The Nutrition Thread!

The earlier discussion on bread got me thinking. What do people here think is the optimum human diet? Regardless of whether it’s low or high carbon footprint, fresh, raw, tinned, genetically modified, vegan, carnivore, omnivore, balanced, processed, artisan, supplemented with vitamins, high protein, low sugar, expensive, affordable, easy to obtain or unicorn tears.

What do YOU believe is the best sustenance for the human body to thrive on?

A bit of most things, not too much of anything.

Easy.

A good balance of carbs protein and fats, minimal intake of highly processed food, vit D suplementation

Bacon

TARAMASALATA!

What do YOU believe is the best sustenance for the human body to thrive on?

Food?

Or are you expecting a long, well-informed debate by people who don’t need to refer to the internet constantly, rely on their prejudices or anecdotal evidence about Grandad Pops being 103 when when he died and all he ate was turnip soup? 😀

For me personally and more recently:

High fibre, protein, ‘good fats’, and some carbs as they are needed. Very little processed or refined carbs.

Basically lots of vegetables, some meat, oily fish, some dairy (eggs,greek yoghurt, cottage cheese), a bit of fruit.

Supermarket frozen veg is a life hack. Cheap and always in the house for each meal.

Cook with spices more than sauces.

Supplement on: vitamin D, magnesium glycinate, Zinc picolinate, plant protein with a scoop of psyllium husk for fibre/ satiety

Eat well 90% of the time.

Some days I will happily drink black coffee and water till noon.

Very rarely drink now. 1-2 pints a month if I had to ball-point it.

Water: 3-4 pints a day

Sleep: 8+ hours.

Take away most weekends but I pick calorie conscious choices or budget for those treats.

Scales and knowing your foods seems to be golden for staying trim. Choosing low calorie dense foods help. I really enjoy my nutrition and don’t feel it’s limited at all. Habit becomes lifestyle I guess.

What do YOU believe is the best sustenance for the human body to thrive on?

We’re highly adaptable omnivores, it’s our superpower.  Nutritional advice from self-proclaimed “Nutritionists” changes weekly.  There’s more bollocks spouted than in the Hi-Fi world.  Is butter good or bad for you this week, I forget?

A bit of most things, not too much of anything.

… is the right answer, really.

A bit of most things, not too much of anything.

This, with a dash of…

Very little processed or refined carbs.

This seems about right to me.

But also bear in mind that different people need different things. Running/riding long distances? More carbs. Lifting weights? More protein.

Peanut butter.

I wish I knew, I’d say a balance of things is best, but I’m overweight and have IBS so literally WTF do I know??

I say that, lots of my diet is homemade and vegetable based, but then my sweet tooth kicks in and Jaffa cakes evaporate in my presence!

Balanced omnivore diet with as much fresh in season produce as you can. Only eat desserts sparingly and only after meals. No sugary drinks or ones with sweeteners. Almost like what our grandparents and all their ancestors ate.

Running/riding long distances? More carbs.

Nope, I can easily ride for 4-5 hours first thing in the morning without eating a breakfast. I never used to be able to do this as I was a carb junky, I suspect like most folk are. It just take some time to wean yourself off carbs/sugar.

Eating more soluble fibre and protein definitely satiates my hunger better than a plate of carbs. basically an evening meal of meat potatoes and two veg is the way to go.

Nope, I can easily ride for 4-5 hours first thing in the morning without eating a breakfast.

Depends how fast you ride really.

As little processed food and as much veg as possible is my aim…..people keep bringing biscuits to work though…

currently trying to replace some of my alcohol with fizzy water, you know the sort, apple and elderflower etc from tescos.  its getting too easy to settle down in the evening with a glass of wine.  or two.  or three.  oh and now ive got the munchies, just half a bag of crisps then.  oh well, might as well finish them now….

reading above it would appear that ‘carbonated water’ isnt really very good for you either.  obviously its better than alcohol, and not as good as pure water, but just how ‘bad’ is it for you compared to pepsi max, cola zero etc?  or compared to orange cordial say?

thanks

Don’t overcomplicate this.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Hubby and I eat sensibly but, we love chocolate, crisps and the odd pudding I make at the weekend.

Supposedly the 1950’s generation ate proper food, no takeaways, food in season and a lot grown themselves. Sugar was expensive, but they didn’t have access to the  herbs and spices that are available to buy.

we always buy the best we can afford but in small amounts. Drink little alcohol and eat quite a bit of fruit, veg and salad.

I’d rather drink Coke Zero over anything pertaining to be “healthy” that was laden with sugar.

No sugary drinks or ones with sweeteners. Almost like what our grandparents and all their ancestors ate.

Lol, I’m guessing you’ve never checked how much sugar your grandparents’ generation used to add to their cup of tea!

Supposedly the 1950’s generation ate proper food

Five years after WWII they were probably glad not to be eating warm gravel.  Rationing didn’t fully end until 1954.

Huh, I learned a thing following all the 50s chat. Found the whole “carrots help you see in the dark thing” which my parents and grand parents used to tell me, came from WW2 propaganda designed to throw the Germans off track about Radar.

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Indeed there was rationing in the 1950’s, but once through that early part of the decade diets were quite good.

Indeed there was rationing in the 1950’s, but once through that early part of the decade diets were quite good.

The British diet under wartime (and later) rationing was probably as healthy as it’s ever been, most of the restriction was on sugar, meat and fats. From a purely health point of view, lifting those restrictions around the middle of the 50s didn’t improve the diet.

It certainly looks to have been pretty dull by modern standards but I wonder what a more modern approach to the ingredients could have done?

It’s as well to remind ourselves that rationing was introduced to 1. Stop wealthy people from hoarding, and 2 to make sure that everyone got the best diet they could. It wasn’t really about taking food away from people. As other posters have said it mostly restricted sugar, dietary protein, and fats and there were exemptions for pregnancy and manual labourers. The army did some studies that showed that some men who were getting regular ‘proper’ food for the first time put on weight.

Best diet; we’ve a gut not wildly dissimilar to most other primates, and they survive on fruit, plants and the occasional insect and some fresh meat which some (chimps and others) will hunt.

Best diet; we’ve a gut not wildly dissimilar to most other primates, and they survive on fruit, plants and the occasional insect and some fresh meat which some (chimps and others) will hunt.

Pretty much what I eat, cycling ensures I get the occasional insect.