Help with food choices

[pete6032]

I am 26. Weigh 140 LBS (10 stone) and 5 foot 9 (175 cm). It's on the skinny side. I usually run 4 miles per day 4-5 times per week. I think I eat relatively healthy, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and no fried food. Only whole grains, and no artificial dyes, limited red meat consumption. Try to limit the HFCS where possible.

Anyway I have always had problems with fatigue. I am always tired regardless of how much I sleep the night before, regardless of how much I exercise, and regardless of what I eat. I'm wondering if I either have a food allergy, or have a diet that isn't as healthy as I think. I'm wondering if I need to try to get more protein in my diet or try an allergy elimination diet.

What are some common food allergies I could try and eliminate?

Also what are some good high-protein recipes that are vegetarian? I'm not vegetarian but I need something I can prepare in advance and just microwave at work. In my experience, red meat and Chicken don't always taste good 3-5 days after cooking.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Eating a variety of foods is the key to eating healthy. However, your fatigue may not be the result of your diet. You might want to have the doctor check your thyroid.

 

[Kaido]

I like to beat dead horses, so I'll chime in with the food allergy route. Gluten caused constant fatigue for me (and it's in EVERYTHING!). Within a week of going completely off it, I was feeling ten times better. My post history in H&F was littered with failed attempts to get motivated & follow a program, but I just never had the energy to keep it up consistently. Now, no problem. I sleep 6 to 8 hours a night, feel good, and I'm not tired & fatigued all the time. Huge lifestyle difference.

How much are you willing to cook? I'm into freezer meals for convenience. Read through this thread:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2336038

That's pretty much what I do, make a bunch of food ahead & then microwave it at work. There are some tricks you can do to make things taste better reheated, like using sauces (ex. Prego on top of chicken, which keeps it moist when microwaving), spices, etc. Also, getting protein on a vegan or vegetarian diet is not a problem, plenty of options - egg protein, hemp protein, yellow pea protein, etc. if you want to go the powder route for smoothies & stuff. Smoothies are an easy way to do breakfast & snacks:

http://catch42.pbworks.com/w/page/78032378/Protein Smoothies

I have a shaker bottle (has a blender ball inside) & will have a mid-morning smoothie at work sometime, if not for breakfast. Or even for dessert. For example, I've been experimenting with avocado drinks a lot lately (sounds gross, but I had an amazing avocado "boba" smoothie at a Vietnamese place recently, and I'm hooked!). I'm drinking one right now: one medium avocado, a couple spoonfuls of hemp hearts (I like using the seeds better than the protein powder usually, tastes better & not grainy), some sugar, vanilla rice milk, an extra dash of vanilla extract, and ice. It's kind of similar to a milkshake, tastes great! (that is, if you like avocado...and even then, sweet avocado sounds weird, but it's actually pretty good!)

Anyway...number one, fix your fatigue problem. It might be food, or it might be something else like a thyroid issue like Magnus said. Elimination diet is the way to go. Or just quit eating for a day (do a food & drink fast for 24 hours) & see if you feel less horrible the next day. As far as food allergies go - do you wake up groggy? (that's a big sign) Do you have dark circles under your eyes? (those are called "allergic shiners" - I always thought they were from not getting enough sleep, but as it turns out your eyes get puffy from lack of sleep, and dark from food allergies, typically). After that, figure out your diet. Here's the currently one I'm loosely following:

http://catch42.pbworks.com/w/page/78929159/Meal Plan

I got hooked on the eating multiple small meals a day thing a few years ago; I love food, I love eating, and it keeps my energy up to eat smaller meals more often. I also like dessert, so not only do I have dessert (healthier options too!), but also treats throughout the day. Energy bites are really easy - you don't have to bake them, and they're basically like fresh little balls of granola bars:

http://catch42.pbworks.com/w/page/84297007/Energy Bites

Smoothies are easy for breakfast - throw in some fruit, a banana, ice, and protein powder, and you've got your fiber hit for the day plus some protein to round out the sugar hit (plus the sugar hit isn't as bad since you're blending a whole fruit, which has fiber to balance it out). My mid-afternoon goodies are excellent as well, like the Snickers bar (no refined sugar, tastes AMAZING!). Only thing I'm really lacking right now is my sleep schedule, between work & family and bad habits, I'm still not going to bed early very often haha.

If you have any questions about food allergies, fire away. There are a few of us here with them. Diagnosis can be a tough process (it's more of an art than a science) & the first year of adjusting is usually pretty rough, but after that it's mostly a cakewalk once you get the hang of it. Plus I'm far more health-conscious now because I know what I'm eating!

 

[blackdogdeek]

Can you post exactly what you currently eat? Try to be as specific as possible.

 

[pete6032]

Can you post exactly what you currently eat? Try to be as specific as possible.

Sure. For breakfast I eat 1/2 cup oatmeal with brown sugar and a glass of vegetable juice. Mid morning snack is usually a banana. Lunch usually consists of a microwave-able meal from Budget Bytes plus a piece of fruit. Dinner is usually a sandwich with lunchmeat and vegetables on whole wheat bread, plus greek yogurt and some raw vegetables (celery, carrots). I might also throw in some almonds and dried fruit, plus some kind of sweet.

That's basically it.

 

[utahraptor]

That all sounds very healthy. Have you considered a cup of coffee to kick things off in the morning? Are you getting exposure to sunlight or at least bright blue light are your current job?

 

[blackdogdeek]

According to http://www.bmrcalculator.org/ your BMR is 1607 cal/day. This is the amount you need to eat to sustain your baseline metabolic functions.

It's hard to tell from your diet if you're getting enough without brand names and quantities for each of the ingredients in your lunch and dinner meals.

 

[Murloc]

In my experience, red meat and Chicken don't always taste good 3-5 days after cooking.

not even roast beef?

 

[CPA]

Sure. For breakfast I eat 1/2 cup oatmeal with brown sugar and a glass of vegetable juice. Mid morning snack is usually a banana. Lunch usually consists of a microwave-able meal from Budget Bytes plus a piece of fruit. Dinner is usually a sandwich with lunchmeat and vegetables on whole wheat bread, plus greek yogurt and some raw vegetables (celery, carrots). I might also throw in some almonds and dried fruit, plus some kind of sweet.

That's basically it.

That seems like quit a bit of sugar in that diet. Maybe messing with your thyroid or cortisol levels.

Check this article out.

 

[pete6032]

That all sounds very healthy. Have you considered a cup of coffee to kick things off in the morning? Are you getting exposure to sunlight or at least bright blue light are your current job?

Yep I usually have 2 cups of coffee per day throughout the day. I actually spend 30 minutes in front of a sunlight lamp in the morning as well, but that hasn't helped.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Do you have your coffee black or do you add milk/cream/sugar?

 

[pauldun170]

Yep I usually have 2 cups of coffee per day throughout the day. I actually spend 30 minutes in front of a sunlight lamp in the morning as well, but that hasn't helped.

I'm not a Doctor or a nutritionist but I play one on the internet.
Reduce your sugar intake, fruit included. You can hold on to the Bananas.
Bananas can be used as weapons in case of emergency and they are good sources of potassium so...
Swap out bread for more veggies or potatoes or rice.

Experiment with going Coffee free for awhile to break any caffeine addiction. Then maybe a few weeks from now try a cup a day.

 

[Carson Dyle]

You're not skinny. That's a good healthy weight for your height.

Try some frozen grilled chicken. You can eat it with a whole grain, make a wrap, make a dish from it, or eat it as-is. It microwaves in just a couple of minutes, even from frozen. You can buy it in full breasts, diced, strips, etc.

 

[pete6032]

I like to beat dead horses, so I'll chime in with the food allergy route. Gluten caused constant fatigue for me (and it's in EVERYTHING!). Within a week of going completely off it, I was feeling ten times better.

Do you have celiac disease or are you gluten sensitive? If you are gluten sensitive do you also try and avoid products that may have trace amounts of gluten (like oatmeal not labeled gluten free for example, or yogurts with trace amounts of gluten that could be in flavoring), or do you not worry about the trace amounts?

 

[Kaido]

Do you have celiac disease or are you gluten sensitive? If you are gluten sensitive do you also try and avoid products that may have trace amounts of gluten (like oatmeal not labeled gluten free for example, or yogurts with trace amounts of gluten that could be in flavoring), or do you not worry about the trace amounts?

I am gluten sensitive, not Celiac (got tested). I am not sensitive to trace amounts; it really only bothers me if it's actually an ingredient that I ingest. I do have friends who cannot handle trace amounts of certain foods (especially nuts), so it really varies from person to person. HOWEVER, you do have to be diligent about reading labels - most deli meat has gluten, some mustards have it, some chips have it (like flavored chips), random stuff like that, so it's really hard to 100% avoid. If I even have a bite of bread, I just get wiped.

I had a lot of different reactions from it: brain fog (mental fatigue), physical exhaustion (always tired, no amount of sleep ever really let me "catch up" on a consistent basis), and random stuff like anxiety. I also have a dairy allergy, which aside from making me sick & giving me a constant runny or clogged nose, also gave me panic attacks. So I suffered from panic attacks & constant anxiety growing up, until I got off my allergies. Zero problems since, but they come back right away if I eat those things. So for me, it messes me up physically, mentally, and emotionally - I get tired, I can't think straight, I feel weird. It's a mess! It makes me wonder how many people suffer a myriad of minor problems like this & have no idea it's food-based; I had no idea for 20+ years.

 

[pete6032]

I am gluten sensitive, not Celiac (got tested). I am not sensitive to trace amounts; it really only bothers me if it's actually an ingredient that I ingest. I do have friends who cannot handle trace amounts of certain foods (especially nuts), so it really varies from person to person. HOWEVER, you do have to be diligent about reading labels - most deli meat has gluten, some mustards have it, some chips have it (like flavored chips), random stuff like that, so it's really hard to 100% avoid. If I even have a bite of bread, I just get wiped.

I had a lot of different reactions from it: brain fog (mental fatigue), physical exhaustion (always tired, no amount of sleep ever really let me "catch up" on a consistent basis), and random stuff like anxiety. I also have a dairy allergy, which aside from making me sick & giving me a constant runny or clogged nose, also gave me panic attacks. So I suffered from panic attacks & constant anxiety growing up, until I got off my allergies. Zero problems since, but they come back right away if I eat those things. So for me, it messes me up physically, mentally, and emotionally - I get tired, I can't think straight, I feel weird. It's a mess! It makes me wonder how many people suffer a myriad of minor problems like this & have no idea it's food-based; I had no idea for 20+ years.

Thanks. Have there been any foods that you have been surprised to find out contain gluten?

 

[tsiunltdus]

You never mentioned if you take any vitamins? You might try that if you don't take one now. Otherwise you might try adding a little more protein into your diet.

 

[Kaido]

Thanks. Have there been any foods that you have been surprised to find out contain gluten?

Oh boy, yes. For starters, sources:

http://celiac.org/live-gluten-free/glutenfreediet/sources-of-gluten/

A small list:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-health/0313/surprising-products-that-contain-gluten.aspx

Some surprising ones:

1. Gravy
2. Deli meats & hot dogs
3. Soy sauce
4. Sweet potato fries (makes the outside crispy)
5. Anything creamy (cream sauces often use flour as a thickener)

It's ridiculously difficult to learn when you first start out, and if you are gluten-sensitive, it gets worse as you remove more stuff from your diet. You basically have a tolerance where you have the low-level symptoms all the time, but once you go clean & then accidentally eat it, the fatigue & brain fog really whomps you. I noticed a buddy at work would space out after lunch & told him about my gluten allergy. He went off it for a few weeks & found out he was definitely sensitive. He's still learning (been about a year now), but sometimes I'll find him passed out at his desk and he'll just say "I caved and ate a hamburger with a bun" when I walk by

 

[Kaido]

You never mentioned if you take any vitamins? You might try that if you don't take one now. Otherwise you might try adding a little more protein into your diet.

There's another one - vitamins can contain gluten. So if you do decide to give the elimination diet a shot, basically just eat whole foods: chicken, beef, vegetables, fruits, rice, water. Be careful of any spices & sauces you put on, a lot of them have hidden gluten in them.

 

[HOSED]

If you are anywhere near NY City check out doctor rich ash http://ashcenter.com/dr-ash/ check out listen to past shows if NY is not an option for a visit. He is all about food allergies, thyroid issues, natural remedies where applicable. He also has a show on 710 AM sunday 5 - 7 PM EST where you can call in.
Great Organic vegan protein source _ http://www.explore-asian.com/products/ I get these as low at 3.99 at my local giant on sale!

 

[Art&Science]

I'm as gluten free as I can be, but not 100%. I've had chronic fatigue and migraines basically my entire life. These went away when I stopped eating gluten. The best thing I can say is try to eat foods that begin with whole ingredients. I know that isn't always possible and I too will eat the occasional fast food hamburger, but most of my meals I cook at home and begin with single, whole ingredients. I think this is the best thing you can do.

 

[Carson Dyle]

OP, I thought your first post was mostly seeking ideas for getting more protein in your work lunches. You received a couple of suggestions.

But it's clear now... Your worrying about food allergies, gluten, celiac disease, and not having any idea of whether or not your diet is healthy. You sounds like millions of other people out on the 'net trying to self-diagnose their medical issues and receiving totally random advice from strangers with zero medical knowledge.

See a freaking doctor.

 

[Kaido]

OP, I thought your first post was mostly seeking ideas for getting more protein in your work lunches. You received a couple of suggestions.

But it's clear now... Your worrying about food allergies, gluten, celiac disease, and not having any idea of whether or not your diet is healthy. You sounds like millions of other people out on the 'net trying to self-diagnose their medical issues and receiving totally random advice from strangers with zero medical knowledge.

See a freaking doctor.

The problem is that doctors don't know everything. I too would recommend seeing a doctor first, but if they don't help, don't give up! I literally spend thousands of dollars seeking a solution to my problems (constant fatigue, headache, migraines, stomachaches, ADHD, brain fog, anxiety, panic attacks, feeling cold all the time, and so on) & the root cause ultimately ended up being food allergies, which coincidentally didn't show up on any of the current set of allergy tests available that I got (skin-prick tests, blood tests, endoscopies, etc.).

It's not like there's a test they can run to confirm endless fatigue or trouble focusing, you know? I'm sure there's millions of people out there living with the same problems I did & have no idea what's causing it. I had no idea that food had anything to do with those problems, I mean, why would gluten give me ADHD? Didn't make sense...at the time. But in short, my quality of life has done a complete 180...I went from failing college to acing my classes, from struggling at my job to basically being bored all day because it suddenly got easier when I didn't feel like crap all the time & couldn't focus, etc. It was an enormous improvement in my day-to-day living.

Part of the problem too is the dissemination of information. Every time I'd do research online at places like WebMD, it'd ultimately tell me that I was probably pregnant (keep in mind, I'm male haha). But once I found the correct root cause, I now had the right keywords to search & discovered that doctors have known about this stuff since like the 1970's, but it's not always taught very well in medical schools, and even allergy clinics still have their fair share of witch doctors who don't really have any clue about what they're doing, so the onus is on us as individuals to work through our problems because it's not clear-cut.

Side note, one of the most interesting search keywords is "brain allergy", which is basically when an allergy affects your mental & emotional state. Growing up, I suffered from severe anxiety & panic attacks, and eventually depression. I was hyperactive mentally (just look through my old post history here, hah!), but lethargic physically. I was also SUPER moody. If I trip up & eat something I'm allergic to, aside from getting sick, my wife says I basically PMS :biggrin: I'm usually a pretty stable person, but I become a big baby & just feel super irritable & then don't even remember that I was being a whiner. It's weird. But once you find the right root cause, the right keywords to search for, and then the right specialists, all of a sudden a whole new world opens up for you, if food allergies affect you.

imo, food is the root of medicine, which is culturally opposite of what we practice today. So many problems are solved by managing food intake - allergies, heart problems, blood sugar problems, weight problems, etc., but it's easy not to care. Heck, I have severe food allergies & still eat plenty of junk because sometimes I just don't want to cook or eat healthy

 

[Carson Dyle]

imo, food is the root of medicine

No offense, but...

I see a lot of that these days and it absolutely baffles me. Food is just one small piece of the health equation. I think it's because it's easy and easily rationalized by people who want to avoid really thinking about things. "If I can just find that _one_ thing that I'm eating that has left me fatigued for the past fifteen years, my life would be transformed." Yeah, right. Good luck with that.

 

[Kaido]

No offense, but...

I see a lot of that these days and it absolutely baffles me. Food is just one small piece of the health equation. I think it's because it's easy and easily rationalized by people who want to avoid really thinking about things. "If I can just find that _one_ thing that I'm eating that has left me fatigued for the past fifteen years, my life would be transformed." Yeah, right. Good luck with that.

Worked for me!

There are a lot of root causes. I think undiagnosed food allergies was a big one. I was exhausted 24/7, never felt caught up on my sleep, until I removed gluten from my diet. Feel great now. But I also think a huge majority of Americans stay up late watching TV & surfing the net (cough cough), so if you're not getting enough sleep, that's another huge factor because it's hard to feel energetic if you're running on low batteries all the time. Then people wake up, drink caffeine, have a sugary donut breakfast, big carby lunch, and wonder why they're tired all the time...yeah :hmm: