shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 20, 2015 17:43:18 GMT -5
Anyone have any good ideas for a quick and easy source of iron and dietary fiber? I realized those are the two critical things I'm not getting enough of with my current diet and, today, went out and bought Frosted Shredded Mini-Wheats because, believe it or not, it's pretty much the best processed source of both nutrients that I could find. The problem is, it's a significant source of sugar too. I really didn't like the sugar rush I experienced after and would like to avoid that again. Problem is, they don't make an unfrosted variation, and the unfrosted shredded wheat cereals offered by the other companies don't offer anywhere near as much dietary fiber and iron. Fiber you should be able to get from carrots. Yes, they are carb-y which=sugar, but they're healthier and not AS carb-y. Iron you should be able to get from meat. Are you eating enough meat? I do eggs for breakfast and chicken for dinner. I'm getting some fiber and iron, but nowhere near enough. Theres no fruit nor vegetable that would provide me with close to enough either. Unless I want to eat a lot more, it's going to take something processed, I suspect. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 20, 2015 17:44:28 GMT -5
I have noticed, since starting the exercise (in just the little amount of time I have been doing it): *I sleep WAY BETTER at night *I feel more energetic during the day *My desire to eat better and remain energetic has increased *I just feel better all around *My head is a LOT clearer, and I can think a lot better I was expecting the start of exercising to make me more tired during the day. But it hasn't. And this very exact time of the month is a true test. Yes, I am a bit more tired right now, but I wasn't last week or over the weekend. This is fantastic! Keep it up!! |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 18:08:35 GMT -5
I should probably start using my recumbent bike again. No reason not to. It's in the air conditioned living room in front of the TV
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on May 20, 2015 18:45:34 GMT -5
Day 3 in Reflection:
Successes: Once the bloating from the previous night's massive salt intake subsided, I felt REALLY good today; better than I've felt in a long while. Also, dinner tasted just perfect with a reasonable amount of soy sauce (2 tablespoons; 66% percent of daily allowance of salt -- that still leaves me well under 100% intake for the day) as opposed to what I did yesterday.
Struggles: Trying to figure out how to get more fiber and iron into my diet. Did a bowl of frosted mini wheats after work (90% daily intake of iron, 30% daily intake of fiber), but the sugar rush was jarring, and the milk consumption left me feeling bloated. I was able to conquer the craving for additional sugar with a handful of unsalted cashews (carb fix) and two slices of pineapple (sugar fix), but I'd rather not do that again. Tomorrow, I think I will take DRY frosted mini-wheats to school with me and eat half a serving at a slower pace. That should cut down on the sugar rush and subsequent cravings, and I'll be happy to have milk out of my diet again.
Failures/cheats: Not happy that the frosted mini wheats contain sugar and processed ingredients, but I can't find a better source for high iron and high fiber. There are plenty of fruits, veggies, and nuts that contain low quantities of both, but I want a one-stop fix without adding a ton of food to my daily intake.
Also, an entire bowl of cereal and 2% milk added a lot of calories and fat to my intake for today. I might show weight gain tomorrow morning.
All in all: B- day for me
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 19:09:51 GMT -5
Fiber you should be able to get from carrots. Yes, they are carb-y which=sugar, but they're healthier and not AS carb-y. Iron you should be able to get from meat. Are you eating enough meat? I do eggs for breakfast and chicken for dinner. I'm getting some fiber and iron, but nowhere near enough. Theres no fruit nor vegetable that would provide me with close to enough either. Unless I want to eat a lot more, it's going to take something processed, I suspect. Processed for fiber or processed for iron? Or processed for both? For fiber, you can always get a protein bar (maybe? I would assume they're caked in a fiber substance of sorts?), a granola bar, those fiber drinks you mix in with water or whatever, one packet of oatmeal? A little bit of carbs won't hurt, it's just my suggestion that if it's necessary, maybe cut back somewhere else? I'm not sure. For iron, you can either eat red meat (or do you not eat red meat?), eat nuts (if you aren't allergic?), or take an iron supplement (though, I do know quite a few people that have a sensitivity to iron supplements). If you are aiming for fiber without carbs, you could try googling foods that are low carb but high fiber (do such exist?). If you are looking for foods that will not give you a processed sugar high, but will give you fiber, you may end up having to up your vegetable and fruit intake. I know you said there is no fruit or vegetable that could give you enough fiber, but if you increase them from various sources, you may be able to get that fiber. Apples, carrots, strawberries, berries in general, grapes, etc. Oh oh oh! There's also yogurt. I'm not sure if you eat yogurt or not. But I do. |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 19:12:54 GMT -5
Day 3 in Reflection:Successes: Once the bloating from the previous night's massive salt intake subsided, I felt REALLY good today; better than I've felt in a long while. Also, dinner tasted just perfect with a reasonable amount of soy sauce (2 tablespoons; 66% percent of daily allowance of salt -- that still leaves me well under 100% intake for the day) as opposed to what I did yesterday. Struggles: Trying to figure out how to get more fiber and iron into my diet. Did a bowl of frosted mini wheats after work (90% daily intake of iron, 30% daily intake of fiber), but the sugar rush was jarring, and the milk consumption left me feeling bloated. I was able to conquer the craving for additional sugar with a handful of unsalted cashews (carb fix) and two slices of pineapple (sugar fix), but I'd rather not do that again. Tomorrow, I think I will take DRY frosted mini-wheats to school with me and eat half a serving at a slower pace. That should cut down on the sugar rush and subsequent cravings, and I'll be happy to have milk out of my diet again. Failures/cheats: Not happy that the frosted mini wheats contain sugar and processed ingredients, but I can't find a better source for high iron and high fiber. There are plenty of fruits, veggies, and nuts that contain low quantities of both, but I want a one-stop fix without adding a ton of food to my daily intake. Also, an entire bowl of cereal and 2% milk added a lot of calories and fat to my intake for today. I might show weight gain tomorrow morning. All in all: B- day for me Sorry, you posted this while I was posting my last reply. I did a quick search for you for foods high in fiber AND iron. I haven't really looked at it yet, but here is a link: www.livestrong.com/article/240686-foods-high-in-fiber-and-iron/BEANS!!! YESSSSSS! Beans. There you go. |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 19:16:03 GMT -5
Beets!!! I love me some beets. OM NOM.
Now I want beets. And I don't have any.
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on May 20, 2015 19:32:09 GMT -5
Day 3 in Reflection:Successes: Once the bloating from the previous night's massive salt intake subsided, I felt REALLY good today; better than I've felt in a long while. Also, dinner tasted just perfect with a reasonable amount of soy sauce (2 tablespoons; 66% percent of daily allowance of salt -- that still leaves me well under 100% intake for the day) as opposed to what I did yesterday. Struggles: Trying to figure out how to get more fiber and iron into my diet. Did a bowl of frosted mini wheats after work (90% daily intake of iron, 30% daily intake of fiber), but the sugar rush was jarring, and the milk consumption left me feeling bloated. I was able to conquer the craving for additional sugar with a handful of unsalted cashews (carb fix) and two slices of pineapple (sugar fix), but I'd rather not do that again. Tomorrow, I think I will take DRY frosted mini-wheats to school with me and eat half a serving at a slower pace. That should cut down on the sugar rush and subsequent cravings, and I'll be happy to have milk out of my diet again. Failures/cheats: Not happy that the frosted mini wheats contain sugar and processed ingredients, but I can't find a better source for high iron and high fiber. There are plenty of fruits, veggies, and nuts that contain low quantities of both, but I want a one-stop fix without adding a ton of food to my daily intake. Also, an entire bowl of cereal and 2% milk added a lot of calories and fat to my intake for today. I might show weight gain tomorrow morning. All in all: B- day for me Sorry, you posted this while I was posting my last reply. I did a quick search for you for foods high in fiber AND iron. I haven't really looked at it yet, but here is a link: www.livestrong.com/article/240686-foods-high-in-fiber-and-iron/BEANS!!! YESSSSSS! Beans. There you go. Thanks. I found this article too, and it's definition of "high" is not the same as mine. Some of these have 4% daily iron. I'm looking for something more in the neighborhood of 70% since I'm only consuming about 30% right now. Not necessarily either; a processed food in general. My entire diet is whole-food right now. They'll give me the same amount of carbs and sugar as the cereal I'm consuming now, and possibly more added ingredients. I definitely don't want to consume any more meat for this diet. I agree that's normally where I would get my iron from. A serving of most nuts averages 10% of my daily allowance of iron. Any more of that is a lot of fat I don't want to intake. This is a possibility, though I worry that I'll end up peeing most of it out. This is a definite possibility. If I snacked throughout the day on fruits and veggies, this could work, but I don't want to make a full time job out of dieting. Right now, what I'm doing is uncomplicated and low maintenance. I could easily keep this going indefinitely. Buying and bagging a whole lot of fresh snacks to have available at different times is just a lot more to be mindful of and kind of makes eating feel like a job. I prefer to see it as a well earned reward after a battle well fought against hunger. I LOVE yogurt, but my experience with a bowl of milk today has convinced me that I want to stay far away from dairy. Definitely makes me feel bloated, plus the calories and fat add up fast. My favorite summer snack in the world is chopped banana in vanilla yogurt. I might make it a reward on occasion. Sorry to be so difficult with all of the carefully considered suggestions you've been so kind to offer! |
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Post by marvelmaniac on May 20, 2015 19:52:51 GMT -5
As far as Fiber and Iron...
Chia Seeds will give you plenty of Fiber and Protein with very little calories(60 per Tablespoon)
They also help you feel full longer because they expand in your belly.
I just take a tablespoon in the morning and swallow with water, no real taste so that is not an issue.
Carrots and other starchy vegetables are only high on the GI and GL when cooked, not raw.
Besides Meat, Poultry and Some Seafood Cooked Spinach is Very High in Iron.
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Post by Rob Allen on May 20, 2015 20:16:40 GMT -5
Try some goat milk yogurt - it tastes about the same but causes fewer digestive problems.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 20, 2015 20:20:54 GMT -5
Cooked Spinach is Very High in Iron. 10% of daily intake, unfortunately. I have spinach every day as part of my lunch time stew. Meanwhile, Chicken also offers 10%, and eggs offer 4%. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 20, 2015 20:22:09 GMT -5
Try some goat milk yogurt - it tastes about the same but causes fewer digestive problems. Provides 6% daily intake of iron. Considering the calories and saturated fat, it's not a great exchange. Thanks for the suggestion, though! |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 20, 2015 20:24:10 GMT -5
Chia Seeds will give you plenty of Fiber and Protein with very little calories(60 per Tablespoon) . You know, one serving has 12% daily intake of iron. Four servings would get me where I need to be. This just might be the wonder snack I need. Thank you!! edit: whoa. Just looked at the fat amount. I know it's mostly good fat, but 13% daily intake is still a lot. x4 gets it to 52%. I think the cereal might still be a better bet  |
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Post by the4thpip on May 21, 2015 2:43:55 GMT -5
*I sleep WAY BETTER at night *I feel more energetic during the day Yeah, I forced myself to go to the gym yesterday from 8 pm to 10 pm after a really long day and finally slept more than 6 hours for the first time since the breakup. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 21, 2015 4:43:53 GMT -5
*I sleep WAY BETTER at night *I feel more energetic during the day Yeah, I forced myself to go to the gym yesterday from 8 pm to 10 pm after a really long day and finally slept more than 6 hours for the first time since the breakup. Taking care of yourself, both physically and emotionally, is key in such a situation. Glad you're treating you well  |
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