Why we are fat

[cijababe]

NTNC - monosodium glutamate, and presumably disodium glutamate, by association, is basically salt, or flavour enhancer..........

[NoTopNoCollar]

I'm actually quite familiar with all the salts, and sugars and other chemical additives, due to my arthritis, Cija. It's been a major reason for me to make as much from scratch as possible, including growing a lot of my own produce and canning and freezing. That way I'm mostly in control of how much of both, I consume.

[splattie]

Eat only home-grown veggies and drink only water?

GL with that.

[cijababe]

Originally Posted by splattie

Eat only home-grown veggies and drink only water?

GL with that.

That's going to the other extreme I would think that just cutting processed foods to a manageable minimum and being careful what you drink is wise.

[NoTopNoCollar]

Not necessarily, splattie. Even natural foods contain salts and sugars (disodium guanylate is actually naturally present in meats and some mushrooms) but you can find regulate your intake of them, much easier than buying pre-packaged, pre-cooked foods...

[RandyKnight]

Originally Posted by knoxvillainswife

@ NTNC while everything you have listed is wrong and i don't mean you typed it wrong, I mean that there is no reason to add most of that stuff when you could make it at home...whats scares me is the "Natural Flavour" you find in so many products you buy. I did some research...this is materials they don't have to reveal to you, supposedly aren't harmful, and are considered flavour enhancing or filler.
This is where it gets wierd...did you know that the prepackaged donuts you can buy in any convienance (sp?) store contain wood as a Natural Filler? Wood? And that in certain juices, mostly orange, it's beetle shells for taste? Namely, it's stuff that we cannot digest, and while it fills the stomach, it has no nutritional value and we start to eat even more to get our daily intake of needed vitamins, and then intake even more of the sugars. This is part of why they eat the whole package and still feel hungry...it's not thier stomach sending the signal for food anymore, it's our entire body looking for Iron, or calcium or other day-to-day necessities.

A typical artificial strawberry flavor, like the kind found in a Burger King strawberry milk shake, contains the following ingredients: amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone (10 percent solution in alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose, rum ether, g-undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent.


http://www.rense.com/general7/whyy.htm

[splattie]

Well, the water part... I got covered. But how can I say no to a yummy pizza or kebab :[

[cijababe]

And here is the definition of a 'natural flavour'

The definition of natural flavor under the Code of Federal Regulations is: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional” (21CFR101.22).

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/467661.../#.T9tPFrWe4gw

[cijababe]

Originally Posted by splattie

Well, the water part... I got covered. But how can I say no to a yummy pizza or kebab :[

Make your own pizza!! Kebab is a whole different matter, I've only ever eaten it once, and turned vegetarian shortly after. You need to re-educate your taste buds and stomach

[Lurch]

I recently purchased a package of frozen hash brown patties.

They were only a $1 for a whole pack.

Anyway, I cooked a couple in the oven according to directions then ate one.

It tasted like they were soaked in oil.

I thought they just formed shredded potatoes into a patty then froze them.

That's not the case. They deep fry them in something really greasy. Probably lard.

I looked at the information on the package and the calorie count from fat was astronomical.

From now on, I am going to purchase fresh potatoes and make my own hash browns and french fries.

[tim929]

The contents of the foods we eat are significantly different than they were in generations past. There is more salt, more sugar and more fat as well as more carbs. What qualifies as a "serving size" in todays world is very small. My favorite soup for example lists the servings per can as 2 while nobody would ever consider half of the can to be a proper serving.

Go to a fast food joint and look at the calorie counts on a combo meal sometime. I dropped in to Jack in the Box yesterday and noticed that a bacon ultimate cheese burger packs just over 900 calories. Thats almost half the daily allowance for a 2000 calorie a day diet with 2190 mg of salt! for people ages 9 to 50 years the recomended daily allowance of sodium is 1500 mg.

Lets throw in an order of fries...A medium order of fries is a meer 450 additional calories and the sodium is only another 820.

Now obviously these examples are pretty extreme but the simple fact is that people eat wayyy to fucking much of this kind of crap. And the foods we get at the supermarket and take home arent much better. Since most of our favorite foods are processed they contain huge amounts of fat and salt and in many cases carbs as well. The end result is we get fat. And Europe can come down off its pedistal because Europeans are getting fatter too. It took them a while to catch up to the Americans but Europe is starting to have the same problems with food as the Americans have. Canada isnt immune either. They are growing at an alarming rate as well. All thanks to processed food.

My grand parents ate every single meal at the dinner table. Every meal consisted of fruits, vegatables and proper cuts of meat purchased at the meat counter, whole wheat breads and very little added salt or sugar. They also very rarely ever used pasta in thier meals. They ate like royalty. Meals were large, servings were large and variety was wide. Grandma and grandpa were thin. They didnt have weight issues. Ever. They didnt work particularly hard but they werent sedentary either. They moved around and did things rather than sit all day. Funny part of it was that they werent rich either. They shopped carefuly and made the most of every dollar they spent on food...or anything else for that matter. The great depression taught them how to make a dollar go a very long way.

We tend to buy the cheapest foods because we get more volume. Pasta is a great way to fill up a plate with food for a very low cost. Its also a great way to gain a ton of weight. When I cut pasta out of my diet I lost 35 pounds in just two months without lifting a finger. I cut diet soda out of my diet and lost another ten pounds without lifting a finger. As I drift more towards cooking proper foods rather than buying packaged crap I find that in addition to eating better tasting foods I am also not nearly as hungry. I eat less often and enjoy the foods I eat a lot more. And I havent changed my activity level at all. The simple fact is that if you put a little effort into the foods you eat you will get better and more satisfying foods and live a healthier life.

There is a series on the Discovery Channel called Modern Marvels. They detailed how processed foods are made. One of the things they showed was the process for making processed lunch meat. Holly shit that stuff is gross! Its baisicly congealed meat paste and fat held together with clotting agents with salt added for flavor. Mmmm..pass the bologna please!

[x__orion]

On a related note, the mayor of NY has banned 'supersize' fizzy drinks:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddr...rinks-ban.html

Which is good. These things go up to 64 ounces, which - for the Brits amongst us - is over three pints.

Three pints of coke! That's 200+g of sugar! Why was it ever considered reasonable to introduce the damn things?!

[cijababe]

Thanks Orion - Robert Lustig points out the huge sugar content of super size drinks in the link Randy posted - but it's 90 mins long so it takes a while to wade though it. I'm watching it in instalments.

[cijababe]

Here's more food for thought from the original article.

The relationship between the food industry and the scientists conducting research into obesity is also complicated by the issue of funding. There is not a great deal of money set aside for this work and so the food industry has become a vital source of income. But this means that the very same science going into combating obesity could also be used to hone the products that are making us obese. Many of the scientists I spoke to are wary about going on the record because they fear their funding will be taken away if they speak out.

[the fox]

I use to be a bit fat but clean living no fatty foods and lots of exercise has made me lose alot of it

[L+R]

[Old Tool]

Originally Posted by cijababe

According to research, different parts of the brain are activated when looking at certain types of food - we react differently to 'comfort food' that is high in fat and sugar than to healthy food. Not rocket science, but quite literally food for thought.

When we were early humans, foodstuffs with Fat, Sugars and Salt were very difficult to come by and very useful in keeping us alive and able to reproduce. Our successful ancestors developed cravings for these and sought them out, killed for them and eventually learned to produce them when we finally figured out agriculture. These food triggers have been in our primal brains for about 2000 centuries now, and there is nothing we can do to rinse out that deeply embedded wiring.

Modern food corporations know this very, VERY well. They have food psychologists on staff to figure out how to tap into the deepest parts of ourselves and tickle that prehistoric itch for 'good' food. We aren't running across savannahs or mountain ranges to chase down our next meal and it matters what comprises the 2000 calories or so that one stuffs in their face each day.

Luckily - and fairly recently in our history - we've developed reason, which enables us to consider, instead of merely responding to, our primal urges. Now, there are some urges I just refuse to let go of but understanding what one eats, and eating in moderation are easy ways to manage your health. Nice thread

full disclosure: I had an enormous Bacon Cheeseburger for lunch today - smothered in ketchup and mustard - probably had two day's worth of sugar, salt and fat in that bad boy . . . but it was soooooooooo good

[L+R]

An observation, fat people are basically lazy.

[tim929]

Originally Posted by L+R

An observation, fat people are basically lazy.

Not true at all. As a hay buck I would move between 18 and 30 tons of hay per day, one bale at a time (between 110 and 125 pounds each) by hand...TWICE. Loading and unloading and still had a weight problem. I did that for thirteen years too. There are plenty of people out there who do plenty of work and still have issues with their weight and the biggest issue isnt lazyness, its the foods they eat. As it was in my case. Although lazyness does often come in to play it is not an absolute by any means.

[L+R]

Originally Posted by tim929

Not true at all. As a hay buck I would move between 18 and 30 tons of hay per day, one bale at a time (between 110 and 125 pounds each) by hand...TWICE. Loading and unloading and still had a weight problem. I did that for thirteen years too.

Amazing, I did the same 35 years ago.... Only for 6 weeks during the school holidays on my uncle's farm. Now that job is very strenuous, physically demanding and required technique. If you did that for thirteen years I'd say you were tough as nails, and mega fit

(Some of the tighter bales even went to 150 pounds)

[Yaztromo]

QUESTION: Why are we fat?

ANSWER: Because we consume too many calories and don't exercise enough.

JOB DONE!

[PushUpBra89]

Industries provide the food, they don't make us eat it. WE are making ourselves fat!

I feel it all comes down to a sense of portion control and moderation [ as far as when it comes to food intake].

[m21]

How the fuck were there so many fat and obese people in the world before all these additives etc were introduced into our daily food ?

[PushUpBra89]

Originally Posted by m21

How the fuck were there so many fat and obese people in the world before all these additives etc were introduced into our daily food ?

I think in some cases people just want to plead ignorance and blame something else.

[tim929]

Originally Posted by L+R

Amazing, I did the same 35 years ago.... Only for 6 weeks during the school holidays on my uncle's farm. Now that job is very strenuous, physically demanding and required technique. If you did that for thirteen years I'd say you were tough as nails, and mega fit

(Some of the tighter bales even went to 150 pounds)

Yeah...we had three string bales of timothy hay that ran 140 and three string alfalfa that would run 150 plus.

I was very fit and could lift a ton...I just couldnt spell it I even rode a bicycle to and from work every day about forty five minuets each way for several yearsof that.

As for being tough as nails...not anymore. You cant do that for thirteen years and not suffer for it.

But I was still fat. Again, its all about the foods you eat. The activity level helps a lot and you cant be completely sedentary but relatively modest activity is all thats required as long as its regualr and last a good long time. But if you eat tons of carbs and fats you are going to be fat. Look at sumo wrestlers. They are very fit in terms of their cardio capabilities and muscle strength. But they are also fucking HUGE! They eat more rice in one sitting than most people eat in a week, plus a ton of other foods as well.

The food you put in your body plays the biggest roll in what you weigh. excersize is second. And its not about how much you eat, its about WHAT you eat. Like I said, I cut pasta, bread, potatos, white rice and a bunch of other carb laden foods out of my diet and lost thirty five pounds without lifting a finger to do any extra excersize, and I am very sedentary. I still eat like a pig but the foods I eat arent known for packing on the pounds or being calorie intensive. You can eat as many vegies as you want. You can actualy eat a whole lot of lean meat too. Fish is great. Its not that hard. Watch what you eat like a hawk and make sure you dont eat the wrong things but eat the right things until you feel like you are going to burst. Walk around for an hour or two a day...thats all there is to it.

[m21]

Originally Posted by PushUpBra89

I think in some cases people just want to plead ignorance and blame something else.

of course

it's clearly nothing to do with people stuffing food down their throats

[aesopstails]

It can be both enlightening and frightening to read the ingredient listing on purchased foods. It's always better to prepare food yourself, with fresh ingredients, but not everyone has the time or knowledge to make better choices. It takes a commitment to gain the knowledge and change bad habits, but if you keep reminding yourself that you're improving your health and your family's health, it's easier to make it a priority, even with a busy schedule.

Eating healthy is often a time-management issue. I'm fortunate to have lots of help with the kids and I work (mostly) from home, plus I don't always sleep so well (not one of the "fortunate" aspects!). Those things give me a bit of time to make homemade breads, soups, and meals, which I make in large quantities to swap with family and friends or to freeze for later use. We freeze TONS of fruits and vegetables when they're in season, and, though we're not vegetarians, we have meatless meals twice a week, as I've found that forces me to find new ways to work healthier things like grains and beans into our meals.

Even when making something that's not particularly healthy, like a cake, you have more control over the ingredients when you make it yourself.

Portion size is something to which most of us need to pay more attention. Trouble is, many of us simply got used to larger portions and feel unsatisfied with a smaller meal. We always start with a soup or salad to avoid this.

We try to set a good example for the kids in the way we eat, but I enjoy sweets and I'm not one to deprive myself. So I don't, but running and other exercise usually keeps my weight in check. And portion size is a HUGE issue here- just a bite or two of dessert can be satisfying, but if I remain seated with it in front of me... well, I can actually hear it calling my name! So we take a walk or schedule a particular task after eating, just to make sure we get moving again as soon as possible.

As for fat people being lazy, that's just not true in all cases. I have a relative who put on a considerable amount of weight during her pregnancies, and was never able to lose it all. She is now a single parent, is busy with the children, and she works part-time, making it difficult to find time to exercise (I can relate to that). The extra weight makes it harder for her to exercise, plus she became so depressed over her weight that she gained even more. I know she needs to continue making an effort, but it seems like it's become quite a vicious cycle for her. But she's certainly not someone who can be called lazy. I have another relative who has never weighed more than 110 pounds, though she is terribly lazy and eats everything in sight. Yes, MOST overweight people can and should make more of an effort to be healthy, but I hesitate to categorize them all in the same way.

[x__orion]

So many good things in this post, aesop; I'd just like to highlight a few...

Originally Posted by aesopstails

...not everyone has the time or knowledge to make better choices.

So true, and so sad. Food has become little more than a grim necessity for so many people, and for others it's become a safety-blanket. One of the things that's most noticeable on mainland Europe is the relationship that people have with food. Food is still given time; lunchtime is still sacrosanct in many places, and in the rural parts, the work day simply stops at lunchtime for an hour, hour and a half, two hours. It's accepted. Things don't get done; eating is important. Time should be taken to prepare and appreciate it. If people's lives are too busy, then time needs to be put back in. Meal times are family times. They should be times when the household collectively downs tools (or controllers, more like...) and gets together to enjoy good food, each others' company, and so-forth.

Portion size is something to which most of us need to pay more attention. Trouble is, many of us simply got used to larger portions and feel unsatisfied with a smaller meal. We always start with a soup or salad to avoid this.

Could't agree more! The simple quantity of food that people put away on a regular basis absolutely staggers me. Now, I'm 6'2" and built like a whippet, and I can very easily eat vast quantities, but I don't. Why? I'd rather stay built like a whippet! It's one of the fundamental things I was taught as a child: you can't have everything you want. Not only that, but if you indulge all the time it because nothing more than another everyday happenstance, and you've ruining it for yourself.

So we take a walk or schedule a particular task after eating, just to make sure we get moving again as soon as possible.

Washing up is they key here. Screw the dishwasher, get everyone involved. Even if, of an evening, no-one but my mother cooks at my parents house, you can bet that me, my Dad, my sister, and my mother all pitch in clearing the table, washing up, making after-dinner coffee, or setting the table for breakfast. Not only is it a continuation of the familial bonding, but the kids get an appreciation of what's required in proper cooking through the utensils/pots used, and thus consider it 'normal' from an early age. I didn't have pasta sauce out a jar until I was nineteen...

[RandyKnight]

[tim929]

Something that I have often considered is how children in the U.S. eat at school. School lunches often consist of factory style foods prepaired from cans and boxes at the lowest price possible. That means a lot of pasta, potatoes, greasy sauces with a ton of added salt and sugar and white breads. They stand on line and the food is slopped in front of them and they are given the least amount of time possible to eat this crap, practically having to force feed themselves in order to finish lunch in the scheduled time allowed. That teaches people to eat as fast as possible so they can get on to more important things. I noticed friends kids at dinner time wolfing down their food and their parents trying to get them to slow down. They eat like its the last chance they will every get to have food. Eating fast has the tendancy to short circuit our bodys ability to know when we are full which helps contribute to over eating. In addition to the speed is the quality of the food. Carbs are great for quick energy and a wonderful blood sugar spike but often the satisfied feeling doesnt last very long and they are hungry again very quickly. When school kids get used to that they will be naturaly inclined to over eat at home to avoid getting hungry again later and not know when they are actualy full due to the speed that they consume whats in front of them.

It has been said that a habbit is formed in between twelve to twenty one days. What about twelve years? And considering the terrible quality of most of the foods that are consumed both at school and at home, is it any wonder the training works and people are getting fatter?

[AZRIEL]

swing low.jpg

[tim929]

Originally Posted by x__orion

So many good things in this post, aesop; I'd just like to highlight a few...


So true, and so sad. Food has become little more than a grim necessity for so many people, and for others it's become a safety-blanket. One of the things that's most noticeable on mainland Europe is the relationship that people have with food. Food is still given time; lunchtime is still sacrosanct in many places, and in the rural parts, the work day simply stops at lunchtime for an hour, hour and a half, two hours. It's accepted. Things don't get done; eating is important. Time should be taken to prepare and appreciate it. If people's lives are too busy, then time needs to be put back in. Meal times are family times. They should be times when the household collectively downs tools (or controllers, more like...) and gets together to enjoy good food, each others' company, and so-forth.


Could't agree more! The simple quantity of food that people put away on a regular basis absolutely staggers me. Now, I'm 6'2" and built like a whippet, and I can very easily eat vast quantities, but I don't. Why? I'd rather stay built like a whippet! It's one of the fundamental things I was taught as a child: you can't have everything you want. Not only that, but if you indulge all the time it because nothing more than another everyday happenstance, and you've ruining it for yourself.


Washing up is they key here. Screw the dishwasher, get everyone involved. Even if, of an evening, no-one but my mother cooks at my parents house, you can bet that me, my Dad, my sister, and my mother all pitch in clearing the table, washing up, making after-dinner coffee, or setting the table for breakfast. Not only is it a continuation of the familial bonding, but the kids get an appreciation of what's required in proper cooking through the utensils/pots used, and thus consider it 'normal' from an early age. I didn't have pasta sauce out a jar until I was nineteen...

Its interesting that you mention the setting of the table and the clean up. This was the way things were with my grand parents and they ate realy well but were never over weight. They ate properly prepaired whole foods like vegatables and fruits and meats and very seldom ate processed foods. And the meal was more like a ritual than a free for all grub fest. It took a long time to get things set up befor the actual eating happened, and it was impolite to eat befor everyone had been served and the prayer had been said. Eating was done at a rather slower pace too because the food wasnt slopped on the plate all at once and then vaccuumed off the plate. small portions were given and if you wanted more you could have seconds. But seconds was a result of the firsts being rather small, instead of an effort to pack away as much food as humanly possible, and you didnt get them until everyone had finished the first serving. Then the table had to be cleared and the various stuff put away and the dishes had to be washed. One of them would wash, one would rinse and if I was there I would dry them and put them in the rack to be put away after the rest was completed. And that was EVERY MEAL. Not just dinner.

How many families do this now? In my grandparents time EVERYBODY did this.

[cijababe]

I've gone back to watch the programme on BBC associated with the article, which sadly those of you across the pond probably won't be able to see. I had taken on board the food industry developing High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and added it to most processed foods in the US. What I hadn't picked up was what has happened here in the UK

Prior to the 50s and 60s, eating between meals was frowned on, but with the advent of the food processing industry and TV advertising, this changed. In order to sell their products, they started to put across the concept of snacking. The very first example the BBC programme gave was Milky Way - mothers were encouraged to give their children sweet treats when they got home from school to keep them going until family mealtimes, or at any opportunity. How many of us here in the UK have the old TV jingles burned into our memories, imprinted onto our subconscious? Remember 'the sweet treat you can eat between meals' or 'a finger of fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat'? In this way, our consumption of sugar rose dramatically, to say nothing of the appearance of soft drinks. Sugar consumption was normalised and also added to processed food as it is in the US. Just look at the list of ingredients in the foods in your pantry - there are many forms apart from just 'sugar' - there's dextrose, fructose, modified corn syrup, lactose - the list goes on.

I'm thankful that while my boys were growing up, I cooked most meals from scratch, and encouraged them to eat fruit or savoury snacks if they were hungry in between meals. I hope I've given them good habits to take forward, but fear that without good cooking skills they are going to struggle to stay healthy, as processed food is ubiquitous, easy and cheap to get.

[thinskin]

Originally Posted by cijababe

I've gone back to watch the programme on BBC associated with the article, which sadly those of you across the pond probably won't be able to see. I had taken on board the food industry developing High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and added it to most processed foods in the US. What I hadn't picked up was what has happened here in the UK

Prior to the 50s and 60s, eating between meals was frowned on, but with the advent of the food processing industry and TV advertising, this changed. In order to sell their products, they started to put across the concept of snacking. The very first example the BBC programme gave was Milky Way - mothers were encouraged to give their children sweet treats when they got home from school to keep them going until family mealtimes, or at any opportunity. How many of us here in the UK have the old TV jingles burned into our memories, imprinted onto our subconscious? Remember 'the sweet treat you can eat between meals' or 'a finger of fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat'? In this way, our consumption of sugar rose dramatically, to say nothing of the appearance of soft drinks. Sugar consumption was normalised and also added to processed food as it is in the US. Just look at the list of ingredients in the foods in your pantry - there are many forms apart from just 'sugar' - there's dextrose, fructose, modified corn syrup, lactose - the list goes on.

I'm thankful that while my boys were growing up, I cooked most meals from scratch, and encouraged them to eat fruit or savoury snacks if they were hungry in between meals. I hope I've given them good habits to take forward, but fear that without good cooking skills they are going to struggle to stay healthy, as processed food is ubiquitous, easy and cheap to get.

It is confusing to lay all the blame on high fructose corn syrup because the culprit is just too much sugar in what ever form.

The human digestive system evolved to break down complex foodstuffs into simple components like glucose and fructose. Many processed foods present the digestive system with too high a concentration of these sugars which "confuses" the biological mechanisms involved in digestion and leads to disorders like diabetes and conditions like obesity. Stick to complex foods, brown bread over white bread if you like and you avoid these sugar bombs.

Thinskin

[x__orion]

Originally Posted by thinskin

Stick to complex foods, brown bread over white bread if you like and you avoid these sugar bombs.

Thinskin

Motherfuckin' bingo.

And snacking between meals? Either suck it up and wait til meal-time, or have an apple. If you want chocolate, have a few squares of dark chocolate after your meal.

And bread. Home-made bread! How long do most people think it takes? Hours! Bollocks. I use a spelt-flour recipe that takes ten minutes of actual work, 30 minutes to rise, and thirty minutes to cook. That's just over an hour, with a mere ten minutes of actual labour at maximum. And what do I get? Damn home-made bread, that's what.

It's possible to make a healthy stir-fry in less time than it takes to microwave a curry. Curry - 9 minutes at 850W microwave. Stirfry - four minutes chopping; four minutes cooking. Piece of cake. You can put some thin-sliced meat in there too - whatever you want. Red or white.

Nice stir-fry with a bit of chicken and soy sauce, lots of green veg, a couple of glasses of dry red (gotta be dry, for the reasons Sully stated), followed by a desert of some fruit, or perhaps a little cheese, and a few squares of Green&Blacks - meal fit for a damn king, and you can have it on the table, for four people, in fifteen minutes.

There is literally no fucking excuse.

[tim929]

Im not sure if anyone here has ever heard of the cave man diet but just in case you havent, its realy simple. Its based on what humans would have eaten when we were still hunters and gatherers. A handfull of nuts (not, not that kind) with a handfull of berries, all the leafy greens you want, almost all the other vegies you want except for the starchy ones, a piece of fruit and a piece meat no bigger than the palm of your hand and no thicker than your index finger befor cooking. Grains are also encouraged but always whole grains and never more than what will fit in the palm of your hand.(thats hard to measure with whole wheat bread but it ammounts to one slice.)

Snacks always consist of either root vegatables like carrots or nuts.

Meat should be either fish or poultry with occasional (never more than twice a week) red meat like beef. Thats a lot closer to what humans were intended to eat rather than pasta, bread, ice cream, cheese, lunch meat, candy bars, potato chips, corn chips, etc.

The whole point of it is that you should eat like this for the rest of your life. Fasting once a week is also encouraged since digestion take so much energy that it actualy gives your body a break to help the healing process.

[smcaaphd]

The only time I eat processed foods is when I eat cheese - no more than once a week. I don't buy ready meals at all - very rarely eat tinned food. Maccie D's are used as a punishment

I like to plan the menus for the week - nothing really fancy, but I don't like having to trog to the shops every day.

I don't snack between meals, and my coffee consumption has now been slashed to usually no more than 3 cups per day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I drink water during the day and in the evening, although I have been known to have the odd glass of semi-skimmed milk.

Alcohol very rarely gets touched any more - I've had one bottle opened now since before Christmas. I save it for those times I 'get the taste' for it and nothing else will do. Even then, it's very rare I drink more than two units. And okay, I have it with coke - but nobody's perfect

[RandyKnight]

Originally Posted by smcaaphd

The only time I eat processed foods is when I eat cheese - no more than once a week. I don't buy ready meals at all - very rarely eat tinned food. Maccie D's are used as a punishment

I like to plan the menus for the week - nothing really fancy, but I don't like having to trog to the shops every day.

I don't snack between meals, and my coffee consumption has now been slashed to usually no more than 3 cups per day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I drink water during the day and in the evening, although I have been known to have the odd glass of semi-skimmed milk.

Alcohol very rarely gets touched any more - I've had one bottle opened now since before Christmas. I save it for those times I 'get the taste' for it and nothing else will do. Even then, it's very rare I drink more than two units. And okay, I have it with coke - but nobody's perfect

It is HELL getting older but look at all our wisdom....

[RandyKnight]

6 Ways to Shrink Your Belly (And 5 Don't Include Exercise !!



xhttp://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/06/15/interval-exercises-to-burn-belly-fat.aspx?e_cid=20120615_FNL_art_1ercise!)