(Part 2) Best products from r/HealthyFood

Usually when you're feeling sluggish, it's a sign that your adrenals are taxed, a symptom some people experience if they drink a lot of coffee. It is worth mentioning that any stress you are experiencing will also take its toll on your adrenals. That being said, an adaptogen is something to consider to remedy how you're feeling (an adaptogen is an herb or botanical which works with your body to re-establish balance in your system).

Since you are active, I highly recommend Maca root. You can take it in supplement form or use the freeze dried powder in a post-workout recovery smoothie. Whenever I have been putting in a lot of hours at work or exercised, I consume Maca in a smoothie for an extra energy boost. Check with your doctor first to address what you're feeling, then decided if you want to give this a try. Good luck!

Sounds like you two need to spice things up a bit....

If you're not used to them, vegetables can be difficult to adjust to especially if you're used to eating the addicting kinds of sugary and fatty foods out there. That said, even if you do you enjoy veggies, many would agree it can get boring to eat raw veggies all the time. It's a good idea to learn to use oil and spices to dress em up a bit. Something as simple as an all purpose meat rub and a little slippery coconut or olive oil can season a frozen bag of stir fry veggies in as little as 7 minutes. If she is into sweets then you can add a lil sugar to the recipe (many meat rubs will already have it) to make it more palatable for her. You will want to wane off the amount of sugar you add over time, however, as sugar can be a culprit in weight gain, diabeetus, and other undesirable effects.

Nuts. Run to your farmers market and come home with a big bag of these nuts.. They are satiating and require no cooking! You can even have fun with your nuts adding your meat rub.

Garlic salt + avacodo = a quick serving of simple guacamole. You can always add more flavors like vinegar, cilantro, lime, pepper, onion, tomato, hot pepper... If you want to get really healthy with it, you can replace chips with celery sticks. Its quite refreshing.

The Nutribullet can be your friend. It comes with a book of recipients to suit your taste\need. Some argue against making smoothies because it destroys the absorption rate of the food. I would say it is debatable, however. If you replaced the sodas and juices with smoothies made from all real fruit and no added sugar, your health will improve. You can mix vegetables into the smoothie as well.

Ezekiel bread. It's still bread, but it is one of the convenient better choices. Oats and quinoa are some things you can try. These are whole grains. Quinoa is high in fiber and nutrients. There are ways to make this pretty delicious, but I would consider this type of cooking to be next level. Quinoa can be used to make fun stuff like muffins and cookies which would be more nutritious than standard flour.

When you shop for food, look at the ingredients. Avoid food with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil of any kind. This is a trans fat. They are bad for you.

If you see sugar in the ingredients, try avoid that. I know I am kind of contradicting myself by recommending it in cooking, but that is to bait and switch your wife into eating more veggies and less processed food. Sugar has many names in the ingredients list on food products. If it ends in "-ose", it is a sugar; for example: dextrose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, etc. Corn syrup, honey and molasses are also sugars to name a few others. As you begin to read the ingredients on all the foods you buy, you will become disappointed with America. Some added sugar here and there is fun and makes food good to eat. However, much of the food available to consume in the states has sugar added. More information on sugar. It's good shit, but you gotta be careful.

But yeah, shes gonna have to learn to eat veggies.

I bought this one. Its amazing. I can put like 4 carrots at the same time or 3 small apples one on top of the other. Cleaning isn't too hard.

Jucing is amazing if you don't mind the hunger you sometimes get ohh and having to constantly go to the restroom. When I juice I illiterately lose a pound a day. Even if I have a non american size meal in the evning..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003R28HWQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I just read Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss and he has a chapter about Todd Putnam (the guy interviewed in the article). Putnam is a former Coke executive who went a South American country to promote Coke products and realized how unethical it all was. So he developed snack packs for baby carrots and is now doing this, taking what he learned from Coca Cola and applying it to healthy foods. Pretty cool stuff. I highly recommend the book.

Can you have a rice cooker? If so, there is an awesome one here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FOHERAS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_p4eXDbE0B0Q25

I have this and I can make so much from rice, chicken and rice, oatmeal, soup, bread, cake. It's freaking awesome and it's not a pressure cooker so I would assume it would be okay?

This is a very good book on the topic:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Die-Discover-Scientifically/dp/1250066115/

It's hard to apply everything but it really opens your eyes on the health benefits of healthy eating.

An easy way to judge portion size without worrying about ounces, grams, and other measurement instruments MEATS: size of your palm, VEGETABLES AND FRUITS: size of a tight fist, GRAINS: The size of a tight fist, DAIRY: size of your palm. You can't always trust the servings on your food packaging, they mostly tell you more than you should actually eat.

Check out this link I posted. I read the men's version of this book and it give a good overview on ways to eat healthier and has a chapter on portions and portion size. http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Health-Diet-Sculpted-Healthier/dp/1609619927/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409748297&sr=1-1&keywords=women%27s+health+diet

I read the men's equivalent and it gave me some really good information.

I ran game across some ready made dry pasta by chance at a discount store. But here is a similar one: https://www.amazon.com/Only-Bean-Organic-Spaghetti-Noodles/dp/B079B8CG9F/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=black+bean+spaghetti&qid=1573060275&sprefix=blackbean+sp&sr=8-5#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div

Nutrition value seems to be the same. For sauce I typically use a canned one and then add fresh garlic and basil and I topped with some steamed carrots

I got the factory refurbished basic model, and we absolutely love it. I've used Ninjas and other high end blenders, but the Vitamix is really special. It stands out.

I like the gold 100 when vanilla ice cream. Pair that with unsweetened almost milk and it tastes like a vanilla milkshake!! I typically do two scoops with a little over a cup of almond milk.

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Vanilla Ice Cream, 5 Pound https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GISU1M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.xpdAb81QS5JD

I love explore asia's brand of edamame pasta and black bean pasta!

https://www.amazon.com/Explore-Asia-Organic-Spaghetti-7-05-Ounce/dp/B0078DU1CY

I like Garden of Life Meal Replacement -... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CLD74VC?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf plant based protein meal replacement. Better than Soylant.

I hate to product push, but my mom got one of these and they make amazing chips without any oil/frying(the chips have to be thin tho). Not helpful for the carbs, but potatoes aren't bad for you, and are cheap.

Some staples that you can buy that last a very long time:

• eggs
  
• protein powder (chocolate flavored whey is usually pretty tasty)
  
• anything frozen - you can also put your bread in the freezer and microwave or toast to defrost.
  
  I would suggest getting a Vitamix. You can make a smoothie or soup that will be ready in 10 minutes or less and include healthy veggies.
  
  Vitamix recipe ideas:
  
  

1. berry-spinach smoothie: 1 cup of frozen berries, 1 cup of frozen spinach or kale, 1 cup plain yogurt, some sweetener of your choice (I like stevia). If it needs more flavor, you can add some frozen orange juice concentrate, grated frozen ginger, or a little lemon juice. For a protein boost, I add a raw high-quality egg, but I am not suggesting that you do that. If you end up throwing out yogurt, you could get 8 ounce single serve yogurts, they last virtually forever (well past the sell-by date, anyway)
   
2. peanut butter chocolate banana smoothie - milk, unsweetened cocoa powder (baking aisle), peanut butter, frozen banana, frozen spinach/kale, maybe some carrot, dash of vanilla extract, maybe a scoop of protein powder
   
3. Vitamix tortilla soup - add a tablespoon of real bacon bits to the standard recipe. You could buy ingredients for several batches, bag them up, and freeze them for whenever you need them. You might want to defrost them before making the soup.
   
4. Vitamix broccoli cheddar soup - add bacon!
   
   Random other idea - I am really into baked potatoes recently. Buy a 10 pound bag for $4. When you have an hour, throw 4-5 of them in the oven. They can be breakfast (hash browns!), or add cheese and cooked broccoli or canned chili for a lunch or dinner. If you don't use them, you have wasted $1.

when im on a health kick i drink amazing grass and the stuff is decent. i've always hated the taste of grass drinks but if you get the lemon lime version and mix it with a packet of the true lemon drink mix its kinda good in a weird way x.O

They sell microwaveable containers to put kernels in and it pops wonderfully

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005IBXK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.a0gzbD40AJ69

I use this stuff in place of salt in most recipes. It's good stuff. You can get it at Costco, or for a little more at Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Kirkland-Organic-No-Salt-Seasoning-14-5-oz/product-reviews/B002W5SDEQ

They're called bento lunch boxes and you can find that specific one here on amazon.

LunchBots Large Cinco Stainless Steel Lunch Container - Five Section Design Holds a Variety of Foods - Metal Bento Box for Kids or Adults - Dishwasher Safe - Stainless Lid - All Stainless https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00II5B0B2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JOxEDbFJC6BYF

The ones I buy dissolve well in cold water, but I don't live in US so I'm not sure if instant coffee is the same in my country. Also they are supposed to be made with hot water, I don't know if it's healthy to drink it cold.
I found the ones I buy:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6IDPQD/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015QB5WF0/

I drink these in the morning. For some reason, I feel full every morning so I drink this so I at least get something nutritional down.

I know there's some sugar in it, but I feel like the pros outweigh the cons.