Healthy Eats!

Oct 2, 2012
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What up Escapists?
How you guys doing?

I could use your help!
See, I'm trying to eat better, lose weight, and get healthy and I could use a lot of help with those goals.
Mostly I need help with eating healthier. I currently eat terribly! My meals are mostly frozen, processed, full of salt and fat.
Its terrible, I'm surprised I'm still alive honestly!

So if you guys could throw some good recipes and tips on eating better I'd appreciate it :D
Maybe even some exercise tips if anyone here knows anything about that? I don't know jack about proper exercise.

If it means anything I'm 6ft 5in (195-ish cm) and about 280lbs (127 kg).
 

Marter

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I'm eating frozen pizza tonight.

I'm afraid I can't be of much help. Uh ... green vegetables are good for you, I hear!
 
Oct 2, 2012
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Marter said:
I'm eating frozen pizza tonight.

I'm afraid I can't be of much help. Uh ... green vegetables are good for you, I hear!
Green? Isn't that the color of grass?
Do I look like some kinda farm animal to you?
...
Don't answer that :p

Thanks anyway Marter :D
 

tippy2k2

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Mar 15, 2008
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I'm on it!

Back-story time!: I have been in the process of losing weight for a few years now. Back in my high school/college days, I slowly but surely acquired mass. This eventually accumulated myself weighting about 250 lbs (at 5'10")

After college and realizing what a fat blob I was, I started to work at it. All I did really was drop pop from my diet (though not fully; I went from 4-5 cans per day to 1-2 per day). That dropped me to 230 a few years ago.

Now, I have been full-court pressing my fat-ass. I'll go through a few of the things I'm currently doing...

I have a regular schedule at the gym (http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/); this was recommended to me from my boss who's a bit of a gym rat. This website has been mildly handy to learn a lot of the exercises that you may or may not want to try. I go 3-4 times per week and do about one hour of weight training, fifteen minutes of abs or so, and twenty minutes of cardio of some kind (so treadmill, bike, stairs, etc).

With that, try to get a gym buddy. It's SOOOOO much easier to make sure you stick with your gym routine and it helps you push that much harder having someone with you. This last month, my brother who's back from college (on the college soccer team so he knows a thing or two about staying in shape) has been kicking my ass up and down the gym :)

For each session, I focus on two specific body parts. I'll go through my training I did yesterday:

I chose shoulders and back yesterday. First, I do two shoulder exercises (ten of Arnold press and ten of dips for example) at a weight that's tough but doable. I then repeat them two more times (so three sets total with the last set going until I fail; usually I can get 12-14). I then choose two back exercises and do the same cycle. Then two different shoulder exercises and finally, two different back exercises.

Ten minute warm-up of some kind; something to get your heart beating like jump rope, push-ups, arm ropes; combine a few things

Shoulder Exercise A
Shoulder Exercise B
Shoulder Exercise A
Shoulder Exercise B
Shoulder Exercise A (until fail)
Shoulder Exercise B (until fail)

Back Exercise A
Back Exercise B
Back Exercise A
Back Exercise B
Back Exercise A (until fail)
Back Exercise B (until fail)

Shoulder Exercise C
Shoulder Exercise D
Shoulder Exercise C
Shoulder Exercise D
Shoulder Exercise C (until fail)
Shoulder Exercise D (until fail)

Back Exercise C
Back Exercise D
Back Exercise C
Back Exercise D
Back Exercise C (until fail)
Back Exercise D (until fail)

Shoulder Exercise E
Shoulder Exercise F
Shoulder Exercise E
Shoulder Exercise F
Shoulder Exercise E (until fail)
Shoulder Exercise F (until fail)

Back Exercise E
Back Exercise F
Back Exercise E
Back Exercise F
Back Exercise E (until fail)
Back Exercise F (until fail)

Ab exercises (sit ups, leg lifts, etc)

Cardio

Second thing is food, which is going to suck (because I love food D:). My sister-in-law is a health teacher so I'll give you her "HEALTH 101" as she called it for me. Food is way more important than exercise (in her words, exercise will help you maintain your weight but food will let you gain/lose it)

#1. Look at the first three ingredients; if sugar is one of them, you're eating a desert. This was one of my killers with even my "healthy" food like granola bars. Most of them have so much sugar in them that it's virtually pointless to be eating them versus a Snickers. In her words, you want "Dietary Fiber" to be high and "Sugars" to be low. She also said that you can go nuts with veggies and fruit (fruit has a lot of sugar but it's natural sugar versus the stuff you get from pop; it's sugar your body is designed to break apart).

#2. I don't know how true it is since even science disagrees but she's fit so I'm listening to her. Try to portion out your meals so that you can do this while not having too many calories (I'll get to that...)

-Breakfast (ideally biggest meal)
-Snack
-Lunch (medium sized meal)
-Snack
-Dinner (smallest meal of the day)

#3. Get an app. Personally, I've been using "My Fitness Pal" but this has been one of the most helpful tools I've gotten. Hell, just writing down what you eat is a HUGE boost as it helps you realize what you're doing. It also allows me to input my gender, weight, and target goal and give me my recommended calorie count.

#4. Remember, MODERATION is the key, NOT killing yourself. Too many dieters decide that they have to go cold turkey and they'll NEVER have cake or pop or candy or anything fun ever again because it ruins their diet. You're setting yourself up for failure doing that. Just remember that you can have ONE pop once in a while...five pops with a family size of Cheetos is frowned upon :D

#5. Fresh is better. You can have Hamburger Helper and get all that salt and fat and preservatives...or you can make it yourself by buying noodles, hamburger meat, and whatever sides you need to make whichever sauce you're making. Same dish; much better for you.

I'm sorry I gave you such an info dump but I really hope it can help you. I currently weight 215 and I am (very...very slowly D:) making my way back down. Good luck bro!

Also, if you have any questions of anything food or exercise, do feel free to ask me. If I don't know it, I will ask my two helpers! I have been incredibly lucky to have such great resources at my disposal but I know that not everyone has gym friends or health teachers to lean on :)

EDIT: Here's my pic by the way

 

Barbas

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Oct 28, 2013
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Make sure you've always got a healthy and versatile staple food ready, like eggs or rice. That way, you can cunningly employ leftovers to results that'd make Gordon Ramsay point and shout "Fucking hell. Fuck my dog up the chuff. That's a fucking meal, innit? Fuck."

Okay, Sheep, I'm gonna throw some words your way: Frittata. Omelette. Uh...oubliette. Je ne sais quois. Toastie. Fritters. Fricassee. Gumbo. Stew...um...

...Pottage.



An remember: joo are a strong, confident man. Jour body issa temple.
 

jademunky

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Mar 6, 2012
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Befuddled, try swapping meat out and using chickpeas for protein instead.

Chickpea burritos are actually pretty great. Just drain and rinse 2 cans of chickpeas, dice up onions, garlic, broccoli and bell peppers really fine, next mix it all with soy sauce, coriander and paprika. When everything is coated, just roast it all for half an hour and you have your filling. Then just throw it into a tortilla and add avocado slices & salsa.

You get a lot of meals out of it.
 

f1r2a3n4k5

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Here are some quick tips I can think of:

1. Switch to water for most beverages (sodas, juices, milk). Black coffee or tea are fine though.
2. Go from bleached grains to whole wheat. This is a bit tricky cause the packaging can be deceptive. "Wheat" or "Multigrain" are not the same as "Whole-wheat." Otherwise, you're just getting dyed white bread.
3. More veggies, all the time.
4. Take a fish oil supplement. Probably won't make you lose weight, but most Americans (?) consume WAY too many omega-6 fatty acids relative to the number of omega-3's.
5. Get more fiber in your diet. Supplements are good. Getting it from food is better. It'll make you feel full longer.


There's a lot to think about when it comes to a healthy diet and this definitely doesn't cover it all. But I think those are pretty good tips to start with. Small changes beget larger changes.

There's a lot of specialized diets out there, but really, any change away from the SAD (Standard American Diet) is hugely beneficial.
 

Pyrian

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f1r2a3n4k5 said:
3. More veggies, all the time.
This. Eat your veggies. Lots of 'em. Get some exercise. Doesn't have to be a lot; even just two 30 minute brisk walks per week is substantially beneficial over nothing.
 

mysecondlife

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Feb 24, 2011
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Read the ingredients. If there are two of the same items (but different brand), compare the list of ingredients.
The rule of thumb is: fewer the ingredients, the healthier it is.

What I do is avoid anything that has canola oil in it. I also try to avoid soybean oil, safflour oil, etc. but canola oil is my biggest no-no. I go for what has extra virgin olive oil in it.
I also avoid things like high fructose corn syrup and try to keep sugar to minimum.

Also, opt for weight lifting instead of cardio. It is more effective for burning fat. My routine is chest press, dumbbell row, squats, deadlift.
 

mysecondlife

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Feb 24, 2011
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f1r2a3n4k5 said:
Here are some quick tips I can think of:

1. Switch to water for most beverages (sodas, juices, milk). Black coffee or tea are fine though.
2. Go from bleached grains to whole wheat. This is a bit tricky cause the packaging can be deceptive. "Wheat" or "Multigrain" are not the same as "Whole-wheat." Otherwise, you're just getting dyed white bread.
3. More veggies, all the time.
4. Take a fish oil supplement. Probably won't make you lose weight, but most Americans (?) consume WAY too many omega-6 fatty acids relative to the number of omega-3's.
5. Get more fiber in your diet. Supplements are good. Getting it from food is better. It'll make you feel full longer.


There's a lot to think about when it comes to a healthy diet and this definitely doesn't cover it all. But I think those are pretty good tips to start with. Small changes beget larger changes.

There's a lot of specialized diets out there, but really, any change away from the SAD (Standard American Diet) is hugely beneficial.
I'm not a certified nutritionist so I cannot tell you (OP) what to do but I personally avoid wheat like plague because of gluten. What I go for instead are sprouted grain products, oats, and brown rice

Also, if you (OP) are going to invest in fish oil, please do your research. Do not buy a fish oil from your local grocery store and call it a day as a lot of pills are scam.
 

Joseph Shrike

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This is probably going to go against what a lot of people think, but I recommend a quasi-paleo diet. There's plenty of information online about Paleo, but the bottom line is that (as some have mentioned before) you want to eat as fresh as possible and avoid processed foods. I also avoid grains of any kind, even stuff like brown rice and corn. I have the occasional sandwich, but the difference between a whole wheat slice of a bread and a white slice of bread is really kind of of minimal. There are usually more chemicals, and if you look at labels you will be amazed just how much bleached flour you probably eat, in white bread, but in the end, it's all bad for you. Basically, think of it this way: a scoop of ice cream can contain about 50 grams of carbohydrates. So can a couple pieces of bread. The reality is that your body doesn't really do a good job distinguishing between the two. All carbohydrates raise blood sugar; straight sugar just tends to do it more directly. IF you eat a lot of bread and rice, you're going to jack up your insulin just as much as if you eat a ton of cookies and ice cream, it will just be done on a fast level.

Now, I say quasi-Paleo because I am an adult who lives in the world and I know I can't adhere to a strict Paleo diet. Furthermore, there are things on the 'traditional' Paleo diet that are considered bad (such as tomatoes) that actually have a lot of vitamins and what not. What you really want to do is minimize the stuff you get from cultivation, such as rice or wheat, and maximize what you can get more naturally, such as lettuce. Some people are on the fence about fruit, since it has a lot of carbs, but I am of the camp that our bodies are attuned well enough to some fruit that it's ok, but just watch the intake. It is extremely important to recognize that we evolved a certain way, and the difference in our diets and those of the first humans is radically different, without much time for our bodies to adjust in between.

Still, you asked for recipes, not advise on what to eat, so I'll give you a quick one: slow-cooked pork.

This is one of the most versatile and oft delicious things you can make. You simply get a pork loin or a pork shoulder and slow cook it in a crockpot or an oven until it reaches the right temp, about 165, on a meat thermometer. You can season it however you like, but I usually go with pepper, salt, and some paprika, along with a little liquid smoke.

After that, you can make a bunch of stuff with it. You can slice it and have straight pork chops, but I like to shred it. I cook an onion on low heat with a little sunflower oil and some salt and pepper, stirring with a spatula for about 25-30 minutes. This caramelizes the onion. Then you can add a thinly sliced apple and the pork and cook it all together for a really good dish. My personal favorite, however, is to add a poblano pepper about 15 minutes into the onion cook time, softening it up for about 10 minutes, and then add the pork. Then about a half tablespoon of cumin, a tablespoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of garlic powder, and a teaspoon of chilanto. Obviously, you can adjust to taste, and I tend to like mine spicy. Then, you cook it all together for about 10 more minutes and take it off of the heat. Obviously, we're trying to minimize our carb intake, so I use butter lettuce (the stuff in the plastic containers with the roots and such) as taco shells. It's really good. I like it quite a bit.

I can give you some more exact recipes if you'd like, but the big thing to remember is that diet is about 80 percent of your success in losing weight. You can never out run your fork, my old trainer used to say. Aside from that, you are what you eat. You want your body to be healthy, you need to make sure the foods you're consuming are healthy too. There's kind of a kurfufle about organic vs not raised foods, and I really don't see a huge difference EXCEPT when it comes to meat. Grass fed meat is substantially healthier then the alternative. You can absolutely get healthier without going organic, but its worth considered that just as much as you need to watch what you eat, so do you need to watch what your eating has eaten. Also, a couple people in this thread have mentioned that you should lift instead of cardio and that is mostly true. Strength training helps your body far more then straight cardio, although you don't have to go to the gym if you're just starting out. Body weight training is an excellent place to start. Additionally, high intensity interval training, which is a kind of cardio and there's ton of information available on, is incredibly helpful and beneficial. If you do cardio, you need to do HIIT. Otherwise, you're not giving your body the work out it needs and basically not using your time the best way.

Anyway, pm me if you want any more specifics. I'll be happy to give you advice if you want it!
 

NPC009

Don't mind me, I'm just a NPC
Aug 23, 2010
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I think one of the first things you need to ask yourself if why you don't cook. Too much work? Bad at it? Then figure out how to make yourself cook proper meals. If you're lazy (like me), try making dishes that can be easily reheated and eaten. This way you one have to cook every other day or so.

Second is finding healthy recipes and foods you like. It's hard to make a lifestyle change if you hate every minute of it. Besides, there is nothing wrong with enjoying food, and food includes having a piece of pie at grangran's birthday or buying yourself some ice cream on the hottest day of the year. Just remember: moderation is key.

Now, it could be that your likes line up with the paleo diet or vegetarianism and you want to pursue that lifestyle. If that's the case: read up on it! These diets can be damaging to your health if you don't know what you're doing. For instance, if you like the meat part of paleo but neglect your veggies and fruits, you're going to have a bad time. Same with being a vegetarian and not using enough alternative B12 sources.
 

Guffe

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Jul 12, 2009
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I'll give you a few tips I hope can help you. Nice to see you take control of this :)

To get good food recipes the easiest way is most likely to go to a bookstore and buy 2 or 3 books with normal homecooking recipes in them. Look for a few recipes you think might seem good and start making them, progressing through the books. Then after a while you can start trying to alter them a little on your own to make the taste a bit different or adding/changing parts of the recipe (changing normal meat to chicken can be good sometimes, or vice versa).
Also, don't stop eating! You still need to eat, keep your body in the same rythm as much as possible and try eating a little less per time and a few times more meals in stead. I eat 4 times a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and evening meal. Sometimes I throw in a vegetable or something in between if I feel like it.
Also, enjoying oneself with a doughnut or something sweet now and then is not bad, the body and mind needs something good every now and then.

Daily "work-out" is important. Walk or bike to the grocery store, work, school, friends whatever (unless it's insanely far away of course).
Then you're a pretty big guy, so start of by going for walks, just walk 30-60 minutes everyday, you can walk a bit faster than normally and of course you should start going to the gym maybe 2 times a week.
Choose two days like Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday (so if you have something important/not time on one day, you just take the other. You don't need to go out on walks a gym day :p). People at gyms are usually helpful, so tell them (the cashier or gym supervisor or whatever they call them) when you get there you're just interested in some basic training, get started. When you're training, remember that before doing heavy weights and stuff, get the technique right, a bad lifting technique will kill your body and might do more harm than good, so be careful with that.
Get a simple regime to follow and after a while start to build your own routines so that it feels enjoyable to go the gym. If it's a big gym they might even have stuff like BodyPump or similar supervised training sessions, I at least think BodyPump is fun, and gives some good insight into weightlifting so you can build your own routines based on that later.
(I had a year and half were I always did the same thing when going to the gym and got bored as hell, luckily I made a complete switch in training routines and now it feels good to train again).

IMPORTANT: A lot of text there :p But remember to start slow and build your way up, don't start with insane training regimes, start with a daily walk and visit your local gyms and ask them about prices and what sort of gym it is, choose the one that seems best and start going there slowly progressing :)

If you want some more, or more specific, tips you can quote or send a PM, love to help as best I can and good luck with this! Keep at it mate!
 
Oct 2, 2012
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tippy2k2 said:
Barbas said:
jademunky said:
f1r2a3n4k5 said:
Pyrian said:
mysecondlife said:
Joseph Shrike said:
Guffe said:
Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it! I just got back from work and am going to hit the hay soon but I'll send out some PMs later on when I wake up.
Thanks again!
NPC009 said:
I think one of the first things you need to ask yourself if why you don't cook.
Oh, and I just wanted to answer this real quick.
I still live with family and they don't usually let me cook.
I only got my own car recently so until now I haven't been able to go out and buy my own ingredients and just ended up eating whatever my family bought or what I could get at work.
And when I did manage to get my own groceries my family put up this huge stink about how they didn't like how the stuff I cooked smelled and looked and wouldn't let me use things I needed to make and store my food.
It sucked.
 

Lethos

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Dec 9, 2010
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If you're really committed, then going vegetarian helps a lot. Better for the planet, and helps you save a hell of a lot of money as well.
 

Adam Jensen_v1legacy

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Sep 8, 2011
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It's not that hard really. Drop fast food and replace it with healthier food like fruits and veggies. Salads instead of junk food etc. Don't eat fried food. Most of the shit that can be fried can also be baked in the oven, so do that instead. Read about calories, fats, proteins, processed foods etc. on the internet. There are a lot of websites dedicated to making people live a healthier life.

Pro tip: Raw cabbage is a terrific and cheap choice of snack/salad because it makes you feel full really fast. It's good for lowering your cholesterol too. So make a habit of eating some raw cabbage with most of your meals as a salad. Or just eat some as an afternoon snack. Drop bread completely and eat less pasta. And when you do eat pasta, make sure it's whole wheat and not the usual processed crap. Drink a glass of water before every meal. Make sure that you drink at least 2 liters of water every day. Don't drink sodas or alcohol. Green tea with ginger is good for burning fat. Don't drink anything at least 30 minutes after a meal. And don't eat fruit at least 3h after a meal. It's gonna mess up your digestive process.
Meat is good. However, you should reduce red meat intake and eat more chicken and turkey. Fish is always a healthy choice. Just don't eat too much tuna because of the amount of mercury it contains. 2 cans a week at the most.

As for exercise, walking uphill is a good start. You don't need to start running for at least a couple of months if you're not used to it. But be sure that you walk uphill an hour at least 3 times a week. If there is no uphill where you live, then just walk 10 miles. And don't just sit at home the other 3 days. Do some light exercising at home or just go out for a normal walk for a few miles. Reserve one day for resting.

Now the most important part. Start slowly with this. When people drop all of their unhealthy habits fast, they usually can't adjust to a new life style so they give up thinking that it's impossible. Your organism is used to unhealthy lifestyle. So don't drop all unhealthy foods immediately. Drop sodas and deep fried stuff first and replace it with lots of water and green tea and baked foods instead. Introduce fruit or salad as afternoon snack too. It will make you crave dinner less. Make your meals smaller too. Try using a smaller plate. This is all easy to do. And because you're now exercising you will start losing weight. Then start replacing other unhealthy habits with healthy ones. It won't happen over night. But a year or two from now you'll be a whole new person.

It's also really beneficial to find a friend who's also serious about doing something like this.
You can compare notes on your diet, count calories, go to the gym together and keep each other motivated and focused.
 

Flames66

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Aug 22, 2009
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Live with your mother, she will sort you out. Unless your mother is all about frozen pizza.
 

NPC009

Don't mind me, I'm just a NPC
Aug 23, 2010
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Beffudled Sheep said:
Oh, and I just wanted to answer this real quick.
I still live with family and they don't usually let me cook.
I only got my own car recently so until now I haven't been able to go out and buy my own ingredients and just ended up eating whatever my family bought or what I could get at work.
And when I did manage to get my own groceries my family put up this huge stink about how they didn't like how the stuff I cooked smelled and looked and wouldn't let me use things I needed to make and store my food.
It sucked.
Wow, that sucks. Changing your lifestyle for the better is a much easier when they're people who support you...

Are there any dishes they like? You may be able to make an healthier version you can all enjoy. (Though it may be better not to call it 'healthier version' and just go with 'my version'. If they're anything like some of the people I know, who see words like 'healthy', 'vegetables' and 'normal portions' as an assault on their very being... Yeah, might be best to not use the H-word.)

Also, isn't it normal for teenagers and adolescents to cook for their family atleast once in a while? Cooking is an important skill and everyone deserves a chance to practice. My aunt lets her 10 year old daughter cook simple meals (under supervision) and that girl does a pretty good job.
 

Da Orky Man

Yeah, that's me
Apr 24, 2011
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mysecondlife said:
f1r2a3n4k5 said:
Here are some quick tips I can think of:

1. Switch to water for most beverages (sodas, juices, milk). Black coffee or tea are fine though.
2. Go from bleached grains to whole wheat. This is a bit tricky cause the packaging can be deceptive. "Wheat" or "Multigrain" are not the same as "Whole-wheat." Otherwise, you're just getting dyed white bread.
3. More veggies, all the time.
4. Take a fish oil supplement. Probably won't make you lose weight, but most Americans (?) consume WAY too many omega-6 fatty acids relative to the number of omega-3's.
5. Get more fiber in your diet. Supplements are good. Getting it from food is better. It'll make you feel full longer.


There's a lot to think about when it comes to a healthy diet and this definitely doesn't cover it all. But I think those are pretty good tips to start with. Small changes beget larger changes.

There's a lot of specialized diets out there, but really, any change away from the SAD (Standard American Diet) is hugely beneficial.
I'm not a certified nutritionist so I cannot tell you (OP) what to do but I personally avoid wheat like plague because of gluten. What I go for instead are sprouted grain products, oats, and brown rice

Also, if you (OP) are going to invest in fish oil, please do your research. Do not buy a fish oil from your local grocery store and call it a day as a lot of pills are scam.
Why avoid gluten? It makes sense to if you have Celiac's, and I've seen what happens to people with Celiac's when they consume gluten, but otherwise it's a basically harmless protein. And given that gluten can be found in the least expected food items, including ice cream, oats and of course anything with wheat in it, it is sort of hard to avoid without spending a fair bit extra for the usually less healthy gluten-free equivalents.