building a healthy meal plan

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It is true most doctors don't know anything about diet. Only about 30% of them have ever had a single nutrition class.

Diabetics have special needs to keep their blood sugar and A1-C with in acceptable ranges. What works for others doesn't work for them almost always.

Regardless of any diagnosis you may have related to your health the most important thing you can do to start living healthier is to avoid ALL processed foods. Stick with fresh foods, frozen if no additives, fresh protein sources (meat, cheese & nuts are my personal choices).

Most grains are GMO which are resulting in more people having dietary issues, health issues, allergies, etc. Many diseases of unknown origin start with GMO foods and processed foods including fast foods which are mostly processed and shipped to their respective businesses.

The current diet recommendations as grains and breads at the base of a pyramid is a farce and way to destroy your health. The diet recommendations used when we were fighting WWII and continued into the 50's & 60's, maybe longer was three meats/day, dairy (included eggs), vegetables were divided into two groups, fruit, (seams there was a group for nuts and such, not positive) and grains. There were 7 food groups and everyone was to get at least one serving per day from each food group and 2-3 per meal of the different vegetable groups. People were thin then and healthier, and more active. Over weight people were few, gross over weight almost non existent. It was rare you heard of people with cancer, diabetics, and things like Lupus, MS, and so many more diseases were unknown then. The food industry is NOT our friend.
I was overweight for quite a few years and none of the doctors I saw ever mentioned it. Heaven forbid that they discuss my diet. It's like they didn't want to hurt my feelings or didn't understand weight and diet ARE health issues. OR... They wanted to cycle me through their office in the quickest time possible. Actually discussing diet could have taken a lot more time. :(

I finally took responsibility for my own health and figured out what worked for me. It didn't take surgery or meds from a bottle either. But, I think the medical establishment could have helped if they had just tried.

The only exception I would take to some of the advice posted here is calling all GMOs bad. I agree that we might not know enough about some genetically modified foods. But... have you ever seen some originals of the plants we now call food? Humans have been selectively breeding (and modifying) plants for as long as they have been cultivating them.
 
I was overweight for quite a few years and none of the doctors I saw ever mentioned it. Heaven forbid that they discuss my diet. It's like they didn't want to hurt my feelings or didn't understand weight and diet ARE health issues. OR... They wanted to cycle me through their office in the quickest time possible. Actually discussing diet could have taken a lot more time. :(

I finally took responsibility for my own health and figured out what worked for me. It didn't take surgery or meds from a bottle either. But, I think the medical establishment could have helped if they had just tried.

The only exception I would take to some of the advice posted here is calling all GMOs bad. I agree that we might not know enough about some genetically modified foods. But... have you ever seen some originals of the plants we now call food? Humans have been selectively breeding (and modifying) plants for as long as they have been cultivating them.
I'll argue the point about GMO's. I grew up on a farm in the late 40's, 50's and early 60's. We raised our own gardens and farm crops for animals, peanuts, onions, sweet potatoes and cotton. I've seen the same plants you mention just across the turn-row on our neighbor's place. Every farmer farms by specific methods and some farmers use only chemicals on their land. Some do nothing to help the plants on depleted soil. Others use all kinds of natural stuff, barnyard fertilizer, left over plant matter, etc on their farms. Some combine chemicals with the different natural additives to the land. These farming practices make every field, the produce from each field look different from the ones near it or across the county. With the right nutrition returned to the soil the plants will grow lush plants and beautiful produce. Naturally the amount of water also makes a difference. GMO's are new on the scene in terms of history. Humanity did well before they came along. Chemical fertilizers were rare if used at all before WWII when they had left over things from the war that they researched and found could give three needed elements to the plants to make them grown lush and pretty. It had no effect on how nutritious the food was. Just on pretty, i.e.,aesthetics. GMO's were genetically modified to make the plant be able to with stand herbicides and insecticides. That means when we eat GMO foods we get a load of chemicals that are BAD for our bodies that didn't hurt the plants but, were taken up into the plant, leaves, stems and fruit. So you want to drink agent orange, 2-4-D or any of the other chemicals to make farms and produce pretty. Your choice. Not mine. BTW, previous to GMO's plants were hybridized. A very different process. The plants can refuse to hybridize with the result you don't get viable seeds. Not everything they tried to hybridize was successful. They have to be compatable to hybridize.
 
..... GMO's are new on the scene in terms of history. Humanity did well before they came along .....
Humans started to genetically alter food crops within a thousand years of the beginning of farming, about 5000 BC. All the current methods of genetic altering does is take the hit or miss guesswork out of the modifications. Most of the foods we eat show very little resemblance to the original wild plants.
..... GMO's were genetically modified to make the plant be able to with stand herbicides and insecticides. That means when we eat GMO foods we get a load of chemicals that are BAD for our bodies that didn't hurt the plants but, were taken up into the plant, leaves, stems and fruit .....
Do you have any generally accepted research to back up this claim? The research I have seen shows that current GMOs require less chemical to combat insects and disease. I have seen none that claims a plant is resistant to herbicides and insecticides but absorbs them and passes them on.
Here's a place to start:
http://gaiapresse.ca/images/nouvelles/28563.pdf
 
Humans started to genetically alter food crops within a thousand years of the beginning of farming, about 5000 BC. All the current methods of genetic altering does is take the hit or miss guesswork out of the modifications. Most of the foods we eat show very little resemblance to the original wild plants.

Do you have any generally accepted research to back up this claim? The research I have seen shows that current GMOs require less chemical to combat insects and disease. I have seen none that claims a plant is resistant to herbicides and insecticides but absorbs them and passes them on.
Here's a place to start:
http://gaiapresse.ca/images/nouvelles/28563.pdf
Been a long time since I saw the research on it. Also, some sources for research I have my doubts about. I like to know who is paying for the research. BTW, the plants pass on the herbicides and insecticides to the animal or human that eats them. Where else is the chemicals going to go that doesn't go into the soil?
 
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Been a long time since I saw the research on it. Also, some sources for research I have my doubts about. I like to know who is paying for the research. BTW, the plants pass on the herbicides and insecticides to the animal or human that eats them. Where else is the chemicals going to go that doesn't go into the soil?
While I generally agree with your attitude on GMOs I think the problem is with the process of approving them for use and the closed-door testing systems used rather than the idea of GMOs themselves. Not all plants are need necessarily be modified to produce toxins for insects or other plants... Some are engineered to be resistant to herbicides (so that the fields can be flooded with herbicide to make weeding easier). There are drought and disease resistant plants with GMO modifications that have nothing to do with herbicide or pesticide.

I think over-reliance on insecticide and plant-specific herbicide is a bigger issue. You can't even buy compost for your garden now without using it in a test-grow to make sure it's not contaminated with aminopyralids (broad-leaf herbicide which is found on grain-crops eaten by cows, passes through their digestive systems, which is later incorporated into compost their waste is added to, thereby killing any broad-leaf plants that it is used to fertilize... ie most plants in your garden).
 
While I generally agree with your attitude on GMOs I think the problem is with the process of approving them for use and the closed-door testing systems used rather than the idea of GMOs themselves. Not all plants are need necessarily be modified to produce toxins for insects or other plants... Some are engineered to be resistant to herbicides (so that the fields can be flooded with herbicide to make weeding easier). There are drought and disease resistant plants with GMO modifications that have nothing to do with herbicide or pesticide.

I think over-reliance on insecticide and plant-specific herbicide is a bigger issue. You can't even buy compost for your garden now without using it in a test-grow to make sure it's not contaminated with aminopyralids (broad-leaf herbicide which is found on grain-crops eaten by cows, passes through their digestive systems, which is later incorporated into compost their waste is added to, thereby killing any broad-leaf plants that it is used to fertilize... ie most plants in your garden).
It looks like on most things related to GMOs we agree. I recycle compost from weeds on my property, tree leaves, evergreen trimmings and left over veggie scraps from my garden. My property is in town. It is large enough I don't get much blow back or transference of chemicals from other properties. My property has been kept free of herbicides and pesticides for over 40 years. So for the most part all my fruit, vegetables and herbs are organic as is possible being on this contaminated earth. I pick and kill insects that eat my plants such as squash bugs and bean beetles and destroy their eggs. For several years I had some chickens that essentially rid my place of grub worms and cutworms as well as other invasive insects. I plant flowers and other plants that encourage the predator insects so I find no need to use any chemicals to rid my gardens of harmful insects. I do need more barnyard fertilizer for healthier looking and lush plants although my produce is beautiful and comes off the vine ripe, not green to maybe ripen.
 
Advice I will give is to remember what you “eat-ate” if you’re eating meat, you are eating what they ate. Lots of vegetables. Know your dirty dozen and clean 13. You’re on the right track! Maybe check out Dr. Livingood (yes, that’s his real name)
 
A balanced diet should include a variety of foods from all food groups to ensure you get a wide range of nutrients. Try to incorporate different vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains into your meals. While chicken is a good source of protein, consider diversifying your protein sources. You can include canned tuna or salmon, beans, lentils, tofu, or even pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to add variety to your meals.
 
Something I'd mention for learning more about nutritional meal planning, are a few online games and some app's. (and there are so many apps)

Smithsonian Science Education Center offers:

Pick Your Plate! A Global Guide to Nutrition

A board game with a free trial (2 to 12 players can play)

The Nutrition Game

If you are athletic

Meal planning for Athletes

Apps

Diet & Nutrition Meal Planner Klemen Turkovic Play Store

Meal Planner-Plan Weekly Meals Jojo apps Play Store

Meal Planner & Nutrition Coach Playstore

Easy Meal Planner ODS Android Apps

Nutrition.ai IntensiveKost

.....and there are many more
 
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... rice...tomatoes

one snack is an apple, the other snack I have been blending frozen berries and frozen bananas...

...juicing carrots... beets...

...salad... mixed greens with olive oil and vinegar

...oatmeal with a few berries and milk too? I typically drink a lot of coffee for breakfast...

... whole milk with my coffee and just get the flavored coffee...

If there is anyone who lives a very healthy diet any information would be helpful... sure eat your veggies...

I wonder if other people struggle to understand this as well, or maybe it's just me..

...Juicing and blending can be USB devices ( I have a usb blender that works ok long as the berries have time to dethaw)

Does anyone else in Minivan life, or even van life relate to trying to eat super healthy...
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CV:
* Semi-retired Physical Therapist.
* We operate a small organic teaching farm near the outskirts of Eugene, Oregon.
* We owned a restaurant business for ten years.
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a -- we eat only frozen berries.
Freezing helps break the cell walls, aiding digestion.
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b -- we eat only one serving of fruit daily.
Those sugars are known to contribute to liver disease.
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c -- after about 30yo, our stomach acid weakens, contributing to intestine sludge... and potentially colon/rectal cancers.
How much hydrochloric are you supplementing?
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d -- blending vegetables into a soup/smoothie helps break cell walls, aiding digestion.
You still need to chew each bite thoroughly while you saturate it with saliva... the first stage of digestion.
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e -- organic fair-trade coffee has some benefits.
Could you add organic flavors?
Some flavoring has GMO and corn syrup.
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f -- it's just you.
You are the only one.
Everybody else automatically knows all this without any struggles.
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g -- we aim for twelve servings of vegetables daily.
To accomplish this, we have vegetables for breakfast:
* in a cast-iron skillet, simmer bone-broth
* add left-over vegetables.
* crack four eggs to poach.
Season with sea-vegetables, such as nori.
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h -- rice, corn, grains are a sugar load.
We avoid sugars, including alcohol.
Unless you are training for a marathon, your body has zero use for carbohydrates.
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I -- tomatoes are part of the nightshades.
The others are potato eggplant peppers.
They are terribly inflammatory.
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j -- root vegetables such as carrots turnips potatoes are primarily sugars.
A diet with those facilitates the 'Blood-Sugar Roller-Coaster', a series of insulin dumps followed by a sugar crash.
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k -- beets are best fermented.
Fermenting burns off some of the sugars, while retaining the necessary nitric oxide.
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l -- cow milk is good for baby cows.
If you are a baby human, consume human milk.
If not, avoid dairy, including goat and yak.
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m -- I detest salads.
I can barely tolerate a salad with sliced apples, cashew cheese, raisans, and sardines.
Other than that, salad goes in the blender.
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n -- oatmeal is an avoidable grain.
A couple-three times a year, I make my version of haggis:
* the night before, I soak the oatmeal in its cooking water plus a squeeze of lime or lemon juice, or a dash of vinegar.
(The acid helps dispel the naturally-occurring pesticides called phytate.
Every plant produces phytates as a deterrent against bacteria and fungi.
Unfortunately, a diet high in plants increases that load toward lethal... exactly as intended.)
* next day while the oatmeal cooks, I brown some ground elk or beef with pink salt and herbs.
* Toss the two together.
Haggis!, but without the sheep stomach.
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o -- coffee at breakfast tends toward a 10am crash.
At that point, most people reach for the cake, muffins, or/and cinnamon rolls... a bounce for the sugar rush.
Probably a bad idea.
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p -- portions -- eat only if you are hungry, eat until you are satisfied.
A simple way to control portions -- count your chews.
For example, I chew one bite of elk stew fifty-five (55) chews before it is soft and saturated with saliva... the first stage of digestion.
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q -- if you must consume sugars -- grains, root vegetables -- temper their absorption with an oil -- olive is good, although we prefer coconut.
For a salad dressing, whisk a squeeze of mustard into your oil and vinegar as an emulsifier.
Add fresh herbs, and you are set.
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I still prefer to drink my salad from the blender.
Blending also helps digestion by breaking those cell walls.
If you are past 30yo, your digestion probably could use the help.
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r -- living fermented foods.
Either make your kraut and kimchi, or acquire them from the cold-case in the 'health-food' section.
Read your label, some cheats use citric acid or vinegar to mimic the natural souring.
Living fermented foods would be killed by vinegar.
 
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