^^^Exhibit A above!
Bone density 
Lean muscle mass
Blood pressure (no meds)
I can’t believe that I forgot to mention BP. Again, thin doesn’t necessarily mean healthy.
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I hope dexascans aren’t too often as they do expose one to radiation and the bone density shouldn’t be fluctuating all that much.
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I agree, striking a balance is good. But just for comparison, there’s much more exposure to radiation in a cross country round trip flight, thru the airport scanners and on an airplane.
But definitely consult a doctor, if you’re concerned about.
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I have a little antidote about weight and living in Europe that my family still talks about. We lived in Italy for two years. My mother was in her late 40’s at the time. She wasn’t really that overweight but her body changed really quickly in a short amount of time. Her face shape changed and she became very lean, especially in her mid section. We’ve always said it was because none of the food had any preservatives in it which is also why we also had to food shop almost daily because food doesn’t keep very long. The difference in the food coupled with the amount of walking she did absolutely changed her body. Fast forward to moving back to the states and she’s walking less and eating the food we have here and her body has gone back to pre Italy days, and it didn’t take that long after moving back. Our food has ingredients in them that are banned in other parts of the world. I firmly believe it’s impacts are far and wide.
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@Picklenut6 I think you are on to something. When I realized that I needed to lose some weight a while back (Jan 2020) the biggest change I made in my diet was to eat as few processed foods as possible. I lost the weight and never felt hungry. Have continued to eat this way (no “diet”, no "banned food groups, just eating fresh food as much as possible).
Back on topic - I was a very thin child and people (adults) always remarked about my body (negatively). To this day I really dislike the word “skinny” as it brings back bad memories. I am now at healthy weight and maintain it with my eating habits and being active. People (now that I think of it, it’s always women) sometimes tell me how I’m lucky that I don’t like to eat. Not true! I do love good food. Again, people make assumptions.
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I stopped in the office recently to see a coworker. We’ve been remote for well over a year and now we’re doing a hybrid sort of situation. It’s been a couple months since I’ve seen her. In that time I cut out most preservatives. I feel great, I sleep better, and I’m more alert. I haven’t gotten on my scale, but when I saw my doctor a couple weeks ago to follow up on a sports injury she said I’ve lost nearly 25 lbs.
My friend, who has chronic health issues and is actively trying to lose weight, mentioned my weight loss. I told her the only numbers I really care about are on my lab reports (cholesterol, etc). She’s a lovely woman. I think some of the meds she takes make it difficult for her to maintain her weight at the level she wants, but now that she’s being treated she feels well most of the time and is able to actively participate in activities with her spouse and children that were difficult before. That matters more than the number on a scale.
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When you all say you’ve “cut out preservatives,” what do you mean? Prepackaged foods? Canned foods? Cured meats?
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I try to eat as naturally as possible. Whole grains, complex carbs, lots of fresh fruit and veggies, lean proteins. I shop the outside of the market and rarely go into the aisles other than for dried goods.
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Look at labels. If the package has words that you can’t understand, unless you’re a chemical engineer, then those are foods you avoid.
As an example, I eat ground turkey (or chicken) meat, eggs and veges nearly every morning, each of them does go through a process in order to get into my grocery bag. But I wouldn’t call them “processed” foods.
But any food items with corn syrups, dyes, MSG, sulfites, nitrates, aspartame, sodium, guar gum, etc. are not good for you and should be avoided.
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The biggest thing for me was cutting out Lean Cuisines. They were easy and made it simple to track calories, but it’s really not just calories in/calories out. Not all calories are equal, and studies have shown that processed foods affect hormones. I Googled and found this story, which kind of explains it.
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Good question. I read food labels and try to choose things with as few additives as possible. For example: I buy Quaker Oats but only the original kind. One ingredient: rolled oats. The “instant” type has several ingredients and since I can measure out 1/2 cup and microwave for 2 minutes, I don’t see the benefit of “instant”.
I do eat canned beans but I rinse them first. I found I could make my own soups and haven’t eaten canned in almost 2 years.
I don’t bake bread but only buy wheat bread with few added ingredients. Brown rice instead of white. I mix up my own salad dressings in a few minutes.
It’s not 100 percent. But I try to eat this way as much as possible and it has made a difference.
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Hi, you might want to move the nutrition and health discussion over to this thread: Fitness, Nutrition and Health- All Welcome (Hardcore and “Light”) - #4586 by jmnva06
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You can’t avoid sodium or even nitrates in food since even some raw vegetables naturally have them. You can’t avoid sodium and you don’t want to completely avoid it.
Let me also suggest that, in a thread about how preoccupied we are with weight and weight loss, a discussion of which foods to eat and which to avoid may be out of place. Although I’m not surprised that’s where it ended up.
Unless they have a medical condition or religious or ethical restrictions that requires it, those kinds of rigid “rules” can be very damaging to someone who struggles with food and weight issues. Plus, I can tell you that in my experience, when a friend talks about how fat they are they may be asking for a new regiment, but usually they just want to vent or are looking for sympathy. It’s best to tread lightly. I say this having been on both sides of that conversation.
I agree this discussion should be moved.
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In another thread, there was fear of bacon prices increasing. Seems like avoiding meat cured with nitrates / nitrites (or stealth versions like those naturally occurring in celery juice powder), including bacon, will solve that problem as well as avoiding the unhealthiness.
Coming from someone who hasn’t eaten bacon in a few decades, that sounds good to me.
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I started out by cutting out everything that came in a bottle, box, jar, or can. That elimated a lot. I tried to keep the ingredients in my dishes as close to their natural form as possible, and I started reading labels so I could figure out if a food was worth adding back or not.
I eat a lot of fresh vegetables, fruit, and locally sourced meat and eggs. I don’t eat bread, pasta, or rice, but I love potatoes. That doesn’t mean I’ll never have another piece of birthday cake or stop eating my favorite dishes at holiday meals. But I’m reading labels and paying more attention to the things I eat.
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The point of the discussion was that people should be focused on health, not weight.
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@Hoggirl - same on the non-centrality of food. I just don’t care that much (maybe missing out?) and I eat a limited universe. Co-workers have teased me about the ‘green beans for lunch again? (with an implicit “ew”)’ for years but it doesn’t bother me LOL.
I’d think it would be harder to balance health/weight/food consumption if exploring new cuisines, etc. was a central part of life (but much to be gained from enjoying food!). As noted above - everyone’s so unique - in metabolism, lifestyle, culture, underlying conditions, etc.! Respect for all the different paths!
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Feeling the urge to reread David Sedaris’s essay, “Naked” now (I remember laughing so hard I actually had tears).
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