What kind of Diet works for you?

[Pilot]

As I grow older, I notice that my metabolism has changed drastically. When young, I could eat anything and not gain weight. Now I can look at food and gain. Mantis is extreme on exercising, but I still have trouble maintaining my weight. I do not eat snacks. I do not drink sodas. I have tried a lot of diets but none fit me. My biggest problem is that I have a busy schedule with work, kids, and kung fu. I do not have time to prepare healthy food, and I’m not rich enough to buy that prepackaged plan type stuff (food?). I am in good shape, but I’m also overweight for my body type. I don’t smoke either.

For those of you that have a diet to watch their weight, what works for you?

[EarthDragon]

I say this with absolute strong conviction! YOU MUST TRY TO DO A CLEANSE!
I just finished with my spring master cleanse and just started eathing food agin after 7 days with no food what so ever........... just a simple potion that sustains you for up to 40 days...... for own sake you must try this...
search google and look up (master cleanse)

[jwwmantis]

Maybe have your blood sugar checked? If its normal, eating less food and burning calories by exercise should help. Also, some foods are definitely healthier to eat than others, but a variety should not do you great harm. Just my take on what I've seen and experienced.

jwwmantis

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

sounds like you're thirty-someting plus....

try some DHEA. it will help restore your metabolism to when you were young.

if you have other metabolic problems such as diabetes it will help in insulin absorption and regulation. it also works well with hypothyroidism, increasing the body's ability to utilize these hormones. a low dose is all that is needed: the 25mg chelated capsule from GNC is a better quality product in my opinion than many calcium based products. if i take 50mg i have to eat around 4,000 calories to maintain a 'normal' blood sugar level. :)

[SaMantis]

Everyone's gonna scream, but:

South Beach Diet.

There's a couple of reasons why this may work for you:

1. The recipes are designed to be prepared quickly and easily and taste good (so you can make a meal for the entire family, just add rice/pasta to the kids' dishes).

2. The food combinations are set up so you are less likely to fall off the wagon -- yes the carbohydrates are lowered, and they're replaced with whole grains & alternatives like nuts or whole fruits.

-- I lost 30 lbs. in 9 months last year on this diet. My total caloric intake didn't change (about 2200 cal./day), but my weight sure did.

-- No disrespect intended ED, but I don't believe in 7-day fasts. I think they can be quite harmful. Just an opinion (and a strong one, I know).

[Reggie1]

I'm of the pretty strong opinion that fasts aren't that great.



I do not eat snacks.

How do you eat your meals? Do you only eat 3 times a day?

Some simple ways to lose weight:

*Cut down your portion size. Nothing bigger than your fist.
*Eat low fat meats
*Try to eat lots of whole grains instead of non-whole grain foods. 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice, etc. The carbs in these foods are more complex, which makes them harder to break down.
*Avoid all processed sugars. This includes corn syrup in all of its forms.
*Eat a lot of fruits and veggies.

[Pilot]

EarthDragon: I agree that a cleanse is very good for the body.

Jwwmantis: I have had some test on my blood. My wife works in a hospital with doctors that have research grants on cholesterol and other things. They always want to use my blood because I love steak, but yet my cholesterol level is below average. It is even lower than some of the vegetarian doctors (good genes). I have no blood sugar problems either.

YuanZhideDiZhen: I’m almost 50 :eek: . I’ll look into the DHEA. No diseases like that in my family.

SaMantis: You’ve got me curious. I’ll look-up that diet and read about it. ;)

Reggie1: I eat 3 meals. Breakfast is something like 1 pack of those peanut butter crackers, 1 slice of pizza with onions and peppers, or really anything small and not sugary. Lunch is a vegetable plate, sandwich with chips, fish & chips (small portion), I LOVE SUSHI, or anything else in that size portion.
Dinner is about the same size as lunch portion. :o

I have always had better luck in watching how much I eat rather than what I eat.
:D

[RickMatz]

The only diet that has worked reliably for me is the Influenza Diet. The last time I had the flu, I lost 15 pounds and it took a good two years before I put it back on. I'm dealing with somekind of bug right now, and I'm down around 10 lbs.

[Reggie1]

Reggie1: I eat 3 meals. Breakfast is something like 1 pack of those peanut butter crackers, 1 slice of pizza with onions and peppers, or really anything small and not sugary. Lunch is a vegetable plate, sandwich with chips, fish & chips (small portion), I LOVE SUSHI, or anything else in that size portion.
Dinner is about the same size as lunch portion.

Maybe you ought to try eating smaller portions at each meal and eat more meals. I eat 6 times a day and don't have a problem with weight at all. Some research shows that by eating every few hours you keep your metabolism up.

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

Pilot:

you're that old?

try an 1800 calorie diet supplemented with chewed multivitamins and a larger quantity of tap water.

since you like small portions invest in a Tapas menu cookbook. Talk about gourmet on a budget! that's the ticket! (for an appetiser) :)

[Nick8stepPM]

I don't know of a good diet to use when doing martial arts, I myself eat as well as possible and just try to eat so I don't pass out at kung fu. My problem though is I drink a lot of Mountain Dew not just because am addicted to it but I get a headache if I don't have a little bit. I have cut down some, but my advice is drink a lot of water and stay hydrated or you will not be able to do your workout at opimal effieciency which because of soda my water intake is twice as much since it does suck all the water out of your muscles and leaves you dehydrated. I don't know water is just so tasteless so that is why I don't drink it a lot but should which am working at curbing my habit of too much soda.

[Merryprankster]

I hesitated posting on this thread....

I've been in weight class sports for years. I'm constantly manipulating my weight. However, I can tell you that no DIET is ever going to work for permanent weight loss. This requires food choice changes. A diet has a beginning and an end....you're looking for something different. For the record, I'm never fat either, so no yo-yo dieting stuff!!!

The biggest problem people looking to lose weight experience, IMO, is NOT BEING ABLE TO COOK!!! This goes hand in hand with having good knife skills. I do the cooking in my house. My wife - doesn't. Knife skills turn a 20 minute ordeal into a 5 minute snap - like jointing a chicken, for instance or something as simple as chopping onions. I'm not trying to be difficult, just telling it like it is.

Assuming you know how to cook, the secret to getting good food during the week is engaging in batch cooking when you do have time. Soups, stews and sauces can all be frozen or refrigerated and reheated. Roasts can serve as one meal, used in other ways for others or also reheated for meals. Add a fresh salad or frozen vegetables, cook some potatoes, pasta, rice, couscous, or add some bread and you're looking at a complete, healthy meal.

The beauty of things like roasts and roasted vegetables and the soups, stews sauces and roasts, is that they require very little actual work. I made an eggplant, cauliflower and potato curry (not with that foul yellow curry powder, but more in the general Indian concept of a stew-like dish) that took me about 10 minutes of actual work....the rest was waiting for it to cook. I ate 7 meals off that and coupled with a yoghurt Raita and some Basmati rice, I had a complete meal

Make a pot roast, eat for a week. Roast a big chicken, use the bones for stock, the leftover meat for soup and do your bills will it simmers. Don't even have time for that? Buy some chicken stock at the store (I like Pacific Organic), carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, chop up some chicken breast - add lemon and dill at the finish and you have soup. Total time is so low and you can reheat and eat.

Beans and other legumes are also useful and reheat well. Again, you're not actually DOING anything, just waiting around.

Food is infinite in variety, because knowing how to cook keeps you from getting bored, even when using the same basic ingredients.

The biggest investment a person can make in changing their life to lose weight is grabbing some cookbooks and learning how to make magic out of humble ingredients - and learning what does what and how - an example is that lots of people use rump cuts for pot roast - BLEAH!!!! The meat is tough and has no fat - it won't hold up to that type of cooking. Chuck, by contrast, off the shoulder, has lots of connective tissue and some fat. The connective tissue turns into gelatin with heat and time and the fat transfers flavors while keeping things moist.

[AndrewS]

MP,

Pot roast- every used a 7-bone blade roast? It's from right on the neck and gets its name from the bits of shoulder that get into it. No one knows what it is, so it's cheap as h*ll, marbled beautifully, from the flavorful neck, and has all the lovely deep beef taste from the bones in it. I scored a 6 lb roast of organic grain-fed at whole foods for $2.99/lb. *Amazing*.

I may not be the best example of weight-loss through cooking ability, I'm no stick figure by any stretch, by the same token, I know that my weight has been most out of control when I haven't been cooking, and have been living on delivery and scrounging instead.

Right now I'm doing pretty well eating low-carb, low gi carb, high protein, moderate fat, and trying to keep my daily caloric intake under 3000 while consuming 150-200g of protein a day, having a modest cheat day every 10 days to 2wks. This seems very sustainable for me.

A few quick cooking tips-

-Find the best, freshest ingredients you can and exploit them. If you can hit a farmer's market. It's generally cheaper and nicer, and gets you excited about food.
-Roasting veggies deepens the flavor. Aside from being a nice trick when you're adding them to other things, my favorite side right now is some brocolli, cauliflower (purple rocks!), asparagus, or other such vegetable tossed with olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper, roast at 400 until looks ready.
-Love your ground turkey. Low fat, high protein, and very forgiving, little turkey patties broiled can take almost any flavoring and get away with it- greek (oregano, olive oil, garlic, pepper), indian (cumin, coriander), italian sausage (paprika, fennel seed, oregano, black pepper, garlic), steakhouse (worschtershire sauce, onion powder and/or caramelized onions, maybe a little blue cheese filling)
-bison is a great low fat red meat
-modern pork is extremely lean, especially certain of the chop cuts. This gives it a tendancy to dry out- brine for 24 to 48 hrs prior to cooking to avoid this.
- if you own one cookbook it should be the Joy of Cooking.

Andrew

[SaMantis]

p.s. Pilot, I forgot to add --

One of the deciding factors for choosing the South Beach Diet was that it lets you have chocolate, wine & cheese. I mean ... YES!! (obviously, I'm female LOL)

When you read up on it -- note the diet structure & the recipes and compare them to the different eating methods & recipes that folks are listing here. You'll find a lot of similarities. Which was another deciding factor for me after comparing it with several other diets.

[Merryprankster]

Andrew,

Yup! Any cut from the Shoulder area, clod, chuck, 7-bone/blade. All are excellent pot roasts.

Rump is....just not very good....unless you attack it with an INTENSELY flavored marinade (Sauerbraten!) To tenderize and flavor

[red5angel]

1. The recipes are designed to be prepared quickly and easily and taste good (so you can make a meal for the entire family, just add rice/pasta to the kids' dishes).


If you have to alter a "diet" for your children do you really think it's all that good for you?

MP hit it right on the mark, a good well rounded and nutritious diet that isn't out of hand is good, and being able to cook goes a long way towards getting there!

Hey MP, cough up the curry recipe eh!

[AndrewS]

MP,

mmmmmm. . . . sauerbraten. . . .mmmmm

Still trying to get that right. My grandmother used to do an incredible venison sauerbraten when someone brought us venison that was on the unpleasantly gamey side.

On the less healthy side, I've been on a rib steak kick lately. Ribeye with that gorgeous bone still next to it. Sooo good!

BTW- for dining out, have you seen <chowhound.com>?

What I did instead of training last Sunday: <http://chowhound.com/california/boards/losangeles/messages/142983.html>

Andrew

[Merryprankster]

On the less healthy side, I've been on a rib steak kick lately. Ribeye with that gorgeous bone still next to it. Sooo good!

I prefer top loin cuts, porterhouse, strip, etc. Well, except just straight up filet/tenderloin. That stuff is tasteless and flabby.

[FooFighter]

I cycle the raw food diet and warrior diet. The warrior diet works best for me.

Bao

[Pilot]

Oh man! My post got moved :mad: . Oh well, I guess to them, kung fu is kung fu.
Oh well… :p

About drinking water, I agree that is one of my weak points. I drink mostly unsweetened tea, but it is not the same as water. I have been gradually getting used to drinking (yuck) water. It has surprised me about drinking more water. I have actually starting craving water. I am trying to drink a proper amount each day, but I’m still falling short.

About eating several small meals a day, I agree. I have heard many success stories about this method. The trouble is with my hectic life; I’m rarely when and where I need to be to eat. And when I can find time to eat, I’m starving. And yes, I know I have to make some life style changes (Pilot is kicking and screaming like a little girl :D ).

Great comments all around!
:)

[Toby]

I hesitated posting on this thread...etc
Excellent post. One of the best I've read for a while.

[Becca]

Andrew,

Yup! Any cut from the Shoulder area, clod, chuck, 7-bone/blade. All are excellent pot roasts.

Rump is....just not very good....unless you attack it with an INTENSELY flavored marinade (Sauerbraten!) To tenderize and flavor
Simmer it the crock pot and add 2 packets of mushroom gravy mix. simmer all day. When close 1 hour out from eating time, add carrots, celery, onions, whatever. then make a pan of muffins to go as a side dish. (Cooks up in the mircowave in about 8 minutes)

I have found that Knorr's onion gravy/soup mix can make any not-so-good cut of meat taste good. Even Atalpoe! :eek:

[Merryprankster]

simmer all day.

What you will wind up with is a tender, but dry, stringy and fibrous mass.

The problem is actually the structure of the beef back there. I can take anything, braise it long enough, and make it tender enough to eat. You can even make it taste reasonably good, but it still has texture and mouth feel problems, IMO. Not to mention that it lacks that "beefy" flavor. Salty, acidic marinades (like Sauerbraten), partially denature the proteins, allowing the brining liquid to penetrate, while breaking the proteins down, without destroying their integrity, (unlike meat tenderizer, which will just make things mushy and should never be bought).

I mean, if you or somebody else likes it, go for it! But Chuck is about the same price and tastes sooooooooo much better.

Eye of round makes pretty good Roast Beef sandwiches if cooked medium rare and sliced ULTRA thin (like, thinner than most of us have the desire to take care of). It makes great pho as well, but again, you're slicing it so thinly that connective tissue and protein structure don't matter as much - and it's surrounded by a highly flavored broth.

[FatherDog]

Eye of round makes pretty good Roast Beef sandwiches if cooked medium rare and sliced ULTRA thin (like, thinner than most of us have the desire to take care of). It makes great pho as well, but again, you're slicing it so thinly that connective tissue and protein structure don't matter as much - and it's surrounded by a highly flavored broth.

Yeah, I favor really thinly sliced lunchmeats. We actually bought a slicer to try to make slicing leftover roasts and hams for lunches more easy, but it produced either thick slabs or thin scraps; never did manage to make it produce good thin slices.

Anyone have any experience with home slicers that actually worked?

[Merryprankster]

You need a small restaurant quality model FD. That's going to run you a couple hundred or so. My guess is you picked up a plastic housed model.....the restaurant one will probably be stainless.

[The Willow Sword]

As men get older their Testosterone levels start to drop and then our metabolisms start to slow down and we gain weight. With foods that we eat we must be able to regulate our diet in a way that is pro-active to our body as it fluctuates,,now i am 33,,so i am not yet having to deal with the drop in testosterone levels(actually weight lifting helps to create more testosterone in your body and therefore will speed up that metabolism).

My recommendations for diet are lean meats(preferably fish and fowl) and vegetables(as much as you can stand,,either steamed or raw) and brown rice(NOT WHITE) drinking tea is good but a healthy supply of water is even better. I drink green tea and it has made all the difference with keeping my body clean and in flush. Reverse osmosis and filtered water is good as well and you can go to your local walmart actually and get gallons of the stuff for only a quarter(that way you are not drinking water that has crud in it)
Fruits in the morning coupled with whole wheat bread and REAL butter and a couple of hard boiled eggs are a great breakfast.

The main thing that you havce to really watch out for is consuming refined sugar,,it is like a legal form of heroin and i get trapped in it as well,,but i can regulate that to where it doesnt affect me too much.

I think the main challenge with diets is that people do not stick with them and they will always falter and start eating candy and such.

Foods rich in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are essential,you can either get this is salmon or you can get a supplement in flax seed oil,,,and also i would recommend a b-complex multi vitamin. and GINSENG,,,,,i cant stress that enough,,a little ginseng in your water or in the little vials you get at the oriental markets work great for us men who are getting up there in age.

Peace and i hope this all helps,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,TWS

[FatherDog]

You need a small restaurant quality model FD. That's going to run you a couple hundred or so. My guess is you picked up a plastic housed model.....the restaurant one will probably be stainless.

Thanks, MP. It was a couple years ago, so I don't really remember how much plastic was involved. Any suggestions on brand?

[Merryprankster]

I think the main challenge with diets is that people do not stick with them and they will always falter and start eating candy and such.

No, the problem with diets is the idea of "diet" in any connotation other than "The general category of things I consume."


Thanks, MP. It was a couple years ago, so I don't really remember how much plastic was involved. Any suggestions on brand?

They don't run cheap. You may be able to find something comparable and cheaper than the link below. I seem to recall the edgecraft is tops.

Edgecraft (http://ww1.williams-sonoma.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=srkn2%7Ctm%7Cv0%7Cwslicer%2Fsrkn1%7Ctm %7Cv0%7Cwslicer&skus=6699896&pkey=xsrd0m2%7C15%7C0%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cslicer&gids=sku6699896&cmsrc=sch)

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

i've recently bought tri tip steaks, they're small (4oz avg) well marbled and tastier than chuck cuts.

they fry into beef bacon well, and absorb things underneath better than standing blade roast/steak.

if you like to age meat this ages very slowly and can be weeks gone and still be mild enough to deep marinade and cook well.

percentage of mass in up-take is pretty high in my system. little if any goes to waste. muscle bulking occurs quikly with this cut.

[Gangsterfist]

well I will probably get a few people to disagree with me on this, but I actually eat pretty healthy myself. Never eat fast food, unless its my only option (mostly on long road trips will i eat the wendys or hardees or whatever).

Now, I do not eat meat really either, red meat that is. I am not 100% vegetarian, but my meat intake is not that much. I mostly eat turkey, pork (white pork or ham), chicken, or fish. I mostly eat fish if I am going to eat meat.

Now, one thing I like to cook a lot is stews and soups. This is because it takes little preperation time (like ten to 15 mins) and the rest of the time is spent simmering your soup. I use beans instead of meat (mostly red lentils, but sometimes other beans).

Here is some things you should know when making soups and stews though.

1) Use pure water. Tap water has minerals and stuff in it that takes away from your nutritional value you should be getting.

2) If you are going to use beans that need to be soaked, use pure water, and then use the water you used to soak them to cook.

3) Most things lose most of their nutiritional value when cooked, thats why stews and soups are so good, they keep most of the nutritional value in the broth itself.

4) Beans are a good source of protein but are also a complex carbohydrate, so they fill you up faster than meat, and provide similiar nutrition value. They are also a good source of vitamin K. Soluble fiber absorbs cholesterol. Insoluble fiber moves fat and digested meat out of the intestines. Beans reduce the amount of insulin released, so the body stores less fat. Also, beans have no cholesterol in them. THey also contain: calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Beans also contain boron, copper, iodine, manganese, and zinc. Beans are naturally low in sodium and are high in potassium.

5) Do not use lemon, lemon juice, or chilly sauce in your soups and stews while cooking them. Acidic material takes away from the nutritional value. If you are going to use that stuff, add it seperately in your bowl and do not cook with it. (i don't always follow this concept, I like spicy food a lot!)

6) Beans have both INSOLUBLE and SOLUBLE FIBERS. The soluble fiber absorbs cholesterol, triglycerides (oat bran does not) and toxins. Insoluble fiber moves fat blobs and digested meat through the intestines. Fibers also reduce APPENDICITIS, CONSTIPATION, DIVERTICULITIS, DIVERTICULOSIS, AND HEMORRHOIDS.

However, do not get the canned beans they are jam packed with sodium and preservatives. I am a big fan of beans as you can see. They are easy to cook and soft beans (like lentils) really don't need to be soaked before cooking with them. If you need to soak beans you can always do it the night before. The prep time for cooking stews and soups is not that much like I said earlier.

You can also add in, red meat, fish, poultry, and pork to your soups and stews. If you use lean meat in them you will retain most of the nutritional value as keeping it in the broth of the soup/stew. I have made all kinds of stews and soups over the years from scratch. Its not hard, its easy to get creative, and if you are not good at cooking, soups and stews are really hard to mess up.

Here goes a basic recipe i use from time to time.

1 minced onion
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 tblspn of curry powder
1 lb of lintel beans
2 cups each of chopped: potatoes, carrots, brocoli, squash, celery and zuccini
4 tomatoes (blended or processed in a food processor)
4 cups of water - purified (add or subtract depending on how thick you want it)

optional:
Jalepenos
chilies
cayene pepper
(spices in general)
Chopped ginger
cumin

To change things up I constantly change the amount of spice, and the spice in my soups/stews. I have also made great seafood stews/soups. If you know what you are doing the prep time is never over 10 to 15 minutes. The rest of the time is spent cooking.

Also, if you do not wish to soak your beans you can use a pressure cooker, however I have never used a pressure cooker so I can't comment on them.


In a cooking pot cook the onions and garlic with a little bit of peanut oil or a bit of water. Once they start to brown a bit then add in the tomatoes and water, let simmer for a minute. Then add the rest and the desired spices. Let it come to a boil and then reduce heat and let it simmer for like 30 min half covered on the stove.

This will feed several people as I have made it for myself and my roomates before in the past.

[Becca]

I won't argue with you. Many people who have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) have difficulty with red meat, pork, and wheat glutin. I have heard that the ability to tolerate and fully digest red meat may be tied in with blood type. type A+ tend to have alkaline blood and need an extra boost from acidic foods such as tomato to digest it all. I am not entierly sure of this, but I do have type A+ and have always had problems with red meat. I'd rather eat peanut butter, fish, and chicken, as well as an asortment of veggies that are high in protien like garden peas (4-6 grams in each cup, not bad!).

[spiraler]

eat grape nuts all day everyday and you will be healthy....thats my suggestion.

[Pilot]

I tried to eat my wife's cooking, but my stomach couldn't handle it for long :eek:
I lost a little weight by running to the john. :D

[Merryprankster]

1) Use pure water. Tap water has minerals and stuff in it that takes away from your nutritional value you should be getting.

This simply isn't true. Minerals in your water has next to no impact on the nutritional value of your food. Now, having bad water might be an issue in its own right, but it's not a nutritional thing.


2) If you are going to use beans that need to be soaked, use pure water, and then use the water you used to soak them to cook.

See above. Additionally, throwing out the water does little to the nutritional value of the bean.


3) Most things lose most of their nutiritional value when cooked, thats why stews and soups are so good, they keep most of the nutritional value in the broth itself.

This is absolutely untrue for a variety of reasons. For instance, if you use meat in your soup, the protein doesn't leach out into the stock - it's still back in the meat. Further, what you are talking about is nutrients leaching out into the water. This only happens with water soluble nutrients. Additionally, the cell membranes mitigate this greatly. If you use a roasting, sauteing or other non-moist heat technique, you will not experience leaching at all.

Finally, cooking actually improves the nutritional value of most foods. The raw food diet fad is a myth of crap. Nutrients become, more, not less available when you cook the food - while SOME nutrients do break down, cooking makes more of those nutrients accessable to your body by making the food easier to digest. This is precisely why we cook foods.


4) Beans are a good source of protein but are also a complex carbohydrate, so they fill you up faster than meat, and provide similiar nutrition value.

Beans do not have a similar nutrition profile to meat. Meat tends to be high in B vitamins and red meat is especially high in iron. This is in addition to all the minerals it contains. Further, meat is a complete protein while beans are absolutely not. I love beans, and they are great nutritionally, but it is not similar at all.


5) Do not use lemon, lemon juice, or chilly sauce in your soups and stews while cooking them. Acidic material takes away from the nutritional value. If you are going to use that stuff, add it seperately in your bowl and do not cook with it. (i don't always follow this concept, I like spicy food a lot!)

This is absolutely not true. Acidifying the cooking liquid will not detract from the nutritional value appreciably. The pH necessary to damage the nutrients would render the food item in question unpalatable. These are fairly stable compounds for the most part and hardly require special treatment - if you can boil it without problems (and you can), a tiny shift in pH isn't going to be an issue (and it doesn't.)

[Reggie1]

I'll try not to derail the thread too long, but:

MP--thanks for the using chuck as a cut for a roast idea. My wife used to make a bad roast, and it would drive her crazy. When I read what you wrote, I asked her what cut she used. Surprise, surprise, it was rump. We went out and got a chuck roast a few days ago, and she did her same recipe with the different cut of meat. It was awesome! Just thinking about it makes me salivate...

[Gangsterfist]

MP-

When you cook vegetables, they lose some nutritional value. Meat is a different story, and yes beans are not a sufficient replacement to the protiens and vitamins that meat gives you. That is why if you cook vegetables its best to steam them. If you saute them in a wok or frying pan they can lose some nutritional value.

http://waltonfeed.com/self/beans2.html


Above is a link to some of the information I posted. As far as tap water goes, it has traces of chlorine and other minerals that may take away from some nutritional value. Of course it may or may not make a huge difference, but from what I have read it does. Of course a lot of it applies to water soulable vitamins like you mentioned before.

So....

I decided to research it a bit, and I found out that a lot of what I had mentioned was actually a bit out dated. I read some more recent studies on food and cooking them, and it does state that what I was talking about is true to a sense when it comes to vegetables, (which is what i was referring to). That steaming vegetables will retain some of those water soulable vitamins. It seems that cooking foods (as long as cooked properly) do not really lose nutritional value. However when researching this I did find something interesting about cooking in microwaves.

http://www.relfe.com/microwave.html

So, it seems for the most part MP was right, and what I posted seems to be a bit outdated research. However, every article I did reach that was recent says you must cook the food right. There are right and wrong ways to cook food.

I guess you do learn something new every day....

[Merryprankster]

Gangster, you are correct that this does tend to happen with veggies more so than anything else, and it really is a boiling problem....

But try roasting some zucchini sometime!!!, MMMMMMMM


BTW I just reread my post, and it seems a touch aggressive. My apologies!

Hey reggie, glad to hear it! The fat in chuck really makes a difference.

[Becca]

Rump roast is better in a crock pot, I hate to say. As to the veggie thing, another good way to propare them without loosing nutition is to steam them. I usually do them in a special Tuperware microwave steaming pan. It only cost me $15 and I use it daily. Also, it only takes 5 minutes, fresh or frozen.

On another note entirly... Has anyone out there tried that Koshi GoLean cerial? I have been thinking about trying it since I eat alot of cerial and it looks like an easy way to add more protein into my diet.