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/r/Nutrition Weekly Personal Nutrition Discussion Post - All Personal Diet Questions Go Here

Welcome to the weekly r/Nutrition feature post for questions related to your personal diet and circumstances. Wondering if you are eating too much of something, not enough of something, or if what you regularly eat has the nutritional content you want or need? Ask here.

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I want to loose weight as quickly as possible while still being relatively wary of my long term health. I plan on getting my recommended daily protein and fiber intake through eating meat and drinking fiber supplements . Additionally, I would eat a few extra calories in the form of fat I use to cook the meat. I’d take multivitamin, magnesium, vitamin d, and c, and maybe some amino acid supplements as well. I’d only do this until I am no longer considered in the “overweight” weight range and will slowly incorporate more calories in the form of reverse dieting once I’m done. Is there anything I’m missing that could cause malnutrition?

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Am I eating too much broccoli? I heard eating too much can be bad for you- I’ve been eating about a 12 oz bag everyday for like the past week cause I’ve been really fixated on it. I ate two 12 oz bags yesterday.

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I’m about to shift my workouts to the evening because that’s pretty much the only time I have to go, and then hit the bed after. Would it be a big help to drink a protein shake in that time between? My fear is waking up feeling like death from lack of nutrients for 8 hours after working out.

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I wasn’t taking this very seriously earlier but regarding the link between grilling meat and cancer, what exactly constitutes grilling? I am given to understand that the charred black parts are the one containing the carcinogens. Does that mean theoretically the rest of the cooked meat is relatively safe?Second, does a sear (not char) also induce the formation of carcinogens? Even if one cooks chicken on a low heat in a pan, there’s bound to be some color formed. Does that make it unsafe then?

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Hello all I’m looking for two answers for my questions.

  1. How many cups of fruit and how many cups of vegetables each day for maximum benefit?

  2. At what point is it diminished returns on eating more?

I ask for not only health reasons, but also economical too. Thanks and God Bless.

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Below are foods I try to eat regularly in my diet. I lift weights so it is a little more protein heavy. Your thoughts on anything to add or subtract are appreciated.

Broccoli SpinachMixed Greens (spring mix)Tomatoes CarrotsGingerTurmericCocoa CinnamonApple cider vinegarOatsChiaFlax seedTunaCanned pink salmonHerring (smoked kipper)Almond butterWalnutsLentils Black Beans Brown riceGarlicAlmond milkEggsAvocados Lemon juiceMisc. fruitVegetable juice (generic v8)Cottage cheeseKefir milkMultivitamin

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This might not be the right place to post this but here it goes:

So I have been on-again off-again plant based for the past 3-4 years, with 2 years completely plant based until I couldn’t take it any longer.

Essentially my diet was steel cut oats, apples, bananas, soy, cannellini beans, chickpeas, tempeh, seitan, avocado, pistachios, broccoli, etc. I’ve tried farro, ezekiel bread, yams, carrots, as well.

Last summer (2021) it came to a point where my stomach would swell each time I ate soy. This was after a few months of eating it, and one day I started reacting to eating it, so I stopped consuming anything soy related.

Shortly thereafter, any member of the lentil family (beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, etc.) would send parts of my skin into overdrive (inside ears, under the beard, scalp, and backside nether regions) so I stopped eating those and all the skin conditions calmed down.

That left me in a bad spot because I essentially had one source of protein, seitan, which ironically, doesn’t give me any stomach or skin issues, but I can’t go on living just on seitan as my only protein. So I started eating meat again and could tell my gut health changed (not for better or worse).

I began having stomach pains when I tried introducing cheeses into my diet, so I stopped eating those. Most recently, I’ve adopted a quasi balance of keto + plant based that has seemed to be working with no stomach pain, but I am deathly afraid of colon cancer since it’s rising in my age bracket (I am 37).

This current diet is avocados, broccoli, broccolini, broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, pistachios, seitan, chicken, eggs, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut milk. I also have started to wean off coffee and replace with matcha.

The chicken/eggs concern me since they can contribute to certain cancers (eggs and prostate, chicken and prostate, chicken and others). But I can’t replace them because I can’t use soy or any kind of lentil.

How am I supposed to go plant based when so many foods give me stomach or skin issues? What am I supposed to eat to keep cancer at bay? do I just have to exist with the skin issues as a trade off for stomach issues?

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Are calories the be-all end-all of dieting, or is it more important to eat nutritious foods? Like avocados are very calorie-dense, but I feel like it would be better to eat a whole avocado than slightly less in, for example, French fries. Am I right?

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My nutritional targets never seem to match my cravings.

I always struggle to reach my protein goal and go way above target for fats. I’ve always been a skinnier guy who struggled to put on muscle mass. My cravings are always very dairy driven and occasionally things like guacamole or fried foods.

Should I be adapting my nutritional targets to match my cravings or fight those cravings? Maybe adding something that’s missing in my diet that’s causing the cravings?

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I want to increase my protein intake

So I want to increase my protein intake and i thought off eggs because they are cheap,easy to prepare and i like them.But someone tells me to don’t because they are very bad for my cholesterol.I was thinking of 2-3 eggs in the morning and 2 for dinner,is that too much?

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Hello, at the moment I’m consuming cacao nibs with my oatmeal. Is this is the best choice, or I should opt for cacao powder, because it doesn’t have cacao butter. There isn’t much information and I’m not certain whether cacao powder is regarded as better choice than cacao nibs, solely because it is without cacao butter. Not sure of the benefits of consuming cacao butter (that I get together from cacao nibs).

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I checked the side menu and tried the USDA site (link appears to be broken, but I just googled it and found it, and it sucks).

Is there an accurate and easy to use source for nutritional data? Just googling something like steak seems to give 4 different answers that don’t match the label or a book I have.

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I just moved to college and my dining hall has very healthy food and I eat a vegan plant based diet (except for once a month where I have a designated cheat meal). They have items like quinoa, brown rice, tempeh and cooked vegetables but it’s cooked in canola oil? Should I continue to consume these items or not?

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I’m trying to lose some weight. I really like using ground meats because I find they’re really easy to meal prep with. I normally get 93/7 ground beef and make chili, rice bowls, things of that nature. However, I frequently read people praise turkey over beef, especially for weight loss. My question is, are they different enough to matter? From my own research, it would seem if you compare similar leanness and servings, the difference boils down to beef having slightly more protein (like 2g) and turkey having slightly less saturated fat (like 1g) and calories are very close. Is 1 extra gram of saturated fat really so bad? Another factor to consider would be cost I suppose, but in my area the cost is nearly identical, so why not buy what I prefer? Also perhaps when people praise turkey, they mean in general- not just ground- over beef in general? That I could understand. How poor is the quality of ground meats compared to other cuts? Should I limit consumption or am I fine to use ground meats as a daily staple?

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I’m trying to cut soda from my diet. It’s unhealthy and expensive. I want the caffeine though, otherwise I drop like a rock, and do not like the taste of coffee whatsoever. At all.

I’ve looked at Lipton teas and found a few that claims there’s no sugars, carbohydrates, calories or anything like that, plus it’s incredibly cheap. Would it be a healthier drink? If not, anything like this I could swap to just to help me kick that soda addiction without trying to bulldozer through a week or more long headaches? lol

These are all the bag kinds by the way, that you make yourself. If that matters.

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If this is the incorrect sub, apologies, but my question is regarding post workout/weightlifting nutrition. I typically exercise in the mornings before work. I find it’s just easier to get done with my workout, come home, shower, make a protein smoothie (and maybe a bowl of oatmeal/cereal/etc), and be out the door. Sometimes I’m drinking the smoothie on my way to work, so purely convenience breakfast.

Is this sustainable if I’m making smoothies using high quality ingredients, or should I be focusing more on whole foods in the morning? (I use a high quality protein powder, 2% milk typically, peanut butter/nuts, berries, bananas, etc.)

I’m usually snacking on something mid morning, then having a good whole-food based lunch and dinner throughout the rest of the day. Thanks all

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I am talking about all whole foods here. If we were to compare canned potatoes to home cooked potatoes, why is there a difference? Isn’t it all the same if I am eating the exactly same healthy foods, just a different variant? Does the way that they are packaged/processed (additives like potassium etc) play a role? Is it unhealthy to not heat up foods such as those? It boggles my mind.

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What form of Cacao is healthiest? At the moment I consume organic cacao nibs that I add to my oatmeal, but was wondering if pure cacao powder or cacao mass or something else from cacao is better to use instead to get a better effect.

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Looking for an energy drink that won’t break my fast. I try and stick to a 20:4 strict fast.

I have been on keto since October of last year and have added IF for the past few months. I have tried bang and C4, but read that the bcaa’s will break a fast.

Why I am looking for an energy drink is I work in the frozen food department and noticed that I don’t feel the cold as much and it helps me get my work done faster (obviously)

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Could someone point me to some resources to get reliable information on nutrition, (i.e what’s generally considered healthy goods/methods for different cuisines and why exactly) for someone with no background in nutrition? I want to get at least the basics down or have a direction to research from people who hopefully know better. If this is something I should ask a licensed professional that’s also useful to know.

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I’m finding stuff with partially hydrogenated oils in them (AKA trans fats), which I thought were banned. There’s a super market that has several kinds of tortillas with trans fats; other times it’s been smaller locally owned stores. They are oils like soybean, cottonseed, etc that are partially hydrogenated, not fully hydrogenated.

Does anyone know how this is possible? Are people buying trans fats from Mexico and then using them in their ingredients illegally?

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Anyone have recommendations for bulk protein shakes? I really like the premier protein chocolate peanut butter drink but at 8 something per four pack that’s not really the best cost wise and I would like to try and save money if at all possible.

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Does anybody have links to Amazon or other websites that sell scales for weighting everyday food? Not sure where to get them, I’ve seen a lot of scales designed for weighting humans, but none for food or other small weights.I’ve tought about checking chemistry equipment (And grabbing a pipette while I’m at it). But wouldn’t anywone who sees my kitchen and finds chemistry equipment consider that a red flag?

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I’ve recently learned about the concept of “limiting” amino acids. These are the amino acids found in food that are at the lowest amounts relative to the total needed for muscle protein synthesis.

I also recently acquired a Lysine supplement someone was giving away. I’m wondering if taking this with a lower-quality protein meal, such as a peanut butter & jelly sandwich on wheat bread; If it would raise the absorbability of the protein, since Lysine would no longer be the limiting factor.

The only reason I could imagine that it wouldn’t is if the second-most limiting factor, say Methionine, is only present in slightly higher amounts than the lysine, so the new limiting level would not be much better than the plain sandwich.

Thoughts?

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