I have decided that i really need to improve my diet and bring overall balance to my life. Unfortunately, I have never learned how to eat right. The research that I have done has led to a ton of conflicting information... eat fruits and vegetables, but not *these* fruits and vegetables. Eat wheat, don't eat wheat. Etc.

Is there a good source (website, book, newspaper, magazine) that provides truly good information on the topic of nutrition and the "right way" to eat.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

not his website, cuz he sellin a lot of shit.

maybe get his books, but i listen on npr. excellent resource.

that guy is fucking bananas.

and i dont mean that in a good sense.

nor do i mean "fucking" as a verb.

though i wouldnt put it past him.

i agree with a lot of what he says. some is quite extreme but definitely makes sense.

i'm a part-time vegetarian but not some eco-kook/health nut that blindly follows the next newest food crazye.

holla at me if you doubt my credentials and ability to voice an unbiased opinion.

and think about what the old timers ate.
that's how i do it.
try and get natural as possible.
lots of fruits and veggies.
mainly a big ass salad (just a big ass plate of spinach or red leaf lettuce with eye-talian dressing...i don't like any others)
eat whole grain foods (breads, pasta, oatmeal, raisin bran,), nuts (walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds)
just cut out most processed foods and you'll be cool.
don't eat nuthin with hydro-genated oils (big time processed food ingredient. it lengthens shelf-life of food.
for some strange reason i havent eaten anything that was frozen for a while.
for some reaon i haven't eaten meat in a while and i used to eat a cheesesteak a day.
back to you.

drink lots of water and orange juice not from concentrate.
cranberry juice is good too.

just get to the basics and you'll be cool.

all these folks tryna tell you which diet is the best be some fat bastards with fat pockets.
eat what you think is healthy/makes u happy!

you think a tri-tiered chocolate cake for breakfast is healthy?
what about 3 chili dogs and a beer for lunch?

i mean u can eat that stuff just not everyday of the week.
pork chops is good.
just not everyday.
a 18 oz filet mingon from Ruth's Chris is good too.
Just about once a month though.

Read/Flip thru a lot of them books and take what you want from each of them but you should see a pattern develop throughout all of them.

Be prepared for the protein vs. non-protein camps (vegans vs. meat lovers).

depends on how it was frozen.

of course fresh is better but time and convenience be makin a brotha rushish. 'green guru' got the crazy indian foods, won awards in food magazines and i can taste why. ate the kofta curry for lunch today.

frozen means somethin is up.
yeah they got tons of good frozen veggie/sledgefarian foods out.
but if they dont have chemicals in them to prep them to be frozen then the the fresh stuff is more than likely better.

a lot of that frozen stuff be having high sodium counts too though.
i mean i'd eat it but i can't afford it right now.
$4 for a box of morningstar breakfast strips?
when i be going thru a box and a half every 2 days?
or them corn dogs could get finished in a day!

i be loving me some samosa with tamarind chutney!
but everybody dont prepare it right
some of it be all grease-laden and shit
it used to be a tight place in DC on like 12th and K'ish
all you can eat too.
it's right next to a church and across the street from that hostel.
but the quality was poor last time i went.

but i'd still say fresher is better (or equal to).

yeah why the fuck is frozen food so damn expensive? you could be eating out at the prices they charge

not that my fat ass is a great role model, but if you're young you really have a lot of latitude in what you can eat and stay healthy. i might have a few extra pounds from treating myself too well at a steakhouse or macking a gang of Haribos and Tiramisu, but in general I keep myself in good shape with plenty supplements and avoiding things that are processed. The super market is a pretty tough place to shop unless youre just buying produce, but spots like trader joe's have some good shit

I used to work up the street and go to lunch there.

I guess i need to figure out what's best for me. i stopped eating most meat and became a psuedo vegetarian (I was still eating fish) that was ok, but i started substituting carbs for meat. As a result i gained a lot of weight. to me, that's no healthier than eating meat. So I'm really just looking for some sort of balance to the whole thing.

> i stopped
>eating most meat and became a psuedo vegetarian (I was still
>eating fish)

This is what I call being a "sledge-eh-farian"

Oh so it's weight loss you're concerned about?
Sorry but the only advice I can give is to eat lots of fruits & veggies, drink tons of water, excerise your ass off (literally) and stop eating so much.

But you know weight gain/loss/body size is gentic right?
well greater than 95% genetic.
you'd have to work really hard at breaking your DNA code and changing your body type/size.
like if everyone in your family as far as you can see and can remember had a BMI (look this up) of lets say 25-35 then you're gonna be around the same. FYI a BMI that high doesn't always mean that the person is *unhealthy) it just means they are out of the norm. Michael Jordan, WWF wrestlers and any NFL player are listed as being "obese" using the BMI scale. But we all know Terrel Davis is anything but obese!

I think some carbs is OK but absolutely NO carbs is something else.

Also, look at indigenous peoples from many lands around hte world and check out there diet. In china it's mostly rice, The Continent it varies from region to region but mostly it's grains/legumes, lots of peanuts just like south east asia, south america lots of fruits and beans, mexico beans and tortillas but loads of veggies (ensaladas), they don't have a problem with obesity. but now with american food corps strong arming hteir way into these markets you're starting to see more "overweight" people south of the border. same with the south pacific islands. they got a problem with imported turkey parts (mainly necks and asses) from the mainland USA and their obesity and diabetes rates went through the roof! they consider these parts a "delicacy" and be goring themselves on it. super high in fat.

I'm gonna let you be and let others chime in on what I've said.
But like this morning...I had to fight with myself to get out and run 1 mile in 30 degree weather. But now I feel 110% better that I did it!

i'm concerned with eating healthy. I mean i know that the weight gain is the result of bad eating habits. I believe that by fixing my eating habits and exercising, i'll lose the weight that i am supposed to lose.

get the coupons yo.

im alla bout saving monies.

dude,

i got raunchy ass grocery stores to choose from.
i live in philly.
i can either go to Whole Foods on south street or Fresh Grocer in West Philly.
FG sucks ass big time.
This place will receive the worst grocery store award from me two eyars running.
Since are the only grocery store around here they have price fixing.

they dont een have beer.

i used to hit the ones in DC up...
P street
Tenlytown
Georgetown

Yeah those were my jawns.

Compare a Whole Foods with no beer with "Bruno's Market" and that's the disparity I have.

Let me see what Fresh Grocer doesn't sale:
Planter's Shelled Sunflower Seeds. (Any brand for that matter)
They don't sell a lot of stuff but I know this is one of the items I have to trek to souf street for on a weekly basis.
Fresh Grocers Quaker Instant oatmeal STAYS on the $4.50 a box tip.
Fresh Grocer is CONSTANTLY outta Silk.
They don't carry refried beans at all.

This spot is lacking in many places.
I mean Giant on 7th and P will kill this store.
Specially with the womens.
They used to have the Howard jawns up in there on the late night because they were 24hrs.

Oh the memories...

It is as simple as this. Don't buy into any one sure fire method of nutrition because every person's body is different. If you are eating right you will have light brown/yellow poop that floats. You should just experiment with different combinations of foods until your body waste fits this description. Remember, if it is dark and sticks to the bottom of the toilet, you are not eating right.


Maybe the world is harsh and cruel, and maybe the world of intellect is challenging and confrontational and uncomfortable. Maybe we have to deal with people who hate us, directly, face-to-face. That's important. You develop your sense of identity by dealing with the things which would obliterate your identity. - Camille Paglia

http://www.freaked.co.uk/jazzanova.ram

Eat Whole, Fresh, Ripe, Raw, Organic Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, and Seeds in Abundance

www.rawfoods.com

.

my dad is a farmer. they grew their own veggies but mostly soy and peanuts.

since the advent of petrochemicals around wwII, farmers laced crops with all kinds of nasty shit. remember they thought ddt was fine until rachel carson made a big deal about it.

these compounds have a synergistic effect over the long-term. we have NO idea what many will do when combined with all the environmental toxins we subject ourselves to day in, day out.

pops got prostate cancer last year and has since totally changed his diet to lots of healthier alternatives, organic when possible. the things they used to spray with no masks.... of course the acute toxicity is higher for folks in direct contact, but remember such substances build up in fruits/vegetables/plant matter, as well as in the soil and in fish and meat.

I was told every dude will get prostate caner in his lifetime (<110 years) if he lives long enough.

And is there any scientific research that says by paying $3.75 for a pound of organic apples vs. $0.89 a pound for regular ganny smith's will extend your life or make you any healthier?

What kind of water do the water these organic crops with?


I'm just curios.
I thought about gettin some land in Bama and doing it until I heard it takes like 7 years (of bad luck) before your soil can be "certified organic" but I could do like organic/free range chickens or sanethin.
who knows.

>I was told every dude will get prostate caner in his
>lifetime (<110 years) if he lives long enough.

i find that hard to believe. i started my pre-ecologist path on the way to medical school to become an oncologist. i was a cancer-nerd. worked in a cancer lab throughout highschool doing research on lymphoma/hiv interactions.

although we all have cancerous cells gettin at the immune system 24/7, a number of factors come into play that prevent it from becoming problematic. it's widely believed that diet plays the largest role. take asians for example; the amount of green tea they drink is astonishing. many drink it more than water. we showed in typical lab experiements that the polyphenols were extremely effective against viral proteins as well as bolstering your natural defenses (b & t cells, cytokine levels etc). for this reason, prostate cancer is like 90% less prevalent in japan than in the us. now though, they are getting more respirator-related diseases related to smoking.

>And is there any scientific research that says by paying
>$3.75 for a pound of organic apples vs. $0.89 a pound for
>regular ganny smith's will extend your life or make you any
>healthier?

there is loads of it, and loads to discredit such findings. to ME, it's more about knowing what went on those apples and what im not putting in my body, if i can help it. honestly, organic produce isnt as expensive as conventional, at least around here...maybe 3% more. you save it potentially in future doctor bills. and i support local agriculture since im a product of it.

>What kind of water do the water these organic crops with?

water is less of an issue. of course u got your lead, etc, but that's pretty much taken care of. it's down to trace elements and minerals. im not particularly worried about water, except for chlorine and fluorine. but most is assimilated in different forms in plant tissue and isn't as harmful as sythetic pesticide residues.

>I'm just curios.
>I thought about gettin some land in Bama and doing it until
>I heard it takes like 7 years (of bad luck) before your soil
>can be "certified organic" but I could do like organic/free
>range chickens or sanethin.
>who knows.

that's epa certification. there's another faster, cheaper one i forget the name. it takes that long to allow all that shit to get down to trace levels. yes, that's how bad the residues are. no good man, not at all. but it's cheap and easy to spray, and we been doin it since the war.

>although we all have cancerous cells gettin at the immune system 24/7, a number of factors come into play that prevent it from becoming problematic. it's widely
>believed that diet plays the largest role. take asians for example; the amount of green tea they drink is astonishing. many drink it more than water. we showed in
>typical lab experiements that the polyphenols were extremely effective against viral proteins as well as bolstering your natural defenses (b & t cells, cytokine levels
>etc). for this reason, prostate cancer is like 90% less prevalent in japan than in the us. now though, they are getting more respirator-related diseases related to
>smoking.

yeah man,
i interned one summer and worked on a survival analysis project using a data set of patients diagnosed with non-hodgkin's lymphoma.
it was raw.
learned a lot.

>And is there any scientific research that says by paying
>$3.75 for a pound of organic apples vs. $0.89 a pound for
>regular ganny smith's will extend your life or make you any
>healthier?

>there is loads of it, and loads to discredit such findings. to ME, it's more about knowing what went on those apples and what im not putting in my body, if i can
>help it. honestly, organic produce isnt as expensive as conventional, at least around here...maybe 3% more. you save it potentially in future doctor bills. and i
>support local agriculture since im a product of it.

yeah but i'm talkin bout a cohort/longitudinal study. i don't think the debate has been out that long for one to have taken place.

>that's epa certification. there's another faster, cheaper one i forget the name. it takes that long to allow all that shit to get down to trace levels. yes, that's how bad
>the residues are. no good man, not at all. but it's cheap and easy to spray, and we been doin it since the war.

yeah i know there are two different kinds (epa & california-1989 or somethin) but one is better than the other, no? or one is looked down upon. i think it's the
FDA one because you can use sewage water to water your crops with and still be considered "organic"

it really depends on what your goals are. if it's about being one with the universe and you want to to vegan, i can't help you but there are plenty of people on here who can. if you want to lose weight then you really need to count calories (and read up, you'll soon find out a calorie is not just a calorie) and exercise. if it's overall health to extend your life expectance and lower your chance for diseases here are some pointers.

- cut out breads (including fries, potato chips, etc.) completely if you can. if not, eat wheat products. and make sure they're REAL wheat products and aren't just made with dyed baking flour.

- don't drink pop, ever. that shit is liquid candy. plus the acid in coke can take the rust off your bumper. imagine what it's doing to the enamel on your teeth. even those "diet" or "no calorie" pops mess up your glycemic response and leave you feeling more hungry.

- eat lean red meat one or two times a week. this will help your iron levels.

- eat chicken and fish everyday. these are great sources of protein and the fish oils contain your "good" fats.

- eat 5 or 6 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. and mix them up. i don't know why people were complaining about frozen veggies. they're great. try to eat many different colors. (that sounds weird)

- use olive oil instead of salad dressing (more good fats). but watch how much. that stuff is calorie dense.

- flaxseeds are another good source of "good" fats. GNC sells 28 servings cold milled flaxseeds for about 7 bucks. sprinkle them over your veggies or salads.

- eat spinach instead of lettuce.

- drink a gallon of water a day. i know, i know, that's a LOT. i rarely get that much myself. but the closer you get the better. plus, you'll have to use the bathroom more which will keep your urinary tract clean, and the extra walking doesn't hurt either.

- go easy on the dairy but don't cut it out. unless your body tells you otherwise.

- eat more, smaller meals. when you don't eat for 6 or seven hours your body goes into fasting mode and tries to store energy as fat. this fat ends up in your arteries and around organs. not good. try to get some protein and fruit/veggies every 3 or 4 hours.

- cook. you'll be surprised how much the way you eat and how much you eat will change if you prepare your own meals.

- take a multivitamin. ones that split it up into two pills every twelve hours are better than one-a-days.

if you're really serious you can keep a food log for a couple weeks. measure out servings, write down calories and protein and carbs and fat. do this for two weeks and it'll give you a great understanding of what it is you're really eating. i can go to a restaurant now and look at someone's plate and know faily accurately how many calories they're eating. it's way more than you think.

if you're trying to lose weight, be patient. unless you're grossly overweight, it's really not healthy to lose more than three or four pounds per month (that's right, i said MONTH). only weigh yourself once a week at the most. and at the same time. don't think you lost four pounds this week because you just dropped the kids off at the pool.

if you do these things i mentioned above your body will NOT like it. it's spent your whole life adjusting to the way you eat now. it'll take a month or two for it to adjust to the changes.

diet is only half of it, though. you also need to exercise. and get off that treadmill every once in a while and lift some weights. lean muscle mass burns more calories while you're just sitting there. don't worry about getting huge. it's much harder than it seems. trust me.

good sleep is important, too.

i know this is a lot of stuff. if you can follow these guidelines 75% of the time you'll be great. you could just try to incoorporate 2 or 3 of these ideas into your life each month. don't look for drastic changes right away. you have the rest of your life to live right. cheating is important, too. it helps keep you sane.

okay, i'm done. if anyone read all that i'll be amazed.

one more: watch out for "fat free" foods. when they take the fat out they remove the taste. then they add a bunch of sugar to make it palatable. sometimes the fat free items have more calories than regular stuff. turn the package over and read the label.

go to www.johnberardi.com and read all the articles on nutrition. he's a big nutrition and physiology nut with many degrees. most of his stuff is geared toward atheletes and weightlifters but the principles are sound. just cut the amounts in half. if you want to be healthy and look like these people then you have to eat and train like they do.

>cook. you'll be surprised how much the way you eat and how
>much you eat will change if you prepare your own meals.

The preceding line is 100% truth. To me, changing one's diet revolves around discipline and direction. I am currently on the Zone diet; however, I view the Zone as much more of a lifestyle change than an actual diet. Let's be frank here, the Zone is asking you to set your meals at 40percent carbs, 30percent protein, and 30percent good fats. A lot of people complain about the difficulty of being in the zone, but quite honestly, I have never felt better. Really good, solid nutrition is all about vegetables (consume more veggies than fruit), moderation, and proper fluid intake--only water please. And if you go to the club or social gathering, always chase every spirit with two glasses of water.

Also, in order to see changes in your body, you must look at your health as a triad, involving 3 components (1)diet, (2)cardio, and (3)weight training. Weight training is incredibly important, although a lot of us females shy away from this training it is detrimental to your body plan if you do not incorporate this into your fitness regiment.

I drink a gallon of water a day, cardio kickbox four times a week, and lift three times a week. Perhaps I am becoming obsessed with my health because my 23rd birthday is around the corner, and I realizing I am getting old! BUT the truth is this, you only have one body, I believe we need to work like hades to keep our mental state, physical body, and spirituality on point.

Oh, and if you haven't already, spend the Andy Jackson on a Foreman Grill, best (not to mention) cheapest investment one can make on the personal quest to obtaining better health.

Also, I have completely eliminated, wheat-enriched, sugars, certain fats, and foods high in carbs from my diet--big difference in the way I feel, the way I sleep, and even the foods I now crave.

Buenos suerte!

And if you need additional assistance, do not hesitate to PM.

A.

>nutrition is all about vegetables (consume more veggies than
>fruit)

i have trouble with this. fruits just taste better.

>Also, in order to see changes in your body, you must look at
>your health as a triad, involving 3 components (1)diet,
>(2)cardio, and (3)weight training. Weight training is
>incredibly important, although a lot of us females shy away
>from this training it is detrimental to your body plan if
>you do not incorporate this into your fitness regiment.

exactly. i hate hearing women say, "but i don't want to look huge." impossible. the ONLY way you can get big is to take buckets of steroids. women just don't have the chemical makeup to get big like that. (hell, neither do most men) doing some 10 lb dumbell curls isn't going to make you look like a bodybuilder.

>Oh, and if you haven't already, spend the Andy Jackson on a
>Foreman Grill, best (not to mention) cheapest investment one
>can make on the personal quest to obtaining better health.

co-sign. it's one of my most important possesions.
>
>Also, I have completely eliminated, wheat-enriched, sugars,
>certain fats, and foods high in carbs from my diet--big
>difference in the way I feel, the way I sleep, and even the
>foods I now crave.
>
>Buenos suerte!
>
>And if you need additional assistance, do not hesitate to
>PM.
>
>A.

above they are feuding over which is better for you more veggies or more fruits.

I think you need a balance and should do no more than 60/40 of either.
My PCP says she likes ot see folks with at least 10 per day (of any combo).

I say water is good.
7+ hours of sleep is good.
45 min exercise is good.
4 servings whole grains is good.
2 servings nuts is good.

These are per day things.
I can do (am doing have done it) all besides the water.
That can be tedious with my many meetings throughout the day.
Mainly because I gotta piss so damn much and a 1 gal a day water piss you can't hold!

Soda (Pop/coke/pepsi) is bad.
Baking Soda takes the grime off your copper pots but folks use that to brush their teeth, as an underarm deodorant and to was fruits/veggies. So that analogy wasn't the best.

Something else that's good to have in your diet is tea/herbs.
They are a great source of anti-oxidants and do something (even if placebo) for me when I drink them.

Hot ass tea with cayenne pepper be having me going.

No Krispy Kreme = No weight. For me it's as simple as that.

But I'm tryna gain weight so I gotta find a neat lil strategy besides eatin 2 cheesesteaks and fries a day.


**edit
and I don't know if having a forman grill will make you lose weight but i know it'll make his pockets gain weight!

>above they are feuding over which is better for you more
>veggies or more fruits.
Honestly, I didn't even know we were arguing over which is better regarding the issue of fruits and veggies. I make a huge attempt to eat more veggies than fruits, simply for the following reasoning--although it is natural sugar fruits generally contain more sugar than veggies. And I am really working hard at getting my body fat percentage down so I watch my fruit intake. However, I do use fruit, e.g., grapes, watermelon chunks as my "cheat items." Bottom line, eating fruit is a heck of lot better than Ben & Jerry's so if you find fruit better than veggies, knock yourself out!

>I think you need a balance and should do no more than 60/40
>of either.
ITA w/ this statement--balance always strive for that golden mean, not only in nutrition but in life as well.


>
>I say water is good.
>7+ hours of sleep is good.
>45 min exercise is good.
>4 servings whole grains is good.
>2 servings nuts is good.
Again, I am in total agreement w/ this--this plan sounds like an overall winner for life. For the most part, whole grains are absent from my current diet, but I am in the cutting phase right now...so no cheats!


>That can be tedious with my many meetings throughout the
>day.
When I attend conferences or expect multiple meetings, throughout the day, I try to either get the majority of my water in the early morning, a little in the afternoon, and finish it up at night. But yes, I hate having to literally get up & go, ten thousand times during a meeting--in my eyes, it makes me look weak!

And another thing, keeping a journal/log is truly helpful in seeing your caloric pitfalls and emotional eating levels. Do men emotionally eat? Curious.

A.

>>above they are feuding over which is better for you more
>>veggies or more fruits.
>Honestly, I didn't even know we were arguing over which is
>better regarding the issue of fruits and veggies. I make a
>huge attempt to eat more veggies than fruits, simply for the
>following reasoning--although it is natural sugar fruits
>generally contain more sugar than veggies. And I am really
>working hard at getting my body fat percentage down so I
>watch my fruit intake. However, I do use fruit, e.g.,
>grapes, watermelon chunks as my "cheat items." Bottom line,
>eating fruit is a heck of lot better than Ben & Jerry's so
>if you find fruit better than veggies, knock yourself out!

yeah, i wasn't arguing. just saying i prefer the fruits, but i'm working on it.

>
>>I think you need a balance and should do no more than 60/40
>>of either.
>ITA w/ this statement--balance always strive for that golden
>mean, not only in nutrition but in life as well.
>
>
>>
>>I say water is good.
>>7+ hours of sleep is good.
>>45 min exercise is good.
>>4 servings whole grains is good.
>>2 servings nuts is good.
>Again, I am in total agreement w/ this--this plan sounds
>like an overall winner for life. For the most part, whole
>grains are absent from my current diet, but I am in the
>cutting phase right now...so no cheats!

i want to add nuts to my diet, too, but they're pretty calorie dense, too. which ones do you prefer? and how much do you consider a serving? one handfull of peanuts can be a couple hundred calories. i'm already eating close to 3500 calories/day to keep my protien intake up (180-200 grams/day), and i'm not sure where to fit these in without eating TOO much.
>
>
>>That can be tedious with my many meetings throughout the
>>day.
>When I attend conferences or expect multiple meetings,
>throughout the day, I try to either get the majority of my
>water in the early morning, a little in the afternoon, and
>finish it up at night. But yes, I hate having to literally
>get up & go, ten thousand times during a meeting--in my
>eyes, it makes me look weak!

same problem. although sometimes having to hold it in keeps me awake through some really tedious meetings and presentations.

>
>And another thing, keeping a journal/log is truly helpful in
>seeing your caloric pitfalls and emotional eating levels. Do
>men emotionally eat? Curious.

i don't but i'm sure some do. my problem is going home to visit the folks. there's too much temptation. plus they all think i'm weird because i don't want to sit down and eat whole pizza anymore.

>yeah, i wasn't arguing. just saying i prefer the fruits, but
>i'm working on it.
Exactly! Enough said.



>i want to add nuts to my diet, too, but they're pretty
>calorie dense, too. which ones do you prefer? and how much
>do you consider a serving? one handfull of peanuts can be a
>couple hundred calories. i'm already eating close to 3500
>calories/day to keep my protien intake up (180-200
>grams/day), and i'm not sure where to fit these in without
>eating TOO much.

I can empathize, nuts quickly add up in calories. What I have been doing is limiting myself to mainly the good fats, in order to satisfy the 30percent of fat suggested by the Zone, I will have 2 tablespoons of advocado, or 15 cashews, or 30 pstachios, or 2 macadamia nuts, in addition to my meal to meet this requirement. Somehow, I feel guilty as if I am cheating because as you pointed out nuts quickly add up regarding your caloric intake. I just try to change my perception, meaning concentrate on making sure the lean protein is there and the simple processed carbs as well. The amount of protein that you are consuming is impressive, that is only the true way to keep muscle mass. I have been adding protein powder to my breakfast yogurts and lunch soups--however, I have to be careful because there are a good number of powders with significant amount of calories. sigh.


>same problem. although sometimes having to hold it in keeps
>me awake through some really tedious meetings and
>presentations.
Hmm...good strategy...Especially when the meeting is a bore, and you've heard it "all" before.

>i don't but i'm sure some do. my problem is going home to
>visit the folks. there's too much temptation. plus they all
>think i'm weird because i don't want to sit down and eat
>whole pizza anymore.
Thanks for answering, I was just throwing that out there. I have always admired how the majority of men that I know have no cravings for sweets just red meat! And yes, I am dreading the holidays because my mama will claim she is making a healthy meal for me, but in reality will have added X tablespoons of butter and vanilla extract and brown sugar to give it some extra flavor!

I ask because you sure do be counting not only calories but fat grams and carbs as well.
I just be tryna make sure I have all my vitamins and minerals needed per day!

To answer the question: "Do men eat emotionally?"
I can't answer for all men but sometimes I do.
Sometimes I get a craving for a Entemman's Cheese filled crumb cake. I'll cop one fo $3.50 after work and off it that same night. Sometimes I want a nice big steak. So I'll go to the grocer, cop one and do that like I do the Etemman's. Sometimes it's cheesesteaks, pumpkin bread, hell it's a lotta stuff.

As far as the kinds of nuts to eat:
I'd say eat what tastes good to you.
Brazil nuts I don't care for.
Pecans and Walnuts are great tasting to me but the price is so that I'm more inclined to eat sunflower seeds, spanish peanuts, and almonds.
Cashews are good to me too but they're so rich and I can eat so many of them that I'll get sick.

Oh RIBS (BBQ) I'll tear off into a slab in a minute! Side orders and all be finished.

But I'm genectically inclined to be small so I take advantage of it. For that reason I can't gain weight easily. My momma used to kid me and said I had a tapeworm. But as I got older and noticed that my dad and all his brothers (and his deceased dad) are/were all tall, skinny with lil potbellys that they aquired after about age 40-45.

So I guess we all got tapeworms right?

>I ask because you sure do be counting not only calories but
>fat grams and carbs as well.
I am so far from being a bodybuilder, although I truly admire their discipline. I just try to eat right, which translates for me into eating as clean as possible. Also, I have plans on being a kickboxing instructor when I relocate back to the NO--so I have to make sure I maintain/look the part.

>To answer the question: "Do men eat emotionally?"
>I can't answer for all men but sometimes I do.
Thanks for the response--Cheesecrumb cake, never had...I know come Mardi Gras season, I'm all about the King's Cake. Sigh.

>Cashews are good to me too but they're so rich and I can eat
>so many of them that I'll get sick.
You are so right--cashews are incredibly delicious but they can make you so sick--I throw cashews into my soups, my beans, for that healthy, fat kick.

>Oh RIBS (BBQ) I'll tear off into a slab in a minute! Side
>orders and all be finished.
See, I swear you men (sorry for the generalization!) y'all truly crave meat--I rarely crave meat, although sometimes I do get this strong urge for Ruth's Chris's lambchops...

>But I'm genectically inclined to be small so I take
>advantage of it. For that reason I can't gain weight
>easily.
Consider yourself blessed. I thank God everyday for being able to walk, talk, and the like--but as we like to say at the gym, if you are female and have curves you are only 1 hamburger (white castle included!) away from being obese, case in point, beyonce, j. lo, janet jackson, toy johnson, kelis. So my only option keep it moving!

A.

I think your best bet may be to consult a Nutritionist or Dietician. If you health insurance its probably in your plan for little or no cost at all. While all bodies types are different, they can help you figure out more or less whats right for you. Like others have said....exercise, plenty water, fruits and veggies are key! I also suggest browsing the health & fitness section of a bookstore. I personally like Slim Down Sister by Roniece Weaver another one...the title, which is pretty long escapes me at the moment, but its by Rovenia Brock. Both are by and for Black folks. Good Luck!

~mjr~