critique my diet!

breakfast: lowfat cottage cheese; an apple and a pear (380 calls)

Lunch: whole wheat spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce (220)

snack: almonds (300)

dinner: a piece of bread, carrots, and sauerkraut; an apple and a pear (300)

is this diet healthy? it is a little low calorie and a little heavy on fruit.....I ate well yesterday (probably around 1800 cals), and had a few beers last night (which tend to fill me up even the next day). does it seem varied enough?

ps i am an almost-always vegetarian.....not for stupid animal or nutrition reasons, but just because it's environmentally more responsible and cheap. Except the occasional time I buy fish (usually salmon), the only times I eat meat are at nice restaurants, or when someone's cooking for me and it would be impolite (or a damn shame) to refuse......

You breakfast seems alright... but I would mix it up on a daily basis so for instance tomorrow you should have hard boiled eggs (or whole eggs cooked anyway) sauteed vegetables (in olive oil) and a slice of whole grain toast (3 grams of fiber per serving +) - Can you eat eggs on your vegetarian diet? Eggs are reasonably cheap. 

Lunch is lacking a bit in the protein department... You can have some spaghetti (if it has 3 + grams of fiber per serving) but don't have ANY MUCH and instead add some beans along with the tomato sauce 

Your snack is just fine - healthy fats = wonderful... But perhaps you could add some produce: bell pepper strips? strawberries? 

Your dinner is not so good... where is your protein? Tofu or Hemp or Beans & Rice = all good sources of protein. And what type of bread are you eating? Whole grain I hope? Also, your dinner lacks healthy fat - olive oil, olives, sun-dried tomatoes...

thanks.....both the pasta & bread are whole grain, sprouted wheat. which i think packs more protein that most?

i will probably add some protein to my dinner.......it was so hot today that I hardly wanted to cook dinner, hence all the raw vegetables/fruits. But it is only 7, i may get hungry again in a few hours. Maybe add some eggs in there?

There was olive oil in my tomato  sauce, btw!!

Hemp......interesting. Do you have any suggestions on how to cook??

Just my opinion - Not enough calories and not enough nutrients or fiber.

breakfast: lowfat cottage cheese; an apple and a pear (380 calls)

low fat cottage cheese, whole grain toast, egg white omelet,  a piece of fruit

Lunch: whole wheat spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce (220)

Whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce, a large salad, 2 oz tofu or other protein, 1 tsp olive oil

snack: almonds (300)

A piece of fruit instead, or 1 oz of hard cheese, or an 8 oz glass of fat free milk

dinner: a piece of bread, carrots, and sauerkraut; an apple and a pear (300)

A 3 oz or 1/2 cup  serving of protein, 1 cup of green vegetables, 1 cup of a vegetable of another color, 1 serving of a whole grain product.

Stop drinking beer - it's empty calories and alcohol is a poison

when you run your numbers in the food analyzer, how many grams of protein are you getting a day? (serving size matters). on first glance looks low on protein. 

how do you feel? 

needs more veggies? 5 to 7 a day recommended. 

sprouted grains are awesome!

hmmm....there were lots of zucchini in the tomato sauce. and then there were carrots and sauerkraut. I ought to have more veggies......sigh. I feel good though!

Honestly, I don't feel any difference in satiety or energy when I'm eating meat/getting lots of protein and when I'm heavier on whole grains/veggies. Hmmm.....

Also----beer isn't poison. Beer & wine are way way better for you than hard liquor, in moderation of course. Evne if they have more calories than a shot of vodka, they are more filling and a nice weekend pleasure. I love beer!(of course, I like  to drink good quality beer and wine.....and never more than 4 or 5 servings a week. there's a big difference between a good artisinal beer  & say, PBR).....let me keep my beer please!

Thanks all for your advice!!

thanks guys! i just ate 2 hard boiled eggs with dijon mustard and feel replenished!!

Hmm, hard boiled eggs with dijon mustard.  That sounds fantastic!  As usual, Clair has offered you some excellent advice.  I hope you take it to heart. 

"Also----beer isn't poison. Beer & wine are way way better for you than hard liquor, in moderation of course. Evne if they have more calories than a shot of vodka, they are more filling and a nice weekend pleasure. I love beer!(of course, I like  to drink good quality beer and wine.....and never more than 4 or 5 servings a week. there's a big difference between a good artisinal beer  & say, PBR).....let me keep my beer please!"

I think you need to reevaluate your priorities. 

honestly mommakitty, what do you mean exactly?

Original Post by sugarfreepompidou:

hmmm....there were lots of zucchini in the tomato sauce. and then there were carrots and sauerkraut. I ought to have more veggies......sigh. I feel good though!

 

Honestly, I don't feel any difference in satiety or energy when I'm eating meat/getting lots of protein and when I'm heavier on whole grains/veggies. Hmmm.....

Also----beer isn't poison. Beer & wine are way way better for you than hard liquor, in moderation of course. Evne if they have more calories than a shot of vodka, they are more filling and a nice weekend pleasure. I love beer!(of course, I like  to drink good quality beer and wine.....and never more than 4 or 5 servings a week. there's a big difference between a good artisinal beer  & say, PBR).....let me keep my beer please!

 

Thanks all for your advice!!

its hard to evaluate without ingredients and amounts listed. veggie sauce full of zucchini is awesome! i put a little parm on there, mushrooms, whatever im in the mood for. sounds good! 

if you really are eating a lot of veggies and whole grains and you feel good with the amount of protein your getting, trust that. you might study your numbers in the food log analyzer if you want a clearer picture of how your doing macro nutrient wise. 

i think there's a tad something medicinal in everything, but it is calories. drinking does tax the body, liver, hydration. we each make our own choices, and they often change through time. 

Really? If I had none this was a 'dry' forum, I may have not signed up.

The health benefits of good wine are fairly indisputable. As for beer, while I'm not personally a fan, who cares? Yes it's empty calories, but so is chocolate cake (which I occasionally indulge in). Honestly, keep your beer. Count it, make sure you're getting all your nutrients elsewhere, drink in moderation (which it sounds like you are already), and ill effects are scarce.

Protein helps control your appetite, it helps build muscle, and honestly your body just uses it so much it would mean not to eat it. I try and eat protein at every meal. Sometimes it means eggs for breakfast (even though I don't particularly like them), or nuts with lunch, doesn't matter, fit in some protein multiple times a day...
Ok, I'm pretty sure everyone here is advising from their own diet, so maybe it would just be easier to tell you what I eat. and you can take it or leave it.

I eat veggies and proteins at every meal (yep, even breakfast, I've discovered a love for v8). I eat no processed sugar or white flour. Fruits and whole grains are snacks. I have this slight compulsion that I HAVE to eat a banana before I work out, it's weird. Thats about my only fruit.  Nuts and homemade protein bars are what I usually snack on. I'm never hungry. I have to make an effort to get enough calories and I feel good.

Hope this helped a little.

yeah, it did, thanks! i thought from your first post that you were criticizing  the fact that I have a few beers throughout the week with "reevaluate priorities". I'm not trying to lose weight, just be healthy----and so, yep, I have one or two beers twice a week. I think it's fine......and honestly, I think that beer holds far less "empty" calories than trashy mix drinks. It's about enjoying alcohol & hanging out with friends, not getting drunk for me....which is, I think, comparable to enjoying good quality food in moderation rather than binge eating on diet bars or what have you. to say beer or chocolate cake is poison is just nonsense.

sounds like we're on the same page!

dairy is also a protein, and sprouted grains carry a bit too. 

i'm not saying don't drink. i do know 140-500 calories in two beverages has its costs tho. eats up my deficit every time, then i retain water the next day and the scale is up. 

we each chose our luxuries/poisons/things we become consiours of . . . . i prefer a good burbon, neat. or a vodka lime. beer makes me ill. wine gives me head aches. 

Original Post by clairelaine:

Stop drinking beer - it's empty calories and alcohol is a poison

One beer a day is proven to decrease the chance of formation or liver stones by 50%.

Just another suggestion - I think your portion of almonds was really large and you might benefit more from a more balanced snack:

For example, 1 oz almonds (160), 1/2 cup greek yogurt (60), and 1/2 cup blueberries (40ish)

It's 260 calories and I think would be more satiating because of the balance - protein, fruit, and a healthy fat all paired together.

You're 5'7" and 104lbs.  You posted this thread http://caloriecount.about.com/technically-und erweight-ft141178 only three days ago saying how you were clinically underweight, your periods keep stopping and you're not looking to lose weight.  You know full well that unless your diet is 2500+ a day (in order to get your weight to a healthy level) it is woefully inadequate & you are going to remain in a state of sickness and malnutrition as a result. 

Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management. Please help our moderators follow this vision and respect the following guidelines Promotion of starvation diets or habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder ("pro-ana", "pro-mia", etc.) is prohibited.

gi-jane, I don't think you're a doctor and aren't in any position to diagnose "states of sickness and malnutrition"..........just because you're trying to do so over the internet, doesn't render you any more authoritative!

(and as I said in the last post, I had seen doctors who told me I was getting enough kcals--between 1400 and 1900 a day, usually).

Being clinically underweight is a medical condition with serious long-term implications. Having no periods means your body is under stress and likely to be sick.  Someone who is clinically underweight and living on 1200 cals a day is malnourished by definition...   You don't have to be a doctor to understand those things but if you ignore them, you're only kidding yourself.

If you can answer 'yes' to two or more of the following then you should go to another doctor, explain to them what you're really doing to yourself (be honest this time) and get checked out for an eating disorder.

• Do you make yourself Sick because you feel uncomfortably full? 
• Do you worry that you have lost Control over how much you eat? 
• Have you recently lost more than One stone (14lbs) in a 3 month period? 
• Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin? 
• Would you say that Food dominates your life?

Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management. Please help our moderators follow this vision and respect the following guidelines Promotion of starvation diets or habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder ("pro-ana", "pro-mia", etc.) is prohibited.

Your argument against disordered thinking is that she isn't a doctor?

If those stats are right, your BMI is 16. The general rule to suspect anorexia nervosa is 17.5

Fear of becoming obese or overweight.
Refusal to maintain healthy body weight.
Thinks is overweight or refuses to acknowledge the seriousness of low body weight.
Absence of 3 consecutive periods.

Those true? I'm assuming you can guess what that's the diagnostic criterion for.

Original Post by sugarfreepompidou:

gi-jane, I don't think you're a doctor and aren't in any position to diagnose "states of sickness and malnutrition"..........just because you're trying to do so over the internet, doesn't render you any more authoritative!

(and as I said in the last post, I had seen doctors who told me I was getting enough kcals--between 1400 and 1900 a day, usually).

 

 She doesn't have to be a doctor to notice someone's trends and eating patterns through their posting history.  Someone's weight and calorie goals absolutely play a part in what kind of advice we would give someone here.  Especially when what you posted in your OP consisted of the bare minimum 1200 calories.

Your body needs at least 1200 calories per day to survive.  For most people, even women on here, we need even more than that. 

Here is a very rough scientific break down provided by a dietician for a 5' 2", 19 year old female weighing approximately 100 pounds, sitting around all day and doing nothing:

-The heart needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The kidney needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The Liver needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The brain needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The skeletal muscle needs 30% of the calories (360 cals)

Now if your stats are different than this and you are even moderately active, then you would need more than this.

the title of this thread is "critique my diet", not "tell me only what i want to hear." your going to get opinions, some that you might like, some that you might not. its all given in the interest of health and wellness given what each of us has learned in our varied life experience. no one is being vicious, just naming their critique, given the criteria they use to offer their analysis.