Seriously changing my food habits

[Redshirt]

Is anyone else here food conscious? This year, I've been completely revamping how I eat. Michael Pollan's book "In Defence of Food", along with other sources, had a strong influence on me. Here's what I've been doing:

- No more fruit juices, due to high sugar content. I'm just squeezing a lemon into a jug of water instead.
- I'm avoiding anything with transfats (with the exception of cheese), fructose-glucose content and MSG like the plague
- I'm minimizing my consumption of processed foods. When in the supermarket, I avoid the middle aisles as much as possible, buying the stuff on margins instead (i.e. whole foods and produce). I also found a cool alternative to ketchup. :)
- No more coke, pepsi, snapple, other junk food drinks as well as other junk food (chips, chocolate bars...)
- A glass of red wine every day
- I try to buy food from the farmer's market and organic food stores before I go to the Safeway
- I'm sticking with 1% milk and cheese. Unlike the US, here in Canada, pumping milk cows with hormones and antibiotics is illegal.
- No GM foods.
- No white bread ever (i.e. enriched carbohydrates). Always whole wheat or multigrain bread or pasta.
- I try to "buy local" more often (i.e. the farmer's market)
- I'll have desserts once in a while, but not as often.
- I try to stick to buying organic meat products (e.g. grass fed cows without hormones/antibiotics pumped into them).
- I chew more slowly and don't try to stuff myself in a meal (80-90% full)
- I'm trying to increase the proportion of vegetable products in my diet

Is anyone else doing something similar? So far, I'm finding it quite interesting to research the issues and change my habits. Any other suggestions?

[Christina]

I'm not particularly health conscious but I do a lot of those things either to keep my weight down, save money or just because I like the taste better. I don't like sweet drinks, soda or white carb foods, I stick with nonfat dairy products because the rest are too fattening and the only processed foods I buy are the things that Joe likes. I eat lots of vegetables because I like them and I live in an agricultural area so produce is cheaper and better at the Farmer's Market but I doubt I'd go out of my way to support them if it wasn't. It would be nice to buy organic meat and fish but Joe couldn't care less about the meat and it's too expensive. Wine might be good for me but I don't like it. I don't go out of my way to avoid MSG and trans-fats but my diet is pretty far down the food chain most of the time.

[Pendaric]

Why are you trying to change your food habits? Is it a weight loss thing?

[nygreenguy]

Is anyone else here food conscious? This year, I've been completely revamping how I eat. Michael Pollan's book "In Defence of Food", along with other sources, had a strong influence on me. Here's what I've been doing:

- No more fruit juices, due to high sugar content. I'm just squeezing a lemon into a jug of water instead.
- I'm avoiding anything with transfats (with the exception of cheese), fructose-glucose content and MSG like the plague
- I'm minimizing my consumption of processed foods. When in the supermarket, I avoid the middle aisles as much as possible, buying the stuff on margins instead (i.e. whole foods and produce). I also found a cool alternative to ketchup. :)
- No more coke, pepsi, snapple, other junk food drinks as well as other junk food (chips, chocolate bars...)
- A glass of red wine every day
- I try to buy food from the farmer's market and organic food stores before I go to the Safeway
- I'm sticking with 1% milk and cheese. Unlike the US, here in Canada, pumping milk cows with hormones and antibiotics is illegal.
- No GM foods.
- No white bread ever (i.e. enriched carbohydrates). Always whole wheat or multigrain bread or pasta.
- I try to "buy local" more often (i.e. the farmer's market)
- I'll have desserts once in a while, but not as often.
- I try to stick to buying organic meat products (e.g. grass fed cows without hormones/antibiotics pumped into them).
- I chew more slowly and don't try to stuff myself in a meal (80-90% full)
- I'm trying to increase the proportion of vegetable products in my diet

Is anyone else doing something similar? So far, I'm finding it quite interesting to research the issues and change my habits. Any other suggestions?

We are doing much of the same with a few exceptions.

MSG. I have yet to see any real problems.

Juice, in moderation its great.

I dont have a problem with GM.

The rest we are trying to do. The farmers market is great!

[willynilly]

I have found I like soy milk more than regular. It's richer in flavor and texture than the skim or 1/2 milk. This time of year is great for fresh veggies and fruit. We are doing a garden for the first time. We are also trying to do gluten and casein free for our son. It's really hard though. I prefer to make bread which helps.

[Notta]

What's your alternative to ketchup? I use salsa for a bunch of things instead, and make my own during tomato season.

[miss djax]

i do about 90% of my shopping at the farmers market, its weird to go into a grocery store and see alot of the processed stuff. and how aggressively some of its marketed to kids..

i started making my own cleaning products iwth vinegar and baking soda. if i could get off my papertowel and napkin thing and switch to microfiber and cloth, i'd be all but out of there.

i can't believe how much better locally grown, freshly picked tastes. i was in the middle of a frantic day and ended up in the mcdonalds drive thru. i had ONE cheeseburger and almost spit it out...the white bun was so sweet and the meat was so salty i about gagged. eeeewwww

even if you dismiss the environmental and economic arguments pollan makes, i defy you to find a tomato that tastes better than what i buy at my local farmers market. which even carries local wine. wooooot!

[nygreenguy]

I have found I like soy milk more than regular. It's richer in flavor and texture than the skim or 1/2 milk. This time of year is great for fresh veggies and fruit. We are doing a garden for the first time. We are also trying to do gluten and casein free for our son. It's really hard though. I prefer to make bread which helps.


Why remove gluten? Is he allergic?

[miss djax]

Why are you trying to change your food habits? Is it a weight loss thing?

if i may, redshirt ;)

it's not so much as weight as it is about health, of people, of animals, and the planet.

pollan makes some good arguments about how factory farming is detrimental, how local farming is crucial to economies and people's health, and how in general, monsanto sucks and high fructose corn syrup is the devil's work.

thats my totally abridged version ;) he synthesizes it to :

'eat food, not too much, mostly plants'

[Anne]

I'm a little crunchy (probably a granola eating hippy flake on this board. Elsewhere, I'm as soggy sumbitch), and a lot of what you said we've done for years.

We're crunchy mainly because we're cheap as all get out, a little for the environment and a bit more for the health.

No juice here. I used to drink OJ ALL the time, and cider, but I have thyroid issues and am at high risk for type 2 diabetes, and the value in an orange verses a glass of juice... well, it's just not worth it. In addition, soda is a rare treat. It's mainly water, tea, coffee and lemonade (country time) here. I used to make lemonade form scratch, but that was a special treat, and the boy drinks lemonade like it's going out of style. We also drink beer and wine, mostly homebrewed. Hex drinks bourbon. Not homemade. The wastrel.

Does cheese have transfats? Did you mean sat fats? We avoid transfats as well, and try to keep the sat fats lower. But dammit, I like my butter and coconut milk and lard. We avoid high fructose corn syrup--- but then, doing what we do with drinks, we already killed most of those. We're also low sodium.

We're also high fiber. I like to chew my own food, thankyouverymuch. We check fiber content, then sugar then fat to make decisions on what to buy/make.

I prefer low processing. The fewer steps from source to table the better. butter and cream over processed fats, turbinaro over white sugar, choices like that.

We eat vegetarian/vegan a lot. I do consider bacon and sausage 'seasonings' though. ;) We try to keep our overall average meat consumption low, and a couple of slices of bacon in a mess of greens is hardly going to add up.

We eat a lot of fiber. Snacking veggies and added fiber boosters are a big hit here--- wheat germ is great added to tonnes of food.

We do the same with the 'buy on the outside of the store'. We also have a few farmers markets, and some nice mom and pop stores to grab fresh stuff in...

We mostly make our own chips. I deep fry them. For some reason, homemade corn chips or potato chips are more satisfying and I don't gain weight with them... I dunno...

- I'm sticking with 1% milk and cheese. Unlike the US, here in Canada, pumping milk cows with hormones and antibiotics is illegal.


Organic milk here. I drink soy personally, but the boy is still growing... It's a concession to health and not the pocketbook there.

We try not to eat out. It used to be the norm for us, and seems to be the norm for most people these days, but it's just as fast to make a meal at home, even BK, if I've had some planning time.

- I'll have desserts once in a while, but not as often.

fruit counts. We try to have fruit and cheese as dessert once in a while.

- I try to stick to buying organic meat products (e.g. grass fed cows without hormones/antibiotics pumped into them).


that's a concession I've yet to make. I'm hoping this winter to buy half a grain fed pig or cow and split it with my mom...

- I'm trying to increase the proportion of vegetable products in my diet

A good effort. We do that a lot--- we used to be better. Trying to have one green and one not green veggie at every meal, snacking veggies, drinking a glass of tomato juice at every breakfast...

We also try to eat as many foods as possible. So, we'll have peas and carrots, not or. stuff like that.

I keep homemade broth in the fridge/freezer to add to food (another reason we're not vegetarian... :() --- just dump a carcass in a crock pot and veggie trimmings and let go for 20 hours. Oh! crockpots rock! low fat cooking!

So much is second nature... I'll try to think...

[Anne]

i do about 90% of my shopping at the farmers market, its weird to go into a grocery store and see alot of the processed stuff. and how aggressively some of its marketed to kids..

our boy actually chooses things based on the healthiness of it! W00t! Other parents are amazed that he eats fruits let alone veggies. He once asked for carrot sticks instead of french fries with his chicken fingers at a restaurant. The cook came out to meet him. :D

i started making my own cleaning products iwth vinegar and baking soda. if i could get off my papertowel and napkin thing and switch to microfiber and cloth, i'd be all but out of there.


We use old dipes and washcloths for cleaning products. I have a separate hamper for them, and wash once in cold and once in hot with a bit of bleach with an extra rinse. We use bandanas for napkins, although I was thinking of investing in linen... We use hankies for tissues (oh, what a concept!) and I make little cloths out of old clothes (especially flannel) that we keep about for noses and quick cleanups. I also use a diva cup and cloth pads, and we occasionally use personal cloth instead of toilet paper. (see, I'm really soggy! We use TP!)

What I'm saying is, a few dozen cheap dipes, a couple of packs of washcloths, a dozen hankies, a dozen napkins, and you are looking at an extra wash a week, max. Take the plunge!

I used to can a ton of produce, or froze stuff. We'd spend a few weekends a fall putting food up--- dehydrating apples, cherries, corn etc, canning tomatoes, salsa, juice, grape juice, jelly, pears, peaches, corn, pickles, saurkraut, freezing strawberries, brocolli, eggplant, beans, etc. I corn our own corn beef as well...

There is nothing quite as satisfying as popping open a jar of homecanned tomatoes dead of winter. mmmmm....

[Cath B]

I'm very much into local produce, especially things I've grown or gathered myself.

Even more so since reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma etc.

[MrFungus420]

Nitpick (and pet peeve):

ALL food is organic.

[MrFungus420]

- I'm avoiding anything with transfats (with the exception of cheese), fructose-glucose content and MSG like the plague

So, you're avoiding fruit?

[hecaterin]

I'm conscious of it, but not at all systematic. There are conflicts that make it tricky. You usually can't have local, fair trade, free-range, small farm, organic-ish, convenient and frugal at the same time. Also, I generally mistrust extreme purists. I'm not going to decree that I'll never let item X pass my lips.

I try to buy mostly local produce, fair-trade coffee, and free-range meat, but I also like to have some fancypants gourmet stuff too. So I get the occasional imported cheese, vinegar, chocolate, alcohol, spices etc. For fresh produce I usually stick with Australian, but I'll stretch local to include our close neighbours like NZ and Thailand. And sometimes frugality on price conquers the ethics.

I've been reading supermarket labels more and discovered a few surprises. For instance, we seem to import all our canned citrus fruits from Swaziland. We grow plenty here, but no-one is packing them in that easy breakfast pack.

[Redshirt]

- I'm avoiding anything with transfats (with the exception of cheese), fructose-glucose content and MSG like the plague

So, you're avoiding fruit?

My mistake. I meant fructose corn syrup.

[hecaterin]

Nitpick (and pet peeve): ALL food is organic.It's a language shift. Too late. I used to do the same as you, and it still bugs me a bit, but the term does have a distinct referent. (BTW, salt isn't. Ha! Gotcha!)


And Anne, I am never going to use hankies instead of tissues. A dozen a week? Ha, as if! A dozen a day is more likely. Yuk.

[Anne]

why not? All you do is throw them in regular wash, and it's no problem.

(ps: I'm not going to make you!)

[crazyfingers]

I have been watching my food habits. Yes. I have been eating less and have lost about 20lbs in 6 month and I can now run with the kids. I want to lose another 10.

[Mechanical Bliss]

i was in the middle of a frantic day and ended up in the mcdonalds drive thru. i had ONE cheeseburger and almost spit it out...the white bun was so sweet and the meat was so salty i about gagged. eeeewwww

It's strange how that changes. For independence day, I decided to splurge on some overpriced but common potato chips. I'm not a big fan of them in the first place, but once in a while a craving might pop up. They were so ridiculously salty, though, they were impossible to enjoy. Eating them was like a punishment. Ditto with the sweetness of candy. But these are items I would have gladly eaten and not noticed this even a year ago given how they are like crack to so many people. So many foods seem unpalatable now that I previously enjoyed.

It wasn't out of health really that I changed my eating habits recently. It was primarily cost. Most of the changes Redshirt mentioned are ones I ended up adopting. Of course "organic" dairy, meat, and produce are not inexpensive, so I haven't really traveled very far into that territory. I do try to maximize my intake of whole grains, fresh produce, lean protein and reduce fats and carbs wherever possible, and in many ways it's cheaper, especially relative to prepared foods in the "middle aisles" (which have become largely unpalatable now anyway). Whole grain pasta though is one step to far for me. I love pasta too much to completely abandon it for something which, to me, has a bizarre texture that tastes nothing like the pasta I know.

People here had suggested exercise and changed eating habits. It didn't really make me feel better, though it's been more cost effective. The result has been losing noticeable weight (but since I don't weigh myself I don't know how much). Over the last six months I've been left with no clothes that truly fit anymore; I just use an old belt with custom punched holes to try to hold everything on my body.

Another big secret for me has been weed, which might seem paradoxical given its association with the munchies. But for me, it enhances the taste of supposedly healthy munchies that I don't mind, so any transitioning or efforts at trying new things was made easier, in my opinion. Eating an orange stoned tastes just dandy, so I'll have no regrets about neglecting the cookies and chips.

[Christina]

It's strange how that changes... So many foods seem unpalatable now that I previously enjoyed.

That's what happened to me too. I used to like all of that stuff but once I stopped eating it I couldn't go back. It's hard to convince people that losing a lot of weight doesn't mean feeling continually deprived of eating larger amounts of those foods because after a while your tastes change and you don't want them anymore. I love good chocolate but more than a little at a time now makes me feel queasy. I'm not very rigid about it and if something looks good to me I'll eat it but it doesn't happen often. I didn't realize how fussy I had gotten until people started talking about food here and my mind knows that it all sounds delicious but my stomach rebels at the thought of very rich or sweet foods.

[DMB]

When I was a child we didn't have a washing machine. Everything had to be washed by hand. My particular job was washing the handkerchiefs. First they were soaked in a bucket and then I washed them in water with soap flakes. If necessary I scrubbed them with a brush. I can still remember how disgusting it was if anyone had a cold. I would stand there scraping green snot off the soaked handkerchiefs before I could start washing them. I was so glad when tissues came along. I am never going back to hankies.

[purple_kathryn]

I would normally take a glass of fruit juice with my evening meal. I've been going for the ones without the (extra) added sugar.

Is the pure stuff just as bad?

[Christina]

I'm not a nutritionist but juice isn't bad for you as far as I know. I avoid it and eat a piece of the fruit instead because sometimes it takes a lot of fruit to make one glass of juice and that adds a lot of calories that I'd rather use for something else. Otherwise I'd drink it all the time.

[willynilly]

I have found I like soy milk more than regular. It's richer in flavor and texture than the skim or 1/2 milk. This time of year is great for fresh veggies and fruit. We are doing a garden for the first time. We are also trying to do gluten and casein free for our son. It's really hard though. I prefer to make bread which helps.


Why remove gluten? Is he allergic?

It's recommended for kids with autism. We have noticed he is much less hyper with out them. Or at least with the amount reduced.

[Anne]

Whole grain pasta though is one step to far for me. I love pasta too much to completely abandon it for something which, to me, has a bizarre texture that tastes nothing like the pasta I know.

Barilla makes a pasta called Barilla Plus which is made iwth lentil flour and flax seeds--- it tastes and feels and looks like regular pasta, but has extra fiber and protein.

It's great for our boy who likes eating plain starches...

When I was a child we didn't have a washing machine. Everything had to be washed by hand. My particular job was washing the handkerchiefs. First they were soaked in a bucket and then I washed them in water with soap flakes. If necessary I scrubbed them with a brush. I can still remember how disgusting it was if anyone had a cold. I would stand there scraping green snot off the soaked handkerchiefs before I could start washing them. I was so glad when tissues came along. I am never going back to hankies.

ew! Manners dictate you wash your own hankies!

No matter your rank (ie: maids don't wash their ladies' hankies, the ladies do.)

And washing machines do all the work these days...

I would normally take a glass of fruit juice with my evening meal. I've been going for the ones without the (extra) added sugar.

Is the pure stuff just as bad?

just as? Juice is empty calories--- eat the whole fruit.

Of course, if you aren't abusing it (I could drink a 1/2 gallon of OJ in a sitting...) then splurge--- just realize it is a splurge!

[purple_kathryn]

I would normally take a glass of fruit juice with my evening meal. I've been going for the ones without the (extra) added sugar.

Is the pure stuff just as bad?

just as? Juice is empty calories--- eat the whole fruit.

Of course, if you aren't abusing it (I could drink a 1/2 gallon of OJ in a sitting...) then splurge--- just realize it is a splurge!


Um yes but I drink it while eating my dinner - to help the food go down (1-2 glasses). I'm not that keen on tap water :p.

[Anne]

can you replace it with tea or coffee or seltzer?

Or make it into a spritzer?

[Redshirt]

Why are you trying to change your food habits? Is it a weight loss thing?

I'm relatively slim, but I wouldn't mind having a better shaped mid-section though. I'd like to minimize or perhaps eliminiate my "spare tire". :) It's also a health thing as well. Whole foods are simply better for me than processed foods. I don't want to pick up the various diseases that plague processed foods. When I retire someday, I'd prefer to enjoy my retirement instead of lying on a deathbed!

I'm not a nutritionist but juice isn't bad for you as far as I know. I avoid it and eat a piece of the fruit instead because sometimes it takes a lot of fruit to make one glass of juice and that adds a lot of calories that I'd rather use for something else. Otherwise I'd drink it all the time.

I believe that fruit juice concentrates the sugars (which are linked to diabetes and obesity) and the whole fruit has other nutrients (such as fibre) that the juice itself lacks. It's better to eat an orange than drink just its juice.

[sohy]

I'm very food conscious but I am not at all a purist. I eat lots of complex carbs, starting with a mixture of several cereals in the morning, topped with fresh fruit when available. I eat between five and eight servings of fresh raw or steamed vegetables almost every day, and seasonal fruits as available. I drink freshly squeezed orange juice all winter long and I doubt you will convince me that's unhealthy. I do eat white basmati rice because I'm hooked on the stuff, but I will eat whole wheat pasta at times and brown rice if I'm in the mood. I eat very few processed foods, small servings of animal protein, including one small steak per week because I am highly prone to iron deficiency anemia and don't seem to absorb non heme sources of iron very well. I'm on iron supplements again right now due to a recent low hgb. I never ( okay, almost never ) eat fried foods, chips etc, but I do have a small dish of ice cream every night, and a couple of small plain cookies or dark chocolate for a snack almost every day. We have vegetarian or vegan meals two or three times a week. I despise milk, it's baby food after all. I take calcium supplements instead, which are strongly recommended for all post menopausal women.

We eat out on the weekends but I'm very careful about what I eat. Most of it is at a small mom and pop Thai restaurant that cooks very fresh, mostly healthy meals.I usually choose tofu for my "meat" choice. I enjoy eating this way and it helps me maintain my weight. As long as I exercise 3-4 times weekly and eat small frequent meals from the above sources, I can stay at about 120lbs. Like most women, I'm never happy. My ideal wt. is 115. I just don't want to give up my ice cream.

And water. I drink way more water than I need. It's just a habit of mine to sip icy cold water all day long. I also recently read that people often drink way more water than they need. The only thing it's good for is renal stone. prevention. Otherwise it's a myth that you need at least eight glasses per day. I just love the stuff. I only drink etoh on special occasions, probably less than once a month on average. I don't feel at all deprived. I love to eat the way I do and I usually feel great, even with the anemia.

I'd like to add that I've recently read some articles that debunked the idea that corn syrup is the cause of all evil. ;) I think Michael Pollan is a bit extreme. One of his books is sitting on my table but his extremism turns me off. Anytime you eat a lot of sugar, regardless of source of origin, I think you're likely to have problems. Sugar can be very addictive for many of us. I prefer the concept of moderation in most things. If there is something that I can't resist, I simply don't allow myself access to it. Cake. I will not bring cake into my house. It will call my name until the entire cake is gone.

[His Noodly Appendage]

Not at all crunchy here, but not at all fond of the whole vegetable gum, humectant and sugar thing that so many 'overprocessed' foods have going on.

I only drink diet soft drinks ('soda' in your language) because sugar just makes me thirstier (and fatter). Fruit juice is an indulgence for the same reason. A piece of fruit is way more filling, and a better use of all those calories. I drink low-fat (though not no-fat) milk for the same reason, too.

I've got into some really bad eating habits over the last few years for a bunch of reasons, and do need to get back to something healthier. I don't give a damn about most of the items on that list per se, but I do want to get back to a lot more green vegies and salads.

[hecaterin]

Why remove gluten? Is he allergic?It's recommended for kids with autism. We have noticed he is much less hyper with out them. Or at least with the amount reduced.Recommended by whom? There's a lot of woo out there - all sorts of fake cures sucking the money out of people. I remember one recent story (orac? evidence based med?) where someone's doc suggested taking their kid off the casein & gluten free diet for one month, so they could record the differences properly and write up case notes for a journal... only to find that it made no difference at all. The improvement was all due to therapy, and natural growing up.

[Valheru]

Snapple is a junk food drink? I thought it was one of the healthier ones?

[Mechanical Bliss]

Barilla makes a pasta called Barilla Plus which is made iwth lentil flour and flax seeds--- it tastes and feels and looks like regular pasta, but has extra fiber and protein.

It's great for our boy who likes eating plain starches...

Yeah, I've seen that and tried it once accidentally and it was actually passable, surprisingly. I have avoided it though because I didn't know exactly why it was "Plus" and didn't care enough to find out (but now you've told me) and it's $1 more per box than regular Barilla. Either that or it comes in a smaller box like 12 instead of 16 oz. for the same price as regular Barilla, but that might be their whole wheat pasta. Hopefully I can catch it on sale and pick up some more because that sounds like a good idea.

[willynilly]

Why remove gluten? Is he allergic?It's recommended for kids with autism. We have noticed he is much less hyper with out them. Or at least with the amount reduced.Recommended by whom? There's a lot of woo out there - all sorts of fake cures sucking the money out of people. I remember one recent story (orac? evidence based med?) where someone's doc suggested taking their kid off the casein & gluten free diet for one month, so they could record the differences properly and write up case notes for a journal... only to find that it made no difference at all. The improvement was all due to therapy, and natural growing up.

Parents of children with the disorder. We noticed a difference in his hyper activity in days. It has not stopped us from getting him into pre-school, speech and OT. We are also trying to get him into the local Lovaas certified school. So we are not out relying on "woo". But thanks for the concern.

[purple_kathryn]

I believe that fruit juice concentrates the sugars (which are linked to diabetes and obesity) and the whole fruit has other nutrients (such as fibre) that the juice itself lacks. It's better to eat an orange than drink just its juice.


Yeah but how bad is it to drink 250mls with your evening meal of pure fruit juice eg a glass of tropicana tropical juice (not OJ though, my stomach doen't like it). I looked at the calories and it didn't seem too bad but I didn't look at the sugar content

[sohy]

Snapple is a junk food drink? I thought it was one of the healthier ones?

I think it's loaded with sugar, unless you're drinking the diet variety. Many people would consider diet drinks junk too. If they don't increase your appetite for other sweets, I guess they are okay. If they help you lose wt, the benefits probably out weigh any risk, assuming there is a risk to consuming artificial sweeteners. There are mixed opinions on that.

I confess that I do drink an artificially sweetened cranberry juice drink in the afternoon. It has green tea extract in it and it helps keep me from getting drowsy. I don't think it will kill me.

[Anne]

I only drink diet soft drinks ('soda' in your language)


Whose language?

Back East, it's soda. Up here, it's pop. Down South it's coke (any carbonated beverage is coke, not just cola flavored let alone Coke brand cola flavored).

Kool aid, juice and milk count as soft drinks as well, here at least... actually, any drink that isn't 'hard' is soft, here... ;)


Barilla makes a pasta called Barilla Plus which is made iwth lentil flour and flax seeds--- it tastes and feels and looks like regular pasta, but has extra fiber and protein.

It's great for our boy who likes eating plain starches...

Yeah, I've seen that and tried it once accidentally and it was actually passable, surprisingly. I have avoided it though because I didn't know exactly why it was "Plus" and didn't care enough to find out (but now you've told me) and it's $1 more per box than regular Barilla. Either that or it comes in a smaller box like 12 instead of 16 oz. for the same price as regular Barilla, but that might be their whole wheat pasta. Hopefully I can catch it on sale and pick up some more because that sounds like a good idea.

Yeah, it has more nutrients per oz--- changing it from filler to food. We like it for that...

Glad I could help.

Snapple is a junk food drink? I thought it was one of the healthier ones?

I think it's loaded with sugar, unless you're drinking the diet variety. Many people would consider diet drinks junk too. If they don't increase your appetite for other sweets, I guess they are okay. If they help you lose wt, the benefits probably out weigh any risk, assuming there is a risk to consuming artificial sweeteners. There are mixed opinions on that.

I confess that I do drink an artificially sweetened cranberry juice drink in the afternoon. It has green tea extract in it and it helps keep me from getting drowsy. I don't think it will kill me.

I only drink 0 calorie drinks that aren't diet (I can't take aspertame--- makes me sick and headachy at 2/3 of a serving--- oh for saccarin!) or I drink it like wine--- it's a treat I savor and have a little of, not something to pound cause I'm thirsty. I've gotten to the point that the flavored seltzers are a treat to me as well...

[hecaterin]

Why remove gluten? Is he allergic?It's recommended for kids with autism. We have noticed he is much less hyper with out them. Or at least with the amount reduced.Recommended by whom? There's a lot of woo out there - all sorts of fake cures sucking the money out of people. I remember one recent story (orac? evidence based med?) where someone's doc suggested taking their kid off the casein & gluten free diet for one month, so they could record the differences properly and write up case notes for a journal... only to find that it made no difference at all. The improvement was all due to therapy, and natural growing up.Parents of children with the disorder. We noticed a difference in his hyper activity in days. It has not stopped us from getting him into pre-school, speech and OT. We are also trying to get him into the local Lovaas certified school. So we are not out relying on "woo". But thanks for the concern.Good luck to you!

I have been quite shocked recently by some of the skeptic blogs. I knew that the crazies were out there claiming that vaccines cause autism, but the crazy cures were new to me. Some of them are outright dangerous as well as very unpleasant and expensive - chelation therapy especially - and some are simply very unpleasant for sensitive children, like enemas and massive doses of pills. And some are just there to extract your money and do nothing, like reiki and homeopathy. I find this sort of preying on people to be morally disgusting. As when my partner's father was dying of cancer, and people were recommending all sorts of expensive nonsense.

I guess I just want to say - it's a minefield out there. Watch out! And I guess you probably knew this anyway so I apologise if I have come off as overly preachy...

ETA: the gluten free thing rings specific alarm bells, because it was part of the original Wakefield forged (or massively incompetent) research, in which he claimed that the vaccine caused Crohn's disease.

[willynilly]

Good luck to you!

I have been quite shocked recently by some of the skeptic blogs. I knew that the crazies were out there claiming that vaccines cause autism, but the crazy cures were new to me. Some of them are outright dangerous as well as very unpleasant and expensive - chelation therapy especially - and some are simply very unpleasant for sensitive children, like enemas and massive doses of pills. And some are just there to extract your money and do nothing, like reiki and homeopathy. I find this sort of preying on people to be morally disgusting. As when my partner's father was dying of cancer, and people were recommending all sorts of expensive nonsense.

I guess I just want to say - it's a minefield out there. Watch out! And I guess you probably knew this anyway so I apologise if I have come off as overly preachy...

ETA: the gluten free thing rings specific alarm bells, because it was part of the original Wakefield forged (or massively incompetent) research, in which he claimed that the vaccine caused Crohn's disease.

I shouldn't have gotten defensive, sorry. I just don't want you thinking we are out looking for some miracle cure. I feel sorry for anyone looking for a cure, it's pretty clear it's like diabetes and you are just controlling the problem. I appreciate Jenny McCarthy as a parent who has been through this but I haven't gotten her book or read (it as everyone has advised) because I wanted a more professional/ acedemic guide on things. I have no doubt in some cases the vaccine may have activated the condition but I know my son's was not one of them. My brother and cousin both has autistic children too. More than likely for us it was genetics, plain and simple.