High Fructose Corn Syrup - The Enemy (blood, cheap, how to)

[emjbulls]

It is in so many things and since I have small kids, I really try to minimize it. I think a lot of it is setting healthy eating habits in kids when they are small so they don't need the overly processed/sugared taste of things. My kids are 3. They've never had fast food and they've never had soda. I bake all their sweets because there are then less preservatives and chemicals in them. I am a little nuts about being so gung ho about it and about as healthy as possible eating.

[gallo]

Originally Posted by fuzzymystic

Ok, gallo-no, I'm not confused. I was actually looking at a can of honey roasted peanuts-just looking which says 12g of fat, = to 18%, then it says sat. fat 8%, but doesn't list a percentage value for the mono and poly unsaturated fats [6g and 4g respectively]. I didn't think to just subtract the sat. fat from the total fat and that would give you a percent for the good fat.
Based on this, it looks like 10 grams of the mono and poly unsaturated gives you 10% of the good fats you would need-or IS there an amount of good fat you should get? Or should you just try to keep the bad fats to a minimum and look for fats higher in the good fat-or is that confusing to YOU? I am beginning to confuse myself-I better go eat something. Maybe some fish!!!

Good fats can be confusing and difficult to find.

I’ll make it simple. Think nuts, healthy oils, oily fish, and avocados. These are pretty much the only sources of good fats available.

It can also be hard trying to incorporate these foods into normal meals. But with a little brainstorming and experience it becomes easier. I always have a big bag of regular, unsalted nuts from Costco around, and I will snack on them throughout the day, or have some as an after dinner snack if I want some good fats.

In regard to trying to achieve 100 % of what the federal government has given a daily value for, I don’t.

First, that % is not set in stone, and can vary form person to person, and second, people would go nuts trying to figure out how much of what they need and have gotten to meet the requirements.

I can kind of just figure how much I need in my head and just kind of go from there. I don’t know, guess I just have a natural knack. Eyeing out the serving sizes on the nutrition label has helped as well as has that fitday website. But, yeah, I don’t really think about it too much and just wing it.

You’re on the right track. Just try to keep the bad fats out, and get more of the good fats. That’s pretty much what I do. Again, if you want to start getting more precise you can calculate serving size to nutritional data, or use the fitday site.

Glad I could help.

[fuzzymystic]

Right, I went to that web site and registered and just fiddled around a bit, but I'll definitely check it out more thoroughly later. But, I do know where the good fats are, and what they do, just didn't think to subtract the saturated from the total to see how much good fat was in stuff. Thanks for pitching in on here, this kind of information really helps people who actually read the labels and try to educate themselves.

[chielgirl]

I live in Asia. Asians are geting fat now that their diet consists of processed foods as well.

I'm vegetarian and trying to eat low-carb. I cook 95% of my meals at home and eat veggie sushi when I go out. It's difficult, but I know I'm getting good food.

[foma]

Originally Posted by gallo

But, yeah, I don’t really think about it too much and just wing it.

Thank goodness! For a while I thought you were making the rest of us look bad!! J/K It is good to hear though that you just "wing it". That takes talent, IMO!

Originally Posted by emjbull

They've never had fast food and they've never had soda.

GOOD FOR YOU!! My SIL doesn't let her kids drink soda but Dad sneaks let's them sneak in a sip or two. It's funny b'c when nobody's looking, my nephew will sneak it in himself and he looks at me and just grins really big.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by emjbulls

It is in so many things and since I have small kids, I really try to minimize it. I think a lot of it is setting healthy eating habits in kids when they are small so they don't need the overly processed/sugared taste of things. My kids are 3. They've never had fast food and they've never had soda. I bake all their sweets because there are then less preservatives and chemicals in them. I am a little nuts about being so gung ho about it and about as healthy as possible eating.

I agree about minimizing the junk food.
But I think it's good to occasionally allow it.
You don't want to make soda and processed foods a highly desirable "forbidden fruit."
I had a good friend who grew up this way, and she developed a weight problem as a teen when she had more freedom to choose whatever she ate (and drank) outside of the home.
The weight problem has nagged her the rest of her life. (Ironically, her mother died way too young. Cancer.)
My kids are grown now, and have very healthy eating habits. They actually *enjoy* cooking and baking.
However, they have eaten their share of fast food and understand what it and overly refined processed baked goods taste like.
After that soccer game, the coach does not take the team to Whole Foods, ya know what I mean?
They certainly understand the pervasiveness of high fructose corn syrup--and it certainly is the enemy.
I kept that junk away from them until they were three, and was always fairly neurotic about their diet, but I remembered my friend.
When it comes to diet, IMHO education and moderation tend to work better than rigid prohibition.

[ready2move]

One general rule of thumb for me is is to try to eat "God" made foods vs "Man" made foods as much as possible. It really is very simple, if it is grown from the earth and minimily processed then you are pretty much good to go. All those additives/chemicals are raising such havoc on our systems and the systems of our little ones.

I love extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil. Allthough they contain fat, they are of a medium chain fat which is actually good for you. I never measure out, and cook with them freely. Try some coconut oil with your scrambled eggs....YUM!

I was on that low fat/no fat bandwagen years ago, and dropped it like a hot potatoe when I was getting fatter. Now, nothing but good quality foods, with the occassional bad treat....

[floridadreamer]

Originally Posted by gallo

Buying fresh items or healthy foods at traditional grocery stores (i.e., Kroger, Safeway, Albertson’s) can be pricy. I seem to do very well finding these healthy, high-quality foods at more reasonable prices at Costco and Trader Joe’s – and they are usually of better quality.

Tell me about it, I can't even buy a bag of shallots at walmart.
And all the red onions are the size of grapefruits.

[vpcats]

Talk about bad timing. I started reading this thread just as I am sitting here eating a bagel with cream cheese and lox, diet Coke and choc chip cookies!

If that ain't a healthy diet, what is???? Loll... I'm a heart attack waiting to happen. And don't think this was your occasional snack. My "occasional" health food might be a banana, a yogurt, granola, Kellog's K.

Could we do a sample Healthy menu here so we can actually SEE what gallo has been explaining??

Gallo, maybe you could give us a day's worth, what foods, amounts, and the representative values of good, better, worse? I know it might be a lot of work but you have this down pat! :-)) Thanks!

[emjbulls]

cil,

One of the reasons we don't do fast food is I am raising them vegetarian and there is pretty much no reasonable fast food available for vegetarians. When they are older, it will be their choice if they want to eat meat or not, but in these formative years, I am keeping it veggie.

In terms of soda, I know I can't keep it away forever, but I want to wait until age 5 before starting something that sweet, even if it's in moderation. To me, 3 is way too young for soda, even if it's in moderation.

I fully agree with the moderation is important philosophy. I had a relative that also had everything forbidden and she struggled for a very long time with being severely overweight.