How much to you worry about what you eat?

[caseydog]

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you worry about what you eat?

1 = Not at all. You start every day with three eggs, cooked in butter, with a half pound of bacon on the side.

10 = Obsessed. You read everything written about healthy eating, and don't eat or drink anything that any "expert" says will kill you.

I'm sure everyone here falls somewhere between those extremes. No judgement's please. I just think it would be fun to see where we all fall in that spectrum.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Since I opened this can of worms, I guess I should start.

I put myself at about a 7. There was a time when I was probably a 5, but I'm a lot older now, and can't eat like I could 30 years ago. As I continue to get older, I may have to shift up to an 8, but can't imagine ever being at the 10 level.

I have some things I have to do, like limit sodium intake. Not my choice, my kidneys made that decision for me. I also try to keep my weight down, because I feel terrible when I get too fat.

When I was diagnosed with, and treated for cancer in 2006-2007, I asked my doctors what I did wrong, or what I was exposed to that caused my cancer. They told me that there was no indication of what may have "caused" it. Basically, they didn't know, and I would never know.

Based on that, I made some lifestyle changes, but nothing drastic. Mostly, I started cooking more, and eating out less. I especially cut way back on fast food. I also came to realize that a salad isn't healthy if you drown it with ranch dressing. I just started eating in a more informed manner.

I still sometimes indulge in a greasy cheeseburger and fries, but not very often. The main thing is, I'm honest with myself about that burger and fries, and don't feel guilty about it. My philosophy with food is that I could eat a perfect diet, and still cross a street and get run over by a bus.

CD

 

[Badjak]

I think mine is quite a low score...
I eat quite healthy, but don't fret about it.
I'm lucky I don't have a sweet tooth

 

[caseydog]

I think mine is quite a low score...
I eat quite healthy, but don't fret about it.
I'm lucky I don't have a sweet tooth

I don't have a sweet tooth, either. My sister has a big sweet tooth. That is a big challenge for her.

CD

 

[pictonguy]

Eggs cooked in butter and bacon is one of my go to breakfasts and that's because I do lean more towards being obsessed with what I eat. Yeah, around an 8 would probably be a good proxy of where I stand.

Sugar is a big no go for me and needed to keep that to a bare minimum and certain carbs in general from my A1C getting up there 15 years ago and a few other issues that go along with inflammation and the problems that causes. Now my numbers are in the mid 4's, so being a little obsessed with what I eat and who I listen to for nutritional advice has been a learned skill over the years.

I basically never consume fast food and UPF's are generally non existent in my diet and consume local which means seasonally as well and organic when I can and if I have a choice, for the most part.

An example of that 8 is I procure all my beef from a local dairy farmer, who I also know personally who's also involved with regenerative agriculture and treats all his farm animals with a high level of care. Basically I choose a retired dairy cow for my main protein and fat source and also get other local animal sources like poultry and lamb. Veg, the same, mostly local and seasonal. Right now it's asparagus, rhubarb and early and young assorted greens which will be coming to an end this week I believe.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I don’t worry as much as I should but I have made some concessions due to diabetes.

I’m probably a seven.

If it was left up to me I would eat like a tweenager.

 

[bethzaring]

Definitely a 10. Sometime in my late teens I got it in my head that nobody but me could raise food with my health as the main concern. Been raising most of my vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy; basically everything but grains, since 1976. Nothing wrong with bacon and butter! Everything in moderation.

 

[Meryl]

I had never ever worried about what I ate until my cardiologyst recommended a low-sodium, low-cholesterol diet because of my blood pressure tending to be too high, and my cholesterol level too (genetic). The funny thing is, that being careful with animal fats and all the rest, has caused me to lose weight, which was something I didn't need to do, but my levels are also better now, with the help of meds.

 

[Badjak]

Just to clarify my answer a bit more:
I care about what I eat. I like to eat and I like to cook. I like good quality products, but I eat what I like.
I called that a low score, but that's how I interpreted the question

 

[jennyema]

About a 5

Ive always been naturally a pretty healthy eater. Lots of fresh veggies, chicken and fish. Luckily I live where there is plenty of great fresh fish.

But i love burgers, bacon (together - yum), steak, and all carbohydrates.

Very little fried food, except fries and onion rings and a clam roll once inawhile.

We eat out a couple times a week and love great restaurants.

Eating is an adventure to me!

 

[Andy M.]

I'll have to be about a 9.5. I do sometimes have three eggs cooked in butter but I don't eat a half pound of bacon with it ;-).

I'm fortunate that I don't have any medical conditions, such as diabetes, that I have to consider in my diet. The only exception is that I am allergic to clams.

That said, I don't really eat a lot of super fatty meals. I don't do a lot of sauces and gravies. I enjoy the actual taste of the meat.

My guilty pleasure is spaghetti alla carbonara. I feel guilty, but I get over it.

 

[HeyItsSara]

I guess 14? I'm prediabetic and don't want to get worse.

 

[Sweetbun]

If I had to rate myself, I'd say a 5. I make an effort to eat clean, keep my water intake up. I avoid the heavy, greasy foods. But every now and then, I'll indulge in a burger

 

[taxlady]

Interesting question. I guess I would put myself at a 7 or 8. I wouldn't say that I don't have a sweet tooth. OTOH, I have never been fond of sweet with my savoury. Also, I seldom crave desserts, even though there are many desserts that I enjoy. To explain how much I don't like most sweet with savoury, when I was a kid I didn't like caramelized onions, because they were too sweet and my mum didn't add sugar to make them caramelize more easily. Also, my mother was diagnosed with diabetes (type 2) when I was about 13 years old, so I have long been motivated to avoid too much sugar.

I try to eat a varied diet of food that tastes good. I avoid ultraprocessed foods, but I won't say that I never have any. I generally prefer whole grain versions of various foods and generally that is what I eat.

I try to keep up on food science, but I strongly believe that different foods and diets affect different people differently. So, I pay attention to how changes to my diet make me feel. I'm a big fan of listening to the feedback that my body gives me.

 

[larry_stewart]

Being vegan/ vegetarian for so long, I had to take complete control of what I put into my body early on ( when there were minimal options other than cooking your own). It has become habit now, that I dont even think about it. My wife has turned up the notch, a bit, since she went through chemo, radiation and all that goes with it a few years back, so she keeps me in check. Whole grains, un processed foods , fresh fruits and veggies .... I have my cheat days where I eat crap ( good tasting crap), but that's maybe once a week. Everything else is either healthy, or a healthier version of what it should be.

 

[blissful]

I fill the fridge with what we want to eat and what we want to eat is healthy food. That way neither of us worry! So we'd be a 1.
Everything in the fridge is plant based, little sweeteners, no salt or very little, no added oils. They call it WF whole food PB plant based, SOS, no salt oil or sugar. WFPBsos

When we switched from our unhealthy diet, to our plant based diet, our health improved, weight was lost, better sleep, less aches and pains, no more prediabetes, vast improvement in lipid levels, we stopped having stomach and gerd issues. I spent probably 2-3 hours a day each morning for 2 years learning about healthy eating mostly following the advice from healthy people, healthy doctors, and healthy populations. 5 years now and we're much healthier.

Do I listen to experts on social media or the news programs or websites-not much. Most of what we base our diets on were studied in the past 60 years, much of it is old science, nothing ground breaking and not selling anything, so it doesn't usually 'make news'. Broccoli doesn't make news and there is no industry involved in promoting broccoli.

The doctors we do listen to know about nutrition. Most doctors don't get more than 20 hours in nutrition study, so they don't know, they 'don't judge', nor do they consider nutrition while formulating their prescriptions, treatments, or procedures for you. Nutritional advice doesn't make money for doctors so why should they bother. Unless you are dying of malnutrition, there's no code for it, they can't bill for it. The US population is dying of over nutrition.

There's no magic pill. I watched 5 lbs get added to my weight every year through my early 50's and I thought I'd be a boat by my 60's and something needed to change. Now I weigh 127 at 5 feet 6.5 inches. I'm sadly watching my relatives get sick and obese and die off this way. I get to hear about doctor appointments and hospitalizations and that isn't how I want my later years.

Mr bliss went to get his implant with an oral surgeon. The oral surgeon looked at his chart and said, 'you must be 60' (he's 73). He was looking at someone with no prescriptions. After the implant he said it went well and his gums were healthy and the underlying structure (bone) was excellent. He lucked out on the bone structure but the gums and health are due to his improved diet.

Do we eat things that are not healthy for us? Once in a while. This week, we're eating some m&ms, not really a food, and not good for us, but, yum.

 

[KatyCooks]

I would guess I am around a 3 or thereabouts. I don't have a sweet tooth, which is useful. I try to eat as wide a variety of foods as possible and I don't eat more than I want to - at home I only put on my plate what I want to eat. But I find it very frustrating in restaurants that they put so much on the plate, as I know I will not finish. However, I don't fret about it. (I've paid for it, so it's up to me how much I eat!) I do have an occasional burger - maybe once every 3 months or so, and likewise, in the summer, a mini choc ice is an occasional treat too (with dark chocolate for preference). I don't snack very much but if I do, it is most likely something savoury - nuts, cheese, olives rather than something sweet.

 

[caseydog]

Being vegan/ vegetarian for so long, I had to take complete control of what I put into my body early on ( when there were minimal options other than cooking your own). It has become habit now, that I dont even think about it. My wife has turned up the notch, a bit, since she went through chemo, radiation and all that goes with it a few years back, so she keeps me in check. Whole grains, un processed foods , fresh fruits and veggies .... I have my cheat days where I eat crap ( good tasting crap), but that's maybe once a week. Everything else is either healthy, or a healthier version of what it should be.

I'm trying to shift my percentage of meat to veggie to lean more veggie, but I could never give up meat/fish completely.

I lost about 15 pounds over that last month, using portion control. I probably gained a bunch back on this five day trip to Denver. Too much restaurant food. Large portions of high calorie, high sodium food.

When I was traveling 120+ days a year for work, It was hard to eat a healthy diet. But, at least I was doing a lot of physical labor -- a lot of those classic cars I photographed had to be pushed, and they were vey heavy. Beautiful cars that are never driven stop working.

Now, I eat better, but spend too much time sitting on my a**.

CD

 

[Kathleen]

I would put myself at about a 6. I would eat healthier if I lived with someone who enjoyed veggies.

 

[blissful]

I would put myself at about a 6. I would eat healthier if I lived with someone who enjoyed veggies.

That's a hard situation to be in if anyone gets chronic illnesses.
When I started eating healthy, he didn't. He wanted to continue burgers and pizza. We accepted our differences and we both decided to support each other as we could.
He changed his mind after his heart attack, 4 months later.

Right now we know 2 couples that cook and eat plant based years more than us, and one recent (2 years) family of 8. We all share recipes and ideas.