I am asking this for some advice, thoughts and opinions about your diet. (the basic foods you eat each day) I realize there are many different plans people follow. Like high protein, no meat, no meat or dairy and probably many others. I really don't follow any major plan except maybe the government "Food Pyramid" is pretty close to our diet.

On a normal day I will eat a small breakfast, it will include oats with milk, cold cereal like raisin bran, or cheerios. I will usually have a small glass of juice (I mostly always have orange, apple or grape juice, sometimes I will buy some mixed juices, the frozen concentrates if they are on sale, these are all 100% juice) About halfway through the morning I will eat an apple or a banana. Sometimes I will have grapes or cantaloupe.

For lunch I often have a sandwich (low-fat peanut butter with home-made jelly, lefover chicken, or tomato and lettuce on whole wheat bread) or a bowl of rice. I boil some brown rice, add some corn, and a jar of salsa. I keep this in the frig and heat up a bowl for lunch with a little cheddar cheese and hot sauce on it.

Supper is the big meal of the day, however we eat early, about 4:00pm. We always have milk, ice water or sometimes tea or home-made lemonade. We will have a small portion of meat about 4 times a week (I try to use about 1/2 pound for 6 people), I try to have at least 2 vegetables, 1 fruit, and some kind of bread. Sometimes I will have noodles or pasta (I buy whole wheat pasta, noodles, macaroni etc... I buy a brand called Hodgson Mills that has about 6 grams of fiber per serving).

Some of the meats we have are chicken, fish, venison, hamburger, beef roasts, sausage. We often mix the meat in a bigger dish: like beef with noodles, chicken and stir fried vegetables, hamburger in chili, sausage on a pizza or in lasagna. We do have several meatless nights.

For vegetables we have: corn, green beans, tomatoes,broccoli, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes,potatoes, salads with fresh vegetable like cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, peppers (red, green and yellow), beets. We don't eat too many beans, sometimes we will have a baked bean mixture, we eat them in chili, and sometimes I mix them in meat for tacos. I just never did like them much, I don't know why, but they aren't my favorites.

We love fruit and every night we try to have a different kind, either as a fruit salad, fresh or frozen or canned. I can't think of a fruit we don't like.

For breads, it is either wheat bread, garlic bread, or about once a week corn bread. I only use whole wheat flour, but recently I have been adding some soy flour.

For snacks we have popcorn, nachos with salsa, pretzels, cheese and crackers, fruit, vegetables with dip (like carrots, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, celery, and low-fat ranch dressing) we drink iced tea, real juice, or cider.

I make home-made pumpkin, zucchini, and banana breads (I always leave out 1 egg from the recipe, and use 1/4 cup less oil than it calls for) I make chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, and no-bakes (others around the hoildays, these are just the normal ones) We will have pudding or cake once a month or so. Occassionally we will have pop and chips (maybe 2 times a month

I don't buy things like TV dinners, frozen meals,"white" anything! donuts, pre-made desserts, I will rarely buy a few frozen pizzas, and a pack of Oreo's (Cale loves them!) I rarley buy lunchmeat (maybe once every 2 months)

Please note that my kids can get milk at school several times a day (breakfast, lunch and snacks)

I am wondering what you all eat on a regular basis. Do you do anything you think really works for good health? I just want to see other people's methods. I think this is a practical, solid food plan, but I could be wrong! I want to make sure my family continues to be healthy. We also all take a basic multi-vitamin each day.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), November 06, 2001

Answers

Ask me this question in about three months, I'll be able to find all my cookbooks by then, I hope. I've got thousands of recipe and most of them are very healthy. Here's a quick one that's healthier-if you're not allergic to peanuts- from a vegetarian class I took. Melt 4c. barley sweetened carob chips in double boiler...add 1c natural peanut butter...stir very well...pour in bowl, or other container...I add sunny seeds...let sit to harden...cut...enjoy.

We normally don't eat tv dinners and such, but moving like we did and living like we are, we've had a few, we especially like the Swanson potato topped pot pies. I really do miss trying new recipes.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony@countrylife.net), November 06, 2001.

I knew I would forget so many things: we also eat turkey and ham under the meats. I make a lot of soups and stews especially in the cool weather. I make home-made pot-pies. For lunch I often eat left- overs as well, like today I have a baked sweet potato in the frig and some pineapple, so I will probably have these with a slice of bread and honey and a small glass of milk. I also don't drink coffee.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), November 06, 2001.

Melissa: Your cooking sounds very similar to mine. I am a believer in the benefit that whole foods (whole wheat and brown rice) can do to your health (although I haven't completely convinced my family). My aunt was able to wean herself off insulin after she replaced processed foods (no roughage and fewer vitimins) with whole grains. This is because the nutritional benefit is in the hulls of the grains.

I try to slip in some wheat germ when I can too. I make yogurt and use that with fruit and granola as a snack and also instead of sour cream. I believe that this helps the digestive system (especially if you have been taking antibiotics).

The "five a day" rule is what we aim for here. Like you, I try to alternate different fruits and vegetables into our diet.

I do think you should try to get a few more beans into your diet for nutrition and because it is a very frugal way to get more (non animal, healthy)protein into your diet. When we were really poor I used to slip refried beans into all hamburger casseroles and chili and spaghetti that I could.

Does your family not like refried beans in tacos and quesadillas. If I ask if they want that on there the kids will say no--but they like it if it is on there holding the meat and cheese and they don't notice at all.

Also, I make everything home made but I pick up cans of baked beans when on sale. That is a fast, easy, inexpensive, nutritious side dish to almost anything and my kids like it.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 06, 2001.

Hello Melissa, We eat a lot of grains and vegetables. However, our down fall is probably too much dairy, as we like cream sauces and cheese dishes. Meat is in our diet but, mostly in the form of chicken. We try to eat the things we raise and grow presently. In the future our diet may change as the type of things we grow and raise change too. Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), November 06, 2001.

It is mostly me who doesn't like beans, really. I do fix canned baked beans, I use these in chili or vegetable soup as well. I have tried the re-fried beans for tacos and tortilla wraps and truly they just make me gag! (sorry to be so vivid) I have just in the last 5- 6 years started to eat green beans which I have canned. I won't eat store bought canned ones. I do like fresh peas, not canned. My mom always made things like soup beans, and I have tried them but I just can't make myself like them. I know I could decrease our grocery bill some by using more of them, but it is truly a struggle for me...

My kids have started to eat more yogurt, especially if I freeze it. Cale loves it with wheat germ ,and bran on it and has eaten it that way for years. He used to be really into body building and would eat all kinds of high protein things. He doesn't work out as much as he used to, but still has good eating habits.

I know what you mean about the whole wheat baking. It takes some getting used to. The first time I made a pie crust with whole wheat flour, I didn't think we would be able to eat it!! Very tough, so I have learned not to mix it very much which helps a lot. Now we are used to it, and if we eat anything white (at relatives etc...) it just doesn't taste very good, not much there to taste I guess.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), November 06, 2001.

This is a vegetarian household. We do eat dairy and have added eggs back into the diet recently. We always eat a big salad or two each day. Just about anything veggie works in our house. We love stirfry and tofu, big pots of beans and rice or cornbread, veggie soups, pasta dishes, and lots of cheese and tortilla dishes. Since we've been on such a crazy schedule lately, we have been eating more and more of the frozen vegetarian Boca burger and sausage type things. They really taste like the real thing, but I always feel guilty for spending so much on something that I could probably make from scratch, if I only had the time. We do have breakfasts on weekends, but during the week, we tend to drink our morning meal, a soy protein shake thing and handfuls of suppliments. We eat our biggest meal at noon or just before and have a smaller snack type meal later. Hubby is at work during the normal dinner time, so we each eat different things. He always has fruit, nuts, and veggies in his lunch, as well as some sort of sandwich. Of course I bring out the little boy in him with some sort of sweet thing in his lunch. Cookies usually, but lately, it's been storebought Halloween candy. lol I usually eat leftovers or just a salad for my dinner meal. We try not to eat after 6 pm, but sometimes we break that and have some popcorn. The fattening microwave kind that isn't really that good for you. lol We don't cook with salt, but do cook with herbs. I have salt to add later for those that want it, but I try not to use it for myself. Oh, hubby eats fruit and drinks juices, but I don't. I'm insulin resistant and that's pure poison for me. That's really hard on me too. I love crisp apples almost any time. Sometimes,I can sneak in a piece of fruit as long as my protein intake is quite large. I drink 2% cow's milk when I do drink it, but I use soy milk or goats milk in my soy protein shakes in the morning. I'm getting old, so the more soy I can get into my diet, the better off I'll be. We do drink coffee, which we both want to stop eventually. But not until the remodeling is done!!! lol We love green tea and almost all herb teas. Just about anything that is vegetarian is on our menus. Our relatives have gotten used to us not having meat in our life and have actually admitted not missing it when we all eat together. They are usually amazed that we do have such a large number of things to choose from.

-- Iris (Sar_India@msn.com), November 06, 2001.

Well, I've been slow in converting my family to the "no white" stuff theory! WE try to be good, but you really don't want to know what we eat! No, seriously, I don't buy prepared foods, but we still eat way to much bad stuff, to much sugar!

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 06, 2001.