Dietary Supplements - General health

[h90]

You can also cook a weeks worth of meals on weekend or free time, eat half Mon-Tues, freeze the rest and Microwave Wednesday- Friday.

I think you really need to enjoy eating....I think at my age it is the only real vice I have left ! I gave up looking for the right girl here in Thailand, they are all way too crazy and I don't like the sexpat thing, leaves me feeling empty (both emotionally and financially !) so food (and music) is it for me.

Fills the void....love to cook and love to eat even more...and you can eat healthy in Thailand...just need to become aware of good nutrition and practice it in your daily life. No need for burgers, pizza or the crap that will kill you for sure.

Married for 26 years and now single again. But believe I will find someone eventually. In the meantime I want to start looking after my body and mind better. Been keeping reasonably fit for a while now but my diet is far from good. I do eat yoghurt almost daily, almonds and cashews as a snack but the vast majority of my meals are rubbish. I also eat some jackfruit on a daily basis.

I think it is an age thing. 53 in a couple of months and don't like the thought of aging so must really start looking after myself better. Fishing for ideas and seeking confirmation whether or not supplements are helpful, especially for repairing muscle damage.

The consensus is that I must change my diet. I can't simply make up for deficits through supplements. I also need to cut out bad stuff. Not something I wanted to hear, but sort of expected.

For the yoghurt also read what is in it, you can get natural yoghurt and you can get some loaded with chemicals and/or sugar.

(is it spelled yoghurt or yogurt? I recall yoghurt but the spellchecker is insisting on yogurt, I rather believe the computer than my brain....)

[tonray]

You can also cook a weeks worth of meals on weekend or free time, eat half Mon-Tues, freeze the rest and Microwave Wednesday- Friday.

I think you really need to enjoy eating....I think at my age it is the only real vice I have left ! I gave up looking for the right girl here in Thailand, they are all way too crazy and I don't like the sexpat thing, leaves me feeling empty (both emotionally and financially !) so food (and music) is it for me.

Fills the void....love to cook and love to eat even more...and you can eat healthy in Thailand...just need to become aware of good nutrition and practice it in your daily life. No need for burgers, pizza or the crap that will kill you for sure.

Married for 26 years and now single again. But believe I will find someone eventually. In the meantime I want to start looking after my body and mind better. Been keeping reasonably fit for a while now but my diet is far from good. I do eat yoghurt almost daily, almonds and cashews as a snack but the vast majority of my meals are rubbish. I also eat some jackfruit on a daily basis.

I think it is an age thing. 53 in a couple of months and don't like the thought of aging so must really start looking after myself better. Fishing for ideas and seeking confirmation whether or not supplements are helpful, especially for repairing muscle damage.

The consensus is that I must change my diet. I can't simply make up for deficits through supplements. I also need to cut out bad stuff. Not something I wanted to hear, but sort of expected.

For the yoghurt also read what is in it, you can get natural yoghurt and you can get some loaded with chemicals and/or sugar.

(is it spelled yoghurt or yogurt? I recall yoghurt but the spellchecker is insisting on yogurt, I rather believe the computer than my brain....)

I have seen it spelled both ways. As far as brands (yes I am somewhat of a connoisseur) A locally available brand called Yolida is great...plain...no sugar or crap added. you can buy fresh fruit and add your own...much better for you. I add some fresh pineapple and papaya in the morning...great stuff...also great source of protein and helps keep your digestion working as it contains beneficial bacteria for your gut.

[Sheryl]

The precooking idea is good...it generally takes no longer to make enough for several meals as for one.

I usually eat a large salad for dinner, with either beans or feta cheese added for ptotein. No cooking involved but as it takes time washing all the lettuce and sprouts, peeling carrots etc I do it once every 4 days making enough for 4 meals and keeping in fridge. Don't add dressing obviously and also don't cut up tomatoes until rigjt before eating as the leaves of the lettuce will turn (or use whole cherry tomatoes).

Breakfast is a really easymeal to make healthy. Some suggestions:

Homemade muesli using unsweetened yogury (yolida, bulgaria or store made from villa etc) and rolled oats plus various fruits and a little honey or stevia. You can get frozen blueberries, raspberries etc at most groceries and just defrost small amounts at a time to reduce spoilage and number of shopping trips. Don't use prepared muesli, it's full of sugar, just the plain oats. Takes a few minutes max to prepare.

Kelloggs All Bran cereal in milk with a little cinnamon, sliced banana, berries or other fruit and sweetener of your choice -- most packaged cereals are awful but this one is very high fiber and not too sweet.

Scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, fresh fruit or fresh fruit juice

Lunches at work:if pressed for time bring along a hard boiled egg, fresh fruit, nuts

[partington]

Dinner: take flat pyrex dish, wash and slice broccoli head, large carrot and one other vegetable of your choice (sweet potato, beetroot, corn, asparagus, etc, to vary colours, and therefore, nutrients). Cover with microwave proof film with a couple of holes punched in. Cook at full 10-12 minutes.

Pour on a sauce made of 50% rice vinegar, 50% light soy sauce, crushed chopped garlic, crushed chopped ginger, and mix hot vegetables with it (can make sauce in advance and store in fridge for weeks). Can add a sprinkle of sesame oil if you like it. For variation or slight kick, can add a teaspoon of that Sriracha Panich chili sauce, on sale at every supermarket in tomato sauce-like bottles.

Result: nice tasty vegetable mix with asian flavour. Supplies all your vegetable needs in a painless and surprisingly delicious way, considering the simplicity of preparation, and with advance washing and cutting of veg can take just 15 minutes from cook to eat.

Edited October 23, 2015 by partington

[NickJ]

Gary....If you just put a bit of effort into simple whole foods you will most likley develop an intrest in what you eat. I agree that all this cheap pre made stuff is garbage. Not to mention unhealthy. I had a dear friend of mine come over yesterday and show me his blood work results. At 74 he is so fit . He eats simple food. drinks beer 3or 4 times a week.....Anyways. I used to work like a demon, up at 5:30and home at 9 or 10 pm. six days a week......I grilled steaks for six min and I steamed vegetables......lunch was the extra I made at night in under 20min. Vitamins I have taken my whole life as well......

[h90]

The precooking idea is good...it generally takes no longer to make enough for several meals as for one.

I usually eat a large salad for dinner, with either beans or feta cheese added for ptotein. No cooking involved but as it takes time washing all the lettuce and sprouts, peeling carrots etc I do it once every 4 days making enough for 4 meals and keeping in fridge. Don't add dressing obviously and also don't cut up tomatoes until rigjt before eating as the leaves of the lettuce will turn (or use whole cherry tomatoes).

Breakfast is a really easymeal to make healthy. Some suggestions:

Homemade muesli using unsweetened yogury (yolida, bulgaria or store made from villa etc) and rolled oats plus various fruits and a little honey or stevia. You can get frozen blueberries, raspberries etc at most groceries and just defrost small amounts at a time to reduce spoilage and number of shopping trips. Don't use prepared muesli, it's full of sugar, just the plain oats. Takes a few minutes max to prepare.

Kelloggs All Bran cereal in milk with a little cinnamon, sliced banana, berries or other fruit and sweetener of your choice -- most packaged cereals are awful but this one is very high fiber and not too sweet.

Scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, fresh fruit or fresh fruit juice

Lunches at work:if pressed for time bring along a hard boiled egg, fresh fruit, nuts

Just to add, both some salad and musli or lots of fruits may cause some minor problems with some people when eaten a short time before going sleeping.

So if very tired wolfing in a big salad and fall into the bed might not be for everyone. A salad with lots of onion before sleeping doesn't do me good.

[h90]

You can also cook a weeks worth of meals on weekend or free time, eat half Mon-Tues, freeze the rest and Microwave Wednesday- Friday.

I think you really need to enjoy eating....I think at my age it is the only real vice I have left ! I gave up looking for the right girl here in Thailand, they are all way too crazy and I don't like the sexpat thing, leaves me feeling empty (both emotionally and financially !) so food (and music) is it for me.

Fills the void....love to cook and love to eat even more...and you can eat healthy in Thailand...just need to become aware of good nutrition and practice it in your daily life. No need for burgers, pizza or the crap that will kill you for sure.

Married for 26 years and now single again. But believe I will find someone eventually. In the meantime I want to start looking after my body and mind better. Been keeping reasonably fit for a while now but my diet is far from good. I do eat yoghurt almost daily, almonds and cashews as a snack but the vast majority of my meals are rubbish. I also eat some jackfruit on a daily basis.

I think it is an age thing. 53 in a couple of months and don't like the thought of aging so must really start looking after myself better. Fishing for ideas and seeking confirmation whether or not supplements are helpful, especially for repairing muscle damage.

The consensus is that I must change my diet. I can't simply make up for deficits through supplements. I also need to cut out bad stuff. Not something I wanted to hear, but sort of expected.

For the yoghurt also read what is in it, you can get natural yoghurt and you can get some loaded with chemicals and/or sugar.

(is it spelled yoghurt or yogurt? I recall yoghurt but the spellchecker is insisting on yogurt, I rather believe the computer than my brain....)

I have seen it spelled both ways. As far as brands (yes I am somewhat of a connoisseur) A locally available brand called Yolida is great...plain...no sugar or crap added. you can buy fresh fruit and add your own...much better for you. I add some fresh pineapple and papaya in the morning...great stuff...also great source of protein and helps keep your digestion working as it contains beneficial bacteria for your gut.

There is no a half kg greek yoghurt with zero fat in some supermarkets.

mix it with blueberry, strawberry, rasperry, if you want 1 banana. And some chocolate flavored protein powder (or just cacao powder) and put it in a strong blender.

It get an amazing ....... can't spell it....kind of creme. The blender sucks in air in the middle and trashes it into small bubbles.

Taste amazing.....Up to you, if you want more fat use the normal fat greek yoghurt or if you want more carbohydrates add some banana or if you want to get fat add both.....

[inbangkok]

You can buy a high quality, 3 tray steamer at Central. Throw some veggies, rice, chicken, pumpkin, sweet potato, etc. in it and let it cook. Only takes a few minutes to throw this stuff in the steamer, set the timer for 15 min. and you are done. I get all this stuff at Big C on the weekend, because like you, I have no desire to run around BKK looking for obscure foods and ingredients.

My GF steams her food the night before, throws it in the microwave the next day at work for a few min. You can make a few days worth of meals all at once. Thai street food and prepared food is simply not something to eat on a daily basis if you are concerned at all about your health. Good luck.

[GarryP]

Thanks everyone. There are some good ideas. I have been out and bought apples, grapes, tiny tomatos (the name has gone at the moment), meusli (before Sheryl made her post), yoghurt low fat Bulgari or something like that, and a few other things more shopping tomorrow for vegetables. I'll be eating most of the stuff raw.

I checked out a restaurant on Sukhumvit 93 that delivers which my son mentioned having seen. The prices are fair and their focus is healthy food, low salt, no MSG, olive oil, etc. Will give them a try soon. Delivery is free within 2 kms and I am in that radius.

[h90]

Thanks everyone. There are some good ideas. I have been out and bought apples, grapes, tiny tomatos (the name has gone at the moment), meusli (before Sheryl made her post), yoghurt low fat Bulgari or something like that, and a few other things more shopping tomorrow for vegetables. I'll be eating most of the stuff raw.

I checked out a restaurant on Sukhumvit 93 that delivers which my son mentioned having seen. The prices are fair and their focus is healthy food, low salt, no MSG, olive oil, etc. Will give them a try soon. Delivery is free within 2 kms and I am in that radius.

Great! On the musli check, some are full loaded with sugar....even the sugar free (there are ways to avoid declaring the sugar).

Please write updates from time to time....always good to get some new (or reminded to old) ideas from time to time.....

[GarryP]

BTW I am not overweight. I am 181cm tall and my average daily weight is 77.5kg. I lost weight from 84.5 kgs simply by stopping drinking alcohol and cutting down rice intake by 80-90 percent. My weight is now stable.

[tonray]

BTW I am not overweight. I am 181cm tall and my average daily weight is 77.5kg. I lost weight from 84.5 kgs simply by stopping drinking alcohol and cutting down rice intake by 80-90 percent. My weight is now stable.

I have to cut back on sticky rice...my vice in Thailand...that's right...not girls...but sticky rice.....