Precious Nutrients
<div class="IPBDescription">gimme!</div>So, here's the deal. My diet sucks. While weight charts suggest that I'm actually an acceptable weight my GP told me that I could stand to gain a few pounds (I'm 145 and 5'11"). Rather than add more junk to my diet I'm going to try and add some vitamins vis a vis vegetables and fruits.
So my question generally is what would you guys suggest I eat veggie-wise in order to get my daily requirements of vitamins? I just went shopping and grabbed some baby carrots and dip to chew on (says I'm getting 300% of my vitamin A so that's one I can check off the list haah). I've got spinach to make a salad with, but then I found myself thinking, I should probably find out what I need to eat in order to maximize my vitamin uptake. (I think spinach is a good source of Iron and vitamin C) I've got bananas for potassium and from there on is where I want to fill some blanks.
Bare in mind, I'm not food oriented at all. I don't like anything fancy and if you have suggestions I'd prefer they be simple to make and not time-consuming.
Also, I prefer veggies raw to boiled. Fried would be ok I guess but that kindof saps the purpose.
What do you guys eat, how, what's the nutritional value? I figure that up till now my diet has been poor. But I don't think my health is a static thing so I'm trying to remedy it.
Gimme tips people!
So my question generally is what would you guys suggest I eat veggie-wise in order to get my daily requirements of vitamins? I just went shopping and grabbed some baby carrots and dip to chew on (says I'm getting 300% of my vitamin A so that's one I can check off the list haah). I've got spinach to make a salad with, but then I found myself thinking, I should probably find out what I need to eat in order to maximize my vitamin uptake. (I think spinach is a good source of Iron and vitamin C) I've got bananas for potassium and from there on is where I want to fill some blanks.
Bare in mind, I'm not food oriented at all. I don't like anything fancy and if you have suggestions I'd prefer they be simple to make and not time-consuming.
Also, I prefer veggies raw to boiled. Fried would be ok I guess but that kindof saps the purpose.
What do you guys eat, how, what's the nutritional value? I figure that up till now my diet has been poor. But I don't think my health is a static thing so I'm trying to remedy it.
Gimme tips people!
Comments
I'm really not able to gain weight though. I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm a vegetarian, but I gorge on cheese and pasta and ice cream and candy and soda constantly and I stay a completely stable weight. anyway I can't really be very helpful other than to say I know what it's like =p
I'm completely non-food-oriented too. People talk about food like it's so wonderful, but I'm generally just annoyed that I have to eat to survive and wish I could have a food pill instead so I wouldn't have to be arsed to eat. I would say just increase your portions, eat whatever you feel like when you feel like it, take a multivitamin to make sure you're not missing any... salads are a nice and easy way to supplement your normal food intake with some roughage. can even get pre-bagged salads if you're ultra lazy like myself <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/nerd-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::nerdy::" border="0" alt="nerd-fix.gif" />
oh man I totally agree.
here's a bit of a side note: I've been taking vitamin pills to offset the damage until now and was wondering if they even do what they say. I've read some articles about how we don't really understand nutrient absorption in the gut and that for some reason you only really get vitamins from digesting food. I would assume I get at least some things from pills, but does anyone know more about the subject. Are they worth your time?
Tycho - you are one skinny mombojombah, yea you're not dead, but I'm sure having fat reserves is helpful. Just don't ask me why or how.
- weet bix (aussie breakfast food)
<u><b>- avocado</b></u>
- bananas
- nectarines
- mangoes
- kiwifruit
- sushi
<u><b>- tuna</b></u>
- broccoli
- boiled cabbage
all of these foods i eat every day usually (mangoes and nectarines only when in season in november-february)
kiwifruit is packed with more vitamin c than an orange and just as much vitamin e as an avocado.. <b>avocados contain vitamins b1 b2 b3 e c and also calcium and fibre (along with many other good things like potassium, magnesium and iron) </b>
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Antioxidants such as vitamin E act to protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of energy metabolism. Free radicals can damage cells and may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
i always eat avocado with rice, or avocado sandwiches. you cant go wrong with eating avocados and kiwifruit.
kiwifruit also helps with your blood and heart too, so if you have heart problems kiwifruit is a natural food to help.
boiled cabbace is awesome too, so is<b> tuna (omega 3 oils) </b>many people underestimate the goodness of omega 3 oils. they are a natural oil which is very good for your system. omega 3 and 6 oils help towards the functioning and growth of your brain and your body.
im 51 kilos (112 pounds) and 163cm tall (not very tall)
I honestly don't know if multivitamins work if they're supposed to, but when I get periodic blood tests I tend to be low in iron and B12, so I take a vitamin when I remember to in order to try to correct that =p
Allow me to demonstrate, formerly having been told the same thing, using this helpful picture.
<div align="center"><img src="http://dev.podded.us/images/lol-copy4.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->Now if you see clearly here this is you. If you are rail thin
and have say a bad case of the influenza and are not really holding
down food for a few days. There is headstone harry to your right.
A little reserve calories stored somewhere in your system would be nice.
Secondly. Here we have a our friend stout to provided many needed calories.
While he may occasionally cause you to revisit the evening's menu,
He does an good job of helping you bulk up.<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
</div>
That said, I think that the point about good fruit and veggies being for the win. Im not sure that sushi is a fruit though. but thats neither here nor there.
Oh and since we are going to share height and weight, I'm the regional fat guy at 6'3" and 195-200 pounds.
Not really that surprising when you think about the function of an egg yolk.
Not really that surprising when you think about the function of an egg yolk.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
just to back up on this
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Eggs are an excellent nutrient-dense food that packs six grams of protein, a bit of vitamin B-12, vitamin E, riboflavin, folic acid, calcium, zinc, iron, and essential fatty acids into a mere 75 calories<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
they do have some very good nutrients and two vitamin types.
- weet bix (aussie breakfast food)
<u><b>- avocado</b></u>
- bananas
- nectarines
- mangoes
- kiwifruit
- sushi
<u><b>- tuna</b></u>
- broccoli
- boiled cabbage<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That was very informative thank you. Broccoli I can add to a salad for sure, it's supposed to be awesome (as in healthy).
Explain though, how do you add the avocado to your rice. I eat quite a bit of rice as I have a rice cooker and I can just shove rice and water in and have cooked rice come out with no input from me. Do you do some sort of a stir fry or maybe just grate it in slices over the top?
weet bix eh? I would imagine it's the same as weetabix we have here, and in the UK. They shouldn't have bothered with the cute phonetic spell and just called it a wheat brick.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->whey protein powder (mixed with milk gives around 20g of easily digested protein per serving)
+ creatine (a safe drug that causes muscle to increase water uptake, giving stamina)
then hit the gym
then l-glutamine (an amino acid pre-cursor, builds muscle)
then the protein shake again<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
i find that doing that 3 times a week (plus the shake when i wake up and before i go to bed) puts on about 1-2 pounds in muscle per week. the problem is that for those of us who aren't built like brick s*it houses you only need to stop the plan for a week and you'll easily lose 2+ pounds. also on the flip side it's damned expensive; with gym membership that's around £70/month ($140).
on the plus side it's 100% safe, you don't hve to worry about losing your nuts or having to undergo a heart bypass down the line. all the drugs are naturally forming in the body and taking an overdose won't harm you, only your wallet. it's also a realistic plan, not some bs "GAIN 50 POUNDS OF PECKS IN FOUR DAYS".
at 6' 0" i weigh just shy of 160 pounds, but im vain enough that i only do upper body workouts, if i bothered working my chicken legs i could probably add 5 pounds pretty quickly. BMI is around 21.3, a year ago it was probably around the 'teens.
it'd be intersting if someone had the time to get hold of a graph such as <a href="http://www.fda.gov/hearthealth/lifestyles/figure1.jpg" target="_blank">this one</a> and add on our BMI points. i was led to beleive from tv that you fat noobs were all... well... fat noobs but apparantely not!
Many people in the thread have commented so far that they disapprove of meat and are vegetarians. In addition while meat <i>is</i> a very dense food and contains a great deal of calories, fats and nutrition in general, many people do not like the taste, the fact that it IS such a dense source of energy, or the ethical/economic impact it has on the animal(s) the meat was taken from.
As for my two cents, I recommend lots of pasta. LOTS OF PASTA <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
they do have some very good nutrients and two vitamin types.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Absolutely the purest form of protein you can ingest... and it's 8 grams/egg if you eat jumbos. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
Like your posts, lulzian.
I too would like to gain weight and build a bit of muscle. But my metabolism doesn't allow for it, I eat meat almost exclusively. Burgers, Carne Asada, Chicken (Grilled and Fried), Hotdogs, everything it does nothing. I should probably eat healthier, but vegies taste like athlete's foot.
As for my two cents, I recommend lots of pasta. LOTS OF PASTA <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Aye, but OP didn't mention meat not being an option so I figured I should throw it out there. I don't really see how you can gain any weight by eating fruits and vegetables. Must be a pain in the ass.
But yeah, pasta is probably the best alternative.
Explain though, how do you add the avocado to your rice. I eat quite a bit of rice as I have a rice cooker and I can just shove rice and water in and have cooked rice come out with no input from me. Do you do some sort of a stir fry or maybe just grate it in slices over the top?
weet bix eh? I would imagine it's the same as weetabix we have here, and in the UK. They shouldn't have bothered with the cute phonetic spell and just called it a wheat brick.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
oh once i boiled rice with water, i put it in a bowl, chop up avocado into cubes and throw it in and then eat it.. usually i mash it altogether, but either way it gives flavour and is very tasty addition to rice, also adding a tiny bit of soy sauce in with avocado and rice gives an even more yummy taste, but it depends on your mood, some days i just prefer plain avo and rice <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
yuh id assume its the same thing with weet bix etc, its an australian designed product, it doesnt surprise me that now the us has their own ripoffs of it. Its really high in fibre, and doesnt tend to have all the other additives other brands of cereal add (I try to avoid eating cocopops etc, while they DO have some fibre etc, its better to avoid them because of the amount of sugars and preservatives).
But yeah, pasta is probably the best alternative.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Aye, agreed. Eating a diet composed of nothing but fruits + vegetables for a few weeks (with the occasional vitamin supplement and what have you to assist your body with <i>normal</i> function, you'll lose a lot of weight, if'n ye toss a few walks down the road s'well mind ye.
I wouldn't worry too much. You're ~10 lbs more than me. As long as you get enough nutrients and stuff you're not going to drop dead.
If it's any consolation, I used my powers for good for a while. Like, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, working out, tofu, etc. I acted like any normal, "I'll get fat if I eat 6 hamburgers" person.
Of course, then I realized that the only benefit was that I was slightly stronger, and to keep getting stronger I'd have to keep on exercising, etc. So I mostly cut that out, and went back to not worrying what I eat. Luckily I naturally enjoy healthy stuff so I don't just gorge myself on french fries and donuts all day and clog up my arteries, but whatever.
Oh big guns lolfiggter, rofl.
yeah i got a stupidly hyperactive metabolisum, 185/6foot 1, 61kg's i think thats about 160 lbs, its weird i gain more weight in summer only about a extra the kg's, never do any thing different would eat ten meals a day if cooked for me and put infront of me, still wouldnt get me any were fast. right now i am sitting her eand my foot is bouncying my leg, up and down, i dont know i am doing it it take a bit of will power to stop it, but i just burnt off breakfast and lunch.
I was just reading a book called the Omnivore's Dilemma and it mentioned that farm raised tuna does not have nearly as much omega-3 as ocean tuna because farmed tuna is grown on corn(in the US). Grass fed cattle(beef) actually has more omega-3 than farm raised tuna.
It also mentioned that you want a balance of omega-3 and omega-6, so a balance of fish and meat, assuming you're not a vegetarian.
To give some useful input. Try raw carrots cut in 4 and soaked in water (I know you picked baby carrots already, but). Pistachioes. Dark chocolate. Get some mixed juice as well. Oatmeal. If you are already into dieting, spinach is supposedly very healthy but tastes like crap.
@Sherpa, what you say is interesting. Where did you get your stuff from, the local gym? Also how much of the muscle sizes does creatine account for? Seems like it could be one of the reason why they go flaccid so quickly <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
I too would like to gain weight and build a bit of muscle. But my metabolism doesn't allow for it, I eat meat almost exclusively.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Honestly, unless you have a glandular disorder, there is no such thing as "doesn't allow for it." You can be the most extreme ectomorph and still force your body to change, given the right routine and methods.
Since I graduated high school I've put on about 20lbs of muscle.. I used to be stereotypical-can't-gain-weight asian kid. In the time I took to gain those 20lbs (little over 2 years) someone with an average build could probably have gained 40. I didn't even work that hard, I took it slow and the gains were slow as well. But here I am.
Nothing is impossible.
If anyone is interested I mod a small imageboard on 7chan. <a href="http://lol.7chan.org/fit/" target="_blank">/fit/.</a> Fitness related, obviously. It's more or less SFW, I do my best to keep it clean.
<b>on-topic edit</b>: staying on track here... enf0rcer, stick with those carrots. cheap and good for you. incorporate simple salads in your every-day eating, with maybe 1 or 2 meals each day. garden salads are really simple. at the beginning of the week, take your mixed greens, wash em and tear/cut them, put them in a bag, and stick em back in the fridge. now whenever you want some salad, grab a handful, throw it in a bowl, dress, and you're golden.