... refined carbs. And it helps people to lose weight..thereby reducing their chance of developing diabetes and other nasty things. In fact, the American Diabetes Association recognizes the need to control carbs (my husband is diabetic) and they recommend that you restrict your carbs as well. So this is not a "bad" diet. Neither is Weight Watchers. We don't need to be against one another. We all want the same thing...to be healthy and have more energy and look better. Let's not be against each other. -Jenny

Hello all,I read through everything and decided to add my 2 cents. I am a chef, have been one for almost 18 years, and specialize in nutrition and special diets for my clients. Here are a few things to consider...feel free to yell at me.
Number 1: As a weightlifter(12 years) all I can say is two hours of strenuous activity a day will do more harm than good. Exercise is vitally important but NEVER overdo it or you will have no results and quite a few injuries.
Number 2: Lisa is right, "diets" should be about eating healthy, non processed food and remember losing weight has to be a slow process. Any diet which drops weight more than 2-3 pounds a week is not healthy.
Number 3: Losing weight has to be a lifestyle change and that is why many people like Bleep gain weight back and why a lot of diets don't work.People eat the way the diet instructs and then go right back to chips, fries and sugar after. WRONG.
Number 4: Anyone doing Atkins, South Beach etc will not have much success if they don't eat veggies! Vegetables are fantastic, delicious and should be a large part of anyone's diet. You might be surprised how great they can taste.I always find it horrendous that kids today don't eat better. I can't keep fruit or veggies in my house for more than 1-2 days. My 3 and 6 year old eat them so fast. My own diet is largely made up of salads and fruit due to personal preference.
Number 5: I am a little against diets simply because I think a lot of people set themselves up to fail. The diets themselves are usually o kay in their requirements and utilize common sense to instruct people how to be healthier. Think about it... Exercise and healthy food choices- common sense! We all know those french fries and donuts will make us fat or unhealthy. NOBODY can fool themselves that they didn't know.
So, all I can say is whether you are starting Atkins, Weight Watchers or some other one don't think about it as a punishment or not being able to eat you favorite foods. Good delicious food is possible on any diet, consider it a new food journey.My clients always are delighted with the food I prepare for them because it is nutritious and wonderful and certainly not a hardship to eat!!
So, good luck on all your journeys and I'm sure you will find better health, more energy and completed goals at the end. Bon appetit.

Thanks so much Michelle for your words of wisdom. I think the challenge here is for us to learn to do this for ourselves... not many of us have the luxury of a "personal chef"... heck, come to think of it... I am my family's "personal chef" (smile). But sadly, I operate without the training and expertise of a professional. In order to take control of our nutritional well being, I have to take responsibility for learning a whole new way of doing things--preferably one that doesn't involve golden arches two days a week. (smile) -jenny.

Hi Jenny, Most of my clients are people who need a start after having a heart attack or are diagnosed with diabetes etc. Also they are people who have a commitment to healthier living and need a bit of advice. I usually go in and cook for a month, show them how to cook healthier, give them some guidelines and fabulous recipes, give them a hug and my phone number and that is that. I actually think I'm pretty affordable and not a luxury. I applaud you for taking responsiblity for your family's health and nutrition choices. It is near impossible these days to avoid fats, sugars, additives and dyes.When you try to include vegetables and fruits then pesticides and other chemicals are an issue. Sorry... my pet peeve and personal crusade reared its ugly head. Back on track, there is a lot of conflicting info out there to consider, so step carefully and use your head. Again, I have much admiration that you are taking control of your food!

Wow Michelle...how very much I wish you were here local. I could sure use some of your advice. My husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes. This came about following some pretty nasty treatments for a stubborn, and as of yet, not in remission blood disease. Poor baby...he has been through the wringer this year. He has undergone over $100,000.00 worth of treatments. Anyway...part of the treatments were very HEFTY and prolonged doses of steroids...thus the diabetes to deal with now. ANYWAY... I am still trying to learn how to cook for him. I know about watching the sugar (of course) and the carbs (which basically break down the same). I know that healthy eating and whole grains and fresh veggies are good for him. I also know that he probably would benefit from eating smaller amounts more times per day (which we do). It is just overwhelming to try to learn all this. Then I am also trying to learn what works for me and my weight loss. So anyway...what a blessing you must be to folks. To have someone come in and basically teach you to cook healthy....what a great idea! And you sound like such a great person. Those who do hire you must really feel like they are blessed with your service. Keep up the good work. -Jenny.

I think that is the main thing - to just eat more healthy and get more exercise, and drink more water. It is really scary if you just compare how people ate 100 years ago to what we eat now. The volume of junk food we consume daily is awful! Parents are giving their infants Coke in bottles! If a kid starts out that badly, where can they really go from there? I think one study showed that most 2 year olds only ate on vegetable ever - potatoes. In french fries.