I thought I would start somewhere and thought this board was a good start
to ask about food, health and nutrition.

I am seeing a man who never learned how to eat properly. He eats fast food
frequently and his idea of a home cooked meal comes in a box off the
supermarket shelf. He likes starches and carb-filled foods (breads, pasta,
rice).


I would like to know what can I advise him to eat with his pasta, rice and
bread so he gets enough healthy nutrition (fiber, protein, etc.) He isn't
into taking supplements, he has loads of time to cook, but I think I would
have a better chance giving him subtle food suggestions rather than
providing a lecture. I am not a big eater of carbs so I need advice.

Bree > wrote:
> I would like to know what can I advise him to eat with his pasta, rice and
> bread so he gets enough healthy nutrition (fiber, protein, etc.) He isn't
> into taking supplements, he has loads of time to cook, but I think I would
> have a better chance giving him subtle food suggestions rather than
> providing a lecture. I am not a big eater of carbs so I need advice.

Nothing wrong with carbs, no matter what those Aitkins folks think.

Studies have shown that a diet consisting mostly of carbohydrates
can be a healthy diet. Pasta and rice tend to be complex carbohydrates,
which are pretty healthy. I believe the general recommendation is that
carboyhdrates should provide 55-60% of daily carbohydrates.

OTOH, most Americans tend to consume too much protein, which can have
serious health effects. Fat intake in the standard American diet is
also too high, and even vegetarians tend to have fat intakes that are
too high (since many vegetarians increase the use of dairy/eggs when
they eliminate meat from their diets). Ironically, for their high-fat
diets, Americans tend to get too few omega-6 fats daily.

Since he likes pasta and rice, why not suggest quick and easy pasta
dishes or rice and veggies? Or how about chili? Quinoa is quite good
(its a grain), especially with a roasted tomato or two on top.

PS: Are you aware that you are posting this in a vegetarian/vegan
newsgroup?

--
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. However, this is
not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they
are going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them
as they fly overhead. -- RFC 1925

Jesse Meyer wrote:
> Bree > wrote:
> > I would like to know what can I advise him to eat with his pasta,
> > rice and bread so he gets enough healthy nutrition (fiber, protein,
> > .etc.) He isn't into taking supplements, he has loads of time to cook,
> > but I think I would have a better chance giving him subtle food
> > suggestions rather than providing a lecture. I am not a big eater
> > of carbs so I need advice.
>
> Nothing wrong with carbs, no matter what those Aitkins folks think.

Eating white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, white sugar,white
rice, etc. are not healthy choices. Carbs are not bad, the empty carbs
are bad. Fresh fruit, whole wheat choices in pastas, breads,
rice,sweet potatoes, etc. are what are called the good carbs. Along
with beans and veggies.


> Studies have shown that a diet consisting mostly of carbohydrates
> can be a healthy diet. Pasta and rice tend to be complex
> carbohydrates, which are pretty healthy. I believe the general
> recommendation is that carboyhdrates should provide 55-60% of daily
> carbohydrates.

Again, there are good carbs and carbs that are pretty much void of
nutrition. It's wise to make healthier choices and order brown rice
(that has fiber and has't been bleached) rather than white rice.

> OTOH, most Americans tend to consume too much protein, which can have
> serious health effects. Fat intake in the standard American diet is
> also too high, and even vegetarians tend to have fat intakes that are
> too high (since many vegetarians increase the use of dairy/eggs when
> they eliminate meat from their diets). Ironically, for their
> high-fat diets, Americans tend to get too few omega-6 fats daily.

A typical fast food diet is filled with fat, bad carbs and unhealthy
protein. There's really nothing to dispute.

> Since he likes pasta and rice, why not suggest quick and easy pasta
> dishes or rice and veggies? Or how about chili? Quinoa is quite
> good (its a grain), especially with a roasted tomato or two on top.

There are many wonderful grains such as you said quinoa, buckwheat
groats (aka kasha), couscous (available in whole wheat). Just walk
into a health food store and check out the bulk foods and look at all
of the interesting grains you can try. Perhaps you can try making a
date for once a week where you both cook together. Look through a
cookbook (veggie of course), pick a few dishes and shop together,
prepare the meal together and enjoy the time together while learning
about new and healthier food choices.
>
> PS: Are you aware that you are posting this in a vegetarian/vegan
> newsgroup?
>
> --
> With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. However, this is
> not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they
> are going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them
> as they fly overhead. -- RFC 1925

To the OP: I married a man who sounds like your boyfriend. What I
have learned is that you can't change the way a person eats unless they
have an interest in doing so. My advice to you is to accept him "as
is" and the best you can do is cook healthy foods when he visits and
perhaps he'll like some of your dishes. In fact, the more you protest,
offer unsolicited advice or advise him as to how to eat, it's my guess,
the longer he'll continue to eat the way that he was raised. I don't
mean to be a pessimist, but the reality is that as adults we all make
choices and sadly, many of us choose unhealthy ones.

Good luck!

Considering you're named after a cheese, "LEADING" by example, might work...
That is, cook him the kind of delicious meal you would prefer him to eat.
Demonstrate that healthy food does not necessarily mean tasteless food. It
worked for me.

Bree wrote:
<mod snip>
> I am seeing a man who never learned how to eat properly. He eats fast food
> frequently and his idea of a home cooked meal comes in a box off the
> supermarket shelf.

Tp,

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--- ( )/ ( ) ---- -\<.
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-----------------------------------------

No Lawsuit Ever Fixed A Moron...

Martha wrote:

>
> Jesse Meyer wrote:
> > Bree > wrote:
> > > I would like to know what can I advise him to eat with his pasta,
> > > rice and bread so he gets enough healthy nutrition (fiber, protein,
> > > .etc.) He isn't into taking supplements, he has loads of time to cook,
> > > but I think I would have a better chance giving him subtle food
> > > suggestions rather than providing a lecture. I am not a big eater
> > > of carbs so I need advice.
> >
> > Nothing wrong with carbs, no matter what those Aitkins folks think.
>
> Eating white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, white sugar,white
> rice, etc. are not healthy choices. Carbs are not bad, the empty carbs
> are bad. Fresh fruit, whole wheat choices in pastas, breads,
> rice,sweet potatoes, etc. are what are called the good carbs. Along
> with beans and veggies.

There seem to be a couple of (fairly common) misunderstandings here.
First of all, there is no such thing as "empty" carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates come in two basic flavours: simple and complex. Simple
carbohydrates like sugar (regardless of white or brown) go into the
blood stream immediately after eating, complex carbohydrates either
require time for digestion (like starch) or are indigestible and leave
the body with the stool (like cellulose), increasing stool volume and
hence aiding in digestion.

Because of the rapid uptake simple carbohydrates make the regulation of
blood sugar (glucose) concentration difficult for the body, this is the
main reason why their intake should be limited.

In addition, some foods come into the shops in "refined" form, this
includes in particular flour and rice. In white flour the protein,
fibre, vitamin and mineral containing outer layers of the wheat grain
are removed during milling. In white rice, the outer layers with these
goodies are removed mechanically by "polishing". In both cases the
purpose is to have an optically more pleasing product with a more
neutral taste, at the expense of lower nutrients content.

The colour of potatoes on the other hand has little to do with their
nutrient content. However, potatoes should be boiled in the skin, to
prevent water-soluble nutrients (and flavours!) from leaching into the
water. After boiling the skin can be removed if desired without
ill-effect, it contains no nutrients by itself. Note that the potato,
contrary to its public reputation, is actually a very healthy component
of our diet.

> A typical fast food diet is filled with fat, bad carbs and unhealthy
> protein. There's really nothing to dispute.

Proteins are not unhealthy, but their intake should ideally be limited
to the needs of the body for anabolic (forming new body parts) rather
than catabolic (supply energy) purposes. Excessive protein intake causes
problems with nitrogen metabolism, resulting for example in gout, and
possibly in cancer. It is particularly bad for people with liver
problems.

Food with a lot of protein (in particular meat) often also contain a lot
of fat, and in particular satturated fatty acids and cholesterol,
resulting in artheriosclerosis.

Thus in a healthy diet 60-80% of the energy intake should come from
(mostly complex) carbohydrates, about 10% from protein and the reminder
from fats, of which a third each should be saturated, mono-unsaturated
and poly-unsaturated.

Note that (complex) carbohydrates are not only a cheap and healthy
source of energy, but also an essential nutrient. Several organs in our
body use mostly or even exclusively blood sugar as energy source. Sugar
levels in blood are therefore tightly controlled, if carbohydrates are
not present in the diet in sufficient amount the body has to produce
sugar from proteins (it can not do so from fatty acids). This results in
metabolic problems, including a potentially fatal loss of water and
minerals. This loss of water indeed is the reason why the low
carbohydrate Atkins diet seems to work in weight loss, of course the
initial "success" does not last.