What is a healthy diet?

Posted by Helen, Volunteer Mentor @naturegirl5, Jan 12 9:35am

I read a series of articles in The NY Times on ultra processed foods including what they are, how to figure out what is ultra processed and better alternatives. I have read the labels for all packaged foods in the grocery store for years but some ingredients are a mystery to me.

TrueFood was recommended in one of the articles. Here you can learn more about ultraprocessed foods so that you can work on choosing foods with less processing. The website provides ratings and recommendations.

TrueFood:

https://www.truefood.tech/?store=all

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When my husband was diagnosed with MCI then dementia, his doctors suggested he start the Mediterranean Diet. Simply put, avoid processed food and shop for fresh fruit and veg whenever possible. Half your plate should be fruit/veg, one quarter lean protein and one quarter whole grains (with minimum 3 grams fiber per serving).
We have a local group that hosts smart shopping tours at our local grocery store to guide folks regarding making healthy choices.
Good luck!

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Profile picture for judimahoney @judimahoney

When my husband was diagnosed with MCI then dementia, his doctors suggested he start the Mediterranean Diet. Simply put, avoid processed food and shop for fresh fruit and veg whenever possible. Half your plate should be fruit/veg, one quarter lean protein and one quarter whole grains (with minimum 3 grams fiber per serving).
We have a local group that hosts smart shopping tours at our local grocery store to guide folks regarding making healthy choices.
Good luck!

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@judimahoney , I try my best to eat that way. I do most of the time. I stopped the white sugar and now use Monk Fruit sweetener. Not sure it’s any better, but so far I like it. I only use a bit in my coffee.

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I am a Type 2 diabetic since 1991. My personal experience is that I am more sensitive to fats than sugar. About 15 years ago my Endocrinologist suggested I get a book--Dr Bonner's "Program to reverse Diabetes". The program is to adopt a Vegan Diet: No Animal fats or protein which means no beef, pork, chicken, duck, fish, eggs, or dairy products. Cheese was one of my favorite foods. Meat was easy to give up compared to cheese. Especially at today's prices. Some restaurants are easy to get vegan options others are almost impossible. Within one month of going Vegan, my wife was back to normal from being Pre-Diabetic and my insulin had grown to fifty units per day dropped to 10! My A1C went to 7.0 from 8.6. I also stopped using sugar in my coffee, tea, and my morning cereal. (Note about cereal: I did some research about serving sizes. The FDA determines them by observing what people eat not what they should eat! I discovered that one ounce of unsweetened cereal will be 28 grams of carbs. It doesn't matter what the cereal is--cheerios, grape nuts, grape nut flakes, shredded wheat, various chex cereals, even puffed wheat and rice although you end with half an ounce serving with only 14 grams of carbs.

Later, I found the Herbivorous Butcher Shop in Minneapolis. They make cheeses based on soy and almond milk which meet my cheese craving. They also make meat substitutes from processed vegs. Their Smoke House, Barbeque Koran, and Hi-hi Hawaiian Ribs are tasty! They are in 12 ounce packages which is four servings. Three restaurants in Rochester use their products. They ship anywhere in the USA. See their web site.

I am 83, widower, and my second daughter is my care taker. She was already here in 2013 to take care of her mother who had ALS and died August 27, 2015. I also lost more 1/4 body weight by using Trulicity and Ozempic for a total of 30 Kilograms (66 Pounds) lost 2 sizes and got the opportunity to buy new clothes! (It is embarrassing to have your underwear fall down!

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