Healthy diet?

I am wondering how balanced and healthy this diet is? Im trying my best to eat balance and healthy because of my past "diversions" into anorexia and bulimia.

Here goes:

B: Bowl of country and vegetabe soup (one of my 5 a day)

Lunch: Huge baked potato (300g) Salt, Pepper.

Dinner: Two pieces of wholemeal bread, 2 full eggs.

Snack: 600ml skim milk, dish of veggies e.g soya beans,sweetcorn, peas whatever I can find.

Any tips? anything wrong with my diet? Im also trying to include more fat in my diet but I cant find avacados anywhere and I'm not into eating nuts as I think they are a waste of calories because they never fill me up. I love fish such as fresh salmon but due to the expense of this type of food Ive had to give it up due to financial problems.  I also can no longer tolerate canned fish such as tuna so thats out of the question! Im also a pescetarian. I really have no idea what else I can eat! I really need some help.

i don't see much protein, maybe try adding some tofu or beans. also add in olive oil, more dairy such as yogurt and cheese to boost your fat intake. olives are also a good addition to pasta, salads, and even on top of potatoes. peanut butter as well would be nice on some whole grain toast.

i don't know what you meant by "one of my five a day" but you shouldn't be eating 5 of one food a day, it's a sign of maybe a dependency on certain foods and fear of others.

From my count it looks like you are eating only about 1200 calories or so, which is not enough. 24 oz of milk is only 240 calories, depending on the amount of veggies and soy beans i'd estimate 200, 2 pieces of bread and 2 toasts is about 340, a huge plain baked potato is only about 250, and your vegetable soup is only probably around 150 depending on the amount. even if i'm a couple calories off hear and there you still aren't eating very much. what are your goals anyhow?

I agree with the post above. However, I would also like to ask, where is all the fruit?

Its really hard for me to up my calories there is only limited food choices in my house at the minute so I'm trying my best. I dont really have any goals other than to main and to eat a really balanced diet.

mars_0112 when a bag of grapes cost almost £4.00 thats just way above what I find reasonable plus I always find that 5 minutes later I'm starving anyway.

To me, a baked potato is not lunch.  You should be having more than just a lump of starch for lunch.  Some vegetables and protein would be good.  Cottage cheese is one source, sour cream, etc.  Peanut butter is another source of fat and protein.

If you're going to be a vegetarian (or piscetarian who can't afford fish), you need to make sure you get your protein.  Beans, tofu, whatever else vegetarians eat for protein.  Each egg is only 7g of protein, which is a good start but that's not enough in a day.  What other fish is available in your area, if salmon is too expensive?  Look for native or frozen fish, if you'll eat that rather than canned.

Put some butter on your bread to get some fat.  The eggs help with that, too. 

As someone else said, what do you mean by "one of my 5 a day"?  Do you mean you have 5 bowls of that soup every day?  Then you better make sure that recipe is very nutritious and relatively low sodium, cause many soups are not.

Just because a food doesn't fill you up or you're hungry 5 minutes later doesn't mean you can just eliminate it.  How about apples?  Any fruits that are grown around your area?  Are there farmer's market's available, where produce might be cheaper?

I have a feeling that if you calculated the number of calories you ate on the above diet, you'd be well under what you should be eating in a day, and you need to look at adding either more food, or more calorie dense food.  Either way, you need to do something different.

Clint

check out mypyramidtracker.gov

just enter in your info and it will tell you how much of each category you should be getting based on your weight and activity level.  and you can type in your days worth of food (or just a meal) and see how much of your 'required' nutrients you're getting

I think the "5 a day" thing means veggies, everyone.

But I don't see that you're getting 5 serves of veggies in. You're only eating veggies for breakfast and an after-dinner snack: potatoes don't count, they count as a starch.

Speaking of which, you're not getting enough of anything. You need more protein, fat, whole grains, veggies and fruit. For the protein why don't you try buying dried beans/pulses/lentils in bulk? For the fat, don't use butter - it has no nutritional value. Use a plant-based spread that won't heighten your cholesterol - but it'll still up your fat intake. Another good fat source is oils - cook your veggies in them instead of steaming them. As well as your soup for breakfast, why not try having a banana or apple with some kind of nut butter? Don't have a potato for lunch, that's nutritionally terrible especially if you put a lot of salt on it. Try filling up on a colorful salad topped with beans with low-sodium soy sauce as the dressing. If you like having carbs at lunch, eat rice noodles or whole grain couscous mixed with veggies, or make home-made tabbouleh. For dinner, follow the guidelines of your plate should be 1/2 veggies, 1/4 protein and 1/4 starch or grains and then make sure some kind of fat is incorporated somewhere. Also, why are you drinking so much milk so late in the day? Spread it out to fill you up between meals - the protein in the milk will do this. Also try to snack on inexpensive fruit. Stock up on frozen berries and buy bulk for economy. Don't put a price on your health.

How many calories a day are you currently eating?

As a college student, I totally understand the budget constraints of eating healthy food!!  I eat a lot of beans as well as eggs for protein, and I still haven't gotten sick of canned tuna :)  I buy whatever fruits are cheapest, which usually alternates between apples and bananas.  I buy frozen veggies in bulk, and heads of romaine, as well as whole wheat bread.  I'll snack on the fruits and veggies, breakfast is either eggs, or fiber one with fruit and skim milk, maybe yogurt.  Lunch is a salad with beans, a little bit of parmesan, and any other veg I have (i.e. canned corn, frozen peppers, etc...) and vinegar.  If I'm really hungry, I'll make a southwestern salad type mix with beans, canned corn, frozen red peppers and onions mixed with balsamic.  I'll snack on yogurt or string cheese in the afternoon so I get enough calcium.  For dinner, I'll have a sandwich, or another salad, and some canned veggie soup. 

Personally, I think you're coming up short in the fruit and veg department so try to buy some cheap fruit and frozen veg to fill up there.  You could also afford to get in some more protein (i.e. via beans - so so sooooo cheap).  Additionally, as a chick, you totally need to be getting more calcium!!  Even if you're taking a supplement, make sure that you're meeting your daily requirement!!  Your eggs have some fat, but I also get that in with some cheese and maybe tossing my salads with a little bit of olive oil.  You could try making an herb paste reminiscent of pesto by mixing some oil with herbs (I like the ones that they sell in canisters for dipping your bread in) and spreading it over your potato.