OT - Dietary Supplements

[intlzncster]

1) It's wasteful. Lots of money and food out the window - I'd say 40-50% by volume.

That's mostly fiber. Which the body can't digest. There's phytonutrients in there that are good for you though. Which is why I use a a Nutribullet the most. The new one (Nutribullet Rx) pretty much pulverizes everything, so it's effectively a crossover between a juice and a smoothy.

2) Alert your dentist that you will be opting for the frequent visitor plan. That is a lot of sugar going past the choppers on a daily basis.

Use a straw and put it straight down your throat. Brush after.

3) Just eat the fruit. You are a marvel of evolution. You can eat a piece of fruit and the juice will be extracted from it just fine. Drinking calories is generally a mistake - it won't fill you up and you'll find something that will.

It's the greens, roots, seeds etc, more than the fruit, that is important to me. I basically get three large plates of greens a day from it. Which is what I personally feel I need. The fruit adds good flavor, and extra beneficial nutrients to boot.I love fruit and eat a lot of it, but eating that many salads a day would kill me.

 

[tykurez]

We have a Nutribullet as well - use it every morning and have a kale & fruit smoothie with our eggs. Love that thing.

 

[8893]

enjoy

Designer 725 Blender | Blendtec

Nah, I'm going Nutribullet.

 

[August_West]

Nah, I'm going Nutribullet.

Damn, I wanted you to drop some coin again like the Thermometer.

 

[8893]

Damn, I wanted you to drop some coin again like the Thermometer.

That's why I'm not even going to read the link. I have a way of talking myself into the most expensive gadgets.

 

[August_West]

That's why I'm not even going to read the link. I have a way of talking myself into the most expensive gadgets.

The blend tec is the best, Jerry. The best.
3.8 horse power turbo injected blending rocket.

 

[8893]

The blend tec is the best, Jerry. The best.
3.8 horse power turbo injected blending rocket.

The Breville I have is pretty crazy. 1000 watts power up t0 13,000 RPM. They make outstanding kitchen appliances.

 

[Jay-Bone]

My biggest problem is that I drink way too much. Not quite Leaving Las Vegas, but 10+ drinks 3-4 nights a week. I've just recently gotten into the superfood craze the last few years. I smoothie like a son of a bitch with a magic bullet. Its really cheap and works great. My daily smoothie consists of chocolate whey protein, creatine, green superfood, yeast, a grain mix (quinoa, flaxseed, chia, bulgur, maca, hemp seed & wheat germ), honey, cinnamon, ginger, canned pumpkin, lemon juice, lime juice, almond milk, coconut oil, olive oil, greek yogurt, berry mix, oranges, apples, banana, watermelon, grapefruit, pineapple, avocado & kiwi. I swear to god, it doesn't taste bad at all. I hit the salad bar hard too. I get about every veggie with a variety of kale, spinach, arugula, etc. I call it the kitchen sink salad. Make sure you get your salmon and tuna on top of your other proteins. I eat a lot of bean salads and grail mixes in greek yogurt too. I also take fish oil, multivitamin, D, B12, zinc, etc. I guess my m.o. is a little bit of everything good. That balances out my alcoholism and gets me just right.

 

[intlzncster]

I'm a big fan of juicing. Bought a top of the line Breville juice extractor a few years ago (when I started my last run with good habits) and it has been a key for me when I'm doing well. The problem is that it takes a lot of time to make and clean, and you have to get to the store every few days for fresh supply of fresh vegetables. There used to be a Pure juice franchise around the corner from my office and that was a great source for grabbing a couple doses during the week, but they closed a few months ago. Now I need to go a lot farther out of my way to find a place that makes them. I read recently that cold pressed veggie juices are getting a lot of attention from venture capitalists, so I'm expecting see an explosion of them in the next few years.

As mentioned elsewhere, the Nutribullet is quick and easy to clean. Plus the new Rx version pretty much makes a juice out of what used to be a smoothie.

 

[8893]

As mentioned elsewhere, the Nutribullet is quick and easy to clean. Plus the new Rx version pretty much makes a juice out of what used to be a smoothie.

Yes, I've almost pulled the trigger on one a few times in the past few months, but I'm too stubborn knowing how much I dropped on the Breville a few years ago. It will happen soon though. When I bought the Breville it was the best product on the market, and then they improved the design a year or so later to add a blender function. That pissed me off enough; then Nutribullet really upped their game with a cheaper and easier alternative, which I am slowly coming 'round to.

 

[Phorcys]

Dr. Oz has wonderful ideas about magic supplements.

 

[intlzncster]

The blender is less expensive and more efficient, and it uses more of the vegetable, including the fiber, which can be very important for many (although not remotely my issue). I am probably going that route soon, too, though; but I think the juice extractor produces a much more palatable product for my tastes. My usual is a "green lemonade" that includes kale, cucumbers, parsley/cilantro/or mint, lemon, lime and green apple.

Yes, I've almost pulled the trigger on one a few times in the past few months, but I'm too stubborn knowing how much I dropped on the Breville a few years ago. It will happen soon though. When I bought the Breville it was the best product on the market, and then they improved the design a year or so later to add a blender function. That pissed me off enough; then Nutribullet really upped their game with a cheaper and easier alternative, which I am slowly coming 'round to.

Def get the N Rx. More expensive, but way more versatile and powerful. JMO. And dude, it does soups!! I've used multiple versions, and the Rx really is worth the extra $70. Can't recommend it enough.

No reason you can't do both your breville and the NB. Make a big juice on the weekend and save for a few days.* Stagger smoothies in between.

*and no, you don't have to worry about the nutrients degrading. They do, but not remotely to a level that wouldn't justify the consumption of the juice. Just preserve properly. Hell, freeze if you want to.

 

[intlzncster]

Dr. Oz has wonderful ideas about magic supplements.

Dr Oz is bats**t insane.

 

[superjohn]

My biggest problem is that I drink way too much. Not quite Leaving Las Vegas, but 10+ drinks 3-4 nights a week. I've just recently gotten into the superfood craze the last few years. I smoothie like a son of a bitch with a magic bullet. Its really cheap and works great. My daily smoothie consists of chocolate whey protein, creatine, green superfood, yeast, a grain mix (quinoa, flaxseed, chia, bulgur, maca, hemp seed & wheat germ), honey, cinnamon, ginger, canned pumpkin, lemon juice, lime juice, almond milk, coconut oil, olive oil, greek yogurt, berry mix, oranges, apples, banana, watermelon, grapefruit, pineapple, avocado & kiwi. I swear to god, it doesn't taste bad at all. I hit the salad bar hard too. I get about every veggie with a variety of kale, spinach, arugula, etc. I call it the kitchen sink salad. Make sure you get your salmon and tuna on top of your other proteins. I eat a lot of bean salads and grail mixes in greek yogurt too. I also take fish oil, multivitamin, D, B12, zinc, etc. I guess my m.o. is a little bit of everything good. That balances out my alcoholism and gets me just right.

Your daily smoothie sounds great but 30 freaking ingredients sounds crazy to me. As long as you can deal with it and it doesn't destroy your wallet then it's good, that sounds too time consuming to me though with all the shopping. I usually drink once a week and it's usually of the binge variety. Any doc will tell you drinking heavily is not good for you but if you keep a great diet like you do and get some exercise in you should be fine.

My biggest problem is that I drink way too much. Not quite Leaving Las Vegas, but 10+ drinks 3-4 nights a week. I've just recently gotten into the superfood craze the last few years. I smoothie like a son of a bitch with a magic bullet. Its really cheap and works great. My daily smoothie consists of chocolate whey protein, creatine, green superfood, yeast, a grain mix (quinoa, flaxseed, chia, bulgur, maca, hemp seed & wheat germ), honey, cinnamon, ginger, canned pumpkin, lemon juice, lime juice, almond milk, coconut oil, olive oil, greek yogurt, berry mix, oranges, apples, banana, watermelon, grapefruit, pineapple, avocado & kiwi. I swear to god, it doesn't taste bad at all. I hit the salad bar hard too. I get about every veggie with a variety of kale, spinach, arugula, etc. I call it the kitchen sink salad. Make sure you get your salmon and tuna on top of your other proteins. I eat a lot of bean salads and grail mixes in greek yogurt too. I also take fish oil, multivitamin, D, B12, zinc, etc. I guess my m.o. is a little bit of everything good. That balances out my alcoholism and gets me just right.

 

[superjohn]

The problem with eating a ton of veggies and fruits is that they go bad quickly so it's a lot of trips to the market. I've always gone the frozen route because it's much easier and it's most likely better for you than the fresh stuff you get at the market.

 

[intlzncster]

The problem with eating a ton of veggies and fruits is that they go bad quickly so it's a lot of trips to the market. I've always gone the frozen route because it's much easier and it's most likely better for you than the fresh stuff you get at the market.

Yeah, me too. Especially particular fruits and veggies: blueberries, mango, spinach, sometimes kale... As a bonus, you don't need to add ice to a smoothie.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Your daily smoothie sounds great but 30 freaking ingredients sounds crazy to me. As long as you can deal with it and it doesn't destroy your wallet then it's good, that sounds too time consuming to me though with all the shopping. I usually drink once a week and it's usually of the binge variety. Any doc will tell you drinking heavily is not good for you but if you keep a great diet like you do and get some exercise in you should be fine.

Believe it or not, its not as bad as it sounds....and I'm lazy. This is the extent of my "cooking". I started out with a few items and just kept adding to it. It's easier for me to have a lot of different ingredients every day than to try to cycle through different smoothie recipes. The grain mix is pre-batched to last a couple of months. The fruit is frozen and I just grab a piece of each. All in all it takes me about 5 mins. I don't even need to shop often because the only ingredients that go bad are the fruits and their frozen.

Now for the liver being fine....that's another story.

 

[Phorcys]

The best health advice in this thread: take the stairs…not the escalators or elevators.

 

[Kitaman]

Some great advice here. I think I'll start something tomorrow.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Some great advice here. I think I'll start something tomorrow.

Or maybe in 20 minutes....

 

[tykurez]

Yeah, me too. Especially particular fruits and veggies: blueberries, mango, spinach, sometimes kale... As a bonus, you don't need to add ice to a smoothie.

Bingo. We go kale, ripe banana, pineapple chunks and then some frozen blueberries and strawberries or peaches with coconut milk. So so so good.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

I've yo-yo'd pretty well for the past 20 years or so, going from health scares to religious adoption of new exercise/dietary regimens and back again every few years, losing the religious fervor once the results are achieved and bad habits creep back in.

Had a physical yesterday and my doc called me out on trying to game the tests and pointed out the harm that my yo-yo-ing would ultimately do. He asked me what I wanted to do and I asked him for a referral to a nutritionist because I said I want to have a road map for eating for my next 50 years (I turn 50 next week). I've made a lot of things work for me in terms of diet and exercise, but it's been getting harder and harder to rebound from each time I give it all back, and some of my old methods simply don't work as well any more.

I think what @Deepster and @TasteofUConn are saying is what I'm hoping to achieve, but this time based on the advice of professional that is tailored to me, rather than basing it on my read of various sources.

I have worked with a dietitian (I believe that dietitian's are registered or certified or something, but "nutritionists" not so much). I found this to be helpful because she worked with me to change the way I eat gradually. Just going to see someone who is going to weigh and measure you was helpful to me. I also asked my wife to come to the meetings with me because she buys the food and does most of the non-grilling type cooking. Getting spouse on board was a big plus. My dietitian claims that completely stopping carbs is counterproductive long-term. I have been keeping track of several things (exercise and some other stuff) which helped me to keep it going (self-monitoring). Getting my GI system to work much better has been a big deal for me as well. I went from about 220 lbs before starting in February of 2014 and went down to around 168 where I stayed for quite a long time. I have bounced up again to about 174 as I keep hurting myself with my exercising and have had to cut back on some things I was doing. About to go on vacation, so hopeful will not lose too much ground. I take fish oil, probiotic, fiber, garlic, vitamin D and E, and ubiquinal (version of COQ10 for we older folks). I don't know if they help for sure, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it is my current view (except I'm going to stop garlic as a test).

 

[intlzncster]

My dietitian claims that completely stopping carbs is counterproductive long-term. .

This is absolutely true. It's about getting the right carbs. Not cutting them out completely. The body needs carbs in balance. If you cut them out completely, for a lot of people, the body adjusts by storing fat at a greater rate, so as to have a store of energy if needed. Harder to lose weight this way.

There's a big difference between something like steel cut oats or quinoa and wonder bread. Even a big difference between white and wild rice. Cut processed, sugar enhanced carbs. And obviously, avoid HFCS like the plague.

I have a tough time with that last one, because I like candy. I'm very fit, but slowly weaning off it anway. Especially crap chocolate. I **cking love chocolate. I've found some high cacao dark chocolate that is good, and you need much less to feel 'satiated'.

 

[NJHusky]

My dietitian claims that completely stopping carbs is counterproductive long-term. I have been keeping track of several things (exercise and some other stuff) which helped me to keep it going (self-monitoring). .

IMO you need to differentiate between grains and carbs....veggies have carbs...but they are healthy. There are a lot of folks that think grains of any type are basically poisoning your body because they are inflamatory...read Grain Brain and Wheat Belly about the negative consequences on the brain and heart caused by grains. I'm 50+ and in reasonable condition for my age. I started a 21 day primal cleanse from marksdailyapple.com---no grains of any kind, no sugar and no legumes. Basically veggies, protein and some fats. My joint pain is gone after only 10 days and I dropped 6 lbs. If you eat carbs, you body burns sugar for fuel and stores fat....if you don't eat grains, your body burns fat for fuel.

I'd be interested if anyone has any experience with a Ketogenic diet....I'm not eating enough fat to go into ketosis but am considering it

As for supplements....Vitamin D (most Americans are deficient), MCT Oil, Fish Oil, Multi and K2. Check out this video on the importance of Vitamin D

 

[Gutter King]

IMO you need to differentiate between grains and carbs....veggies have carbs...but they are healthy. There are a lot of folks that think grains of any type are basically poisoning your body because they are inflamatory...read Grain Brain and Wheat Belly about the negative consequences on the brain and heart caused by grains. I'm 50+ and in reasonable condition for my age. I started a 21 day primal cleanse from marksdailyapple.com---no grains of any kind, no sugar and no legumes. Basically veggies, protein and some fats. My joint pain is gone after only 10 days and I dropped 6 lbs. If you eat carbs, you body burns sugar for fuel and stores fat....if you don't eat grains, your body burns fat for fuel.

I'd be interested if anyone has any experience with a Ketogenic diet....I'm not eating enough fat to go into ketosis but am considering it

As for supplements....Vitamin D (most Americans are deficient), MCT Oil, Fish Oil, Multi and K2. Check out this video on the importance of Vitamin D

I had brought up going Keto on the first page. It's an awesome feeling when you get into Keto: clarity, energy, focus, no bloat, etc. I also agree with you about grains...and by association Gluten, which is a protein, but seriously makes you feel terrible. That being said, I go Keto for 2 -4 weeks at a time and stay on a generally low carb diet outside of Keto. @intlzncster is probably right that the once the body gets comfortable, it loses it's effectiveness, and could potentially backfire if done for sustained periods of a couple of months or longer. I would recommend trying Keto, I personally feel thats when I am best equipped to handle life.