Thoughts on my eating philosophy?

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  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
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    TahoeSki wrote: »
    A simpler version could be I "don't eat fake foods" or I "won't eat foods that have ingredients that sound like chemical weapons". Not a bad philosophy.

    True, I thought "if you can't grow it, catch it or kill it don't eat it" sounded simple, perhaps not, or perhaps people are reading into it too much. Nevermind, it's just a thought at this stage :-)
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I suppose my issue is, you're still making a judgment call. Why can't you make your own high fructose corn syrup? Just because you don't know how doesn't mean you couldn't learn. I don't know how to make cheddar, but by your philosophy, it's on the list because I could if I tried.

    So you're still making a subjective call on what you will and won't eat based on your views, and not an actual objective formula. You could probably make phosphoric acid, given the right tools and ingredients, same as you can make beer given the same.

    I don't object to eating more naturally, but it is still a judgment call for you to say you could make chocolate, but not high fructose corn syrup. Coz you could, if you really wanted to.
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I think it is a recipe for disaster for most people. Telling yourself you can never have anything that isn't "clean" is much more restrictive than you seem to realize. I actually took this approach every time I've tried to lose weight in the past. It didn't work for me. I felt deprived and whatever I decided was off limits was eventually all I could think about. Now I eat about 75% "clean", 25% not. Nothing edible is off limits for me. If I want something I make it work into my calorie goals. I never feel deprived and I never want to quit. In fact, I've never been happier or felt more in control of my eating. If it works for you, great, but if didn't work for me.

    To add to that, eating clean won't make you lose weight, eating at a caloric deficit makes you lose weight, so I hope you still plan on logging everything you eat.
  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
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    Weight isn't the issue here, the issue is giving my body the best fuel possible. I guess I'm just starting to take a more hollistic view to health and wellbeing - I want to keep things as natural as I can most of the time that's all, and it's a theory, not a dead set rule.
  • doktorglass
    doktorglass Posts: 91 Member
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    Nakeshia88 wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    Could you make your own bleached flour?

    Nope, but I could make my own rice flour :p I'm on a low FODMAP diet at the moment with instruction from my nutritionist so trying to avoid gluten

    You missed the point of the argument. The dividing line between healthy and non-healthy foods that you have made is arbitrary. What foods you could make or not is not correlated with quality of the food.

    Will you never eat a scone again? Do you know how to make baking powder/soda? Or yeast? And do you consider them unhealthy and unnatural?

    Sulfites are added in wine as a preservatives, I guess you couldn't grow and make sulfites. But sulfites also occur naturally as a by-product in beer. So beer would be ok?

    But it's your diet! You can eat as arbitrary as you want.
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    I think its great.

    Over the past few years I have seen MFP slowly trend from accepting others food choices to becoming more militant about 'macros and calorie counts at the expense of everything else'. In my humble opinion it has gone too far that way.

    I am a flexible dieter, and keeping my macros in check is my main focus, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to eat more natural foods and less processed stuff. Instead of applying your own experience and biases, just applaud people for wanting to improve their eating habits. Again, there are very few restrictions mentioned in the OP's post, it is all sensible and not very restrictive at all!

    If she cant make it work and needs a more flexible eating plan, then let her come back and ask for that advice when its needed.
  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
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    Thanks everyone :-) Just a thought.

    Overall I pretty much eat whatever I want... but I listen to my body and give it what it needs to function. I want to give my body the best, after all, isn't that what loving your body is all about - giving it the best, most nourishing and tasty foods and nothing less?
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
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    But what do you wear? Do you wear only animal skins and woven hemp?
  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
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    misskarne wrote: »
    But what do you wear? Do you wear only animal skins and woven hemp?

    What does what I wear have to do with what I eat? I don't eat my clothing!
  • Carol_
    Carol_ Posts: 469 Member
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    I am seeing what you are saying. You would eat only things that are natural, from the earth. That would certainly be healthier. As for me...it would be very hard. I find just keeping up with a calorie counting and choosing healthy food most days, is enough for me. I wish you the best!
  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
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    Oh, I should also note that beer and wine were an example only as well, personally I don't drink alcohol.
  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
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    Carol_ wrote: »
    I am seeing what you are saying. You would eat only things that are natural, from the earth. That would certainly be healthier. As for me...it would be very hard. I find just keeping up with a calorie counting and choosing healthy food most days, is enough for me. I wish you the best!

    Thanks :-) You get the idea, eat *mostly* natural.

  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
    edited May 2015
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    ***
  • LTR_94
    LTR_94 Posts: 1 Member
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    Well technically you could make those artificial sweeteners, etc. It would just require some more interesting kitchen appliances.
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
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    it's misinformed and oversimplified.

    most pasta and breads, despite being something you could prepare at home, are just empty calories.
    i doubt you could make your own probiotic yogurt by your dietary standards since you likely can't gather the bacterial cultures yourself, but it's great for you.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    LTR_94 wrote: »
    Well technically you could make those artificial sweeteners, etc. It would just require some more interesting kitchen appliances.

    Yup, that's my issue with the hypothesis. Many of the examples you used of things you could technically make would be very different products if they were actually home made. So by extending it that far, you've rendered your original philosophy meaningless, because everything in existence once came from something that grew or derived organically. We've not mastered the art of creating something out of nothing.

    I have nothing against eating more food in the state in which it grew. I just think that you over-reached on the basis for then including a whole bunch of "processed" (hate that term) food because you could technically make a similar thing yourself.
  • latkeen
    latkeen Posts: 14 Member
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    I think it is great. I think I already do the same thing. I think things like monster drinks are pretty gross :p
    Highly processed ingredients do sneak in everywhere and that is not bad. (like red powder on red fish meat to make it look tastier) So if you count that in in the philosophy I think its very good. It is probably healthier than what you were doing before.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
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    Nakeshia88 wrote: »
    misskarne wrote: »
    But what do you wear? Do you wear only animal skins and woven hemp?

    What does what I wear have to do with what I eat? I don't eat my clothing!

    Well, you just seem to be all super-hippy militant against artificial stuff, so I figured you mustn't be wearing any artificial things, right?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Nakeshia88 wrote: »
    My new philosophy for food is that if you can't grow it, catch it, kill it or make it yourself then don't eat it. For example: I can grow fruits/vegetables/legumes/grains and nuts so these are OK; I can fish and shoot so meat is OK; and I can/could easily learn to do things like grow/grind my own flour, salt and coffee, I can brew beer, make bread and pasta so these are OK - however, I couldn't make something like Coca Cola or anything containing artificial ingredients/additives so I won't eat these things.

    So lately when I'm picking up food that's in a tin, bag or box I'll read the ingredients and ask myself, could I grow or kill these ingredients, process and mix them together myself to make this? If so, then I'll buy it, if not, back it goes! What do you think of this philosophy?

    I think it's funny :bigsmile:
  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
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    To give a little background I'm already on a highly restricted diet due to digestion and fatigue issues - a low FODMAP diet pretty much rules out gluten, legumes, most dairy, added sugars, artificial sweeteners and in my case alcohol - along with onions, garlic, apples and many berries. As I'm already so restricted I'm looking for ways to eat the most nutritious foods I can. 'Clean eating' or sticking to mostly natural and low processed (in my mind processing food is doing things like fermenting, grinding, brewing, roasting, drying etc etc.) foods seems to work the best for me at this point in time. Filling my already restricted meals with 'empty calorie' and convenience foods just seems like a waste.

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