Want to eat healthy - confused

Hello! I just stumbled onto this site through researching hair loss. I've been suffering from it for about 2 years now, and it all started after a very unhealthy period of my life, kick-started by a 3 month no-carb diet. I suffer from the usual mpb, but I'm convinced that my body being out of whack either triggered or sped it up significantly. So after trying the traditional western hair loss cures for a year, with moderate results, I'd like to make the switch to a healthy life style, mostly because of hair, but also because of general health issues.

The site is very informative, but perhaps a bit too much. I'm not really sure how to start this, cutting out sugar, processed food and alcohol is a given, but the wealth of information is really confusing me about what I should eat. Living a busy life, packaged food is all around me, and restricting stuff like bread, pasta, wrong fats, red meats and so on is making it hard to eat enough to feel fed and balanced.

So I'd like to ask about some comprehensive guide, or a list of food that I can use to get started, maybe with some recipes or meal-plans. Just throwing a bunch of random vegetables into a pan is not going to work on the long run

There is no one diet that is perfect for everybody, however I will tell you what I typically eat in one day.

Someone posted something on this forum saying very low carb diets can cause problems with the thyroid and encourage candida and other things to grow. Low carb is the best way, but zero carb isn't. I either eat sweet potatoes/potatoes or brown rice as my carbs for the day. I think the recommendation is 200-400 calories from carb sources.

CS has posted this metabolic typing website a number of times
http://www.naturalhealthyellowpages.com/metabolic/self_test.html

It should give you more understanding which food group to emphasize more in your diet.

Reading another website recently, the author mentioned low protein is good for longevity and combatting disease, not sure if it's true. Around 200 calories from protein a day I think the site suggested. Don't go zero meat, theres vast number of vitamin and minerals from it, and it tastes really good. Searching the forum, I see the infamous MisterE promoting protein restriction, can someone tell me if protein restriction is a load of bull?

Stick to high quality, grass fed meat. Grass fed is quite important. I get a steak and split it over a number of days. On days I don't have steak I have wild caught salmon for my protein.

I eat a lot of fats, olive oil, coconut oil, both anti inflammatory, cocnut oil antifungal. I eat grass fed butter, which is supposedly very nutritious, avacados, eggs.

I try to intermittently fast, which has many health benefits and calorie restrict to an extent, however CS has said,
"Calorie Restriction isn't necessary if you take Lipoic acid, Resveratrol and some others."

In short, my diet is meat or fish, rice or potatoes, vegetables, eggs, olive oil, coconut oil and butter.

I just had homemade buritos -YUM!

But really, here are my thoughts:
-Eat a diet rich in animal products, they give you the fat and protein you need.
-Avoid civilized foods, processed fats and carbohydrates as much as possible, that means limiting most fruits as well.
-Slowly replace bad products you like with healthy alternatives(coke-sparkling water with lemon; milkeyway-dark chocolate; coffe-black tea etc.)

If you need extra nutrition, supplement with iso whey and maybe with fats(PSO krilloil combo). With many meals you can sprinkle oliveoil, as much as you like; butter is also very healthy and supplies a lot of calories...

At last, check out this page if you want to cheat a bit http://healthyfixx.com/have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too while at it this one comes in handy as well http://healthyfixx.com/this-not-that

Bon appetit!

Yeah I'm figuring that going completely 100% "ideal" is not possible. After doing the zero carb diet I did actually have thyroid and liver issues, which I'm quite sure accelerated my hair loss significantly. After doing the test on that site tooyoung linked, I guess I'm the protein type.

I guess I'm gonna start with the suplements on this site next month when I have the money, and will try to just generally eat as healthy as possible.

What I heard about the macronutrition ratios is that you should get about 20-30% of your calories from healthy carbs, about 40% from protein, and about 20% from fat. I'm mostly confused about the protein and fat sources you should use for hair health, some sources claim that butter is good, some that it's bad. Same with olive oil, or plant based fats in general. Protein sources are also kinda tricky, some say animal based protein is bad, some say it's ok. I want to generally reduce my meat intake, but would like to use some whey based protein for my daily protein intake.

My most important questions are these:

- If I eat carbs, what sources are best, generally speaking, for thyroid and blood sugar levels? I'm guessing that brown rice and potatoes are best, maybe with some wholegrain bread or cereal

- What fats are best for cooking, which should I avoid? I know olive oil and butter are preferable to canola oil, but I've heard mixed things about butter.

- When looking at protein, not eating much red meat is sound advice, but how much poultry or fish can I eat? I can go days on a totaly meat-less diet, but having at least some chicken once a day is nice.

- What about dairy products? I've read a lot of mixed things about milk, joghurts and cheeses. Milk seems to be something that you should either reduce a lot, or eliminate completely. Cheeses I'm quite confused about, on the main site I read that hard cheeses are a no-go, but what about stuff like mozarella, gouda and so on? I'm guessing that you shouldn't eat too much of it because of the high fat they contain, but completely avoiding cheese limits my eating habits quite a lot. When eating joghurt, natural seems best, but how much can I eat of it?

Some of my questions may sound silly, but I've been tampering with my diet for so lont, that I just kinda want to know what's "definitly" good for me, and what I should avoid.

carbs - Stick to brown rice and sweet potatoes/potatos, avoid cereals and bread.

oils - Avoid vegetable oils, I think coconut oil is the best for cooking, I use olive oil a lot and don't seem to have any problems.

meat - CS has said "Red meat from grass-fed sources is protective not detrimental."

"There's isn't a shred of evidence on a physiological nature that shows red meat does any harm to cardiovascular health. Of course's there's plenty of misinterpreted epidemiological evidence, but it means nothing."

dairy - Unless it is raw, eliminate all milk. Not too sure on the cheese and yoghurts as I'm not as massive fan of them myself. Probably avoid commercial yoghurts packed with additives and sugar, try making your own using probiotics. Depending on how much you can eat of stuff, eat it and find it, it will vary for absolutely everybody. Trial and error.


Edit: Generally, if things are organic, raw, grassfed etc, they will be good for you. If they are not, they may be bad. This goes for meat, butter, milk.

Also, if you are the protein type, why do you want to reduce meat?

To do with macronutrients, just play around with it, do what feels best. Don't eat to a certain macronutrient guide that someone on the internet has written on an article, if you don't feel good and healthy eating that way. One member I can think of benefits from very high carb and low protein, while another benefits from very low carb and high protein.

ctulhu - I agree with the other posters, individuality is key.

tooyoung just beat me to the punch by some minutes, so this might echo some of what he just said:

Some foods will be negative for some, but not others, for example, cheese is fine for some, but not for others.
Some do better with raw or fermented cheeses. Some do better with no dairy products. The dairy to avoid for certain is pasteurized milk, no question about it. Raw milk from grass-fed sources is okay for some.

Red meat is perfectly fine. Here's the proof: http://healthyfixx.com/food-and-diet/1/busting-the-myths-of-saturated-fat

I eat a lot of red meat and it is really unfortunate that the medical 'elite' have uncompromisingly hammered on this innocent food for so long.

Red meat helps lower Lipoprotein(a), which is a factor in MPB.

A word about the China Study and the so-called low protein recommendation. This is has been debunked over and over again. The 'China Study' was never a study at all, and was essentially pieced together in a biased fashion that failed to adhere to basic scientific methods. In a word, it was a biased piece of work.

A word about the 40-30-30, this is also not accurate, since people have different blood chemistries/metabolic types.

The government and the agri-giants have done a marvelous job at confusing the mass public.

For the most part, I can say with reasonable confidence that meat and rice is quite safe for a protein type. The reason is that both are generally non-allergenic (beef and lamb more so than chicken, however).

Grains are usually a problem, but not for everyone. The ones to be careful with are wheat, barley and rye.

Sourdough bread is a safer wheat, so it's an easy "cheat."

Generally for the rest, try to avoid refined carbohydrates and refined sugars.

On fats and oils, processed vegetable oils are bad. Wouldn't advice cooking food in oil unless it's at low heat, using something like coconut, palm or maybe olive oil.

Omega-6 oils are safe and good when consumed in raw seed form (not roasted or cooked) or processed.

I'm a protein type, and my diet is really simple and I cheat a little here and there with foods that I can handle to an extent. I eat mostly meat, rice potato on occasion without any concern, Some raw vegetables and virtually zero fruit (just my preference).

Before starting any supplements I would add The Ultimate Meal:

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=TU-1110

It will help balance blood sugar, provide much needed enzymes and is the best candida defence I have encountered thus far.

Next I would add Nutrex Spirulina:

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=KH-1009

It will do the same as the Ultimate Meal and provide additional nutrition. The spirulina is very convenient to take and easy to have if you are on the go since they are in tablet form. If you pop 6 or more you will providing your body with very clean fuel so to speak, but both go beyond fuel. They will actually give your body what it needs to heal itself.

You may want to add probiotic if you suspect candida to be a problem. I use this one with good success:

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=NN-2002

Finally, for a supplement I would use PteroMax:

http://www.amazon.com/Biotivia-Pteromax-30-Count/dp/B004I2CO8W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303333033&sr=8-1

It is hands down the single best supplement I have used to date. Follow directions on label.

For additional carbs, add artichokes and asparagus, particularly if liver is hurting ( I eat them daily) and starches from potatos and yams (tubers). If you are a body builder, you can try pea protein, but for me additional protein isn't necessary and all have drawbacks.

In general, anything raw is safe. But the above should suffice as an equalizer for when you go astray. If you are low on enzymes or your intestines/colon is pretty blocked, you are in a diseased state and cooked meat will exacberate your problem significantly and stand in the way of any supplement working. Which is why I originally said, first start with spirulina and the ultimate meal.

ctulhu wrote:Yeah I'm figuring..................................

animal products-avoid pork and fish; watch out for sensitivity with dairy especially lactose; raw milk is superior

carbs-not from processed foods and less than 70g/day

fats-all unprocessed fats are fine; butter and olive are 2 of the healthiest products that I know; cooking only with saturated fats

Lots of good advice, wow! Thanks a lot guys, I feel like I've got a good starting point going now

I agree with everyone that each person has to do some experimenting to see what works best for them; however, I would recommend checking out this link for some dietary suggestions - http://www.archevore.com/get-started/

best of luck

p.s.- CS mentioned that the China Study may not be the best science. Check out this China Study response, it's quite well researched. http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/08/06/final-china-study-response-html/

Allright, still figuring this out.. MilBA, that link was very helpful. I'm a bit wary about dropping legumes. Beans, lentils and so on are a staple food of mine, and they're some of the best sources of vegetable based protein I've found. I'd still like some input about dairy stuff, what about joghurt, kefir and all that stuff?

MilBA wrote:I agree with everyone that each person has to do some experimenting to see what works best for them; however, I would recommend checking out this link for some dietary suggestions - http://www.archevore.com/get-started/

best of luck

p.s.- CS mentioned that the China Study may not be the best science. Check out this China Study response, it's quite well researched. http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/08/06/final-china-study-response-html/

MilBA - Thanks for that link (acrchevore), that's really straight to the point and very succinct.

If you're not confused, you're not doing it right.

nothing to be confused about.

just follow my advice.

PS--danny, u definitely don't need meat. as i have always said, it is about hormonal profile. the guy with the best, wins!

Like CS (Charlie Sheen): Winning!

CausticSymmetry wrote:
On fats and oils, processed vegetable oils are bad. Wouldn't advice cooking food in oil unless it's at low heat, using something like coconut, palm or maybe olive oil.

little out of order but i wonder if (palm olein) is ok ?

http://www.meetup.com/westonaprice-london/files/
and download the 8.5 MB ppt-
Sally Fallon Slides (Part 2)

I'm just going through it. It talks much of what CS and others mention here regarding good dietary habits.

Sample- SL34
Quote
~Key nutrients for brain development~
VITAMIN A: Cod Liver Oil, Liver, Butter and Egg Yolks from Grass-Fed Animals
VITAMIN D: Cod Liver Oil, Lard, Butter and Egg Yolks from Grass-Fed Animals
VITAMIN K: Butter, Egg Yolks and Organ Meats from Grass-Fed Animals
CHOLINE: Liver, Egg Yolks
DHA: Cod Liver Oil, Liver, Butter, Egg Yolks
ARACHIDONIC ACID: Butter and meat fats
ZINC: Red Meat, Shell Fish
Unquote

It actually clears up a lot of whys which some of us (or at least I) are not able to fathom. Should be useful to OP as well.

-9r5-