Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

what exactly do you mean by "light" diet??

It just seems to me that the word light (or lite), is used overly in advertising to insinuate health. Lower carbs, lower fat, no sugar, etc.

My definition of a healthy diet is one that is balanced: fruit, veggies, and carbs in moderation. Low-fat and no-fat foods make you fat. They are fake, processed chemicals that your body can't even process. You are better off eating a small serving of whole-milk yogurt than low-fat or fat-free yogurt, for example. This concept is discussed in depth in "The Schwarzbein Principle." You might also want to check out the book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon.

I've lost 100 lbs recently by changing my diet and exercise. What worked for me, was eatting "REAL" food. i no longer use margarine, or any other foods marked "lite" the real stuff not only tastes better, but is more satisfying in much smaller amounts. Try to stay away from the empty sugars and carbs and limit your overall carb intake to no more than 3 servings per meal. (btw 15 grams of carbohydrate is 1 serving)

seyo - that is quite a list.

i understand what you're saying but i really don't think that you need to eat everyday with such strict rules...and i completely disagree with your idea to fast every once in a while. sounds like you're reading too many diet books.

It's good to give your body a little break every so often. And believe me, I don't read diet books. This is knowledge I've learned from athletic practice (long distance running and yoga specifically), my trainers, doctors and physical therapists. It's definitely not a key component and can be skipped especially if you have health issues like diabetes, heart disease or blood pressure problems. Assuming you dont though, fasting once every one or two months can be a good thing.

And what is so strict about the other points? It's really all about quality, freshness, and variety, and making good choices.

Eat slowly and take small bites. Pick dishes that are packed with strong flavors that you enjoy but can't take too much of. Try eating white fish instead of red meat. Take smaller portions and when you're done with your first serving, cover your plate with your napkin and do something else besides eat.

The problem with a big pile of dos and don'ts is that it makes healthy eating seem difficult.

While we could start an entire thread debating whether soy is good for you or not (doctors, scientists, and nutritionists have yet to agree), I think we can all agree that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables every day, eating mostly whole (rather than processed) grains, and not going overboard on meat, high-fat dairy, or refined sugar is an easy guideline for healthy eating.

Though I'm not into the bullet-point "rules" lists, one specific tip I've read a lot which makes sense to me is to avoid drinking calories; if you can, restrict your beverages to water and unsweetened or minimally sweetened coffee and tea. Avoid sodas and fruit juice - even though there are beneficial nutrients in the juice, it doesn't have any of the dietary fiber which will help you feel full. Eat a piece of fruit instead.

One thing that's been a huge help for me is packing my lunch for work every day. It's a lot easier to make a healthy food choice in the morning than it is when your lunchtime hunger is clouding your judgment.

I'm happy that it helps even a little. Eating healthful foods isn't all that complicated, nor is it restrictive. It's just common sense, and yes, a little effort and education comes in to play.

Really the only thing you have to do is take an active interest in what it is you are eating, which I think is the spirit of why we are all here on this site to begin with, because rather than just passively eating without thinking about what it is we eat, we want to know more about it. Not just if it tastes good, but how it is, or in many cases isn't, nourishing.

When you're concerned with how your food impacts your health, it's important to step back and examine your own food culture, why it is you eat what you eat. Try to be conscious of it, when you are reaching for whatever it is yo are reaching for by rote, and ask yourself "what is this? how much of this am I eating? what else do I eat or will I eat throughout the day? is that bigger picture balanced? should I therefore be reaching for something else?" Common sense and little knowledge will help you make the right decisions.

As far as soy is concerned, yes there is a lot of controversy about it. But it has been proven that soy contains chemicals that directly affect the hormonal system.

Part of the problem is that soy along with corn is the biggest cash crop in the US (and the world) and so there is a lot of political and economic motivation behind promoting it is a miracle food. The FDA is not exactly a neutral party.

I'm not trying to start a political discussion, but just be aware of this. Who is telling you that you should eat soy, and why? Or anything for that matter. Lobbyists for any multi billion dollar industry are paid big bucks to form public opinion. They are the ultimate marketers because they affect public policy and sponsor medical research, and more often than not, the truth is blurred.

Your doctors arent researchers, and they will make recommendations based on studies published and funded by these special interest groups. So it's hard to sort through it all sometimes.

Personally, I avoid soy and corn as much as possible, because it is in so much of what we eat, and what the animals we eat are fed. Too much of anything is not a good thing.

If you want to read up on soy, do a google search. You will see the huge difference in opinions. No one ever argued about the health of a strawberry. Or an egg. Where there's smoke, there's fire in my opinion.

The sites promoting soy tend to be very well funded: high design, lots of marketing efforts behind it. To me, that's suspicious. This site has many articles on why unfermented and/or unsprouted soy beans may not be a healthy food especially if eaten in large quantities:

http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html

Take it with a few grains of salt, read some counter arguments, and make your own decision. Again, personally, after reading these and other articles, I've decided I would cut down. I used to eat lots of tofu and drink soy milk. Now I have cut back. I eat it occasionally, when I'm at a good Japanese restaurant, because it will taste good. Not because I'm seeking it's supposed health benefits.

So there you go. My long winded opinions, and sorry for the long posts. It's just that there arent any short and easy answers to any of this.

Uhm, thats not the topic of this thread. This thread isnt about how to lose weight its about how to eat better. It's about the quality of the calories you consume.

Also caloric deficit is not end all solution of weight loss, as your metabolism will adapt to your caloric intake so that it will always set aside a certain amount of your intake for energy reserves.

This can be dangerous, because as you either burn more or eat less, the body will adapt and continue to store about the same amount, therefore leaving less energy and nutrients available to active body functions.

So no, it's not that simple, especially not in the short term. Over the course of a few weeks, yes. Months, and years, no.

Seyo, my friend is studying Eastern Medicine and a lot of what you say overlaps with what she has told me. People in the West assume soy is great for you because traditional Asian cultures have a low rate of heart disease, longer lifespan, etc. but they eat it within a diverse diet--they don't try to transform everything into a soy-based product like soy milk, soy sausages and the like. Asian people may have soy milk once a year. But mostly it's consumed in fermented form like miso, as you say, and tofu is usually consumed in smallish portions along with other proteins like actual meat. In the states, it's become this vegetarian replacement for all protein.

Avoid sugar until after dinner. If you don't have sugar then you don't crave it.
I lost 8 pounds from this.

I have to admit that I am rather puzzled by the how seriously you all are taking some of these comments. I know the original poster asked for opinions but it would appear that the comments left are being taken as absolute truth.

Folks, remember that these people are not necessarily nutritionists. Even if they are, they may be trained in an approach with which you do not agree or which may just not work for you.

Try some of the suggestions out if they sound appealing to you and see what works for you. Given that lactose intolerance is a regional thing (globally), it is likely that many other food related issues (such as soy) are as well. There could be a ton of other ways that your particular genetic make-up might dictate a slightly different diet than what would work for me even if our ancestry is similar.

I only ask that you take pretty much every comment here with a grain of salt and do your own homework, talk to your own doctors and experiment on your own. One size seldom fits all.

Note: I am not a nutritionist nor do I play one on t.v..

Interesting info about soy. I am actually "allergic" to it. I am on a reduced- oxalate diet due to problems it causes & it is hard as soy is in almost EVERYTHING anymore! As it actually causes me pain, I have had to really watch those labels.