I've always preferred the taste of spinach leaves in my salad. lettuce just doesn't have any flavor to me.

1/21/2007 3:24:06 PM

Exactly. That way you can pile on tons of cheese, bacon, dressing, ham, and croutons for flavor.

[Edited on January 21, 2007 at 3:25 PM. Reason : ]

1/21/2007 3:24:50 PM

Quote :

"Fresh Spinach Frozen Spinach Canned Spinach Serving Size: 1 1/2cups shredded (85g) Servings per container Amount per Serving Calories 40 Total Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 160mg Total Carbohydrate10g Dietary Fiber 5g Sugars 0g Protein 2g Vitamin A 70% Calcium 6% Calories from Fat 0 % Daily Value* 0% 0% 0% 3% 3% 19% Vitamin C 25% Iron 20% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. "

I too like spinach better. Sometimes in resturants I'll order mixed greens.

1/21/2007 3:28:48 PM

you mean pile on shit?

except for some cheeses like parm

1/21/2007 3:29:29 PM

nah, Cheddar

1/21/2007 3:30:06 PM

Quote :

"Mesclun mix combines complementary flavors The idea of a greens mix in France is not simply to get any old mixture of greens. The idea is to combine four basic flavor types through a careful mixing of greens: mild, bitter/tart, piquant, and pepper/spicy. For the mild component, a leaf lettuce will typically be included. For the piquant, perhaps mustard greens. For the bitter/tart flavor, either radicchio, escarole, mizuna, or curly endive. To round out the peppery/spicy component, usually included is either arugula or watercress. As you can see, many of the components of a mesclun mix are not technically lettuces, but rather, a diverse array of greens that are chosen for their distinct flavor combinations. Other greens available for a mesclun mix include sorrel, parsley, basil, chive, fennel, purslane, dandelion green, chervil, and groundsel. In Italy, the comparable greens mix is usually referred to as "misticanza." ("Mista" in Italian means "mixed"). "

1/21/2007 3:31:45 PM

I never ate mescaline for the flavor.

1/21/2007 3:59:22 PM

so i've gained about 1lb in 2 days...and now i've switched over from using water in my weight gainer shakes to using milk...makes it a lot thicker and harder to drink but also adds a lot more calories

1/25/2007 1:13:26 PM

some more of my ramblings:

(from http://brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=466075)

Quote :

"look, as a rule of thumb, margarines, shortening, and other solid at room temperature edible fats made out of vegetable oils, contain partially hydrogenated fats, which results in trans-fatty acids, which are medically proven to be worse than saturated fats. however, the newer ones, contain no hydrogenated oils or TFAs, and they advertise that prominently on the tubs/bottles. but, i still don't know how they do that, i.e, make them solid without hydrogenating them. to hydrogenate is to just pass hydrogen through the oils. this solidifies them, which is advantageous for many reasons: improves shelf-life easy to transport easy to comsume but it also makes them killers. the harder the product, the worse it is for you. so, you should avoid hard margarines at all cost. however, some of these newer spreads contain no TFAs or hydrogenated oils, as i said, and i still don't know how. however, i still don't consume them, because maybe something will be found in them 5 years now which turns out to be harmful. i like the real thing: olive oil. i put it on (drizzle on cooked foods) every food imaginable: main meals, salads, sandwiches, hot cereals (porridges), etc. there is nothing healthier than it. countless scientific and population studies back it up. there is a reason greeks on a certain island drink it by the glass in the morning."

Quote :

"ok i did a bit of research on their website. they have 4 kinds of spreads: original light unsalted made with olive oil and they have stick version of the first 3 kinds. avoid the sticks at all costs, or use them sparingly. or use butter if not using too much. the spreads (not the sticks) are advertised as containign 0 grams TFAs. see this: 5. How did you remove the trans fats from Fleischmann's? We use a unique blend of oils to deliver the same great taste without the trans fats. 12. Is it possible for a food product to list the amount of trans fat as 0 g if the ingredient list indicates that it contains "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil?" Yes. Food manufacturers are allowed to list amounts of trans fat with less than 0.5 gram (1/2 g) as 0 (zero) on the Nutrition Facts panel. As a result, you may see some products that list 0 gram trans fat on the label, while the ingredient list will have "shortening," "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil," or "hydrogenated vegetable oil" on it. This means the food contains very small amounts (less than 0.5 g) of trans fat per serving. so, i still don't know how they do it. and they do contain TFAs, just less than 0.5 grams per serving, which is negligible (the ingredients labels on the website for all varieties show "partially hydrogenated oil") anyway, i compared the 4 different spreads and my informed opinion says they are not bad for you. maybe even healthy, depending on which one you pick. carbs = 0 grams for all. salt = trivial for all. so the deciding factor is the fatty acid profile. (remember, transfatty acids = 0 grams for all spreads) the original, unsalted, and, made with olive oil all contain: 20% saturated fat 50% polyunsaturated fat 25% monounsaturated fat (as a percent of the fat, not total weight) ideally, you want to decrease the saturated and polyunsaturated, and increase the monounsaturated. here is the profile of the light spread: 0% saturated fat 22% polyunsaturated fat 55% monounsaturated fat so my judgement says eat the light one. it also has 40 calories (4.5 grams fat) per tablespoon (14 grams), as opposed to 70 calories (8 grams fat) for the others. the main ingredient in the light one is water, so i guess it would be less substantial in taste and texture. so, my advice would be to eat the light one, and if extra flavor/texture is desired, eat the one made with olive oil. [Edited on March 13, 2007 at 7:05 AM. Reason : http://www.fleischmanns.com/products/index.jsp]"

[Edited on March 13, 2007 at 7:21 AM. Reason : ]

3/13/2007 7:20:43 AM

This is all very very good thread with lots of good information OEPII1 clearly knows what he is talking about. I learned alot about nutrition over the past few months and everything he has been saying is consistent with what I have learned so far.

Just one useful thing to think about when shopping (I don't think its been posted but i could have missed it) is to generally stick around the outside of the store. That will leave you around vegetables, meats, fish, chicken, whole grains, milks, juices, etc rather than all of the processed stuff that you genearally encounter in the middle of the store.

3/13/2007 7:28:11 PM

I've said pretty much the same thing numerous times here, don't know if I did in the thread.

3/14/2007 9:53:41 AM

^^ thank you. good to hear that my knowledge checks out!

your advice to stick on the periphery of the store is very sound and easy to follow. thanks.

some more stuff i just posted in the spread (butter substitute) thread. that's one long-ass post!

*************************************************************************
still some misconceptions to answer:

1 - they are not "butters". butter is a natural product made from cow's milk (or sheep, yak, etc), and that's the only butter there is. peanut butter is not butter, apple butter is not butter, and these spreads and margarines are not butters.

2 - all the spreads contain TFAs, as long hydrogenated oil is listed in the ingredients. the ones that say 0 grams, contain < 0.5 grams. (again, if hydrogenated oil is listed in the ingredients) so, if you are trying to decide between spreads that say 0 grams TFAs, your deciding factor is not TFAs anymore, but other types of fat, namely, saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated.

3 - you want to minimize saturated and polyunsaturated, and maximize monounsaturated fat.

now look at my detailed post earlier, where i compared the 4 spreads made by Fleischmann's.

Quote :

"anyway, i compared the 4 different spreads and my informed opinion says they are not bad for you. maybe even healthy, depending on which one you pick. carbs = 0 grams for all. salt = trivial for all. so the deciding factor is the fatty acid profile. (remember, transfatty acids = 0 grams for all spreads) the original, unsalted, and, made with olive oil all contain: 20% saturated fat 50% polyunsaturated fat 25% monounsaturated fat (as a percent of the fat, not total weight) ideally, you want to decrease the saturated and polyunsaturated, and increase the monounsaturated. here is the profile of the light spread: 0% saturated fat 22% polyunsaturated fat 55% monounsaturated fat so my judgement says eat the light one. it also has 40 calories (4.5 grams fat) per tablespoon (14 grams), as opposed to 70 calories (8 grams fat) for the others. the main ingredient in the light one is water, so i guess it would be less substantial in taste and texture. so, my advice would be to eat the light one, and if extra flavor/texture is desired, eat the one made with olive oil."

but remember, there is no substitute for pure extra virgin olive oil. no man-made spread/oil can be healthier than it. so use it as much as possible. mix it with the spread that you use in a 1:1 ratio. but remember also, extra virign olive oil cannot be used for high heat cooking, such as frying or baking. sauteing, stewing, etc, are ok. the best way to use it is to drizzle it on prepared foods. use some cooking spray to cook, and then drizzle olive oil on prepared food.

now let me compare Fleischmann's with Smart Balance:

Please see this before the comparisons:

Fleischmann's spreads: < 0.5 grams TFAs (because they do contain hydrogenated oil)
Smart Balance spreads: precisely 0 grams TFAs (because they don't contain hydrogenated oils)

Although there is clearly a difference, I would say it is insignificant, and shouldn't really sway anybody's decision one way or another, unless one is really gung ho about not eating any TFAs at all.

It could add up though, over the course of a day. All dietary information is for a serving, which is one tablespoon. So if you are consuming, say, 4 tablespoons of a Fleischmann's spread in a day, you are getting up to 2 grams of TFAs.

You decide.

*************************************************************************

Fleischmann's Original Soft Spread (corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean)

19% saturated fat
50% polyunsaturated fat
25% monounsaturated fat

Smart Balance® 67% Buttery Spread (palm, soybean, canola, olive)

28% saturated fat
28% polyunsaturated fat
39% monounsaturated fat

Clear winner: Smart Balance® 67% Buttery Spread (also contains a lot more added vitamins)

*************************************************************************

Fleischmann's Made with Olive Oil (soybean, olive, hydrogenated soybean)

19% saturated fat
50% polyunsaturated fat
31% monounsaturated fat

Smart Balance® 67% Buttery Spread (palm, soybean, canola, olive)

28% saturated fat
28% polyunsaturated fat
39% monounsaturated fat

Clear winner: Smart Balance® 67% Buttery Spread (also contains a lot more added vitamins)

*************************************************************************

Note: The light spreads are not recommended for high heat uses, such as baking and frying, rather for sauteing and spreading. Moreover, if a spread contains flax oil or fish oil, it MUST NOT BE heated at all.

Fleischmann's Light Soft Spread (canola, hydrogenated corn)

0% saturated fat
22% polyunsaturated fat
56% monounsaturated fat

Smart Balance® 37% Light Buttery Spread (palm, soybean, canola, flax [large tub only], olive)

Note: large tub contains flax oil, but less vitamins, small tubs contain no flax oil, but more vitamins.

30% saturated fat
30% polyunsaturated fat
40% monounsaturated fat

Clear winner: Fleischmann's Light Soft Spread

*************************************************************************

Now, there are certain products that Smart Balance makes which have no equal from Fleischmann's. And I believe these products are far superior. Let's look at them:

Smart Balance® Omega PLUS™ Buttery Spread

Same fat profile as the regular 67% spread, but contains [/b]fish oil[/b], and also plant sterols (Plant sterols, or phytosterols, are similar to animal sterols, such as cholesterol, but are known to block absorption of chlesterol by competing with it, and may reduce incidences of some cancer. They are naturally found in soybean oil, canola oil, flax oil, etc).

NOT TO BE HEATED AT ALL, since it contains fish oil. Use it as a spread.


Smart Balance® Bottled Oil

This seems to be an excellent product, providing the benefits of 3 different oils, the only oils recommended for use (soybean, canola, oil). It is basically a blend of those 3 oils, without any useless additives (those spreads contain a lot of additives).

One thing, though, is not mentioned on their website: if the olive oil used in the blend is extra virgin or refined. Those who are interested can contact the company and ask. If it is extra virgin or virgin, great. If it is refined, still not bad at all.

You can use it for cooking, and for drizzling on foods.

Here is the fat profile:

7% saturated fat
32% polyunsaturated fat
57% monounsaturated fat

Compare with extra virgin olive oil:

14% saturated fat
11% polyunsaturated fat
71% monounsaturated fat

Obviously, the real thing is better. Again, I would repeat what I said at the top:

Quote :

"but remember, there is no substitute for pure extra virgin olive oil. no man-made spread/oil can be healthier than it. so use it as much as possible. mix it with the spread that you use in a 1:1 ratio. but remember also, extra virign olive oil cannot be used for high heat cooking, such as frying or baking. sauteing, stewing, etc, are ok. the best way to use it is to drizzle it on prepared foods. use some cooking spray to cook, and then drizzle olive oil on prepared food."

*************************************************************************

Smart Balance also makes other products than spreads and oils, and they seem to be far superior as well to national brands:

http://www.smartbalance.com/omega3.html

Smart Balance® Omega Peanut Butter
Smart Balance® Omega Plus™ Light Mayonnaise
Smart Balance® Omega™ Cooking Oil
Smart Balance® Omega™ Oatmeal

As an example, look at the ingredients of the peanut butter:




Wow, I wish I could get my hands on that

Just peanuts, oil, salt, and molasses (YUM)! No refined sugar, no hydrogenated oils, no TFAs, no preservatives, colors, etc.

*************************************************************************

God damn, I wish I were getting paid to do this. Instead of a career, it is just a hobby .

I studied the wrong thing at undergrad AND grad school. What I should have done is gotten certifications/degrees in this stuff, so that I could practice it officially .

3/14/2007 10:43:48 AM

what are your nutritional thoughts on mushrooms & peppers (jalepenos, banana, pepperoncini, etc.)?

3/14/2007 11:31:18 AM

fibersure:

serving: 1 heaping tsp
calories: 25
total carb: 6g
dietary fiber 5g
soluble fiber 5g
sugars 0g

claims "100% natural vegetable fiber"

nothing wrong with it, right oep?

3/14/2007 12:49:28 PM

peppers are very nutritious, very high in vitamic C and anti-oxidants (which give them their deep color).

as for hot peppers, the compound that gives them the heat, capsicum, does have health benefits, but some professionals recommend not eating too much of them. they say they could lead to ulcers, anal burning, etc. it is a controversial topic.

mushrooms, well the common button shrooms are basically nutritionally empty, and there are some indications they could be carcinogenic.

other exotic shrooms, however, such as the various chinese shrooms (maitake, shiitake, etc), are highly nutritious, and have shown promise in treating cancer. they are also amazing immune-boosters.

3/14/2007 12:51:37 PM

ok, i looked up fibersure. it is made by the same caompany that makes metamucil.

both metamucil and fibersure are good.

metamucil is ground psyllium husk (soluble fiber). it is the same as this gnc product that i use: http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2133233&cp=2618598 it really thickens the liquid you add it to (makes a gel), and it continues to thicken over time pretty fast. so you are supposed to stir it and drink it within a few seconds, and then drink another glass on top.

fibersure is inulin, which is a carbohydrate used as storage by certain root plants. inulin acts as a soluble fiber in the human body, and it also promotes good intestinal bacteria to flourish. it has the advantage of not thickening/gelling when added to liquids, so is easier to take.

both are good, and get my seal of approval

3/14/2007 1:08:04 PM

from a thread in chit chat about jackleg switching from whole milk to 2% fat milk because of his gf!

Quote :

"funny how some people think "2% milk" means only 2% of it is milk another misconception is that whole milk is 4% fat. anyway, when it says 2% milk, most people know it is 2% fat. but 2% of what? weight, volume, calories? answer is weight. but since fat has more than double the calories of protein and carbs, and most of milk is water by weight, did you know that 2% fat milk is 35% fat by calories? i.e., 35% of the calories in it come from fat, the rest being from carbs (sugar: lactose) and protein. so here is something everybody should know: whole milk: 3.25% fat by mass, 50% fat by calories 2% milk: 2% fat by mass, 35% fat by calories 1% milk: 1% fat by mass, 20% fat by calories nonfat/skim/0% milk: 0.2% fat by mass, 5% fat by calories"

4/4/2007 6:30:21 AM

Here is a great product:

http://www.justinsnutbutter.com/jnb.html

Great product, all pure and natural, without sugar or HFCS or transfatty acids.

Just look at the heavenly flavours:

Heavenly Honey
Sinfully Cinnamon
Classic Peanut
Honey Almond
Pumpkin Pie

Wish I could buy it

6/3/2007 6:49:24 PM

More of my advice and thoughts:

/message_topic.aspx?topic=489885

8/11/2007 11:14:39 PM

Coffee may protect memory in women's brains. Reduces risk of Parkinson. May help prevent cavities. Reduced risk of liver cancer. (when drinking 2+ cups/ day Drinking coffee after workouts reduced muscle fatigue in non-coffee drinkers...

but....

may be linked to heart attacks in people with certain genes that slow metabolism of caffeine, and may be linked to rheumatoid arthritis...

8/12/2007 5:20:03 PM

I haven't read anything about your nutrition except you say two eggs a day.


I've started to include eggs into my diet, but almost everything I read says no more than 6 total a week. Do you agree with or disagree?

Also, I don't question your advice at all, but I am curious. What qualifies you to talk about nutrition?

4/16/2009 11:52:38 AM

I disagree.

4/16/2009 12:12:04 PM