Hi, I was reading an article about the calorie density of foods being important to feeling full. It's true--350 calories of a salad will make me feel fuller than 350 calories of cookies.
The problem I'm having is that No-S is based on plate size, not calories. So when I have a meal, I often skimp on salad or other low-density foods because I know that a plateful of it will not fill me up. But a plateful of something less healthy will fill me up, so I go for that. I'm having a hard enough time not snacking--the idea of also substituting my regular diet for healthy low-density foods, which will not fill me up, is too much.
Any suggestions on how to deal with this?
calorie density
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
Try not to overanalyze. Most of what I see on this board leading to failure and frustration is the complication of something that is really very simple. I said simple, not easy. But complicating the No-S plan doesn't make it any easier.
Try this: Fill half your plate with healthy veggies and fruits. Devote one-quarter to one-third of the plate to protein (this is critical to feeling satiated). Leave room in the remaining portion for starch (e.g. bread, pasta, rice, potato).
Joel
Try this: Fill half your plate with healthy veggies and fruits. Devote one-quarter to one-third of the plate to protein (this is critical to feeling satiated). Leave room in the remaining portion for starch (e.g. bread, pasta, rice, potato).
Joel
Eastside,
This is a tricky one for me, too. I think Joel is right, don't stress too much about what is on your plate and just make sure it is going to get you through to the next meal. That said, you don't necessarily want to have to eat super-rich and calorie dense foods at every meal just to keep from snacking.
I have found one of the major keys for me is a mix of lean protein and complex carbohydrates. I find that I can even eat a salad for a meal and it will satisfy me until the next meal as long as it has some protein on it. Some of my favorites that strike this balance really well for me are:
vegetarian chili made with beans, tomatoes, veggies, and spices
black beans and brown rice with peas, salsa, avocado, etc.
steamed vegetables and tofu with brown rice
baked potato with beans and cheese
various salad/soup/sandwich combinations
smoothies made with frozen fruit and plain yougurt
fish with vegetables and rice
I don't eat meat (except seafood) so probably other people will have different ideas about what a balanced meal is. But I find that if I don't include that protein, I am done for.
This is a tricky one for me, too. I think Joel is right, don't stress too much about what is on your plate and just make sure it is going to get you through to the next meal. That said, you don't necessarily want to have to eat super-rich and calorie dense foods at every meal just to keep from snacking.
I have found one of the major keys for me is a mix of lean protein and complex carbohydrates. I find that I can even eat a salad for a meal and it will satisfy me until the next meal as long as it has some protein on it. Some of my favorites that strike this balance really well for me are:
vegetarian chili made with beans, tomatoes, veggies, and spices
black beans and brown rice with peas, salsa, avocado, etc.
steamed vegetables and tofu with brown rice
baked potato with beans and cheese
various salad/soup/sandwich combinations
smoothies made with frozen fruit and plain yougurt
fish with vegetables and rice
I don't eat meat (except seafood) so probably other people will have different ideas about what a balanced meal is. But I find that if I don't include that protein, I am done for.
I agree that protein and complex carbs rule. 
And I also follow the same plan J Ellis does, with "plate divisions": 1/2 fruit/veg, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carbs (preferably complex). Of course, this has flexibility. A big serving of beans'n'rice with salad on the side will hold me most of the day.
You can put a LOT of food on a standard plate. Really. And I find as long as it's "real food" (I avoid processed stuff, for the most part), I do fine.
And I also follow the same plan J Ellis does, with "plate divisions": 1/2 fruit/veg, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carbs (preferably complex). Of course, this has flexibility. A big serving of beans'n'rice with salad on the side will hold me most of the day.
You can put a LOT of food on a standard plate. Really. And I find as long as it's "real food" (I avoid processed stuff, for the most part), I do fine.
Yes, in a perfect world foods that are high in fiber will satisfy you longer:
brown rice, whole grains, oatmeal, raw vegetables, etc. But.... the hedonist in all of us wants to eat white bread and other such sinful delicacies. So, I think if you are starting out, just put what you like on the plate. As time goes by, you can try to add healthier touches like whole grains and less processed food. If you are too strict and try to live on brown rice and vegetables with no fats or spices, you will fall off the wagon....fast.
brown rice, whole grains, oatmeal, raw vegetables, etc. But.... the hedonist in all of us wants to eat white bread and other such sinful delicacies. So, I think if you are starting out, just put what you like on the plate. As time goes by, you can try to add healthier touches like whole grains and less processed food. If you are too strict and try to live on brown rice and vegetables with no fats or spices, you will fall off the wagon....fast.
The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they feed themselves. Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
The following was linked to in a newsletter I get from about.com:But.... the hedonist in all of us wants to eat white bread and other such sinful delicacies.
Unhealthy processed foods include:
canned foods with lots of sodium
white breads and pastas made with refined white flour
packaged high calorie snack foods like chips and cheese snacks
high fat foods like cans of ravioli and spaghetti
frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners
packaged cakes and cookies
boxes of meal mixes
sugary breakfast cereals
processed meats
I'm surprised that she didn't mention white rice and other "instant" grains.
Anyway, the white bread and pastas made from refined white flour amuses me. This is an issue primarily in the U.S. -- and other countries that have followed our dietary lead.
The Chinese eat a diet based on white rice; the French eat a diet that includes white bread; the Italian diet uses bread and pasta made from white flour as well as white rice (risotto).
I used to have a Chinese cookbook in which the author stated that the Chinese know that white rice isn't the healthiest option, but they feel that what they eat with it makes up for what the rice lacks. While the Chinese do eat bowls full of white rice, the French and Italians and others around the world eat smaller quantities of bread and pasta made from white flour combined with large amounts of vegetables, fruits, other whole grains and legumes.
White flour products become unhealthy, I think, when they're part of a diet made up of mostly processed foods. The diet of many Americans is made up of mostly processed foods. Our consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes is miniscule when compared to that of our cousins around the world.
Most people around the world use both the whole grain and refined white flour products. What they use depends on what they will be served with. The stronger flavors of whole grain products is believed to be too strong to go with more delicately flavored sauces/dishes.
It's possible to be a healthy, and slim, hedonist. It's all a matter of balance.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
Joel--talk about complexity! I live alone with a tiny kitchen. Making 3 types of food, thinking about fractions of the plate, thinking about lean protein and complex carbohydrates, oh my god that seems complex. Maybe it's all second nature to you, but not to me.
As I said, I'm having a hard enough time thinking about 1 plate 3 times a day and not eating out half my meals. That's the level of complexity I'm struggling with now.
I guess I'm going to go with the suggestion of thinking about just following NoS literally for a while and worrying about healthy foods later. The problem is that now I am actually eating too much at each meal, but perhaps if I do this for a while I will start to figure out how much I really need to eat at each meal to be satisfied until my next meal.
As I said, I'm having a hard enough time thinking about 1 plate 3 times a day and not eating out half my meals. That's the level of complexity I'm struggling with now.
I guess I'm going to go with the suggestion of thinking about just following NoS literally for a while and worrying about healthy foods later. The problem is that now I am actually eating too much at each meal, but perhaps if I do this for a while I will start to figure out how much I really need to eat at each meal to be satisfied until my next meal.
Maybe I should clarify: there is white bread and then there is white bread. If you have ever read the ingredient list on white bread in a supermarket (doesn't really matter what brand) it would make you cringe. It reads like a chemistry experiment: high fructose corn syrup, sugar, trans fats, modified food starch, preservatives, etc. When I go to Trader Joe's (a store that carries organic and gourmet products along with regular) and buy white bread the ingredients read: unbleached white flour, salt, yeast. The latter is the kind of white bread they eat in France, Italy, and most of Europe. The kind of bread that goes hard the next day. There is a reason Americans are the fattest nation, and the reason may not be white bread, but what that white bread contains!
P.S. Please don't get me wrong, I love America and I was born and raised here. But, our food industry could learn a thing or two about food quality from other countries.
P.S. Please don't get me wrong, I love America and I was born and raised here. But, our food industry could learn a thing or two about food quality from other countries.
The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they feed themselves. Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Amen! Success leaves clues and we'd do well to follow some of them.P.S. Please don't get me wrong, I love America and I was born and raised here. But, our food industry could learn a thing or two about food quality from other countries.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
This is an interesting thread. It certainly gives many reasons to cook food yourself... for example, if I make bread at home, I can control exactly what goes into it. (No high-fructose corn syrup for me... ) Of course, the trade-off is that it's much more time consuming than buying a loaf of bread at the store, but boy, it sure seems like it's worth the extra effort.
Plus I'm sure washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen afterwards burns off *some* calories.
Plus I'm sure washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen afterwards burns off *some* calories.
Before criticizing someone, you should try walking a mile in their shoes. Then you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.
The plate division thing works really well when eating out, especially at buffets.eastside wrote:Joel--talk about complexity! I live alone with a tiny kitchen. Making 3 types of food, thinking about fractions of the plate, thinking about lean protein and complex carbohydrates, oh my god that seems complex. Maybe it's all second nature to you, but not to me.
As I said, I'm having a hard enough time thinking about 1 plate 3 times a day and not eating out half my meals. That's the level of complexity I'm struggling with now.
I guess I'm going to go with the suggestion of thinking about just following NoS literally for a while and worrying about healthy foods later. The problem is that now I am actually eating too much at each meal, but perhaps if I do this for a while I will start to figure out how much I really need to eat at each meal to be satisfied until my next meal.
But your instinct to "keep it simple" and focus on one thing at a time is really smart. Build the habits, then try a "gradual replacement" of items in your current diet. Don't make the mountain so high you can't scale it.
And it's okay to "eat too much at a meal" right now. That will self-correct as you learn how much you really need. I found that it was BETTER for me to eat more at meals than to not eat enough and lose control later. (Meal food just tends to be better quality than snack food.)
Just follow the rules and don't stress too much about the details. As you become more confident, you can add flourishes.