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I'm taking this from the Obama/Corn post because I'm interested in what people do to eat healthier. Whether it be eating nothing but groundhog or maple leaves mixed with grass, I'm interested to see what people perceive (or have proven) to be the best food.
I'd also like to hear about people ideas and experiences on CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture which I'm thinking of signing up for), organic foods, and the cost vs benefits of these foods.
BEGIN!
Everything in moderation. If you eat something everyday, you might be eating it to much. If I was to cut one thing completely out of my diet in the name of health it would probable be dairy.
I don't care too much about organic foods. They're too expensive for the value. I have a simple strategy though.
I look at the health facts and check a few things.
First, I compare the daily percentage of Total Fat to the percentage of Saturated Fat. Heavier on the saturated=unhealthy.
Next I look at sugar. I compare the percentage breakdown of Total Carbs, simple sugars, and Fiber. Healthy food will have a greater ratio of Fiber than empty carbs, and not many simple sugars.
I then compare the percentage of daily "bad stuff" (total fat, sodium, sugar) to the number of Calories. If I assume I'm eating a 2000 kcal diet, I want the percentage of bad stuff to be less than the percentage of my daily intake the item should be.
Same goes for "good stuff", vitamins and such. The daily percentage of vitamins should be greater than that same ratio of calories in the item to daily calories.
I also try to cut down on high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars, processed foods, and preservatives.
Items that pass the first two tests then to pass the later two. It was interesting when I compared some frozen meals I ate at work to the "diet" frozen meal a coworker was eating. Her "Healthy Choice" meal had fewer calories than my "Marie Calendar's" one, but they had equal fat content, mine had less saturated fat, and mine had more fiber. I would also be less hungry later.
In general I like to eat whole grains, dark veggies (loves me the spinach), and lean proteins (fish and eggs, yum).
Pepperoni pizza. Nature's perfect food. It contains all four basic food groups: grains, vegetables, dairy and protein. Good for breakfast, lunch, dinner or late night snack. Can be eaten hot or cold.
Seriously? I eat very little red meat, some lean poultry and fish, lots of vegetables and whole grains, very little sugar and avoid processed foods as much as possible. What they used to call a 'sensible diet'. Then I try not to worry about it too much, and have a couple beers or a glass of wine.
I may not live to be 110, but I will enjoy the ride - however long it might last.
We've been in CSA's before. You get a LOT of what's in season...typically more than we can eat before it rots. That's in our area and our household though...all are different. The ex is in a CSA this year and I'm not, because I don't eat enough veggies to be worthwhile for me.
We eat locally produced stuff whenever we can. We can talk to the farmer and learn about their practices. This is good for personal health as well as the health of the environment.
We do organics...but since the government recently highjacked that word...it doesn't mean as much to us as knowing the practices used to grow or raise our food...and it's hard to beat a conversation with the producer to ensure that!
We avoid processed foods, we don't do anything with corn syrup (it's a chemical...NOT a natural product) or hydrogenated anything (now trendily known as ""TransFats"...again...NOT natural)
It's pretty simple...if I can read to the end of an ingredient list on a lable before my offspring-of-a-baby-boomer attention span kicks me out...and I can actually identify the ingredients as food...it's probably worth looking into.
I like to eat food...I don't like to eat what was once food, that was taken down to elements and reasembled into something that resembles food...but is actually made up of a bunch of chemical components.
Here's a good watch if you want to know about the economics of corn. It's called "King Corn." I highly recommend it. Also Michael Pollen (SP?) and his book "The Omnivore's Dilema." I haven't read that one but have heard him speak several times and it is very enlightening.
For me/us though...it comes down to knowing where the food came from and buying local products when possible.
Whole grains...minimally processed...chemical and hormone free meat...fresh veggies...no pesticides...
Clem
Edit: Cheap beer is my weekness though. I know it's made with corn...but I just can't pass up the 50 cent-a-can goodness that has my neurons bein happy
Being Dutch, I think I'd die without dairy.
I've been a vegetarian for about 20 years now. I am also at a point that I won't eat MSG. I'm trying to avoid HFCS too. And I only drink beer that passes Germany's law. I've been baking all our bread for about 15 years now, I guess. Bread machines were a great help, but lately I've been doing some natural, authentic sour dough by hand to use up some white flour I got at Sam's that the manufacturer somehow managed to remove all the gluten from.
Organic foods are a crap shoot. You won't find an organic tomato that will last six weeks on the shelf, so you better plan on eating it when you buy it. Current laws finaly put some meaning to the "organic" label, but it's still a buyer beware atmosphere, in my opinion.
One fourth of July party I went nuts and ate 4 jumbo hot dogs and a bunch of other crap. I got sick that night and realized I need to clean my diet up. (1998)
Dairy was bad as I sounded like I had a cold every night. It was my sinus's bothering me mostly.
I went on a strict vegetarian diet which consisted of raw fruits and vegetables and a ton or carrot juice. Everyday. If it was natural, that was my food.
I lost weight, felt great, had a ton of energy, and never got sick and my eye sight even improved a bit.
I gave it up as I traveled and I have gained 40 pounds and feel crappy some times. It was a pain to shop, chop, and clean orange juice off everything.
It will probably cost me years. I would like to go back, but it needs to be a full-time focus.
Water.
Lots and lots of water. No soda, minimal juice, minimal dairy.
Breakfast is usually oatmeal with peanut butter, and some fruit with soy milk and orange juice
Lunch and Dinner usually include some sort of bean, salad, veggie burger, fish, veggie soup, pasta and nuts.
I've been a pescetarian for a year. Also, i'm lactose intolerant so dairy is out of the question. Very minimal high fructose, soda and bread in my diet. Also, 33-60 oz. of water a day.
Breakfast is usually shredded wheat w/ soymilk.
Sandwiches are usually made w/ multigrain bread (12g of fiber in one sandwich!!!) Fills me up, great energy source, keeps the colon in check.
Plenty of water.
Decent amount of apples.
Low-fat variants of full-fat foods
The 3-5 sodas I drink per week are diet (usually Coke Zero--brilliant invention)
Barilla whole wheat pasta is really good and a ridiculous fiber source.
I eat irresponsibly on the weekends and try to be sane during the week.
soy=estrogen=man boobies 
MrJoshua wrote: soy=estrogen=man boobies
I try to eat organic when I can. I also stick to fresh and minimally processed whenever possible. For example, cuts of meat rather than sausages or lunch meat, fruits and vegetables in season, rather than half-ripe and shipped around the world, or canned or in jam or in a deli food or something. I eat cooked rice, millet, or quinoa more often than I eat bread or other starchy baked goods. I love to stir fry beef or tofu with tons of veggies only lightly cooked, or steamed veggies over grain. I also do rice+bean with veggies or meat with veggies in a wrap. I eat some pasta, some eggs, some beans, some fish, etc. I try to minimize sugar intake. Most of my dairy consumption is either cheese (I can't give it up) or cultured cottage cheese, rather than lots of milk, butter, ice cream, etc. Tonight I had a small piece of chicken and then roasted a big pile of asparagus with a bit of olive oil and served it over long grain rice with a bit of lemon juice.
I buy food year-round at the healthy local grocery store, but this time of year I try to hit up the farmer's market every week to cash in on very fresh and local foods at reasonable prices. Being a single guy with a roommate, I haven't tried the CSA as it seems like a lot of food all at once. I do grow my own small organic veggie and herb garden each summer. Around here I can get some stuff to winter over, like chard, kale, and greens. Of course summer has the best availability of local vegetables at the store like peppers and whatnot, but the off-season isn't all bad, with brussels sprouts being a good example.
Part of what I have found with veggies is that most of my childhood dislike for certain foods wasn't due to the vegetable alone, it was the preparation. Canned peas or overcooked peas that were once frozen in a bag doesn't do much to make a favorable impression. Anything boiled or cooked until it loses a lot of color and has a mushy consistency safe for an octagenarian won't be tasty. I started to really love vegetables once I put some effort and practice into learning how to buy them when they are in season and freshest, and also learning how to cook them well and in a variety of ways. Brussels sprouts that are good to begin with and then sliced lengthwise and then stir-fried at the right temperature for just long enough, they have a wonderful delicate and delicious taste. 99% of the time, they are overcooked....here's a hint: if it stinks like stinky brussels sprouts, you've just overcooked them and you can't press rewind. 
Then once a month or so I say, "screw it!" and go have a big cheesy omlette with biscuit and homefries at the diner down the street. 
My hippie girlfriend is a vegan...
That means NO meat whatsoever, NO dairy whatsoever, NO animal products at all. I'd die if it wasn't for the fact that A: I'm allowed to have dairy in the house and B: she's a freaking AWESOME cook!
The vegan thing was bizarre to me at first (I'm from Florida where everything is deep fat fried and cooked in bacon drippings) but once I tried some of it I tasted that a lot of it could be very good.
The stuff that really gets me going is Vegan desserts! It's AMAZING what chocolate tastes like when the ingredients are just cacao/chocolate/cocoa and real sugar! Those hippies can make a mean dessert!
Fruits and veggies are a no-brainer, and being a Florida boy I like a glass of Ma Florida's own stupid-expensive real orange juice every morning. Whole wheat, whole grain breads are great too (we get Dave's Killer Bread from Portland, it rocks!).
It is kind of weird living with a vegan in a meat-free house when I'm an "opportunarian" (I eat anything and everything I have the opportunity to get my hands on). I still slide into crap food when pressed though (like having a heart-attack inducing grease burger while racing at the track).
I need to lay off of the crap outside of the house and stick to the Vegan stuff more so I can lose some weight (to go faster around the autocross of course!).
On a somewhat related note, the latest joke from my boss (I work with several vocal 'we're going to save the world' vegans, but my boss is not one of them...however, he is highly sarcastic and a constant social/cultural critic)
"How many vegans does it take to change a lightbulb?"
"I don't know....how many?"
"NONE! because vegans won't change a damn thing."
I'm also vegetarian (remember the southern barbecue thread? I'm going to get lynched but I adapted your recipes, heh heh heh.) I'm not all that strict, I eat dairy and eggs, and stuff made with fish paste or whatever doesn't bother me. I don't pay too much attention to counting calories or calculating BMI, nor do I specifically try to eat "health food."
I seem to have lost about 10kg since moving far away from my mum and her tasty deserts every weekend. I almost never eat sweets when I'm by myself. I'm sitting at 85kg right now (I'm 5'10"). I do need more exercise.
Breakfast most mornings is a bowl of Müsli (non-sugary cereal with dried fruits) with milk. If I eat lunch at work it'll be a big, hot meal (German lunch is like a North American dinner), and then I'll have a sandwich or something in the evening. If I don't have lunch at work I'll eat my big meal in the evening. If I need "juice" it'll usually be unsweetened iced tea.
Also, the heath benefits of good beer, coffee, and wine are numerous and proven. I drink 1-2 pints and a couple cups of coffee daily, unless I go to the pub (not hugely often) in which case "1-2 pints" becomes rather more.
J
MrJoshua wrote: soy=estrogen=man boobies
prevailing meat head wisdom comes out.
Total crap. Last article I read, said no causal link. Soy is low grade protein compared to whey, but this man boobs thing is just ridiculous.
http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/dietricinsoy.html
Until I see some crazy double blind study that shows an actual increase in male breast tissue.. you're not going to get me to stop soy.. Basically cause I'm allergic to whey, caesin and I'm lactose intolerant.
I take this wisdom and heap it in to the "if you ride a bicycle you're going impotent" pile.
I have a bunch to add to this discussion, as I've recently found out I'm allergic to many foods, have multiple food intolerances and am now lactose intolerant. I did http://www.alcat.com/ this test with the help of my doctor. I was also diagnosed with candidiasis, which stems from extreme overuse of antibiotics to kill my sinus problems. Which apparently were part of this whole candidiasis. Anyways.. I'll type something later, but effectively I'm a mess.. but after doing the test above and avoiding yeast bearing foods I've dropped 30 lbs in under 2 months and haven't had a sinus infection since Feb.(which is a record)
We've been doing ultra-lean turkey burgers, and they're hella good. The key is lots of mushrooms and garlic. Turkey Meatballs are also pretty rad. We cook on the grill every night, assuming it's not POURING down rain. Steaks are now "weekend only" items, as I could eat steak every day, breakfast lunch & dinner. I hate most fruit, but love love love love love me some fresh, raw vegetables, especially the locally grown stuff from the farmer's market.
Ignorant-Just for fun-heres a true Meathead source for you. Fun part is it does have some of them fancy science type references.
I might not be the best person to ask.
I have been grilling more turkey, and since moving to the sticks I know where most of my food comes from. My eggs travel three houses, most of my milk and veggies are near by, and if I get steaks they are from down the road. With the higher gas prices I can shop at a small grocer close to home for about what I'd pay driving down to the supermarket.
I do most of my shopping here now. http://www.adamsfarms.com/
I try to eat locally grown foods, don't eat very much meat at all, and unfortunately I absolutely love cheese. I could eat a block of it for every meal. But I don't. I get my eggs from a guy I work with that has chickens. Sometimes they're still warm when I get them. This thread reminds me of something that happened the other day. A friend and I went to lunch the other day at a local tavern outside of town, that has really good food that always seems really fresh. He was contemplating getting a BLT, so when the waitress came back he asked her if they had tomatoes yet, due to the salmonella thing. She said, We never stopped serving tomatoes, we get them from a farmer down the street. That place is awesome.
MrJoshua wrote: Ignorant-Just for fun-heres a true Meathead source for you. Fun part is it does have some of them fancy science type references.
i've done a bunch of reading on it.. I was for many years a die hard gym rat, but just no time now(wife career). I held myself around 11% body fat for 3-4 years while roman deads around 400(no straps), full depth squats 400, leg press over 600, and my weakkk bench of 250. Hell I once did 5 plates per side shrugs, with straps.. I'm not an idiot when it comes to this stuff.
Yes if you're sucking down gallons of soy, maybe it could have an issue. But it's only an issue for those who are gym rats and are concerned with the insane amounts of muscle growth. Admit it the target audience for this kinda anti-moobs stuff is people how shave their back, get spray tanned, and prance around in banana hammocks to win a plastic trophy.
but on the same note, if you ride your bicycle for over 200 miles a week every week, all week.. you get impotent...
Now as a frame of reference.. I'm eating tuna straight out of a can and a plain old chickpeas for lunch... Nothing on them.. My meathead ways are hard to lose I guess.
Problem is, govt reviews of the studies say Yep-soy formula creates blood levels of genistein as high as the levels that caused reproductive tract problems in monkeys. Yep, studies on Japanese men showed an inverse correlation between soy consumed and testosterone levels, yep soy reacts as an estrogen in the male body, yep excess estrogen in males is bad, yep this that and so on.....buuuuuut-its safe and we see no problem with it. It is probably the strongest estrogenic compound we see on a regular basis and we are encouraged to eat it. Just because it requires lots to cause measurable reproductive tract problems doesnt mean eating slightly less than lots is good for you. Personally it worries me enough to stay clear, I will get my estrogenic effects from beer thank you.
MrJoshua wrote: I will get my estrogenic effects from beer thank you.
There Trouble Brewing Guys
You have to hope that this study is flawed, but the evidence seems irrefutable. Several months ago, scientists at Europe's annual human reproduction conference suggested that the results of a recent analysis revealed the presence of female hormones in beer, and suggested that men should take a look at their beer consumption.
The theory states that drinking beer makes men turn into women.
To test the theory, 100 men were each fed 6 pints of beer within a one-hour period. It was then observed that 100% of the men gained weight, talked excessively without making sense, became overly emotional, couldn't drive, failed to think rationally, argued over nothing, had to sit down while urinating, couldn't perform sexually, and refused to apologize when wrong.
No further testing is planned.
P71 wrote:That means NO meat whatsoever, NO dairy whatsoever, NO animal products at all. I'd die if it wasn't for the fact that A: I'm allowed to have dairy in the house and B: she's a freaking AWESOME cook!
As an Italian-American, I could NEVER have that much of an adversarial relationship with food. I love exploring food of all kinds. Besides, I NEED meat protein. Period.
Also, I've known too many vegans who were chainsmokers. They must've needed to kill the hunger pangs somehow.
To each his own. I'll stick w/ moderation.
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