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Ask HN: Any ideas to eat healthier, minimizing prep time?

3 points by cjohnson318 ↗ HN
I'm almost 40, and my doctor just told me I had "elevated" cholesterol. I'd like to manage this through diet and exercise. I'd like to eat healthier in a way that minimizes prep time and mental load. What works for y'all? What are your minimal ingredient, minimal step, everyday go to meals to make it past 60?

9 comments

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dre85
To me nutrition feels so complicated these days in that pretty much everything that you could think to eat has a bunch of detractors claiming there's reasons why it's unhealthy. I found a video recently listing something like 6 reasons why oatmeal is unhealthy.

With that said, for the last few years I've found a few things that work for me that I've incorporated into my routine. In the morning I'll eat a naval orange and drink green/black tea with a bit of honey and cream. Later I'll have some store bought guac and Costco Mary's crackers. Sometimes I'll have add some Kimchi, feta cheese, fresh vegetables, hummus. Costco frozen fruits are nice too for smoothies or just plain snacks.

cjohnson318
> To me nutrition feels so complicated these days

Exactly. Is cheese good or bad? What about eggs? Are beans bad? How much fish can I eat before I get mercury poisoning? Is pork better than beef?

I'm attracted to the idea of the mediterranean diet, but getting enough produce for the week and using it before it goes bad, while also cooking for small children, is challenging.

dave4420
Cook in bulk, stick meals in the freezer.

This means most days, cooking dinner means sticking rice in the steamer, something from the freezer in the microwave, maybe add some sauce.

sp332
Seconded. The way to minimize prep time is to set aside a couple hours and make at least one week's worth of meals. The planning and shopping lets you control what kind of food you are eating instead of depending on pre-made pre-processed junk.

That said, Birdseye steam-in-bag vegetables are good quality and ready in 5 minutes flat.

cjohnson318
What's your go-to for freezer meals?
dave4420
Currently:

Something stir fry like. Mushrooms, onions, peppers; maybe kidney beans; tomatoes; feta or halloumi cheese; egg noodles or bean sprouts. Add sweet+sour or black bean sauce.

I used to also do a tomato based stew: tinned tomatoes; mushrooms, onions, peppers, kidney beans, sweetcorn, broccoli or cauliflower; herbs. But I went off it when I first caught covid and I haven’t replaced it yet :(

lugoues
This may be an unpopular opinion but I've been doing meal replacements, i.e. Soylent, for almost a decade now. It replaced about 80% of my meals (100% of my breakfasts) the others coming from restaurants or when I feel like cooking dinner.

It saves me time having to cook, time having to plan, time having to think about the nutrition

I have zero health issues from this long term consumption. I have a full panel of blood work every 3 months and it's been nothing but good for those 10 years. Some people have a little digestive issues when starting but if you titrate into it then you should be fine.

legrande
Buy a bunch of veg, chop it all up, stick it in air-sealed tupperware and store in the fridge. When you feel hungry, throw bits of it into a bowl and make a salad. Add generous amount of ranch dressing for taste (if you dislike veg). Maybe throw in some walnuts, sesame seeds, and bacon if you want.
mitchbob
Make the Big Pot of Soup. Find recipes you like, double them, and freeze what you can't eat in a few days. Soups with legumes and vegetables are great for your health. Include some really good whole grain bread, and you've got a meal. Current favorites are

- The Fall minestrone from Alice Waters's The Art of Simple Food [1], which has cannellini, butternut squash, dino kale, tomatoes, and sage (I make a quick leek stock with finely chopped leek tops and trimmings while cooking the rest and use it in place of the water, which adds a lot of depth to the flavor).

- The lentil spinach soup in The Greens Cookbook [2]. I often use Swiss chard or beet greens in place of the spinach; they're all good. You brighten the flavors at the end with some balsamic vinegar (if you've got a Costco, the Kirkland Signature organic balsamic is great). Very quick to make!

[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688663.The_Art_of_Simple...

[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/340165.The_Greens_Cookbo...