Thoughts on my eating philosophy?
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Nakeshia88 wrote: »scottacular wrote: »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?
Can you hunt, catch and grow your own food? Go on, try it - go hunting, go fishing, try growing some stuff.
I would if I had space for a garden and lived near a clean ocean :-) in fact I did this for much of my life, my family had a farm and land by the sea. We had vegetable gardens and fruit trees, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats, deer, our own forest plot and a while ocean full of seafood and seaweed. Now I live in a townhouse in Melbourne, quite the opposite!
Hello fellow Victorian!
That post explains a lot. It seems you are idealising food production somewhat.
Earth hasn't been colonised by Daleks or Borgs. Everything humans make is still natural. People who work in the Cadbury factory aren't out to kill us.
Fresh food is good, agreed! But it's not healthy to be afraid of food that might be convenient or a bit on the indulgent side once in a while.
Kind regards.0 -
scottacular wrote: »Nakeshia88 wrote: »scottacular wrote: »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?
Can you hunt, catch and grow your own food? Go on, try it - go hunting, go fishing, try growing some stuff.
I would if I had space for a garden and lived near a clean ocean :-) in fact I did this for much of my life, my family had a farm and land by the sea. We had vegetable gardens and fruit trees, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats, deer, our own forest plot and a while ocean full of seafood and seaweed. Now I live in a townhouse in Melbourne, quite the opposite!
That sounds ideal. Apparently in the event of a complete breakdown of society humanity would starve because not many people really know how to source food unless it's via a shop. Society has basically un-taught itself how to hunt, catch, kill and prepare.
It was ideal and I feel so blessed to have started out life that way. Unfortunately things change but we can only do the best we do with what we have :-)
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MonsoonStorm wrote: »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.
^ This.
It's *roughly* how I eat regardless. It's not "hard" I actually did it originally more from a standpoint of wanting to support local farmers rather than a "this will make me lose weight!" stand point.
At the end of the day the majority of this forum concentrates massively on CICO and generally neglects the "wellbeing" and philosophical/belief side of things. The thing is, sometimes that extra little bit of morality behind a reasoning can sometimes make it easier for that "system" to become part of your life rather than something you are just going to try because you've tried everything else and have nothing left to lose...
I guess I still haven't quite gotten used to the immediate negative reactions any time someone makes a post like OP.
"Hey! I wish to make some changes to improve my life and help out others!"... followed by "OMG why, CICO noob, you're an idiot"
Why can't people accept that changes like the one that OP stated aren't a big deal, and if OP decides it isn't working out due to time restrictions or whatever then she's hardly about to hurl herself into a vat of Coca Cola and attempt to drink it all until she explodes...
At the end of the day, you've no idea what OP's original habits are... perhaps the only significant difference will be coke, not exactly a massive deal to be replacing coke with something else.
Go for it OP. I hope it works well for you.
*runs off to find a shakeology person to demean to make up for the support given* that's how this works, right?
*edited to add* looks like this philosophy is an extension of a restricted diet you are already on. re: digestion issues... It's a roll of the dice. You keep trying things and once you find something that works, you stick to it. You stick to it because if you don't then life becomes thoroughly miserable. I hope you find your holy grail. Try what you like and give yourself whatever 'ideals' you like to try and figure it out. Whatever helps.
Thanks for your helpful post :-)0 -
Not afrNakeshia88 wrote: »scottacular wrote: »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?
Can you hunt, catch and grow your own food? Go on, try it - go hunting, go fishing, try growing some stuff.
I would if I had space for a garden and lived near a clean ocean :-) in fact I did this for much of my life, my family had a farm and land by the sea. We had vegetable gardens and fruit trees, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats, deer, our own forest plot and a while ocean full of seafood and seaweed. Now I live in a townhouse in Melbourne, quite the opposite!
Hello fellow Victorian!
That post explains a lot. It seems you are idealising food production somewhat.
Earth hasn't been colonised by Daleks or Borgs. Everything humans make is still natural. People who work in the Cadbury factory aren't out to kill us.
Fresh food is good, agreed! But it's not healthy to be afraid of food that might be convenient or a bit on the indulgent side once in a while.
Kind regards.
Not afraid, just cautious about what I put in my body, you would be too if certain foods messed up your body in ways you would never wish on anyone!0 -
The only reason you can't make something like Coca-Cola is that you don't have the recipe.0
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I have to be careful what I eat every day. I can't have things like Diet Coke, it really upsets my system as does too many carbs. I try to stick to a healthy eating plan with plenty of fruit and veggies but it isn't always easy, sometimes impossible. But I know that the more I stick to healthy eating, the better I feel and the more weight I lose.0
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TimothyFish wrote: »The only reason you can't make something like Coca-Cola is that you don't have the recipe.
I also don't own a laboratory or a contraption to carbonate water... http://food-handler.blogspot.com.au/2008/02/coca-cola-how-to-make-coca-cola-at-home.html?m=1 I don't think I personally could grow or make caramel colouring, phosphoric acid or whatever instant gum is either, or even learn how to... I don't have a food science degree! But if you could do this then good for you, go for it :-)0 -
Unless you grow your own food, you can't count on anything. Chemicals and other wastes are sometimes buried underground and then crops are planted above. There is also runoff from "impure" sites that get into the food chain. Trying to avoid it all is laudable--but pretty impossible. I too, grew up on a farm, and we ate our own produce, animals, fruits etc. Yes, it's the best, but the majority of the people in the world can't do this. Therefore you do your best, but keep in mind that it's pointless to restrict too much--in my opinion. Good luck.
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Nakeshia88 wrote: »scottacular wrote: »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?
Can you hunt, catch and grow your own food? Go on, try it - go hunting, go fishing, try growing some stuff.
I would if I had space for a garden and lived near a clean ocean :-) in fact I did this for much of my life, my family had a farm and land by the sea. We had vegetable gardens and fruit trees, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats, deer, our own forest plot and a while ocean full of seafood and seaweed. Now I live in a townhouse in Melbourne, quite the opposite!
Do you have enough space for a couple of wooden pallets? That's what I've used for my garden beds. Staple/nail weed mat to the open side, flip over, fill with soil and plant between the wooden slats for nice neat rows of delicious veggies. 0 -
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.
Pasta is not empty calories. It is a source of carbs and also contain protein and micronutrients as well. Bread also does but not as much as a serving of pasta.0 -
AbsoluteTara79 wrote: »There's nothing wrong with this philosophy if you're excited about adhering to it for the rest of your life.
But if you don't think you can do it, or the thought of never having diet coke again makes you sad, you might consider a philosophy that moves you closer to your health goals but isn't as strict.
This^^ otherwise it doesn't sound bad.0 -
Nakeshia88 wrote: »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.
I like your theory.0 -
In for philosophy ' “A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.”0
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fearlessleader104 wrote: »My eating philosophy is if another human being ate it before and did not die within 5 minutes, I'll eat it.
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scottacular wrote: »
Can you hunt, catch and grow your own food? Go on, try it - go hunting, go fishing, try growing some stuff.
I do this but mainly because I'm a cheapskate.
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fearlessleader104 wrote: »My eating philosophy is if another human being ate it before and did not die within 5 minutes, I'll eat it.
What if they died in 10 but you'd eaten it after 6 minutes?!
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Nakeshia88 wrote: »lemonsnowdrop wrote: »But...those things aren't bad for you.
Perhaps not, but to put it simply I'm trying to eat things that are as nature has provided them, or as close as possible to...
http://www.logicallyfallacious.com/index.php/logical-fallacies/37-appeal-to-nature
Cocaine, arsenic, strychnine and snake venom are all natural. Does that make them good for you?
Yes0 -
Nakeshia88 wrote: »scottacular wrote: »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?
Can you hunt, catch and grow your own food? Go on, try it - go hunting, go fishing, try growing some stuff.
I would if I had space for a garden and lived near a clean ocean :-) in fact I did this for much of my life, my family had a farm and land by the sea. We had vegetable gardens and fruit trees, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats, deer, our own forest plot and a while ocean full of seafood and seaweed. Now I live in a townhouse in Melbourne, quite the opposite!
Come to Tassie, you will find all that and more
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Nakeshia88 wrote: »fearlessleader104 wrote: »My eating philosophy is if another human being ate it before and did not die within 5 minutes, I'll eat it.
What if they died in 10 but you'd eaten it after 6 minutes?!
After the 10 minutes it wouldn't bother me as much. I funny know what the other poster thought. But it had been quite a few minutes since they posted...0 -
This is a diet and health site. We don't take kindly to people choosing to eat real foods. We promote enjoying the decadence of processed garbage and anyone that thinks different from us must be orthorexic.-4
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sighhhh you do whatever makes you happy. I can see this is going to be a popular thread! 0
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Nakeshia88 wrote: »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.
Wouldn't those things be off limits for you anyway? I'm not understanding why you'd make up a restriction in addition to the low FODMAP one.
Personally, rather than a rather arbitrary distinction between things you COULD make and things you couldn't--like others have said, I could buy a soda maker thing and am not sure I could make proper yogurt--why not achieve the goal of getting the best fuel for your body by simply focusing on the specifics of what you eat. I can make cake, but that doesn't mean that eating lots of cake is good for me. Eating it in moderation on occasion, sure.
But it's up to you, so if it makes you happy or makes the low FODMAP thing more bearable, go for it.0 -
Nakeshia88 wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »Nakeshia88 wrote: »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.
Ah, see then the issue lies in your examples. Why use pizza, wine, beer etc as examples of things you could and would have under your philosophy if that was never your intention?
Terrible choice of examples, sorry. Though pizza on a gluten free base with no cheese is still an option for me, albeit not a very exciting option!
Isn't the deal with low FODMAP that it goes beyond gluten since gluten often isn't the issue but something else about wheat? So along with gluten and lots of other things you'd give up wheat entirely? Just wondering about the idea that just being gluten free would be sufficient.0 -
This is a diet and health site. We don't take kindly to people choosing to eat real foods. We promote enjoying the decadence of processed garbage and anyone that thinks different from us must be orthorexic.
I think most people don't care what other people eat. The issue is when people think (or insist) that you must eat 100% "clean" or you have somehow failed. So many people starting out think that they are only allowed to eat chicken breast and broccoli, this leads to the "I had a bite of cake, did I ruin my weight loss??" threads and ultimately to people failing because that type of restriction is unsustainable for many. I think the people who are like, "Relax, have some ice cream. Just make sure it fits into your macros." want people to succeed and know that flexibility is key to sustainability for most people.
ETA: I don't think the OP was saying that her way was the only way to success.0 -
This is a diet and health site. We don't take kindly to people choosing to eat real foods. We promote enjoying the decadence of processed garbage and anyone that thinks different from us must be orthorexic.
I think most people don't care what other people eat. The issue is when people think (or insist) that you must eat 100% "clean" or you have somehow failed. So many people starting out think that they are only allowed to eat chicken breast and broccoli, this leads to the "I had a bite of cake, did I ruin my weight loss??" threads and ultimately to people failing because that type of restriction is unsustainable for many. I think the people who are like, "Relax, have some ice cream. Just make sure it fits into your macros." want people to succeed and know that flexibility is key to sustainability for most people.
ETA: I don't think the OP was saying that her way was the only way to success.
Definitely not saying that. Like I said earlier I'm taking a more holistic view to my diet and health these days, and I truly believe that each and every person has to find and follow whatever works for them. There is no one way, no right or wrong foods or exercises.
Think about it, there are over 7 billion people on Earth, you cannot possibly claim they every one of us has to eat a certain way and do certain exercises. It simply does not work that way.
Find what feels good and keep doing it.0 -
Nakeshia88 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »The only reason you can't make something like Coca-Cola is that you don't have the recipe.
I also don't own a laboratory or a contraption to carbonate water... http://food-handler.blogspot.com.au/2008/02/coca-cola-how-to-make-coca-cola-at-home.html?m=1 I don't think I personally could grow or make caramel colouring, phosphoric acid or whatever instant gum is either, or even learn how to... I don't have a food science degree! But if you could do this then good for you, go for it :-)
Can you make baking power? Can you grow baking soda? What about sugar? What about olive oil? Or any kind of oil, for that matter? Perhaps you like cooking with lard. So many of the foods we eat require some special equipment and knowledge for us to prepare them. Yes, we could go gain the knowledge and learn to use the equipment, as is the case with grinding your own flour, but if that is allowable, then it should be allowable to drink Coca-Cola. Unless you mean you are actually going to make and grow your own stuff. Which is certainly doable, but it requires both land and knowledge to do it.0 -
I think whatever helps you meet whatever macros you are looking for is fine.
I have often thought really romantically about wanting to live on one of those we make, eat and create everything we need communes.
Of course then I want wifi and cable and my romance is over.
The romance dies for me when I realise that I'd want two weeks on the beach and everything would die whilst I was there.
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Your diet, your body. Basically your philosophy is about no artificial stuff. Less extreme than the paleo approach that's increasingly popular.0
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MonsoonStorm wrote: »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.
^ This.
It's *roughly* how I eat regardless. It's not "hard" I actually did it originally more from a standpoint of wanting to support local farmers rather than a "this will make me lose weight!" stand point.
At the end of the day the majority of this forum concentrates massively on CICO and generally neglects the "wellbeing" and philosophical/belief side of things. The thing is, sometimes that extra little bit of morality behind a reasoning can sometimes make it easier for that "system" to become part of your life rather than something you are just going to try because you've tried everything else and have nothing left to lose...
I guess I still haven't quite gotten used to the immediate negative reactions any time someone makes a post like OP.
"Hey! I wish to make some changes to improve my life and help out others!"... followed by "OMG why, CICO noob, you're an idiot"
Why can't people accept that changes like the one that OP stated aren't a big deal, and if OP decides it isn't working out due to time restrictions or whatever then she's hardly about to hurl herself into a vat of Coca Cola and attempt to drink it all until she explodes...
At the end of the day, you've no idea what OP's original habits are... perhaps the only significant difference will be coke, not exactly a massive deal to be replacing coke with something else.
Go for it OP. I hope it works well for you.
*runs off to find a shakeology person to demean to make up for the support given* that's how this works, right?
*edited to add* looks like this philosophy is an extension of a restricted diet you are already on. re: digestion issues... It's a roll of the dice. You keep trying things and once you find something that works, you stick to it. You stick to it because if you don't then life becomes thoroughly miserable. I hope you find your holy grail. Try what you like and give yourself whatever 'ideals' you like to try and figure it out. Whatever helps.
So glad to see I'm not the only one who's been thinking this.
OP, if you think will work for you and keep you healthy, then it's a good philosophy for you. And the great thing is, if it ends up not working for you, you can change it. So long as you're not a person who spirals after something doesn't go the way you hoped it would (sometimes labeled as "failure"), there's nothing wrong with trying out different ways of doing things until you find what works best for you.0
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