Most healthy diet?

Question

I am a generally healthy white 41-year-old female with a pretty poor diet due to trying to keep my weight down. I do know that I suffer from anemia, but iron pills and vitamins don't seem to be the best way to raise my hemoglobin. I would rather do it by eating a healthy diet.

My boyfriend is a healthy white 56-year-old male who had bladder cancer a couple of years ago, but has since recovered. He does smoke, but is currently trying to quit. His diet is fairly good, but could be better.

Anyway, my question is this..............

We are both very interested in a healthy diet and we would like to make whatever changes are needed to bring about optimum health. What kind of diet do we consider? Where can I find additional information on the diet, like recipes, shopping lists, etc..?

Answer 1

You are making a wise choice to change your diet. I hope this helps. I am just a bit older than you, having turned 43 last week. I was crippled with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis from the age of 31, just after giving birth to my daughter. Three years ago, I discovered I had food allergies, and was forced to go on a really drastic diet, avoiding all wheat, soy, eggs, dairy, meat and poultry. At first it was hard, but I must say the pounds dropped off-lost 40 pounds in little over two months. I eat a primarily rice based, vegetarian diet. I juice fresh fruits and veggies twice a day in a juice extractor. I enjoy many ethnic recipes, and lots of steamed and raw veggies. I think you and your boyfriend should consider a mostly plant based diet-especially with his history of cancer. Plant based diets reduce the risk of cancer. If you go to peta.com, they will send you a free vegetarian started kit with lots of information. The best thing, first and foremost you can do for your health, is to eliminate processed foods which contain preservatives, dyes, chemicals, artificial colors and artificial flavors. The body does not know how to process these things, and stores them as fat. Doing that alone will cause the pounds to come off. Read labels-if you dont readily know what an ingredients is or where it comes from, dont eat it. I dont eat anything I cant identify or pronounce. Good luck!

Answer 2

You may have pernicious anemia, not iron-deficiency aneami. Get some blood work done, asking the doc to check for the pernicious type.

From WebMD:

"Pernicious anemia is a rare blood disorder characterized by the inability of the body to properly utilize vitamin B12, which is essential for the development of red blood cells. Most cases result from the lack of the gastric protein known as intrinsic factor, without which vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed.

The symptoms of pernicious anemia may include weakness, fatigue, an upset stomach, an abnormally rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), and/or chest pains. Recurring episodes of anemia (megaloblastic) and an abnormal yellow coloration of the skin (jaundice) are also common. Pernicious anemia is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, and certain people may have a genetic predisposition to this disorder.

There is a rare congenital form of pernicious anemia in which babies are born lacking the ability to produce effective intrinsic factor. There is also a juvenile form of the disease, but pernicious anemia typically does not appear before the age of 30. The onset of the disease is slow and may span decades. When the disease goes undiagnosed and untreated for a long period of time, it may lead to neurological complications. Nerve cells and blood cells need vitamin B12 to function properly."

Answer 3

A diet mostly of raw foods is best as raw foods contain all the living ingredients for a LIVING body :o) Lots of greens too - a good way to get in your greens is to have one or two green smoothies every day. Try combinations like bananas, grapes, peaches and celery (take the leaves off); citrus and spinach; bananas, strawberries and romaine lettuce; etc.
Juicing is a good way to get in greens as well - drink fresh, raw veggie juice at least once a day (we like carrot and spinach juice mixed).
Try to eat all raw at least through lunch - fruits will fill you up quicker than veggies, so a breakfast of all fruit is best (green smoothie!). If you do not want to eat 100% raw all day, at least stick to whole foods for your cooked meals. NO sugar of any kind! Low table salt too. NO WHITE FOODS - white flour, white pasta, white sugar, etc. Use a variety of grains, not just whole wheat!! Many are sensitive to wheat and don't even know it. Try brown rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, etc. Start your cooked meals with a raw salad or other raw veggie or citrus fruit.
Stay away from dairy foods - milk, cheese, butter, etc.
Do NOT eat fried foods. If you like tortilla chips, buy corn tortillas, cut them up and bake them. If you like french fries, slice up some potatoes, soak in a mix of apple juice and water for about 20-30 minutes, put on a greased baking sheet, season with s&p and bake till golden. The apple juice gives them crispy outer texture. If you like doughnuts, try various muffin or quick bread recipes instead. Of course you want to go easy on ANY snack type food, they are so easy to over-eat.
For more info on raw eating, go to:
http://www.foodnsport.com - see the FAQ section, it's really great.
The book "80/10/10" by Doug Graham is a very good read.
Also, the vegsource board of Doug's is informative:
http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/index.html

Another good resource is the Hallelujah Diet http://www.hacres.com - they will send out a free newsletter.

To track what you are eating, use http://www.fitday.com or http://www.nutridiary.com

Answer 4

I dropped 20#'s by reducing my carb intake. I kept track of carbs, limited them to between 50 & 60 a day. I eat 3 meals a day. Just remember to subtract the fiber count from the carb count. I also eliminated junk food and stuck to the basic food groups. Strangely enough, by eating healthy I overcame many, many bad habits I had for years. I also chew sugarfree gum between meals. Use low carb tools on the web, eat lots of chicken and drink your water.

Answer 5

Google the vegetarian food pyramid.

Whole grains, veggies, fruits and whole foods in general make a healthy diet.

Answer 6

Hello!

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Take good care!

Answer 7

this site may help

http://www.vegsoc.org/info/foodfacts.html