Give me some healthy nutrition recommendations, please?

[Frangible]

Yeah, this post is all about meeee.

I've come to realize my diet sucks. Really, really sucks. Way too much sodium, basically 0 servings of fruit/vegetables/whole grains.

And, as a sidenote, I don't like to cook (at all), and am generally cheap when it comes to food...

If anyone has any suggestions on how to improve my diet, which it badly needs, I'd appreciate it.

Beverages: basically, I drink no water or milk right now. I swill down diet pop-- about 8 to 12 cans/day. I'm going to switch to water and stop buying pop after I deplete my current stockpile.

Breakfast: Currently I eat two pieces of "wheat" bread, that upon closer examination, isn't whole grain. Going to switch to whole grain stuff as soon as my current bread is gone.

Also, I put margarine on it... but I found out that my margarine has trans-fatty acids which are a Bad Thing(tm). So going to switch to a margarine without those unless someone has a better recommendation?

I tried butter but it's just too hard to spread.

I used to eat cold cereal but found I overeat it because it tastes too good (yeah, I'm weak). Hot cereal generally takes too long to cook, and has too many calories after sweetening.

Lunch:

At work I typically bring Campbells' soup of some variety which is very high in sodium. I'm also getting kind of sick of it.

Also usually have a "light" yogurt, not sure if that's healthy or not... it's my only dairy serving but has lots of sweeters (artificial and not).

I used to have a banana but stopped for no reason at all. Now I get hungry occasionally mid-afternoon and get candy as a snack. Yeah, bad idea.

I'm not sure what to do with regards to the soup or yogurt, but going to start taking carrots / apples / bananas randomly to augment it.

Dinner:

I usually get fast food, microwave a corn dog, etc or something equally unhealthy for dinner. I'm thinking I need to work another whole grains serving in here but not sure what to do entirely. Maybe brown rice sometimes.



Anyway, I'm probably missing some obvious things, but I never have really eaten well and figured now was as good as time as any to start. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Just remember, I'm adverse to cooking :)

[redqueen]

1. Well the only thing I can suggest that doesn't involve cooking

is breakfast bars. I love those things!

[donco6]

2. You're really tying our hands here.

Sorry, but if hot cereal takes too long, I can't think of anything to help you.

Maybe you need to start with thinking about why you have so little time to cook? Is your health less important than whatever else you're doing?

[Frangible]

3. long breakfast cook times...

Can make me late to work, is all. I have more food preparation time available in the evening (or during lunch break, or for breakfast on the weekend).

[Mr.Green93]

4. Little Debbie Oatmeal cakes

a well rounded meal. Only 25 cents.

[flamingyouth]

5. One thing I should mention

Don't go cold turkey on the diet soda, especially if it's caffeinated. You're in for massive caffeine withdrawal if you stop drinking 8-12 cans per day all of a sudden.

Eat more fruits and vegetables in general. Good luck!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

6. I'll make life REAL easy on ya

Sodas: Get a couple cases of Gatorade's Propel...it's flavored but not a lot of sugar..as you drink it, add water to the bottle...then your water tastes like something, it has flavor and is providing essential vitamins.

Breakfast: Get a dozen eggs and hardboil them...it's not really cooking, it's just boiling...you can do it once a week and then leave them in the fridge, peel and eat for breakfast...you can still do the toast but get whole grain bread.

Lunch: buy precleaned bags of lettuce, get canned chicken, tuna, or even salmon or crab meat and put it on the lettuce...and a bottle of dressing...you are having protein, essential fats and ruffage then....

you can also get lunchmeats such as ham..spread a little cream cheese on it and place a spear of asparagus in the middle.

BTW..are you opposed to cooking in the microwave? It's nothing to mix an egg with a bit of milk to scramble it, cover it and heat on high for one minute.

[redqueen]

11. You should write a cookbook for people who don't like to cook

Great ideas, there. :)

[curlyred]

7. try shopping at Whole Foods

or your local health food store. they even have organic brown rice in a little bag you can microwave. Lots of cereals you can just add boiling water to (and that's not cooking) and frozen things youcan nuke.

Good luck.

[Maple]

8. You can make

a bowl of Quaker oats in the morning in any number of flavors with hot tap water in 15 seconds. Comes 6 to a box.

Make a sandwich the night before using whole wheat bread, and any number of meats and cheeses.

For supper, your store has entire meals that microwave in 5 minutes. Roast beef, pork, lasagna, duck a l'orange, whatever you like.

Add a salad. Any number of kinds come in a small plastic container, freshly made. Splurge and buy two.

Stores often have rotisserie chicken, freshly cooked ready to go. That's supper, plus another supper as a 'hot chicken sandwich' with or without gravy, or later as a lunch meat cold.

Drink whole milk.

Yoghurt, fruit and cheese for snacks.

Add to it as you choose.

[Frangible]

9. Thanks, all

Lots of great ideas I wouldn't have thought of. Going to hit the grochery store on the way home now, and will keep checking this thread till it dies off if anyone has any additional suggestions. Think I'll plan a trip to the Good Foods store here as well.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

12. HEY WAIT!!!

Buy the aleady roasted chicken at the store! You don't cook it..it tastes good..eat it with some veggies at night and shred it for salad or chicken sammiches the next day!

[Cuban_Liberal]

10. Healthy menu suggestion for a non-cook:

Breakfast:

Whole-grain bread or cereal, low-fat yougurt, fresh fruit or juice.

Lunch: Salad w/low-fat/low-cal dressing and a whole-grain roll, tea, coffee or water.

Supper: Lean ham or turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread, salad and fresh fruit, carrot sticks or celery sticks, etc., tea, cofee or skim milk.

Snack: Vanilla wafers or graham crackers.

Something along this line will help you get your diet in shape, as well as your waist line.

:)

[niyad]

13. become acquainted with two cooking shows on the foodtv network

first is "boil water" and the second is "30 minute meals" (because cooking really is fun and often quite easy.

cook decent regular oatmeal in the evening, place in thermos, and it will still be warm in the morning (or put it in a bowl and heat for a minute in the microwave)

my favourite breakfast is equal parts unsweetened applesauce, grapenuts and plain, nonfat yoghurt.

lunch--tuna fish in spring water, drained, with tomatoes, etc.

drink water, tea and fruit juices.

repeat after me "food is my friend" and learn to appreciate it and enjoy it.

as the divine julia said, "bon appetit"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. Sounds like you already know what to do

As far as the butter for your bread is concerned, just chop some off the stick and put it in the microwave for a few seconds. It will spread just fine.

The microwave is also good for heating up fresh and frozen veggies.

Salads are your friends, but make them based on spinach and cabbage instead of lettuce, and experiment to find a dressing you like. Add some sliced hard-boiled egg or some tuna for protein

Drink water. If you like carbonation, get some naturally carbonated water and add a few ounces of fruit juice to it.

I don't like to eat fruit, and I never have, but for some reason, I love smoothies. Put some fruit in the blender, add some yogurt or soy milk, maybe a little honey for sweetness, and whir away. ).