What to eat if you can't cook/fry/boil anything?

[piano]

(I couldn't find anything on the internet so now I am here)
I do have a kitchen at my familiy's home where I live, however making any healthy cooking habits is simply not possible/unsustainable there (usually messy kitchen, everybody is there and wants something from you or somebody roasts you because you cooked your egg for 2 seconds too long).
I tried it mulitple times and no success.

So my question: If I were to stack fruits, vegetables and nuts in my room and just eat them "raw", which ones should I buy/eat and will it cover my needed nutrients? I also want to eat a lot of protein, though I think I'll just eat plenty of peanuts as a strategy...

I hope this is ok to ask on here! I'm a bit of a lost cause when it comes to healthy eating.

 

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[LateStarter]

(I couldn't find anything on the internet so now I am here)
I do have a kitchen at my familiy's home where I live, however making any healthy cooking habits is simply not possible/unsustainable there (usually messy kitchen, everybody is there and wants something from you or somebody roasts you because you cooked your egg for 2 seconds too long).
I tried it mulitple times and no success.

So my question: If I were to stack fruits, vegetables and nuts in my room and just eat them "raw", which ones should I buy/eat and will it cover my needed nutrients? I also want to eat a lot of protein, though I think I'll just eat plenty of peanuts as a strategy...

I hope this is ok to ask on here! I'm a bit of a lost cause when it comes to healthy eating.

To make any healthy cooking habits stick, you need to adopt good habits and stick with them.

This means you need to overcome your fear of judgement from people in your family, overcome the obstacles of a messy kitchen, overcome the distraction from others.

Overcoming may mean tackling issues head on, ignoring people, cleaning dishes, or perhaps even moving out.
If you want it bad enough you need to build up the mental strength to overcome these obstacles. You'll need it later.

There are no short cuts. Squirreling away food in your room won't lead you to the goal you want.

 

[piano]

To make any healthy cooking habits stick, you need to adopt good habits and stick with them.

This means you need to overcome your fear of judgement from people in your family, overcome the obstacles of a messy kitchen, overcome the distraction from others.

Overcoming may mean tackling issues head on, ignoring people, cleaning dishes, or perhaps even moving out.
If you want it bad enough you need to build up the mental strength to overcome these obstacles. You'll need it later.

There are no short cuts. Squirreling away food in your room won't lead you to the goal you want.

My head agrees, but my stomach wants to vomit.

This is my 3rd try to write this:
I think I'll just be honest and straight to the point. I don't think I have the current willpower. Everything's in F*cking shambles and I can't even feed myself properly. I really, really don't think that willpower is the key at the moment. I am like a baby right now that you tell to walk, instead of telling it to crawl first. You are not to blame though since I left my current situation out. Maybe you agree with me now that I explained my situation more thoroughly.
Thank you for the reply though!


edit: finished text, accidentaly clicked on "submit" lol.

 

[JAJT]

The key to most issues, including this one, comes down to personal accountability.
Put another way - you can't control others, so ignore that part, and only consider what YOU can do to solve the problem and reach your goal.

For example, let's look at your complaints:

1. "usually messy kitchen" - clean the space you need, when you need it. This could be actually cleaning other people's things, loading/unloading other people's items in the dishwasher. Or you could just move a pile of shit from one place to another and put it back when you're done.

2. "everybody is there" - change when you eat to when they aren't there. Or go on a OMAD diet (one meal a day) so you only have to use the kitchen once per day. Or ask for a few minutes to cook your stuff. Or just crowd in!

3. "and wants something from you" - say no.

4. "somebody roasts you because you cooked your egg for 2 seconds too long" - ignore them.

No matter what other people do, how they ignore your requests, what they say to you, etc... it doesn't matter because you can't control other people. You can ONLY control your own behavior. That may mean doing what you don't want to do (like cleaning their mess occasionally) in order to get what you want.

There are of course many other options. These are just what I thought of off the top of my head.

 

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[Hai]

Use chronometer for nutrients and research raw veganism.

 

[piano]

The key to most issues, including this one, comes down to personal accountability.
Put another way - you can't control others, so ignore that part, and only consider what YOU can do to solve the problem and reach your goal.

For example, let's look at your complaints:

1. "usually messy kitchen" - clean the space you need, when you need it. This could be actually cleaning other people's things, loading/unloading other people's items in the dishwasher. Or you could just move a pile of shit from one place to another and put it back when you're done.

2. "everybody is there" - change when you eat to when they aren't there. Or go on a OMAD diet (one meal a day) so you only have to use the kitchen once per day. Or ask for a few minutes to cook your stuff. Or just crowd in!

3. "and wants something from you" - say no.

4. "somebody roasts you because you cooked your egg for 2 seconds too long" - ignore them.

No matter what other people do, how they ignore your requests, what they say to you, etc... it doesn't matter because you can't control other people. You can ONLY control your own behavior. That may mean doing what you don't want to do (like cleaning their mess occasionally) in order to get what you want.

There are of course many other options. These are just what I thought of off the top of my head.

Thank you for the reply!
Reflecting on what you and @LateStarter said a bit more deeply, I think I'll actually try it despite my bad gut feeling.

 

[heavy_industry]

I experienced the exact same problem when I was a kid and tried to use the same solution (stacking nuts and fruits in my room). They don't provide enough nutrition and you will end up being even more frustrated.

Here's the optimal solution:

Buy your own non-stick pan, plate, fork, knife, spoon. Only use those items and clean them after each meal. Hide them somewhere or keep them in your room. The pan will be very easy to clean, you just have to wipe it with a paper towel.
Use the kitchen only for cooking (5-15 minutes max), eat in your room.

Create a list of staple meals that you will be eating on a regular basis. They have to be easy to make and have a quick cooking time. Fortunately, most healthy meals are inherently very minimalistic as they require 1-3 ingredients only. The options are endless, just search the web for ideas and keep experimenting.

The skill of cooking quick healthy meals (and clean up afterwards) will serve you decades from now, long after you will have left your parent's house.


And another thing I would tell my younger self, also related to health:
Start going to the gym and train as hard as you can. This is one of the best investments you can make when you're young. It's going to pay off in ways you can't even imagine.

 

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[Bekit]

I'm going to assume that your family is super toxic, to the point where it's a bigger monster than you can slay with the typical approach of setting boundaries and saying no.

I'm going to assume that even a small win in being able to cook will make a big difference for you.

So let's look at some creative ideas for how you could solve this without accessing your family's kitchen.

- Get an Instant Pot. If there is one single appliance that I would recommend, which you can use in your room as long as it has an electrical outlet, it would be this. With an instant pot, you have multiple cooking options:

1. A slow cooker (like a crock pot),
2. A pressure cooker (the thing can cook stew or meat or vegetables very quickly, and it makes perfect rice and perfect hard boiled eggs), and
3. A saute pan, where you can fry onions or an egg or make stir fry or whatever.

The instant pot also has options like a Sous Vide setting if you want to get that fancy. It is extremely versatile.

- Canned tuna and canned chicken can be a good source of fully cooked protein that you can add to your diet on days when you can't cook. Dump a can onto your salad and it tastes great and makes the salad way more filling.

- Jerky is another good source of protein that is ready to eat and doesn't require refrigeration.

- A rotisserie chicken can often be a really affordable source of hot protein. I don't know about the grocery stores where you are, but here in the US, it's cheaper to buy a fully-cooked rotisserie chicken then it is to buy a raw chicken, and you get perfectly-cooked, juicy, tender meat (which is hard to pull off cooking it on your own).

- A good multivitamin can help you cover your bases in case there is a nutrient deficiency in your diet during this difficult season.

- Lots of prepackaged foods can be prepared simply by pouring boiling water over them. Noodles, MRE's etc. Do you have a way to make boiling water? An electric kettle can be a life saver, and you can also use one of these in creative ways for processing other foods (hard boiled eggs? soup?) (not necessarily recommended by the manufacturer).

Other ideas:
- Is there a friend whose house you could cook at in peace?
- Do you have access to refrigerator or freezer space that would be undisturbed if you were to make a large amount of something ahead of time and divide it into individual portions for later? If so, there is a ton of resources out there on how to cook once a month and have all the meals you'll need for the rest of the month. There's a book called "Once a month cooking" that is directed to busy mothers of large families. If it works for a whole family, it could possibly be even easier to pull off for just you.

Hope these ideas are helpful!

 

[kendamakid]

(I couldn't find anything on the internet so now I am here)
I do have a kitchen at my familiy's home where I live, however making any healthy cooking habits is simply not possible/unsustainable there (usually messy kitchen, everybody is there and wants something from you or somebody roasts you because you cooked your egg for 2 seconds too long).
I tried it mulitple times and no success.

@piano there are some good suggestions here. If you look at MJ DeMarco, he's moved to a vegan diet. Another way to look at it is a plant based diet. You can meet pretty much all of your nutritional needs except for B12 and most likely Vitamin D which can be taken as supplements.
There's Dr. Greger's daily dozen which is a simple checklist to follow to meet your daily nutritional needs.

With regards to foods, I'm not sure of your age and calorie requirements. You can overdo nuts, the saturated fats, if you are older or already have health related issues. Eating whole foods are important.

Breakfast - can be made the night before and left in the fridge, so you spend minimal time in the kitchen. Overnight oats - big bowl, rolled oats (not quick), blueberries (antioxidant), soy milk (protein), chia seeds, hemp hearts (more protein), accompany with a banana and glass of water. If you need more add in whole grain bread - Ezekial and peanut butter or add peanut butter to oats

Snack - Almonds, brazil nut, peanuts, apple or other fruit

Lunch - can make the night before also with the oats. Prepackaged salad mix, add tomatoes, mushrooms, hemp hearts, carrots, canned bean like chickpea (protein), cabbage

Dinner - make rice night before and add canned beans or lentils, reheat in microwave and top with some spinach

So no real cooking and only in the kitchen late and most is all ready without interruption

 

[piano]

Thank you guys for the amazing (!) tips and replies!
I would normally go write out a more detailed reply to you and share my thoughts, but I am just so tired from today and would just love to fall onto my bed right now lol. But from the very little energy I do have left, I will try to implement your advice...
Thank you guys!

@Bekit @heavy_industry @kendamakid @LateStarter @JAJT

 

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[LateStarter]

Thank you guys for the amazing (!) tips and replies!
I would normally go write out a more detailed reply to you and share my thoughts, but I am just so tired from today and would just love to fall onto my bed right now lol. But from the very little energy I do have left, I will try to implement your advice...
Thank you guys!

@Bekit @heavy_industry @kendamakid @LateStarter @JAJT

Remember, there is no "try". Just "do". Commit to making it happen and find a way to make it work.

 

[piano]

smol update:
I got my own pan and bought toast and eggs yesterday. Made myself a fried egg sandwich with bbq sauce. It was really nice! Today too! Been feeling a lot better (and very full).
Thanks for the tips!

 

[JAJT]

Made myself a fried egg sandwich with bbq sauce.

Do you like Kimchi?

Most days I have 3 eggs topped with a bit of kimchi for breakfast. Extremely healthy, cheap, easy, and filling. Keeps me going until dinner.

 

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[piano]

Do you like Kimchi?

Most days I have 3 eggs topped with a bit of kimchi for breakfast. Extremely healthy, cheap, easy, and filling. Keeps me going until dinner.

I haven't heard of it. Thank you for the tip though! I'll see if I can incorporate it into my meals!

 

[Kokaka]

Solution:
Get yourself a bunch of tupawares
Meal-prep 1 day a week. Wake up early and do it early or do it late. (Wake up early will be better)

Search on youtube for "easy bodybuilding meal prep" for inspiration.

Use stove + oven.
Stove make 2 types of carbs and 2 types of protein. Ex Rice and sweet potatoe as carbs, beef and fish as protein.
Use stove to make other type of protein like chicken and make some grilled veggies while your at it.

Buy an egg cooker and cook eggs in the meantime and use as snacks.

Get protein powder if you wish for more protein

Buy frozen veggies. Put in tupaware with your protein and carbs.

Get soy sauce,hot sauce, bbq sauce for taste.

Breakfast can be greek yogurt with nuts and berries, rice cakes with ham and cheese or do a fast.

There. 75+ recepie combinations, 150+g of protein and total time about 40min once a week.
While cooking. Use headphones and listen to music/podcast/audiobook. Make it enjoyable.

 

[fridge]

How big is your room? I cook a majority of my food with an air fryer - it's quick, easy to clean up, and efficient.

If you had to, you could just get a small air fryer, put in your room, and cook stuff in there.

Of course you could always do that in the kitchen too, very quickly.

 

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[Skroob]

How big is your room? I cook a majority of my food with an air fryer - it's quick, easy to clean up, and efficient.

If you had to, you could just get a small air fryer, put in your room, and cook stuff in there.

Of course you could always do that in the kitchen too, very quickly.

If you're gonna listen to anyone about food stuff, seems like you can't go wrong with a guy named "fridge"

 

[loop101]

(I couldn't find anything on the internet so now I am here)
I do have a kitchen at my familiy's home where I live, however making any healthy cooking habits is simply not possible/unsustainable there (usually messy kitchen, everybody is there and wants something from you or somebody roasts you because you cooked your egg for 2 seconds too long).
I tried it mulitple times and no success.

So my question: If I were to stack fruits, vegetables and nuts in my room and just eat them "raw", which ones should I buy/eat and will it cover my needed nutrients? I also want to eat a lot of protein, though I think I'll just eat plenty of peanuts as a strategy...

I hope this is ok to ask on here! I'm a bit of a lost cause when it comes to healthy eating.

Can you get an electric kettle for boiling water? You can make a lot of things with hot water. Grits, oatmeal, rehydrate dried foods, freeze-dried camping meals, tea, coffee, etc. A lot of foods are best store at room temperature, like bananas and apples.

You could also make your meals for the week at one time. A friend of mine does this every Sunday morning, he makes a bunch of vegetarian burritos, and puts them all in the freezer. He also only eats 1-2 times a day.

 

[FillyCheez]

Look into this thing called Huel. It's a meal replacement, relatively healthy. I use it to boost my calories when I'm behind on meals.

 

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[bibbysoka]

Almond butter and sugar-free jelly sandwiches.
Honey, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, mango, pineapple, etc for carbs

For protein, if you really can't hard boil some eggs or cook any chicken or buy $5 rotisserie chickens, I would try to get protein from protein supplements, canned chicken, deli meats, etc.

Don't buy Huel, it is just carb and soy powder.

 

[biophase]

smol update:
I got my own pan and bought toast and eggs yesterday. Made myself a fried egg sandwich with bbq sauce. It was really nice! Today too! Been feeling a lot better (and very full).
Thanks for the tips!

I think this is the best course of action. Along with learning to cook and clean after yourself, you are going to train your brain to not care about what others think. I think this is a great mental strengthening exercise in addition to you eating better.

 

[Happyheart]

I think this is the best course of action. Along with learning to cook and clean after yourself, you are going to train your brain to not care about what others think. I think this is a great mental strengthening exercise in addition to you eating better.

And who knows, maybe the family will slowly catch up. Sometimes it takes a little inspiration.

 

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[piano]

Solution:
Get yourself a bunch of tupawares
Meal-prep 1 day a week. Wake up early and do it early or do it late. (Wake up early will be better)

Search on youtube for "easy bodybuilding meal prep" for inspiration.

Use stove + oven.
Stove make 2 types of carbs and 2 types of protein. Ex Rice and sweet potatoe as carbs, beef and fish as protein.
Use stove to make other type of protein like chicken and make some grilled veggies while your at it.

Buy an egg cooker and cook eggs in the meantime and use as snacks.

Get protein powder if you wish for more protein

Buy frozen veggies. Put in tupaware with your protein and carbs.

Get soy sauce,hot sauce, bbq sauce for taste.

Breakfast can be greek yogurt with nuts and berries, rice cakes with ham and cheese or do a fast.

There. 75+ recepie combinations, 150+g of protein and total time about 40min once a week.
While cooking. Use headphones and listen to music/podcast/audiobook. Make it enjoyable.

Damn, that sounds really good! I'll add it to my strategies.
Thank you!

 

[piano]

How big is your room? I cook a majority of my food with an air fryer - it's quick, easy to clean up, and efficient.

If you had to, you could just get a small air fryer, put in your room, and cook stuff in there.

Of course you could always do that in the kitchen too, very quickly.

I actually have 2 rooms... and both are the biggest in the house... please don't ask.
I'll see if I can use it in case the other strategies fail. Thank you!

 

[RicardoGrande]

Well, what are your caloric needs, and what are you main goals?
Obviously, starting with complete protein should be your base, and everything after that can be figured out.

When I can't cook, I usually use canned sardines/tuna as my go to as they're a complete protein with a good fatty-acid ratio that doesn't break the bank. If I had to extend that, I'd probably purchase hard boiled eggs and some coconut oil to boost the calories and get in some healthy fats and MCTs for better focus.

I see a lot of people mention nuts but they always seem to forget that nuts are lousy with PUFAs like omega-6 in addition to phytates and other anti-nutrients which could result in some poor outcomes down the road. Especially with peanuts which are a legume and laden with aflatoxin- the famous carcinogen that was used to help create the results in the china study (although exposure to legume mold isn't good in the first place anyways). Everything varies per person but hamming it in with complete protein and just finding ways to meet calories after that is always good.

edit: Ideal protein should honestly be around .7g/lb of body weight. Some say it's too high but ted naiman likes to post up a lot of infographs and links to studies on twitter you can review. I'm 185lbs but like to eat 200-250g of protein on my feed days when I workout and I'm not fasting.

Don't forget to do your strength training even if it is just pushups and bodyweight squats.

 

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[piano]

Well, what are your caloric needs, and what are you main goals?
Obviously, starting with complete protein should be your base, and everything after that can be figured out.

When I can't cook, I usually use canned sardines/tuna as my go to as they're a complete protein with a good fatty-acid ratio that doesn't break the bank. If I had to extend that, I'd probably purchase hard boiled eggs and some coconut oil to boost the calories and get in some healthy fats and MCTs for better focus.

I see a lot of people mention nuts but they always seem to forget that nuts are lousy with PUFAs like omega-6 in addition to phytates and other anti-nutrients which could result in some poor outcomes down the road. Especially with peanuts which are a legume and laden with aflatoxin- the famous carcinogen that was used to help create the results in the china study (although exposure to legume mold isn't good in the first place anyways). Everything varies per person but hamming it in with complete protein and just finding ways to meet calories after that is always good.

Don't forget to do your strength training even if it is just pushups and bodyweight squats.

So nuts aren't optimal for nutrients? I didn't know that, thank you! I think I'll buy some tuna cans to store in case I can't cook. Today was such a day for example! Also, I didn't know MCTs would increase focus. Heck, I didn't even know what MCTs were up until a minute ago lol
Thank you for your tips!

 

[Citrusc]

I also want to eat a lot of protein, though I think I'll just eat plenty of peanuts as a strategy...

To add my 2c to the replies, try peanut butter with no added sugar! Easy fruits that are a great go-to for good nutrition include papayas, bananas and citrus fruits, sun-dried raisins and dates without preservatives also prove to be great energy foods....

 

[Kokaka]

Damn, that sounds really good! I'll add it to my strategies.
Thank you!

No problem.
Food is aqtually super easy and enjoyable.
I remember when I was in a similar situation as you while I was studying to get into med school.
Me and my room-mate did the exact recepie as I described, however we shared the cooking time so se cooked for eachother every other week.
We had never been fitter because if you want yo do it as a fitness thing, its super easy to follow and maintain.
Dont feel like cooking? Grab a supaware
Need food for school or work? Grab a tupaware
Forgot to buy food? Grab a tupaware
Messy kitchen? Grab a tupaware.

Alro reccomend this cooking channel. Recently discoverd but som great recepies

https://youtube.com/@Felu

Also if you absolutley cant cook in a kitchen, even for 40 minutes a week. You can make everything I wrotw above with a microwave, airfryer, rice cooker and an egg cooker.
Just search for recepies on youtube, like "how to make salmon in microwave" (Its delicious by the way amd even better if you top it with Feta cheese and olives, frech lemon juice, rice and a sallad).
Or "how to make food in air fryer"

 

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[piano]

Update:
I was literally PUSHED out of the kitchen right now. Wtf man?
I'll go opt for plan b. I'll create something with the help of your tips.
This shit F*cking hurts...

 

[Kokaka]

Update:
I was literally PUSHED out of the kitchen right now. Wtf man?
I'll go opt for plan b. I'll create something with the help of your tips.
This shit F*cking hurts...

I promise you. Try my tip 1 time. Wake up BEFORE everyone else and make the food. It will change your life in like a second.