Am I eating healthy? Help!

Sam Hughes5 said:sorry... but this sounds vegetarian to me 😲
where's the meat?
In my opinion, we should cut out the processed deli meats... but definitely bring in some higher quality cuts of meat instead.

For lunch, I sometimes have beef stew, other times just chicken and potatoes.

Well, here's the meat, for example.
But instead of potatoes, maybe some leafy greens would work better.😉

Sam Hughes5 said:sorry..but this sounds pretty vegetarian to me 😲
where's the meat?
my take is we should ditch the deli meats..but definitely bring in some high-quality cuts

I'm not a vegetarian, I just don't eat much meat.😬
yeah, agreed—quality over quantity. i only buy mine straight from local farms...

Yeah, you're not wrong... haha... meat is essential... there’s just nothing out there that can truly replace it 100%... and honestly, I think it's a huge mistake if teenage girls go vegetarian during those formative years... and I'm guessing Goca is still at it since she's still in school... so, yeah... just stick to high-quality meat, some good salads... drink your milk... you'll feel way better for it...

And tell me, what does that even do for them?

Sam Hughes5 said:The Zone diet? 😉

Well, not quite. I suppose I should say it’s more of an "enhanced" version of that. When people talk about the actual Zone diet, they usually insist on strict calorie restriction—something in the ballpark of 1,500 calories a day—whereas I, being perhaps a bit less disciplined in that specific regard, tend to consume well over double that amount. 😉

placidfox55 said:Just look at orange juice. I don't know if you've ever actually tried squeezing oranges by hand to make a glass of juice, but to get just one single serving, I’d probably have to squeeze through four, maybe even five or six oranges. And what do I get? One glass of juice. I’ll drink it in two seconds and probably want another one right away.

When am I suddenly going to eat six oranges? Or twelve? See, that's how easy it is for calories to pile up without you even noticing. Instead of just drinking a glass of water and eating one single orange, you're basically nuking your diet. 🙂 😎

I bought some Tropicana 100% orange juice and the label says there's no added sugar in it.

It’s just what they’re saying...

Product labels actually have to match what's inside the package...
I mean, you've got health inspectors, consumer protection agencies, and all those other regulatory bodies breathing down their necks anyway.

Kyle Nelson2 said:I picked up some 100% orange juice and the label says there's no added sugar.

True, there’s no cane sugar tossed in there. But think about the fructose sitting in those six oranges they squeezed to fill your glass. How much energy is that actually? Why are you hitting yourself with all those extra calories on top of your usual breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

A glass of water could kill your thirst. But if you tried to eat six whole oranges with your lunch? Never gonna happen—you’d be stuffed after the second or third one. But you finish a glass of juice and you don't feel full; if anything, your appetite kicks into gear and you go for another. How many calories is that again?

Sam Hughes5 said:it's just words on a label...

I’d trust the labels if I could, especially since they’re legally required to tell the truth. The catch is they know most people don't have a degree in nutrition. They just word things in a way that makes junk look like "health food."

Ditch the soda and those processed deli meats. Instead of grabbing sugary cereal, try switching to some good old-fashioned oats. For protein, stick to meat whenever you can—ideally fish or chicken breast. As for fats, try to get them from things like olive oil, flaxseed, or avocado oil rather than animal fats. Grab some whole grain bread, too. And honestly? Just stick to water most of the time. If you need a snack in between meals, some fresh low-fat cottage cheese or a tin of tuna works wonders. You definitely need to pack in more veggies—and don't forget some fruit! Also, you’re probably overdoing it on the milk...

@Steven Green2 I actually think 30% fat is a bit much. Personally, I’d aim for around 20%, maybe bumping up the carbs just a little bit so they roughly match the protein intake.

Look, that’s what all those different inspections are for... health inspectors, food safety boards, the whole nine yards...

I don't get why everyone is freaking out over a basic glass of orange juice.
I mean, even water can be bad for you if you overdo it, right?

The real issues are the ways companies dodge oversight...
Like, I think about ten years ago when they started importing that Hey-Ho juice from overseas. Apparently, it was loaded with sweeteners, but they managed to sneak it through because of some weird loophole in how it was processed...
And honestly, in my opinion, the bigger issue is stuff like Coca-Cola. I mean, what do we actually need all that caffeine and taurine for?
Alcohol is a much bigger deal... the saturated fats and everything else...
Compared to those, a glass of OJ actually has some decent nutrients in it...

What about the bread we pick up at the local bakery every day? How many additives and dyes are stuffed in there? Or that 0.9% fat milk that, if you ask me, isn't even real milk...
And just imagine, you've got milk where they have to add calcium back in...😬 I mean, seriously, what kind of milk needs extra calcium added to it just to be considered milk???

But honestly, the most unhealthy thing you can do is stay worked up and stressed out...

Look, man, I honestly think you just need to eat everything in sight... I mean, if you're actually putting in the work physically, nothing is going to stick anyway... but then again, if you aren't doing anything at all, every single gram is just going to stay on you...

Hey there!
If you aren't eating them whole, those flakes just aren't worth it—they're basically empty calories at that point.

And don't even get me started on deli meats—salami, hot dogs, those canned meat spreads... they're honestly terrible for you. I was actually reading this article the other day—it was pretty intense—where they basically described them as straight-up toxins for the human body!

As for candy bars? Look, they're fine if you're having a craving once in a blue moon, but seriously, just a tiny bit every once in a while. Nothing more.

Kyle Nelson2 said:look, if you ask me, you just gotta tear through everything... nothing sticks if you're actually burning calories working hard... but if you're sitting on your butt all day? then every single gram counts...

The whole point here isn't about getting fat or gaining weight—it's about eating clean!

baja said:I wouldn't call myself a vegetarian, though I definitely don't eat much meat these days.😬
Yeah, I'm with you there—it’s all about quality over quantity at this point. Personally, I won't touch anything unless it's straight from a local farm out in the countryside...

People always say chicken and turkey are the healthiest bets!