What Vegetables Would You Recommend Adding Into My Diet?

[Realms of Wonder]

Hey all, would really appreciate some perspective here. especially from @Michael569

 

Over the last few years I have made some progress cleaning up my diet, I currently do not eat Gluten, (Mild intolerance,) Dairy, (Moderate intolerance,) added sugars or artificial sweeteners, fried foods, or junk foods.

 

What I do eat..

• Meats, Chicken, Pork, Beef, usually cooked at home, or a hamburger patty from work.
• Fruit, apples, grapes, strawberries, occasionally bananas.
• Gluten free breads/corn tortillas a few times a week.
• Very few vegetables, such as onions, salads once a week(ish,) herbs, and spinach here and there.
• Healthy fats such as Olive oil, Coconut oil, and Avocado oil.
• Supplements, ranging from Vitamin D to A to C to Maca, Omega 3's etc..
• Once a week or so I will make homemade popcorn with Coconut oil and nutritional yeast.
• Nuts and seeds and some dried fruits (Home-made trail mix)

 

Reflecting on this I realize just how little diversity there is, and how few vegetables I eat. I prep about half my food (The rest of which I make at my job.)

 

I want to take care of my body better, I want to feel more energetic and know that my body is getting what it needs to thrive. I also want the added fiber and nutrients to help my digestion and overall function of body and mind.

 

What vegetables would you recommend adding into my diet? Ideally with the most "Bang for my buck" nutritionally speaking.

 

Thank you  

[Michael569]

Hey,

Need a bit more info. Can you share an example of your last 2 days breakfast, lunch and dinner? Add portion sizes if possible. Or add a few pics if easier

Regarding gluten, have you had Coeliac testing? If you suspect it, i would highly recommend paying for that test. 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by Michael569

[Osaid]

Spinach has a lot to offer. 

Avocado is not hard to fit in either, and it is very nutritious. Although it might technically be a fruit.

Both of these fill a lot of the different vitamins you need, and they come with lots of electrolytes which will definitely make you feel sharper.

[Realms of Wonder]

3 hours ago, Michael569 said:

Hey,

Need a bit more info. Can you share an example of your last 2 days breakfast, lunch and dinner? Add portion sizes if possible. Or add a few pics if easieR.

Hi, thanks for the reply.

 

Yesterday I broke my fast at 2:30, with 4 small (11.43 cm) corn tortillas, around 10-11 Oz braised pork, with raw onion, and lime.

 

Dinner was a gluten free burger: two slices of gluten free bread as bun, olive oil tomato Mayo, lettuce, pickle, 1/2 lb patty, and onion jam (sweetened with agave.)

 

Today I broke my fast with 1.5 cups of assorted nuts and dried fruit, 15ish grapes, and 3 pieces of GF Beef jerky my brother made.

 

Dinner is the same as last night, with an addition of mushrooms, and a side salad with nuts and seeds on it.

 

Will have 15-20 more grapes, an apple and about 3 tablespoons of peanut butter when I get home from work.

 

If you want more detail let me know.

[Realms of Wonder]

3 hours ago, Michael569 said:

Regarding gluten, have you had Coeliac testing? If you suspect it, i would highly recommend paying for that test.

No, thank you for the advice!

 

Ive been guessing up until this point, it would be good to know for sure.

[Realms of Wonder]

2 hours ago, Osaid said:

Spinach has a lot to offer. 

Avocado is not hard to fit in either, and it is very nutritious. Although it might technically be a fruit.

Both of these fill a lot of the different vitamins you need, and they come with lots of electrolytes which will definitely make you feel sharper.

Thank you! 

[Yarco]

Leafy greens will almost certainly give you the biggest bang for your buck in terms of vitamins and minerals, and what you seem to be lacking the most. If you really want to take your health to the next level, then you should aim to eat some kind of greens at least once a day, not once a week.

If you want to get outside of just eating salads and juicing, I'd prioritize vegetables based on their score on the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) scale.

Once you're eating greens daily then I'd add in vegetables of a variety of different colors (red, purple, yellow, orange, blue, white) to mix things up and ensure you're getting a good mix of phytonutrients.

The higher the score the better:

Edited October 14, 2022 by Yarco

[Michael569]

 

13 hours ago, Realms of Wonder said:

Ive been guessing up until this point, it would be good to know for sure.

this is a test worth getting for sure. Especially if you are not sure. The test is called IgA Tissue Transglutaminase and it needs to be run by a doctor. The risk of being undiagnosed coeliac is that unless you are removing 100% of gluten (for life) but instead you are just having it every now and then, you are causing massive damage to your gastrointestinal lining each time small bits of gluten are introduced due to autoimmune flare-up and destruction of the microvilli.

There exists a small risk that when undiagnosed Coeliacs consume small amounts of gluten over years, they may end up with autoimmune inflammatory disease of the bowels (IBD) and in extreme cases even colorectal cancer because of the chronic low-grade inflammation that the autoimmune reaction is causing. (This is only relevant if you were undiagnosed Coeliac) 

If you are NOT coeliac, in general, there is no reason to exclude gluten. I know this is an unpopular statement but gluten is not unhealthy for non-coeliac humans and in fact, foods containing it are important caloric and energetic sources for athletes and young growing males and females. Consumption of gluten-containing whole-grain carbohydrates has, in general, been associated with more positive health outcomes, less chronic disease and even better mental health. 

If you are eliminating, then test first. If you are not Coeliac (after the test) and you are still reacting to it, then that is a clear indication that something needs a little bit of work, usually the gut microbiota diversity. 

 

To answer the initial question. I am curious. What sparked this thread in the first place? I assume there is either a symptom (e.g. fluctuating energy/ low mood) or some other concern that made you curious. I would base my response on that initial motive rather than blasting you with sets of random recommendations on a forum. Because the answer may be as simple as "eat more veg" but could be a little bit more complex depends on why you are asking. 

Edited October 14, 2022 by Michael569

[Realms of Wonder]

5 hours ago, Michael569 said:

This is a test worth getting for sure. Especially if you are not sure. The test is called IgA Tissue Transglutaminase and it needs to be run by a doctor. The risk of being undiagnosed coeliac is that unless you are removing 100% of gluten (for life) but instead you are just having it every now and then, you are causing massive damage to your gastrointestinal lining each time small bits of gluten are introduced due to autoimmune flare-up and destruction of the microvilli.

There exists a small risk that when undiagnosed Coeliacs consume small amounts of gluten over years, they may end up with autoimmune inflammatory disease of the bowels (IBD) and in extreme cases even colorectal cancer because of the chronic low-grade inflammation that the autoimmune reaction is causing. (This is only relevant if you were undiagnosed Coeliac) 

If you are NOT coeliac, in general, there is no reason to exclude gluten. I know this is an unpopular statement but gluten is not unhealthy for non-coeliac humans and in fact, foods containing it are important caloric and energetic sources for athletes and young growing males and females. Consumption of gluten-containing whole-grain carbohydrates has, in general, been associated with more positive health outcomes, less chronic disease and even better mental health. 

If you are eliminating, then test first. If you are not Coeliac (after the test) and you are still reacting to it, then that is a clear indication that something needs a little bit of work, usually the gut microbiota diversity. 

Thank you for explain this, I have definitely believed that it was just "bad for everyone," so I just quit it. I am intrigued to see if I am actually celiac or not, and then make an educated decision from there. 

5 hours ago, Michael569 said:

To answer the initial question. I am curious. What sparked this thread in the first place? I assume there is either a symptom (e.g. fluctuating energy/ low mood) or some other concern that made you curious. I would base my response on that initial motive rather than blasting you with sets of random recommendations on a forum. Because the answer may be as simple as "eat more veg" but could be a little bit more complex depends on why you are asking. 

Thank you for being curious about what is going on, and desiring to understand deeper before giving a "Prescription."  

 

I have been having quite severe energy crashes after my meals (30-40 minutes after) which is debilitating for my study/homework.

Also I have been having constipation, it started about two weeks ago, right around when I starting to drink Huel, a vegan meal replacement.

Overarching is concern that I am not giving my body everything it needs to thrive, mentally. physically, spiritually, the whole thing. 

[Michael569]

@Realms of Wonder thanks for sharing more info. 

I would question the usefulness of that AM fast for your energy. It seems to me like you are cutting yourself of from a significant portion of calories that you are not compensating for with your second and third meal. There isn't a lot of complex carbohydrate type of food there and overall the volume seems rather smaller for someone both physically and mentally active.  

I'd suggest either removing the whole IF or moving it to later in the day. It is generally better for your body to have breakfast and then not eat, say, from 7 pm till 7 am rather then going so long without food in the morning. 

Those crashes could also be caused by the proportion of those meals. High processed carb/ low fibre / high meat. It just seems really heavy. 

I know we are all about fasting for spiritual benefits and all that but frankly if you struggle to focus because of that then you are pulling the shorter end of a stick. 

Get some good quality breakfast with good proportion of wholegrains, fruits, berries etc of at least 600-800 calories. That will help both the energy and the constipation (which to me seems like a side effect of relatively low fibre diet). 

Consider swapping out some of those meats with some vegetarian proteins as well. You know, more variety, more taste like aromatic curries, middle eastern dishes, falafels, stews. That sort of stuff. 

Also, I know you are still young and it doesn't affect you but I would reconsider eating large amounts of beef no more than couple times a week, probably not twice a day. I am convinced more than ever before that beef and red meat is actually one of few things in nutrition about which we can say "definitely harmful". 

Get Michael Greger's plant based cook book and start experimenting. That's how I learned  And if you plan it right it works for both mental and physical gains. 

That would be a start on to get on the top of those crashes. 

Edited October 15, 2022 by Michael569

[Thought Art]

Watercrest

[Adodd]

 

@Realms of Wonder

[Realms of Wonder]

On 10/15/2022 at 2:59 AM, Michael569 said:

@Realms of Wonder thanks for sharing more info. 

I would question the usefulness of that AM fast for your energy. It seems to me like you are cutting yourself of from a significant portion of calories that you are not compensating for with your second and third meal. There isn't a lot of complex carbohydrate type of food there and overall the volume seems rather smaller for someone both physically and mentally active.  

I'd suggest either removing the whole IF or moving it to later in the day. It is generally better for your body to have breakfast and then not eat, say, from 7 pm till 7 am rather then going so long without food in the morning. 

Those crashes could also be caused by the proportion of those meals. High processed carb/ low fibre / high meat. It just seems really heavy. 

I know we are all about fasting for spiritual benefits and all that but frankly if you struggle to focus because of that then you are pulling the shorter end of a stick. 

Get some good quality breakfast with good proportion of wholegrains, fruits, berries etc of at least 600-800 calories. That will help both the energy and the constipation (which to me seems like a side effect of relatively low fibre diet). 

Consider swapping out some of those meats with some vegetarian proteins as well. You know, more variety, more taste like aromatic curries, middle eastern dishes, falafels, stews. That sort of stuff. 

Also, I know you are still young and it doesn't affect you but I would reconsider eating large amounts of beef no more than couple times a week, probably not twice a day. I am convinced more than ever before that beef and red meat is actually one of few things in nutrition about which we can say "definitely harmful". 

Get Michael Greger's plant based cook book and start experimenting. That's how I learned  And if you plan it right it works for both mental and physical gains. 

That would be a start on to get on the top of those crashes. 

Thank you for making the time to write out such a thoughtful response @Michael569  

 

Ordered both his book "How to Not Die" and the accompanying cookbook, excited to learn more about this!

 

First steps have been to add a kale/spinach salad + Proteins and Pickled onions into my diet as my breakfast, its remarkable how different my energy levels are! So far, no major crashes + energy and focus. Yesterday after my salad I felt on top of the world at work, and today after my salad, Focused, energized, just knocked out two hours of studying without feeling tired one bit. Thank you!

 

Also, bowel movements have stabilized, what a relief!

[Realms of Wonder]

6 hours ago, Adodd said:

 

@Realms of Wonder

Thank you!

[UnbornTao]

• Red cabbage
• Red bell peppers
• Dark leafy greens
• Carrots
• More (red) onions
• Garlic
• Sea vegetables
• Cucumber
• Beet
• Watercress

You can't go wrong with vegetables, nutritionally. In terms of taste, you can.  Which ones do you like? 

Adding more herbs and spices won't hurt either. Coriander, oregano, paprika, turmeric, cilantro, parsley!

I think coconut oil is controversial. I'd prioritize virgin olive oil instead.

Also, dates are an excellent snack especially for sugar cravings. Decent source of fiber, and might increase energy levels.