How healthy is my diet?

[Bobby Martnen]

BREAKFAST: I don't eat it, it's too early and I don't like waking up

LUNCH: 2 cookies (250 calories each) and 2 slices of pizza (200 calories each) = total of 900 calories

DINNER: Pretty much the same as lunch, but I often have extra food. Probably about 1300 calories

I also drink vodka fairly often, I drink about 300 oz (9 liters) of diet soda every day.

I mostly feel pretty good, but my legs hurt sometimes, I'm often tired, and my stomach is frequently irritated and I am often constipated, and often feel like I have poop inside me that won't come out.

I get about 6-7 hours of sleep on school nights, about 8-9 hours on weekends.

[Dick]

[Teutone]

You should switch from diet soda to actual dr pepper, it will make you run like forrest gump

[Bobby Martnen]

Dicks out for Harambe.

[Bobby Martnen]

You should switch from diet soda to actual dr pepper, it will make you run like forrest gump

Regular soda makes my stomach hurt and leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth.

[Teutone]

Regular soda makes my stomach hurt and leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth.

Aspatam doesnt seem to be much healthier

[Bobby Martnen]

Aspatam doesnt seem to be much healthier

It isn't, but I prefer the taste

[Thordis]

Not too healthy, I'm afraid. The things you eat aren't normally supposed to be regular full meals, but rather discretionary choices and should ideally only be eaten occasionally and in limited amounts. They tend to be too high in either kilojoules, saturated fat, added sugars or salt, and have low levels of important nutrients like fiber. Some of the issues you describe might be connected to your diet, though a doctor/nutritionist would be able to tell you best. But generally, a lot of health issues can be traced to eating the wrong kinds of foods or not eating a varied enough diet and lacking essential vitamins and nutrients. Eating too much junk food, for example, can wreak havoc on your digestive health. The leg cramps might be a result of dehydration (a side effect of drinking lots of diet soda, alcohol and too much sodium in your diet). Dehydration can also lead to digestive problems, constipation, and an overly acidic stomach. The constipation might also be linked to the diet soda (it causes gas and dehydration, what curbs the effects of other liquids), as well as to a lack of high-fiber foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains). The alcohol and the caffeine from the diet sodas can also leave one feeling constipated. To relieve this, you should try eating lots of healthy, high-fiber foods, exercising, and drinking water. I used to drink iced teas, sodas and what will you, until I started experiencing dehydration, headaches and cramps. Just replacing those with water improved the symptoms significantly. Most recommend drinking 2L (8 glasses) of water/day. If you find water to be too bland, you can add some flavor by mixing some fruit, mint or cucumber slices in. Fruit-infused water has many health benefits and can easily replace flavored mineral water or sodas.

9 liters of diet soda/day is quite a lot and contrary to popular belief, it is not harmless. Overconsumption of diet soda has been linked to serious health risks, and we're not talking just old age, but immediate side effects like headaches, dehydration, hypertension, breakouts or dry skin, bone issues (diet soda drinkers have a lower bone density on average) or kidney problems. Drinking diet soda regularly also increases one's risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes and can also significantly escalate the risk of a heart attack. At worst it can even speed up the aging process, not to mention the effects on one's mental health. Diet soda messes with your mood, as it causes blood sugar to fluctuate - your body thinks it's ingesting a bunch of sugar, but it isn't. This can make you irritable or snippy, or even depressed. If you find it hard to concentrate at times, or suffer from a short attention span, this is most probably linked to the diet soda. See more here.

Cutting on the diet sodas might also make a difference if you want to shed some extra pounds. While diet soda has few to no calories, several observational studies have found that using artificial sweeteners and drinking high amounts of diet soda is associated with an increased risk of obesity. Diet soda increases appetite by stimulating hunger hormones, altering sweet taste receptors and triggering dopamine responses in the brain. Because diet soft drinks have no calories, these responses may cause a higher intake of sweet or calorie-dense foods, resulting in weight gain. See more here.

Habitual drinking, especially if heavy spirits are involved can also cause a plethora of health problems and risks which include alcoholism, malnutrition, chronic pancreatitis, alcoholic liver disease and cancer. Damage to the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system can occur from chronic alcohol abuse. The developing adolescent and young adult brain is particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of alcohol, as the brain doesn't reach full maturity until one's late 20s/early 30s. And it is not just the brain, long-term use of alcohol is capable of damaging nearly every organ and system in the body. Habitual consumption of alcohol can also impede weight loss in a variety of ways, including postponing the metabolism of fats and sugars.

The pizza in your diet, well it depends on the type, size and ingredients. Generally pizza is regarded as a junk food, especially the one bought from fast food franchises. Too much junk food in your diet can be unhealthy (lots of fat, sodium, cholesterol...). Pizza is made with refined flour. All the minerals, vitamins and fiber content in it will be lost during the refining process. Also, refined flour increases belly fat. Pizza also usually contains a large amount of salt which can raise blood pressure and eventually lead to stroke and/or a long list of heart problems. Due to this fact, nutritionists usually recommend no more than one pizza/week. Eating it every day is definitely not the healthiest choice. Now pizza calories and nutrition can vary substantially based on the toppings, the cooking method, the crust and the size of the slice/serving. Afaik, a typical slice of pizza nears the 300 mark rather. Some pizzas have been found to have as much as 600 calories/slice. A pizza loaded with processed meats and extra cheese will the worst for your diet. Asking for half cheese will save you around 50 calories and will reduce your saturated fat intake by about one third. Some pizzerias may be able to substitute Feta instead of regular cheese. Your lowest calorie pizza choice will almost always be a vegetarian pizza. Choosing veggie toppings like green peppers, tomatoes, and onions will also add diet-friendly fiber and antioxidants to your diet which will help with your digestion issues. If you still want some meat, you can substitute the pepperoni and sausage with grilled chicken, lean ground beef or ground turkey breast. Anyway, you don't need to totally renounce the pizza if you want to eat healthy, but adding some variation when it comes to its toppings for example would already be a good start. Replacing the recond slice with a side salad and a piece of fruit would be a good start and turn it into a decent lunch.

If you wanted to replace the pizza on some days but still satisfy your cravings, some healthier alternatives could be whole-grain bagels with tomatoes, bruschetta with tomatoes and basil, eggplant rounds or Portobello mushrooms with your favorite pizza toppings. Or simply make your own brand of homemade pizza. It's pretty easy to make, and the possibilities for healthy homemade pizza are endless.

The cookies in your diet may not necessarily be unhealthy, though 4 a day may be a tad much if you don't exercise. It also depends on the type of cookies, what's in them. Cookies generally contain refined carbohydrates that spike your blood sugar levels and can be harmful in large quantities. Here too, like with the pizza, there are healthier and less ideal options. Cookies made of whole wheat flour, almond butter, mashed banana etc. are the most nutritious and low calorie. Oatmeal raisin cookies would be your best pick. Oatmeal is loaded with fiber and helps keep you full and raisins aid in digestion, are good for the eyes, promote bone health and are loaded with antioxidants.

To maintain a healthy diet, you should ideally eat a wide variety of nutritious foods from each of the Five Food Groups:



These foods are grouped together because they provide similar amounts of key nutrients. For example, key nutrients of the dairy group include calcium and protein, while the fruit group is a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin C. Some foods do not fit into the above-mentioned groups because they are not necessary for a healthy diet. They're the earlier mentioned discretionary choices. The following should ideally only be eaten occasionally, and in moderate amounts:

• commercially fried foods
• processed meats and fattier/salty sausages, commercial burgers with a high fat and/or salt content
• potato chips, crisps and other fatty and/or salty snack foods including some savoury biscuits and pastries
• sweet biscuits, cakes, desserts, pies and pastries
• confectionary and chocolate
• ice cream and other ice confections
• cream, butter and spreads which are high in saturated fats
• sweetened condensed milk
• sugar-sweetened soft drinks and cordials, sports and energy drinks and alcoholic drinks

The number of meals you eat per day may depend on your energy needs, waking hours and schedule. It is best to eat at least 3 times per day. For most people this would mean 3 meals per day, however, others find that they like to eat 5-6 times, though obviously smaller meals. Nutritionists recommend eating every 3 to 4 hours to control ghrelin (hunger hormone). Eating frequent, small nutrient dense meals promotes stable blood sugar and satisfaction to prevent overeating which can lead to an unhealthy weight. The one thing that most nutritionists agree on is the need for breakfast and the need to eat balanced meals throughout the day. In fact, people who regularly consume breakfast are typically less heavy than the rest. Eating breakfast sets your body up to better metabolize lunch through a phenomenon known as the second meal effect. In addition, people who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat the rest of the day. Ideally, a healthy breakfast should include protein, high fiber and good quality carbs. Avoid eating late or in the night if you want to lose weight, as the body is more likely to store those calories as fat at those times.

[nittionia]

Definitely need to start eating whole foods as the majority of your diet instead of processed stuff. When you eat healthfully your body wont have the issues you're experiencing. Calories aren't really the thing you should be looking at with nutrition, more about fulfilling the different essential nutrients your body needs to function. Also water.