AARP Rewards Healthy Plate Contest, Week 2 May 10-16

[AARPTeri]

Welcome to Week 2 of our AARP Rewards Healthy Plate Contest, May 10-16, 2021

This week we are looking for ways you eliminate foods from your diet!  Tell us what challenges or specialized diets have you used to boost your health?  Low carb, low calorie,no sugar, etc.. and get 50 AARP Rewards point as well as a chance to win our Week 2 topic.  Rules:  https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Healthy-Plate-Contest-2021-Official-... .  Click here to see information on the contest

[Dakotalady401]

I have been working on eliminating dairy products in my diet. Using plant based coffee creamer has been easy. Switching out cheese has been hard, but I figure if I can at least treat cheese as a condiment rather than a main snack, I will eliminate a lot of calorie dense food from my diet.

[TWC]

If plain water does not work for you, add in some of your favorite fruit. I like the taste of lime, blueberries or strawberries in my water.

[ip3285]

I often drink plain sparkling water with nothing added but carbonation.  

[GailN935310]

That's my thing too. I also like fruit essential oils like lemon, lime and orange. 

[PaulV959749]

Replace soda drinks for water! I fill a 2-liter bottle with water every day and require myself to finish it before the end of that day. The earlier in the day I finish my water, the more pleasant sleeping through the nighttime is! 😏

[GailN935310]

No kidding! That's a testament to drinking more water. And the practical solution to my 4am potty breaks. 

[TWC]

Shop mainly in the fresh produce and butcher shop areas of your supermarket. Avoid canned food as much as possible. If something is advertised on TV it is probably not healthy. 

[GailN935310]

Your comment is spot on. 

This is the foundational tip for good healthy eating. I shop primarily around the perimeter of the grocery store. Produce, meat cases, processed meats like hot dogs, bacon & sausage (read the labels! Don't buy these meats if they contain nitrates or nitrates) Here is a list of the compounds   you want to avoid:

• sodium nitrate (E251)
• sodium nitrite (E250)
• potassium nitrate (E252)
• potassium nitrite (E249)

Continue to dairy and the freezer cases ( stay away from frozen processed foods. There are great options for frozen meats)

I finish in the red wine aisle. Red wine in moderation (10 oz or less per day) is good for a number of conditions. Heart disease and diabetes are two. 

[kt3550]

I have found that my body doesn't tolerate refined grains very well. It's been hard to give up tasty breads and pastas!

[ThomasC338721]

In October 2018 I received a diagnosis of vestibular migraines, and the doctor suggested I eliminate all possible triggers from my diet: caffeine, alcoholic  beverages, chocolate, nuts, processed meats like bacon or pepperoni, soy, anything freshly baked with yeast, yogurt, anything aged like pickles or hard cheeses, citrus, onions...even raspberries.  Onions are in a lot of prepared foods!  For example, I had to make my own spaghetti sauce instead of relying on the time-saving jars from the grocery store.  After two months, I started adding back in individual items to test which might be those that triggered vertigo for me.  It was a difficult process, but well worth it!  Now I can even have a little bit of dark chocolate almost every day.  Makes live worth living, especially since the room doesn't suddenly start spinning any more.

[GailN935310]

Wow! You are taking a great role in your health. That's not easy when such a king list of foods may need to be eliminated and reintroduced slowly. Has your condition been alleviated? In praying that it comes down to just a handful if foods that you must give up. Best wishes on this health journey!

[Kruppy]

I am eating a whole food plant based diet that has eliminated all meats and seafood, dairy, eggs, processed sugars and oil. A world of food was opened up to me when I chose to eat this way.  My biggest challenge thus far is finding a decent creamer replacement for my coffee, lol!

[ToniC615904]

I will not buy/eat anything that has GMOs or has been altered in any way.

[GailN935310]

Me either there needs to be a lot more research for many more years to assure that GMOs are safe for humans. 

[Rhymesometimes]

@AARPTeri I use Xylitol instead of sugar when I bake. Xylitol is natural organic sweetener, it has 40% less calories and 75% less carbs than sugar.  It has an extremely low glycemic index, so it's great for sugar-controlled diets.  It can't be metabolized by plaque bacteria, so it actually helps prevent tooth decay. 

[KathyLJay]

My heartburn has gotten much worse since I gained so much weight over this pandemic. I don't believe I'm getting the nutrition that I need to not feel exhausted so I'm trying to lessen foods that have no nutritional value and get back down to a weight where I can enjoy seasoned food again because right now anything spicy is a no go. 

[GailN935310]

Eat smaller meals. The food won't fill your tummy so full that it backs up into your esophagu. 

I have GERD. Prilosecbhas been a God send him at a right-dized BMI. Still I get acid stomach in 12 hrs if I miss a dose. 

[MonicaLBP]

I don't subscribe to fad diets. I will look at the logic behind them and pick and choose. What I want is a healthy diet I can stick with, not limiting any of the things we commonly consider to be healthy, with minor indulgences in the less healthy. I feel like I'm more likely to stick with it if I just limit the not so healthy stuff. I used to eat a half gallon of ice cream a week and polish off 2 2 liter bottles of Dr Pepper. Went too many months not looking at the scale and those 2 things alone caused me to gain 35 lbs. At first I limited both ice cream and soda to the weekends. Continued weight gain caused me to eliminate the ice cream completely. While I'm down to one 2 liter bottle of Dr Pepper per weekend, I'm considering reducing it to one 16 oz bottle on a Saturday. Might eventually eliminate that too. Both are for very rare indulgences, away from my regular diet. But I find that if I evaluate what's happening with my body and adjust my diet as I feel that I may still be over indulging, then I make the change gradually and stick with it better. This site has been immensely helpful in showing me what I need more of and what I should cut back on. I'm also working on my cheese intake. I'm a sucker for cheese LOL The addition of exercise has also helped immensely in my weight control efforts. However, getting hit by a car has put a temporary damper on my workout efforts. So I expect to gain some weight in the next 5 weeks. I'll gradually work back up to working out once my body has healed. But I won't be a pedestrian again so long as I live in the city 😉

[GailN935310]

You're doing good things. Slowly eliminating the choices that don't serve your health. Your approachnisblivable. I follow this philosophy too. If exercise is limited you must cut calories where you can. Soda is really toxic so you could start by trying different none-calotic beverages. I live hot tea and iced tea coffee black or with cream. Not creamer.

I like club soda with half a lime squeezed into it. I do lots of fruits surprisingly, I love club soda with bruised basil in it. Best wishes. 

[TWC]

Do NOT worry about the sugar in fruit, there is fiber content that will control it. You need to avoid processed foods, NOT fresh from the farm anything!

[nrgrn]

I have eaten well and exercised regularly over the past 4-5 years but my cholesterol was still high.  I was able to decrease it significantly over the past 2 years or so by adding more fiber to my diet...specifically steel cut oats in my overnight oats every morning! 

[nrgrn]

I have eaten well and exercised regularly over the past 4-5 years but my cholesterol was still high.  I was able to decrease it significantly over the past 2 years or so by adding more fiber to my diet...specifically steel cut oats in my overnight oats every morning! 

[gbreiley]

High cholesterol. Switched from butter to smart butter. No full fat milk or cheese, no egg yolks, no red meat meat or pork for awhile. Switched to brown bread, rice and pasta. Nothing out of a box. Fresh vegetables and fruits. No sweets. Should have done this a long time ago. My grandkids will benefit as well.

[ip3285]

I've stopped buying chocolate candy of all kinds.  No more after breakfast 'treats', or after lunch or after anything.  Instead I have a piece of a banana or apple to satisfy my sweet teeth (yes, all of them like chocolate candy).  

[Dakotalady401]

I have slowly been replacing "regular" foods in my house with "Better" foods: For example, enriched or veggie pasta, Omega 3 eggs, whole grain breads, and more fresh foods. It's been practically painless!

[LaurajW510385]

AARPTerri:

For me to eliminate food out of my diet would be like removing the saliva from Pavlov's dog training stuff from way back there.

I've eliminated Walmart donuts, have not had a Birthday cake made for me in the past couple years, not much on that "processed food" (yuk!)...

I do not know much about "low carb", "low calorie", sugar for my coffee, & definitely "Natural" no fructose corn syrup, less additives & junk to the best of my ability in reading such big words for garbage in a can of Campbell's Chicken Soup. I do miss my Sprouts for my Trail Mix & Rolled Oats have not been there since everything is pre-packaged due to virus.

Stay Healthy!!!

[evamack]

My diet focuses on calories.  Eat fewer calories means greater weight lose.  Of course the more movement the more calories I can eat without gaining weight.  The trick for me is water.

[GailN935310]

I share your philosophy. It’s just basic biology. 3500 calories weighs 1 lb. so I strive to reduce my calories by 3500 calories every two weeks for a nice steady reduction that I can live with. The foundation of success for me was changing my mindset from living to eat, to eating to live. Emotions can’t play a role in my eating choices. I reward myself regularly for any good choice I make or goal I achieve. I am challenged with drinking enough. I’ve become more mindful recently. 

[troys38]

My husband and I haven't eaten any fried foods for about 15 years. We stopped eating beef about 6 years ago and eat salmon, tuna and chicken as well as lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I prepare at least 2 vegetarian meals every week. We are in our 80's and walk about 40-45 minutes 6 days a week, plus lift weights 3 times a week and do yoga once a week.