The inversion diet

[Conservationist]

There used to be a number of people around here who talked about nutrition and how our modern diet is blown out. I've never been a soft drink fan, don't like candy or candy bars (for the money, go get a French pastry), and detest fast food. So what do I eat?

BREAKFAST:

Biggest meal of the day: meat, eggs, bread and a small amount of cheese

SNACK 1:
Fruit: pear, apple, orange, banana

LUNCH:
Either the old-fashioned American sandwich, e.g. ham and cheese or
Nuts, honey, and/or cheese and bread

SNACK 2:
Fruit: pear, apple, orange

DINNER:
Smallest meal of the day -- oatmeal with an egg, or steamed vegetables with cheese

This diet is an "inversion" in that it's the opposite of what most people do, whcih is maintenance meal for breakfast and big lunch and dinner.
Hope it helps/amuses others.

[Muaddib]

A little amusing, yes.

You could call my diet the "Growing Boy" diet, which is basically oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, and a serious meal every 4 hours or so.

Does your diet sustain your energy requirements? What are they and how are they balanced by the diet?

[DeathDealer]

Sounds yummy.

My meals tend to be pretty equal. In a nutshell, I eat real food when I'm hungry and I stop when I'm full. But my definition of "real food" is narrow. For instance, spaghetti's out, never seen a spaghetti tree.

I don't go overboard on fruit, 1 a day, 2 max. Fruit is seasonal and it's a contemporary thing to have them easily available year round. And the ones we have have been selected for years to be extra-sweet. Fructose is poison to the liver, same as alcohol. I avoid industrially processed vegetable oils (the vast majority of them, incl. soy, canola, corn). I use a lot of animal fats, including butter.

Gotta go, I'm starving and I got a kobe steak ready for grilling...

[Forza Romana]

As always, a great post, Conservationist.

Your particular diet reminds me of the French thinking of the meals: Eat like a king in the morning, a prince in afternoon, and a pauper at night.
Where as the italian way would be a small breakfast: a pastry and cappuccino or espresso and a nice meal in the afternoon.

My wonder lady as a chef suggests something along the lines of eating smaller meals and snack through out the day, to keep you metabolize up.

I personally try to watch my sweets and salts. Naturally, I use olive oil in place of butter(and there is italian cookies with olive oil instead of butter). I love my vegetables and fruits, and I eat chicken, seafood, and red meats on rotation.  Now I do drink wine with my meal, and drink a shot of espresso after the meal as a digestive. Also I can substitute  a bitter liqueur as a digestive.

Enjoyable post indeed!

[Bereft]

Eat like a king in the morning, a prince in afternoon, and a pauper at night.

That's what I suggest to people if the topic comes up. It generally has the effect of providing more energy throughout the day whilst keeping one lean.

I went through a period where I ate only meat and nuts for breakfast. My energy and concentration levels were noticeably better, which some may find counterintuitive given the lack of carbohydrates, though I found cooking and eating meat in the morning too much of a hassle.

I avoid industrially processed vegetable oils (the vast majority of them, incl. soy, canola, corn). I use a lot of animal fats, including butter.

Ditto.

[Transcix]

Conservationist you need a hell of a lot more vegetables. Don't let em scare you.

[Helmholtz]

Sounds yummy.

My meals tend to be pretty equal. In a nutshell, I eat real food when I'm hungry and I stop when I'm full. But my definition of "real food" is narrow. For instance, spaghetti's out, never seen a spaghetti tree.

I don't go overboard on fruit, 1 a day, 2 max. Fruit is seasonal and it's a contemporary thing to have them easily available year round. And the ones we have have been selected for years to be extra-sweet. Fructose is poison to the liver, same as alcohol. I avoid industrially processed vegetable oils (the vast majority of them, incl. soy, canola, corn). I use a lot of animal fats, including butter.

Gotta go, I'm starving and I got a kobe steak ready for grilling...

Sounds similar to the way I eat.  Are you eating paleothically?

[DeathDealer]

Are you eating paleothically?

Yeah, although that label doesn't reflect that primitive populations kept their natural diets past the paleolithic age. I see it more as primitive vs civilized.

It's also anti-agriculture: grain doesn't want to be eaten and makes us pay the price in diseases. The earth suffers as well, agriculture being based on recreating catastrophic conditions year after year, at great expenses in energy. So much land is made sterile to most other life forms.

I read the other day that the projected population for 2050 was 9 billion, and that switching to a grain-based diet was imperative to feed everyone. Agriculture is the seed of overpopulation. It's the seed of civilization as well, but with advanced technology it's become too powerful. We're empowered to overpopulate the planet into destruction. [/rant]

Getting back to nutrition... did you read Good Calories, Bad Calories?

[bjorn]

The inversion diet seems tricky from a social perspective. Food is an important part of all working cultures. Don't eat alone!

[Helmholtz]

Are you eating paleothically?

Yeah, although that label doesn't reflect that primitive populations kept their natural diets past the paleolithic age. I see it more as primitive vs civilized.

It's also anti-agriculture: grain doesn't want to be eaten and makes us pay the price in diseases. The earth suffers as well, agriculture being based on recreating catastrophic conditions year after year, at great expenses in energy. So much land is made sterile to most other life forms.

I read the other day that the projected population for 2050 was 9 billion, and that switching to a grain-based diet was imperative to feed everyone. Agriculture is the seed of overpopulation. It's the seed of civilization as well, but with advanced technology it's become too powerful. We're empowered to overpopulate the planet into destruction. [/rant]

Getting back to nutrition... did you read Good Calories, Bad Calories?

Yep, a grain based diet that is against millions of years of primate evolution, and against 150,000 years of being hunter-gatherers.  Agreed fully on all agriculture.  Foraging, hunting, hell, even herding and fishing would not only be healthier as a diet for the human race, but we'd avoid nasty things like soil depletion.

That's a pretty good book, actually, yes, I have read it.  Another good one is "In Defense of Food".

In so far as eating that way, I do make exception for certain types of dairy, mainly organic, fermented, full fat kinds (yogurt, cheeses, cottage cheese).  The human race did evolve a gene for processing lactose, and to boot, fermentation usually eliminates lactose from the item (why yogurt and other dairy products have a lower carb count than milk).  Plus, fermentation gives the body pretty healthy gut bacteria.  I've heard another objection to humans consuming dairy is the casein protein present in it, which apparently can cause intestinal leaking, but I've heard counters that it generally only troubles the body when consumed with gluten (not a problem if you don't consume grains), or when separated from the natural fat (thus why full fat dairy is superior, aside from being tasty).

[DeathDealer]

Another good one is "In Defense of Food".

I do make exception for certain types of dairy, mainly organic, fermented, full fat kinds (yogurt, cheeses, cottage cheese).

Haven't read that one, I'll look into it.

Butter & cream are awesome.

[Conservationist]

Not only does it rot your teeth and add inches to your waistline, but now researchers have discovered that junk food actually hurts your brain.

By consuming trans fats, found often in fried or processed food, the chemicals send mixed and damaging signals to the brain and lessens its ability to control appetite.

Essentially, by eating junk food, your brain becomes less and less able to tell what you have eaten and continues to make you fee as if you are hungry so that you proceed to eat more.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2081079/Junk-food-really-DOES-mess-brain-Research-shows-trans-fats-causes-brain-damage.html

ELECTION TODAY ~ FREE FRENCH FRIES

[Von List]

Overall it is a decent diet but not enough if you plan on building muscle.

[aquarius]

I only eat pure vegetaryan food and generally try to view diet as sacred. Weighing up calorie/protein/vitamin/whatever intake in some sort of mathematical equation seems to take away a lot of the basic appreciation.

[§Transcix]

What about salads? I find leafy stuff expensive, time-consuming to prepare and insubstantial calorie-wise. Fresh tomatoes, peppers, celery, cucumber, all very nice but very expensive. I recommend if you can find in your area 'broccoli coleslaw' i.e. sticks of the broccoli stalk (not flower) that would normally get thrown out, usually you can find it pre-cut and pre-washed too. Add to that any of carrot, bean sprouts, spinach puree, onion, daikon, canned tomato (crushed / diced), bok choy, etc. You can make a big batch all at once and eat it over several days. Delicious, substantial and relatively inexpensive. Do you really just not like the taste?