How Health Conscious Are You In Your Typical Daily Food Choices?

[Jingthing]

President Bill Clinton is now a vegan. I'm sure he probably liked the taste of cheeseburgers better.

Some people are going vegan in an effort to save their life, documented in the excellent film Forks Over Knives.

Other people feel eating a high protein steak and mayo diet is their path to health.

So even though some experts think there is an objective definition of healthy eating, even the experts don't all agree, and certainly not all us eaters do.

Anyway, the question is not what you think healthy eating is for you, but to WHAT DEGREE you think and act on the health consequences of what you put into your mouth in a typical day. Based on where you are at now in your thinking about what healthy eating means to you. OK, I think most of us would say an apple is better for you than fried food, but for the purposes of of the poll, your own definition rules. Obviously, people voting 1 probably don't even have their own rough personal definition for that.

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

[Moonrakers]

I'm very health conscious because I changed from Chang to Leo.

[Jingthing]

I'm very health conscious because I changed from Chang to Leo.

I'd say you're at least a 2!

[Forkinhades]

get all my carbs from beer, and eat healthy meat as protein, fruit for breakfast!

[GreenSnapper]

I'm very health conscious because I changed from Chang to Leo.

Yep, you don't become obese if you vomit regularly.

[bkkjames]

Alright jt! A topic with substance-albeit barely related to thailand

Very concious of what I eat, been so for about a year. Cut out the sugars and booze and my fav: fried chicken soaked in cheap vegatable oil. Man I miss that.

[JimmyTheMook]

I eat healthy , but cheat often.

Cheeseburgers , Hilton Buffets with those killer deserts and those darn banana and egg roti's they sell on the street.

Fortunately I exercise at least 5 times a week , so that balances it out.

[Jingthing]

Alright jt! A topic with substance-albeit barely related to thailand

Very concious of what I eat, been so for about a year. Cut out the sugars and booze and my fav: fried chicken soaked in cheap vegatable oil. Man I miss that.

I figure all of us in Thailand are eating sometimes.

I have a relative who was ordered to go vegan, or die. I have looked into eating vegan and I think I might rather die. It would be so hard to do in Thailand anyway. I definitely think about what I'm eating and how healthy or unhealthy it is. Trying to make small adjustments like eating more veg, substituting whole grain pasta which does tastes rather yucky for white pasta, avoiding processed foods as much as possible. People say Thai food is healthy, and some of it is, but in Thailand so much is fried in palm oil, not healthy.

[Naam]

President Bill Clinton is now a vegan.

what about Monica Lewinsky?

[Jingthing]

President Bill Clinton is now a vegan.

what about Monica Lewinsky?

I doubt anyone cares what she's eating these days. You asked for it.

BTW, I voted 7. I probably think more like an 8 but eat more like a 6, so 7.

[tutsiwarrior]

sometimes...like when ye got diabetes an' high blood pressure ye ain't got a lot of choice about what ye can eat unless yer lookin' for an early date with the fire down the wat...

fortunately, I like eating vegetable/tofu/chicken breast stir fries 3 or 4 times per week or prepare in a jap style nabe - no salt, just a splash of soy sauce.. to be naughty I'll make meself a potato salad with bacon and drippings...

[bkkjames]

I cheated today and had a double whopper with bacon and cheese, fries and a coke zero just to ease my guilt.

Tonight will be peppercorn beef fillet and spinach.

[smokie36]

I cheated today and had a double whopper with bacon and cheese, fries and a coke zero just to ease my guilt.

Tonight will be peppercorn beef fillet and spinach.

How 'bout a few fries to mop up the sauce?

Mmmmmm!

[smokie36]

Thanks to JT I can think like 5 eat like 3 and award myself a 4. Maybe a statistician could check the mean values and raise it to a 5 for me??

I just can't eat bird seed and leaves I'm afraid.....most of my calories are liquid form anyway!

[maxme]

I eat alot of Thai food but since quality of the products here are somewhat bad which is better...Carb or cyst? Even with thai food it can get overdone, so I cut out rice sometimes....

[GreenSnapper]

[cmsally]

Hate to disappoint you but Nigella seems to have downsized recently

Nigella diet

[PattayaParent]

What's this got to do with Western food in Thailand?

[Jingthing]

What's this got to do with Western food in Thailand?

We're in Thailand. Most of us are westerners. We eat food.

Next ...

[PattayaParent]

What's this got to do with Western food in Thailand?

We're in Thailand. Most of us are westerners. We eat food.

Next ...

But we're not necessarily eating Western food.

[Jingthing]

But we're not necessarily eating Western food.

For that you win a brownie.

[tutsiwarrior]

^well...I wanna change my TV forum persona to that of a frail, sick old man and what better opportunity than one of JT's marvelous polls?...(shit, I'm runnin' outta vodka and ciggies...)

[NanaFoods]

I think this belongs in the "Health, Body and Medicine" section, but...

I believe humans are omnivorous by nature, and anything naturally edible is all good. Variety and moderation of any single thing is key, IMHO.

What I do try to actively avoid are artificial ingredients, preservatives, etc. I'm not a fan of MSG and use non-fluoride toothpaste (hey, its something you put in your mouth, right?).

I mostly cook with olive oil, palm olein, and sometimes corn oil (for Mexican food, and I buy Thai corn oil, as I know all the American stuff is all GMO.. not sure about the Thai, but it can't be worse), and I use mustard oil for Indian cooking - which is nearly as healthful as olive oil. If called for, I'll cook with lard or butter over any hydrogenated oils or margarine.

I live in a farm area, so most of our vegies come from my wife's uncle or great aunt, which tend to be grown organically.

I rated myself a 7, as somewhat actively try to control toxins, but not so fanatical as to be exclusively "organic" or anything. Anyway, I am dubious about the whole "organic" thing anyway... not dubious about pesticide-free farming; of course I'd rather eat vegies that have no residue... but dubious about the program/bureaucracy that certifies food as such.

[Jingthing]

I think I may have originally put this topic in GENERAL because there isn't a GENERAL food forum, so it might have been moved (not 100 percent sure). Not a big deal, is it?

I still think General is best, or perhaps Farang Pub. I don't like the idea of segregating under health as we all eat food.

Anyway first I heard of palm olein. Is that available in Thailand and what's the advantage of over regular palm oil?

[NanaFoods]

I think I may have originally put this topic in GENERAL because there isn't a GENERAL food forum, so it might have been moved (not 100 percent sure). Not a big deal, is it?

I still think General is best, or perhaps Farang Pub. I don't like the idea of segregating under health as we all eat food.

Anyway first I heard of palm olein. Is that available in Thailand and what's the advantage of over regular palm oil?

What you probably know as "palm oil" is actually palm olein. Regular palm oil is highly saturated and opaque. Upon removal of the solids and gums, you get the clear olein that you see on most store shelves.

[Jingthing]

I think I may have originally put this topic in GENERAL because there isn't a GENERAL food forum, so it might have been moved (not 100 percent sure). Not a big deal, is it?

I still think General is best, or perhaps Farang Pub. I don't like the idea of segregating under health as we all eat food.

Anyway first I heard of palm olein. Is that available in Thailand and what's the advantage of over regular palm oil?

What you probably know as "palm oil" is actually palm olein. Regular palm oil is highly saturated and opaque. Upon removal of the solids and gums, you get the clear olein that you see on most store shelves.

So do typical Thai restaurants in Thailand use palm olein for both stir fry and deep frying? Isn't palm oil and/or olein really unhealthy compared to oils like safflower, corn, olive etc.?

[bonobo]

I love Thai food, and THai street food in particular, but I rarely eat it as it is usually very, very unhealthy. Palm oil is about as bad as it gets. At my factory, I provide canola oil to our cook, and she cooks all my lunches with that.

At home, I make non-dairy fruit smoothies daily, but no sugar. I use honey. I also use either corn oil (yes, American), olive oil (my most used oil) or canola. I rarely use salt, but what I do is kosher or sea salt. I try to cut down the fat, and I focus on veggies lightly cooked or raw. I do eat creme brulee (rose is my favorite) but I make it with skim milk, so one helping has 140 calories vice 600.

Basically, without going into a monkish diet, I do try to eat healthy. I am not a certified health food nut, but I would say I am at a 7 or 8 on the scale.

[NanaFoods]

Palm oil is about as bad as it gets. At my factory, I provide canola oil to our cook, and she cooks all my lunches with that.

How is palm oil as bad as it gets?

Please don't give too much weight to studies funded by the GMO Canola/Corn/Soy industry (Monsanto). And dont get me started on the WHO (and "who" owns them). Other studies have indicated that consumption of palm olein (unsaturated) reduces blood cholesterol. Red palm oil antioxidants like tocotrienols and carotenes are added to foods and cosmetics due to their purported health benefits.

There is also a difference between palm KERNEL oil and palm oil. Palm kernel oil and coconut oil are more highly saturated than palm oil. Palm oil, like all vegetable oils, does not contain cholesterol (like lard does).

I'm not trying to say palm oil is anything special.. certainly not in the league of olive oil... rather, that it just isnt so bad as many people have been led to believe.

Canola and Corn - 90% crops are GMO (in the US, anyway).

Soy - 91%+ in US is GMO.

Perhaps GMO is not an issue for you, but I avoid them. I dont believe there is enough research about long term effects... on the environment and on consumers. I've also read some studies linking GMO grains to sterility (in rats/hamsters)... which can show up 3-generations later. You can search and find there are many articles. Here's but one http://www.newswithviews.com/Smith/jeffrey130.htm

[bonobo]

Palm oil is about as bad as it gets. At my factory, I provide canola oil to our cook, and she cooks all my lunches with that.

How is palm oil as bad as it gets?

Please don't give too much weight to studies funded by the GMO Canola/Corn/Soy industry (Monsanto). And dont get me started on the WHO (and "who" owns them). Other studies have indicated that consumption of palm olein (unsaturated) reduces blood cholesterol. Red palm oil antioxidants like tocotrienols and carotenes are added to foods and cosmetics due to their purported health benefits.

There is also a difference between palm KERNEL oil and palm oil. Palm kernel oil and coconut oil are more highly saturated than palm oil. Palm oil, like all vegetable oils, does not contain cholesterol (like lard does).

I'm not trying to say palm oil is anything special.. certainly not in the league of olive oil... rather, that it just isnt so bad as many people have been led to believe.

Canola and Corn - 90% crops are GMO (in the US, anyway).

Soy - 91%+ in US is GMO.

Perhaps GMO is not an issue for you, but I avoid them. I dont believe there is enough research about long term effects... on the environment and on consumers. I've also read some studies linking GMO grains to sterility (in rats/hamsters)... which can show up 3-generations later. You can search and find there are many articles. Here's but one http://www.newswithv.../jeffrey130.htm

I may not be differentiating between what you term palm and palm kernel oil. My ex is a physician, and she did research at Columbia University one summer while still a med student. And from the studies in which she assisted, palm oil was the absolute worst oil to use in cooking. As that piqued m interest, and as I now live in Thailand, I have read several studies in various medical pubs which seem to support that.

And no, I don't have a major problem with GM products. So you can avoid those if you want and consume palm oils, but I think I will go with what I have researched and avoid palm (and coconut) oils and accept the fact that GM products are so prevalent in our food chain.

[NanaFoods]

Coconut oil - Another beneficial oil much maligned by the refined seed oil industry.

What could be more simple and natural than the coconut ?

Coconut oil has been proven to boost the immune response and has shown effectiveness in AIDS patients.

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

http://www.naturalnews.com/032727_coconut_oil_Alzheimers.html

Humans/primates evolved eating bananas and coconuts. Does it makes sense at all that we're now told coconut is bad for us? A little commons sense, please.

Let's take a look at the healing properties of coconut oil:

• Coconut oil is antiviral, antifungal (kills yeast too) and antibacterial. It attacks and kills viruses that have a lipid (fatty) coating, such as herpes, HIV, hepatitis C, the flu, and mononucleosis. It kills the bacteria that cause pneumonia, sore throats, dental cavities, urinary tract infections, meningitis, gonorrhea, food poisoning, pneumonia, and many, many more bacterial infections. It kills the fungus/yeast infections that cause candida, ringworm, athletes foot, thrush, jock itch, diaper rash and more.
• Coconut oil is called the "low fat" fat. It actually acts like a carbohydrate in that it is quickly broken down in the liver and used as quick energy. It is NOT stored like other fats. It boosts one's energy and endurance. Many athletes use it blended into their drinks. It also supports thyroid function and increases your metabolism (great if you want to lose weight).
• Coconut oil improves digestion and absorption of fat soluble vitamins, minerals (especially calcium and magnesium), and amino acids. It improves the body's use of blood glucose and improves insulin secretion and absorption (great for type II diabetes). In fact, many diabetics (type I and type II) use it to reduce their symptoms. One's risk of diabetes decreases with regular use of coconuts and coconut oil. And as we already mentioned, cooking with coconut oil does not create any harmful byproducts.
• Coconut oil helps the body heal and repair faster. It aids and supports immune function, protecting us from a variety of cancers.
• Coconut oil, contrary to much hubbub, is good for your heart. It keeps our blood platelets from sticking together (and causing dangerous clots). Regular users of coconut oils have a much lower chance of atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries), arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and strokes. Coconut oil can lower your blood pressure.
• Coconut oil is a natural antioxidant. It protects the body from free radical damage and prevents premature aging and degenerative diseases.

http://www.mnwelldir...ion/coconut.htm

You can easily search the health benefits of coconut and coconut oil. Unless you're avoiding fats in general for some reason or have an allergy to coconut (or some other relevant medical condition), there is zero reason to avoid coconut oil.

Again, check who's behind studies condemning the most natural of foods and promoting synthesized "foods".

The real junk to avoid is hydrogenated oils, including margarine. Heart disease in the US started to increase commensurate with increased consumption of margarine and hydrogenated oils (like Crisco). Many charts and research online.

http://www.nytimes.c...nted=all&src=pm

More common sense - the body knows how to deal with natural fats - including animal fats (including butter). We evolved eating them (of course, moderation is key). The body did not evolve with hydrogenated fats.