Tell me what I am supposed to eat

[Bill Hart]

That's where paying attention to the food labels (however accurate they are) comes into the picture. And one can seek out alternative recipes that omit sugar.

And fruits do have simple sugars that are quickly released into the blood ergo you're better off eating an orange than drinking OJ. But one must always look at glycemic load (not perfect but the best measure at the moment) rather than glycemic index.

Myles, as you know, I'm on a sort of 'paleo' regime, staying off the processed sugar, starches, bread, pasta, dairy, and couldn't be happier. Lot's of fruit, veggies, salad, no problem with a steak or a high quality piece of meat (I find chicken to be too dry or too greasy, much as I love real down home fried chicken). I eat raw cashews for the 'crunch' and don't feel deprived in the least. If I want to have a slice of serious pizza, I'll do it, but most of the time, I stay in this groove, and it feels right to me. I don't feel nearly as bloated after a meal, and combined with pretty rigorous exercise, have lost a considerable amount of weight gradually, over the course of 2 years. My wife made a 'paleo' dressing for Thanksgiving, along with a more conventional one, and the non-bread one (which had sausage, spinach, apples, onion, cranberry, mushroom, etc.) was a huge hit among all the eaters. I did help myself to a nice slice of homemade mince pie, but hey, you only live once. (I hope that's true).

 

[hvbias]

Simplest rule I eat by is following the food pyramid, spoiling myself occasionally with an overly rich meal. Combined with 30-45 minutes of rigorous exercise in the mornings and around 10 miles of mountain biking on the weekends.

For what it's worth, and it may be nothing, when we travel, say, to a place like Sicily, or even to the countryside in France, everything just has more taste- the fish, the vegetables, the fruits. Even buying the best 'organic' fancy stuff here in the States somehow just doesn't compare. It's got to be all the pollution ~ I'm not a tree-hugger, but in places that are largely agrarian (and even though France is an industrialized country, it is still very much a farm country), the raw products (except for the beef, which hands down is better here in the States) just seems to have more taste. (And I'm not talking about all the bio-engineered, agra-biz stuff here that has bar codes embedded into it).

IMO most of it has to do with what the animals are eating. Animals getting plenty of exercise and eating natural food will more than likely be delicious

Modernist Cuisine is a great set of cook books for anyone interested in the nerdy/science aspect of cooking.

 

[amirm]

For what it's worth, and it may be nothing, when we travel, say, to a place like Sicily, or even to the countryside in France, everything just has more taste- the fish, the vegetables, the fruits. Even buying the best 'organic' fancy stuff here in the States somehow just doesn't compare.

I went to Dubai a couple of years ago. Someone offered me some pistachios. I am telling you, it didn't taste remotely the same as what we have in store. The flavor was amazing. Then we check into a high-end hotel. On the bed there is a box of treats. I eat them and they taste like real nice chocolate. One problem: I was eating dates, not chocolate! It was unbelievable how nice it was and again, nothing like the dates you buy here (assuming you can find it). The list goes on and on. Had watermelon juice that was unbelievable. And of course was offered as one of the drink choices at dinner. Ditto for cucumber juice.

I love fruit and always seek out good quality ones. But it is so hard in this country. They have perfected the look and ability to ship, damn the taste. We also have so little variety. There are so many fruits overseas compared to few we have here. It was somewhat better in California but bad in pacific northwest. So a few years ago we planed forty fruit trees. A few died but the rest are starting to fruit now. Boy, what a pleasure it is to eat them!

I find most Americans don't like fruit and resort to cookies and ice cream instead because we don't have tasty fruit. And have so many bad experiences eating lousy tasting fruit.

It's got to be all the pollution ~ I'm not a tree-hugger, but in places that are largely agrarian (and even though France is an industrialized country, it is still very much a farm country), the raw products (except for the beef, which hands down is better here in the States) just seems to have more taste. (And I'm not talking about all the bio-engineered, agra-biz stuff here that has bar codes embedded into it).

Per above, it is commercialization that is led to what we have now. Shipping fruit when it is not ripe is prime example. We have a specialized market that only offers tree ripened fruit and it is a huge step above in quality. Once a year it has corn that you can easily eat as fruit without cooking! Zero starch. So sweet and juicy. Never see that in stores. The drive to make the fruit cheaper and cheaper to produce has led to tasteless fruit. Pollution is high in asian countries yet they have delicious fruit there.

 

[RBFC]

Amir,

What you say about "early-picked" produce is absolutely correct. Shelf Reliance's freeze-dried foods are allowed to ripen on the plant, then frozen within a few hours of picking. Therefore, you get better taste than the chemically-ripened junk that seems to be the mainstream. The corn is so good, our kids eat it as snacks right from the can. It's possible that the food one gets overseas is far fresher and naturally-ripe than what we typically get here. The typical time from plant to your table here in the US is about two weeks. To compare the amount of degradation in that period of time, leave some fresh food in your refrigerator or on your counter for two weeks and see what happens..... That's how early they pick produce here.

Lee

 

[DaveyF]

Several years ago, I was in Hawaii at the C&H sugar plant. That day they were harvesting the cane from the fields. Here's how this was done: the whole field was set on fire and left to burn out. The guide told me that this is the typical way to harvest the sugar....so, when I asked him what happens to the irrigation pipes and heads (all made from plastic) the answer was...we burn that up too and harvest the whole thing ( he wasn't joking!). Among the huge black plumes of smoke, I'm thinking: no wonder this stuff isn't that healthy!

 

[NorthStar]

-- How can one tell if he's/she's eating healthily? ...Physical look, intelligence level, feeling good?

...Healthy bones, pure skin, good sleep, lots of energy, easy time at the bathroom (regular shifts too), good vision, good hearing, good taste (healthy tongue), good smell (wines and all), good hugs (touch), good sex life, happy and smiley life, nice white teeth, good nails, heathy hair, normal erections, satisfying orgasms, good performance at the work place, nice/big bank accounts?

 

[MylesBAstor]

Simplest rule I eat by is following the food pyramid, spoiling myself occasionally with an overly rich meal. Combined with 30-45 minutes of rigorous exercise in the mornings and around 10 miles of mountain biking on the weekends.



IMO most of it has to do with what the animals are eating. Animals getting plenty of exercise and eating natural food will more than likely be delicious

Modernist Cuisine is a great set of cook books for anyone interested in the nerdy/science aspect of cooking.

The more you know about the food pyramid, the more one realizes that it's a joke

 

[MylesBAstor]

Key phrase: nutrient dense foods with brakes.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

My tests show that Rolo chocolate covered caramels and Dogfish Indian Brown Ale is good for me. Who wouda thunk?

LOL! Good one Peter!

Even though I'm not quite there yet, I am much more conscious about the food I buy and I read labels now...which I have never done before. Unfortunately, being single and due to time constraints (self-imposed I admit) I still tend to pick up a quick meal now and again, as opposed to prepping one from fresh. It's not easy to get away from this however.

 

[GaryProtein]

Eat what you can kill with a sharp stick.

 

[hvbias]

The more you know about the food pyramid, the more one realizes that it's a joke

Myles would you care to expand on that? It's not something I follow rigidly, but eating plenty of grains and fruit with less processed food, and smaller portions of red meat seems like common sense knowledge to me. It's not as strict as what the dieticians on a Cardiac service may recommend for someone post MI, but along with my exercise regime I think it has worked out very well for me. It's also probably not very useful for someone trying to lose weight, but I achieved my weight loss a couple of years ago. But with that diet/exercise plan I am down to 11% body fat and resting HR in the mid/high 50s.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Myles would you care to expand on that? It's not something I follow rigidly, but eating plenty of grains and fruit with less processed food, and smaller portions of red meat seems like common sense knowledge to me. It's not as strict as what the dieticians on a Cardiac service may recommend for someone post MI, but along with my exercise regime I think it has worked out very well for me. It's also probably not very useful for someone trying to lose weight, but I achieved my weight loss a couple of years ago. But with that diet/exercise plan I am down to 11% body fat and resting HR in the mid/high 50s.

For example:

Demonization of saturated fatty acids = biggest hoax since 9/11 conspiracy

Second biggest hoax = a calorie = a calorie = calorie

One needs to more importantly consider the 1) Psychological/neurotransmitter effects of eating (remember that most of your serotonin is in your digestive track, not your brain; in addition there are many nervous system connections to the brain and separate from the brain!); 2) Hormonal effects eg. insulin, glucagon, leptin and cortisol for example (shock: much of the reason one binges, not to mention puts on weight is in part related to Leptin dysfunction?; 3) Being "kind" to your GI tract (after all 80% of your immune cells are in your GI tract--not to mention it's the biggest surface area of the body exposed to the outside environment; 4) Inflammatory effects of the foods eaten.

Grains = contribute to many diseases and inflammation. Actually the conversion of grains/CHO in the liver to palmitic acid is more responsible for CHD than eating red meat. And actually the body needs saturated fats.

PUFA = especially seed oils contribute to inflammation. Monosaturated fats or olive oil are far better choices.

Many "best" sources given for different micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals eg. dairy for Ca++ are erroneous.

The big problem is that people aren't eating nutrient dense foods with "brakes" eg there's only so much you can eat of a steak but you can eat three bags of Oreos since there's no nutritional content.

 

[Bill Hart]

Eat what you can kill with a sharp stick.

I draw the line at cannibalism.

 

[FrantzM]

For example:

Demonization of saturated fatty acids = biggest hoax since 9/11 conspiracy

Second biggest hoax = a calorie = a calorie = calorie

One needs to more importantly consider the 1) Psychological/neurotransmitter effects of eating (remember that most of your serotonin is in your digestive track, not your brain; in addition there are many nervous system connections to the brain and separate from the brain!); 2) Hormonal effects eg. insulin, glucagon, leptin and cortisol for example (shock: much of the reason one binges, not to mention puts on weight is in part related to Leptin dysfunction?; 3) Being "kind" to your GI tract (after all 80% of your immune cells are in your GI tract--not to mention it's the biggest surface area of the body exposed to the outside environment; 4) Inflammatory effects of the foods eaten.

Grains = contribute to many diseases and inflammation. Actually the conversion of grains/CHO in the liver to palmitic acid is more responsible for CHD than eating red meat. And actually the body needs saturated fats.

PUFA = especially seed oils contribute to inflammation. Monosaturated fats or olive oil are far better choices.

Many "best" sources given for different micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals eg. dairy for Ca++ are erroneous.

The big problem is that people aren't eating nutrient dense foods with "brakes" eg there's only so much you can eat of a steak but you can eat three bags of Oreos since there's no nutritional content.

Except for the 9/11.. I will not go there ,

I find myself one more time ageing with you .. I hate it

 

[GaryProtein]

I draw the line at cannibalism.

I do too, . . . .maybe with a few exceptions.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Except for the 9/11.. I will not go there ,

I find myself one more time ageing with you .. I hate it

Better to agree on health than audio

 

[Steve Williams]

My mother's advice for a diet was to "chew the food but just don't swallow".

 

[GaryProtein]

My mother's advice for a diet was to "chew the food but just don't swallow".

You mean to "chew and spew?"

My mother was also big on very thoroughly chewing her food. When we were very young, we sometimes stared at her while she ate, counting how many times she chewed before swallowing.

 

[RBFC]

My mother's advice for a diet was to "chew the food but just don't swallow".

Bulemia without the electrolyte disorders!

Lee

 

[NorthStar]

You mean to "chew and spew?"

My mother was also big on very thoroughly chewing her food.When we were very young, we sometimes stared at her while she ate, counting how many times she chewed before swallowing.

---- Lol Gary, that's a good one. :b