How to decide which foods to buy!?!

[HopefulPostpartum]

so I tend to do my shopping online as I'm super busy a lot of the time, however, I've just looked at some of the stuff that I thought was super healthy and I'm wrong. I brought mixed nuts and a 1/4 of a bag is 291 kcals and a fruit, nut and seed mix is 464 kcals... What?

[IndigoBlue61]

I know, it can be a shock!! But remember food quality is important too, 300 calories of nuts is better than 300 calories in a bar of chocolate. 😊 As long as you have 300 calories to 'spend'

[HopefulPostpartum in reply to IndigoBlue61]

That makes a lit of sense tbf, I'm just still shocked by how many calories their actually are in food items.

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to HopefulPostpartum]

Flapjack was a big surprise to me!!! Eeeek

[HopefulPostpartum in reply to IndigoBlue61]

I was mist surprised by Weetabix tbh, didn't expect the amount of calories in that but then again, its got to keep your going till lunchtime 😊

[kalahuchi]

I love dried fruit and nuts and seeds and find it helpful to buy the ones that are already portion controlled and calorie counted so I don't overdo the portion sizes. You can't really go wrong with veg of any kind (apart from eating too many potatoes) and salad and fruit are great too. I agree with Anna. High calorie options like avocado pears and also nuts and seeds are very nutritions so I eat them pretty much every day and it hasn't done me any harm at all; it's just important to include them in your calorie allowance. You're doing the best thing possible which is to look at the food labels before you buy. If you have time, home cooking is always best because you know exactly what's in it but it's not always possible in the real world. If you haven't checked out the NHS BMI calculator to find your ideal calorie range I should go on it; it'll cheer you up to find how many calories you're allowed to eat in a day and then you can treat yourself to a few more nuts. x

[HopefulPostpartum in reply to kalahuchi]

hi, that's a lot of really helpful advice, thank you. As for home cooked meals, I tend to do them every day until the food supply is low and I have to wait for the next lot of money to buy more, in which time I have to make do with whatever we have. As for portion control, I tried to make myself a chicken wrap yesterday and ended up with two massive ones because I'd over estimated the amount of salad I would need. Just need to learn to recognise when enough is enough and then at another point in the day I had a bowl of yogurt and fruit and over did it on the fruit too!

[kalahuchi in reply to HopefulPostpartum]

Ah yes, that all sounds very familiar. I do that too with wraps and I eat a mountain of salad (not the stuff with pasta or mayo- I mean the kind of salad you would pick out of a garden) with most meals but one big wrap is plenty for me and then I put the other in a takeaway container in the fridge to eat the next day.

My second meal of the day is usually plain, unsweetened yoghurt with a banana and/or grapes, a handful of almonds and linseeds, three dried dates and a few sultanas. Sometimes it is just the yoghurt and fresh fruit, but I have three portions of whatever fruit I choose with that meal.

When I first started I invested in a cheap pair of kitchen scales and weighed everything for 2-3 weeks until I could judge portion sizes more accurately. I rarely weigh things now but it did help at first. You sound really healthy and I'm sure you'll do well.

All this talking about food has made me hungry - I'm off for a yoghurt. Enjoy the rest of your day x

[lucigret]

20g of almonds = 120 cals and is far more satisfying than a bar of chocolate, (this comes from a previous chocoholic!). What I like about nuts is the crunch, I find crunchy food far more satisfying. If you have bought a large bag, make up small portions in advance so that you don't over eat them. The seeds, fruit and nut mix are lovely on a salad and you don't need many at all, so a large bag will last you for ages.

[HopefulPostpartum in reply to lucigret]

that's a good idea- pre-portioning them! And yes that's my intention to put them in yogurts and salads, or to just eat them on their own. I've also brought a big bag of mixed seeds 😃

[kalahuchi in reply to lucigret]

That's a great idea and much cheaper to buy in bags and portion control them yourself. I'll start doing that - thank you x