Ideal diet & favorite foods?

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all...

Just sort of polling to see what everyone's opinion is on the ideal

diet...like what percentages of one's diet should be fruits, veggies,

grains, nuts, seeds, fish, etc etc etc. My current verdict is that

about 40% of one's diet should be whole grains (sprouted or soaked or

whatever, of course), about 40% should be veggies (fresh, and

preferably raw, though lightly steamed is OK at times), and the other

20% should ideally be the nuts, seeds (nuts & seeds are soaked &

sprouted, too), fruits, and fish. The acid/alkaline school of thought

supports this, as veggies and fruits and sprouted grains are quite

alkaline-forming. A Chinese yin-yang continuum chart backs this up,

too, as grains and veggies are yin-yang balanced, fruits are more yin

and fish is more yang (and things like beef, prescriptions, alcohol,

tobacco, salt, refined crap, that's all SO far yin or yang that it

has toxic effects). But I'm also interested in if y'all have anything

to add or anything different to say, ks most of y'all have studied

for a while, too, and I figure the more opinions I hear, the more

informed my decisions.

Now, I do understand that one person's ideal diet may be quite

different from another's. Like people in different climates, with

access to different foods and herbs and stuff...I'm just looking for

examples, which I'm sure are going to vary (and that's why I'm posing

the question to the board--to get all those various answers). Also,

if you could, give us an idea of your climate, too. (Now I'll be

forever living and treating patients somewhere in the eastern half of

Texas, which is hot in summer and mild in winter, and the humidity

will vary, depending on where exactly we settle, which we dunno yet.)

 

Also, what are some of y'all's favorite healthy foods to use in the

ideal diet? (For example, a favorite of mine is spirulina--not that

it tastes great, but it packs a big nutrient punch in relatively

little amounts.)

 

Just curious...

Thanks, y'all

--JL

[Guest guest]

This is an interesting question. I think an individual's needs change

on a daily basis so it is difficult to put it into percentages. The

percentages you named are fine, but also keep in mind that the

Mediterranean Diet, namely the much studied diet of the islanders on

Crete, is considered one of the best in the world and they get 40 per

cent of their calories from fat, namely from olive oil and walnuts

and some fish. When considering a diet like that though, you need to

realize that it is not a diet, per se, but a way of life. Cretans, it

seems, like to gather their food. They literally locate their salad

in their yard and wild greens are common. I grew up in the Greek

culture, and this is, in fact, a way of life. I remember my

grandmother going outside with her long dressed hiked up slightly as

she salvaged some edible greens from my dad's weed pile. Also, our

needs seem different with each season. In the summer I eat lots of

salads, in the winter I eat more cooked, root, and fermented

vegetables. I eat fruit in the summer, but not as much fruit in the

winter, unless it is dried. In the spring, the natural tendency seems

to want to fast and to eat slightly bitter things like artichokes,

dandelion greens, asparagus, alfalfa tea, and birch twig tea with the

fresh sap. I am influenced by European herbalism at the moment so I

take winter tonics as well- pine tea (which I think I actually got

from studying up on the Native American tradition, and from H.C.A

Vogel, who is Swiss) and elderberry juice are two of my favorites and

are popular here in Germany. So I am of the opinion that you need

to " Eat with the seasons " and " listen to your instincts " . Now, to go

against my own advice, I have been following a sort of exchange

system that I found in a book my husband got me for Christmas, The

Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. I am trying not to be too strict

with it though as I keep in mind my own appetite and needs. It works

out to about five servings a day of grains and starchy veggies, five

servings of other veggies, two servings of fruit, two servings of

fish or other protein like cheese, eggs, and lean meat, one serving

of dairy, and one of legumes. I fell short by one fruit serving and

one grain serving last night but I went to bed feeling like it was

the most I had eaten in a very long time (and that was the 1500

calorie plan!).

 

herbal remedies , " supervixen08 "

<supervixen08> wrote:

> Hi y'all...

> Just sort of polling to see what everyone's opinion is on the

ideal

> diet...like what percentages of one's diet should be fruits,

veggies,

> grains, nuts, seeds, fish, etc etc etc. My current verdict is that

> about 40% of one's diet should be whole grains (sprouted or soaked

or

> whatever, of course), about 40% should be veggies (fresh, and

> preferably raw, though lightly steamed is OK at times), and the

other

> 20% should ideally be the nuts, seeds (nuts & seeds are soaked &

> sprouted, too), fruits, and fish. The acid/alkaline school of

thought

> supports this, as veggies and fruits and sprouted grains are quite

> alkaline-forming. A Chinese yin-yang continuum chart backs this up,

> too, as grains and veggies are yin-yang balanced, fruits are more

yin

> and fish is more yang (and things like beef, prescriptions,

alcohol,

> tobacco, salt, refined crap, that's all SO far yin or yang that it

> has toxic effects). But I'm also interested in if y'all have

anything

> to add or anything different to say, ks most of y'all have studied

> for a while, too, and I figure the more opinions I hear, the more

> informed my decisions.

> Now, I do understand that one person's ideal diet may be quite

> different from another's. Like people in different climates, with

> access to different foods and herbs and stuff...I'm just looking

for

> examples, which I'm sure are going to vary (and that's why I'm

posing

> the question to the board--to get all those various answers). Also,

> if you could, give us an idea of your climate, too. (Now I'll be

> forever living and treating patients somewhere in the eastern half

of

> Texas, which is hot in summer and mild in winter, and the humidity

> will vary, depending on where exactly we settle, which we dunno

yet.)

>

> Also, what are some of y'all's favorite healthy foods to use in

the

> ideal diet? (For example, a favorite of mine is spirulina--not that

> it tastes great, but it packs a big nutrient punch in relatively

> little amounts.)

>

> Just curious...

> Thanks, y'all

> --JL