Ask a die hard dietitian

[Mise]

I meant crappier tasting fruit. I'm pretty okay with eating things that aren't tasty for health reasons, but it's likely that, yeah, I'll still eat sweet fruit because the realistic alternative is simply eating more chocolate. I've conditioned myself so that sweet cravings => fruit pretty successfully, maybe I'll condition myself that sweet cravings => fruit => non-sweet fruit.

What do you mean by "'empty' in calories"?

 

[El_Machinae]

You know how bright fruit are good for you? This is because there's not only protein, potassium, carbs in the fruit (that are certainly good for you), but there's also vitamins, polyphenolics, flavonoids, etc. (complex plant metabolites) that are good for you too.

Fruit skins tend to contain more of these things that the fruit pulp ('tend', exceptions are obviously there), so some of the dessert (e.g., watermelon, bananas) fruits don't give you as much bang-for-the-calorie.

Banana is probably the best example. It's miles better than a candy bar, donut, and maybe even a PB&J sandwich. But there're better fruit choices. In general, fruits that include skins are better. Fruits that have been 'recently' bred to maximize sweetness aren't going to be as good. Ostensibly, tropic fruits are pretty good, because they've evolved to be in symbiotic relationships with primates (but their main contribution is easy calories).

Antioxidant theory isn't very good, but antioxidants seem to be a really good proxy for whatever is 'good for you' in fruit. This not really due to the fact that they scrub Reactive Oxygen Species, but more because they interact with our metabolisms in ways that we like.

The epidemiological association between health, well-being, and plant consumption (veggies and fruit) is pretty robust and is there for a reason.

 

[Mise]

I see... thanks!

 

[Quackers]

Better stay clear of cheerios though, they contain dangerous level of sodium. There are few who have lived to tell the tale after eating a whole box!

 

[Zelig]

For almost every chemical you ingest, there is a healthier alternative.

I thought about pretending to be ignorant about what you meant here to make a point, but I'll just be blunt instead:

You're using the term "chemical" wrong.

Wait, what's wrong with sweet fruit now? I eat a lot of fruit, especially sweet fruit, because, well, it's sweet... I don't want to have to start eating crappy fruit

Soon, you won't be allowed to eat any fruit except for giant pumpkins.

 

[LucyDuke]

Pumpkins are delicious, not crappy.

 

[El_Machinae]

Just the SKIN of pumpkins

 

[caketastydelish]

What diet would you recommend to someone that lifts weights?

 

[Zelig]

What diet would you recommend to someone that lifts weights?

This question is kind of backwards.

I would recommend for everyone to lift weights, regardless of diet.

 

[Hygro]

I.e. "What weights would you lift if you eat?"

All of them

 

[caketastydelish]

As funny as the last two comments have been, I was kind of wishing someone would actually answer my question.

 

[Zelig]

As funny as the last two comments have been, I was kind of wishing someone would actually answer my question.

A healthy diet; don't get pre-packaged/processed food, cook everything from scratch, and eat lots of vegetables.

"Someone who lifts weights" doesn't really tell us anything. Are you trying to gain muscle, lose fat, maximize strength-to-weight ratio, training for powerlifting, training for soccer?

 

[caketastydelish]

A healthy diet; don't get pre-packaged/processed food, cook everything from scratch, and eat lots of vegetables.

"Someone who lifts weights" doesn't really tell us anything. Are you trying to gain muscle, lose fat, maximize strength-to-weight ratio, training for powerlifting, training for soccer?

I am not overweight at all.

Just gain muscle really. I am not really involved in any sport, but perhaps "powerlifting" would be the best way to put it. I mean, I don't want to be on an official "powerlifting" team, but I want to push myself to the limits on weights on my own time.

 

[El_Machinae]

My biggest advice is to not fall for the 'eat big to gain weight, to gain muscle'. I would work to gain weight by lifting weights, and be careful to not allow any fat to settle.

 

[Hygro]

there's nothing wrong with fat. But there are a lot wrong with most causes of fat, like high sugar diets.

 

[dusters]

If you lift weights, eat eggs. Eat meat, lean meat, neatly cooked in low calorie oil or braised meat.

You need to support all that muscle you are going to build. And take suppliments for blood pressure - you need nice cardio to lift those tons, so Fe, B6 vitamin.