Healthy Eating - how seriously should you take it?

[Kezzer]

The way to stay healthy is to excerise 6 hours a week and don't worry what you eat (of course it has ot be a balanced diet and not takeway everyday). Doing this i can afford to have a nice Chinese evryweek (not always chinese) and still build muscle etc. You need fat to stop your body "eating away" at your muscles when you get hungry or need energy.

That's under the assumption of someone with a relatively fast metabolism, some people aren't as blessed. My metabolism is very slow, therefore I have to do more exercise and eat healthier than your usual human being. I'm still at a very healthy weight, but it takes a lot of work.

[mikerr]

Actually milk is always bad for you.
Basically, humans are the only species who drink the milk of another species

Coomon eco tagline that, but you have to remember - animals are not always healthy themselves.

Humans live longer and healthier than other species too

[trusz]

I find that healthy eating is not just important for weight loss/building muscle, but making you feel good generally. Eating healthily helps me feel a lot better physically which lifts my mental mood aswell. When I've eaten crap for a week because I've gotten in to a rut of not being arsed to go to the supermarket, I might eat take aways and fry ups which makes me feel sluggish and gives me greasey skin which will contribute to spots. I've never really been a spotty person even through my teens so I hate it when I do get them as I think they're really noticable.

[Perfectionist]

It really depends on what you're doing, if you are active you have a wider choice of what you can eat - in fact if you're wanting to build up muscle a lot of diets recommend eating traditionally "unhealthy" foods like full english breakfasts.

But yeah, getting proper nutrition is important whatever you do. You're totally right on the fruit and veg, tablets and such really can't compare, so much is lost in the processing.

[PeterS]

You should take diet seriously, but don't become a fanatic. It sounds as if you know what to eat anyway. We suggest the Mediterranean diet, fruit, lean meat, oily fish and a glass of wine sometimes.
Enjoy yourself at Christmas and work it off afterwards.

[4444405]

You should take diet seriously, but don't become a fanatic. It sounds as if you know what to eat anyway. We suggest the Mediterranean diet, fruit, lean meat, oily fish and a glass of wine sometimes.
Enjoy yourself at Christmas and work it off afterwards.

Here Here!
I goto my gym every weekday at 7am before work....and I let myself eat and drink at weekends!
We only live once....so dont over do it....be sensible and responsible!

[lego batman]

Then there's that old controversy of how much wine is healthy and how much is just being a rampant alcoholic. Those "more than 10 units a week adds up to a serious health problem" adverts disturb me sometimes.

[Rambo]

If you exercise every day Your Diet is VERY IMPORTANT. Bodybuilders live their whole lives for their bodies, they walk when they should run, they relax when they are not busy, they eat every meal with the intention of building more muscles.

Your body is a giant billboard for How serious you are about nutrition.

[Rambo]

Lol ALCAHOL is THE single biggest obsticle there is to being healthy. Do some research dont listen to the Gov. Any alcahol reverts your body into a catabolic state and destroys any recent muscle growth. if you want to look and feel health DO NOT DRINK ALCAHOL. Ever.

We are obsessed about alcahol in England. IMO if you drink more then twice ea week you are an alcaholic. We see it as sociably acceptable yet it is the worst legal drug for our bodies healthy development.

[Zak33]

My sister is almost a fanatic. She has books on the subject and takes it all pretty seriously.
She no longer eats cereal as she insists that milk is really bad for you after the age of 3! That statement alone is tough for me to digest as I love my cereal at all times of day.

your sister IS a fanatic.

Allegedly, according to many nutters, milk is just pus. Like you get from an infected wound. Nice.

But those people also tell you that a Nut Ring is best at Christmas, and I disagree with that too

As to diet.. it's critical and key to your life and your LONG life. Just like building a PC... fit cheaply made, badly created components, you'll end up regretting it one day.

With the exception of the slaughtering that I got from the HEXUS massive when I suggested a litre of smoothy per day... which I now regret ever suggesting, cos of the blood sugar level attack it creates (though not it me, I hasten to add) I think that HEXUS community have got some good input on food, and we're prolly all better educated than the average Joe Public.

My input it:

Eat some fish. Make sure it's ethically sourced (ie NOT haddock and cod every day, cos they're not in good supply anymore)
Sainsbury's sell only well farmed, RSPCA Freedom foods salmon. It's only come from Scotland too, and not all the way across the atlantic. You can get enough for 2 large adult portions for about £2:50. We had some for lunch on Tuesday. Just heat oven to max, and then when it's hot, put salmon in on foil, for about 6 minutes...

Eat lots of fruit. Vegetables are good... but fruit is very rarely cooked, so maintaind a lot more vit c and frankly it's easier to eat at work than a head of broccoli.

Try to have some pulses... beans. There are now loads to choose from. Flageolet, red kidney, borlotti... whatever.. just ue those to replace some meat in whatver you make. It's cheaper too... just rinse them WELL if they're in salt water.

And try to eat as many different colours as possible. If you can manage a red , a green, a white and a purple thing, you're rocking

[Mblaster]

My input it:

Eat some fish. Make sure it's ethically sourced (ie NOT haddock and cod every day, cos they're not in good supply anymore)
Sainsbury's sell only well farmed, RSPCA Freedom foods salmon. It's only come from Scotland too, and not all the way across the atlantic. You can get enough for 2 large adult portions for about £2:50. We had some for lunch on Tuesday. Just heat oven to max, and then when it's hot, put salmon in on foil, for about 6 minutes...

Eat lots of fruit. Vegetables are good... but fruit is very rarely cooked, so maintaind a lot more vit c and frankly it's easier to eat at work than a head of broccoli.

Try to have some pulses... beans. There are now loads to choose from. Flageolet, red kidney, borlotti... whatever.. just ue those to replace some meat in whatver you make. It's cheaper too... just rinse them WELL if they're in salt water.

And try to eat as many different colours as possible. If you can manage a red , a green, a white and a purple thing, you're rocking

Your list of 'things you should eat' is also a list of 'things I don't eat'...

The only fish I eat is tuna, from a can, and I can't remember the last time I cooked some vegetables/ate some fresh fruit (although, I do drink a fair amount of fruit juice).

My main meals are usually some form of red meat + bread/pasta as it's easy and tasty. I like to think I'm healthy, I'm closer to underweight than overweight, and I'm still reasonably fit, but it'd be interesting to know if my bad diet has effects that are not quite so obvious right now.

[icemantaz]

im suffering quite alot from the fruit juice stuff. iv been buying the tropicana 100% real fruit juice stuff with nothing added, only to find that in every cup i drink there is aroun 26% of my daily sugar intake!
Now considering i really really like the taste of it i can quite easily drink 3 or 4 cups a day.
i cant win :s

[BuddyAdams]

If anybody wants be healthy and physically up to date as per health then they have to take care of their diet and as well as their exercise. I am suggesting some steps for healthy life.

---> Fix ur diet
---> Fix the time of ur exercise
---> Check ur body's test every decided duration
---> Do not take any medicines without any doctor's suggetions
---> Avoid to eat junk food if possible

--------------------

[malfunction]

But those people also tell you that a Nut Ring is best at Christmas, and I disagree with that too

Being a vegetarian won't make you live longer - it will just feel like it

And try to eat as many different colours as possible. If you can manage a red , a green, a white and a purple thing, you're rocking

Skittles? M&Ms?

On a serious note I will be giving my diet and exercise regime (or lack of one) some serious thought when I get back from hols (off on hols tomorrow). I'm 'only' 33 but my sedentary lifestyle is not doing me any favours - my 36" jeans are tight, I'm up at 14.5 stone and I've started to get aches and pains in my shoulders with alarming regularity. I think I might be getting a warning of what's to come if I don't change my ways.

[lego batman]

It seems that waist size is especially important: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4258208.stm
But note the caveat "Note - it is different to belt size"
So hopefullly you are ok as you are malfunction!
And on a side note I get lots of shoulder aches when I walk around but I am definitely not overweight - I think this might just be to do with flexibility. So it's good to be thinking about your weight but I don't think you need to panic!

[MadduckUK]

So hopefullly you are ok as you are malfunction!