Spacerific said:

I've been using this stuff for years, so wherever I travel now, I scan the supermarkets and Asian food stores for foods that are AOK to eat, and as recommended, avoid variety. This helps a lot. The few recipes that I do cook I become better at, I know where everything is, when I run out of anything I need to make'em etc. Very nice principles and they deliver a lot of healthy energy.

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dustinthewind13 said:

I am pretty new to diet and nutrition. For most of my life I didn't think about what I eat. I just ate whatever I felt like at the time. To be honest the only thing I thought I was eating unhealthy was psychoactive drugs. Lately I have been trying to become healthy in many ways, but the only way thats not just as simple as quitting to continue doing unhealthy habits (e.g. quit cigarettes) is to learn how to eat healthy. Well also yoga, meditation and exercise needs learning, but that's easier to find instructions that are good.

I'm wondering if I could improve my health by changing the way I eat, or am I eating a enough of everything I need. So far from my research I have found that people's diets vary too much to believe that one diet will be best for me. Instead I decided I will try to learn more about my own type of diet. However, since there a meat eaters, vegetarians, pascetarians, vegans, frutarians and probably more, I thought that it would be best to not specify a diet for book recommendations. That way people with different diets might find a book or website or advice for their own diet in this thread.

I am having doubts how successful this thread is going to be, but here it goes nonetheless. Its worth a try. If I end up finding anything outside the shroomery about this, I will be updating this thread. For now I'm quite new to this, so I am not confident giving any recommendations.

So, have do you any recommendations?

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Since there is no one diet that works for everyone, I recommend looking into various methods of constitutional eating, or eating for YOUR unique body type - Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine, for example. Check out "The Ayurvedic Book of Home Remedies" by Vasant Lad & "The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity" by Daniel P. Reid if you're interested. Following a diet based on my Ayurvedic constitution helped me beat a lifelong struggle with acne and digestive issues! The Chinese Medicine approach is very very similar. There's also the blood type diet, don't know much about that one myself, but might be worth checking out.

Don't try to change too much all at once or expect instant results. Making small changes that you can stick with is the key to making a complete lifestyle change.

If you have any specific questions please feel free to ask, I've been studying this stuff for years and am a certified yoga instructor and herbalist.

Personally I eat a mostly plant-based diet with occasional animal protein - eggs & fish mainly, minimal dairy, minimal gluten/grains.

May I ask what your diet is like at the moment?

dustinthewind13 said:

Spacerific said:

I've been using this stuff for years, so wherever I travel now, I scan the supermarkets and Asian food stores for foods that are AOK to eat, and as recommended, avoid variety. This helps a lot. The few recipes that I do cook I become better at, I know where everything is, when I run out of anything I need to make'em etc. Very nice principles and they deliver a lot of healthy energy.

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Avoiding variety. Well that's a first. I would research what you posted just because you said you avoid variety. Other than that sounds interesting. Except the part about losing weight. I don't care about my weight. I wouldnt mind gaining some weight to be honest.

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Mate, look into Tim Ferriss' stuff if interested. You'll see results like these:

Building muscle

Cutting fat

Avoiding variety means finding recipes and patterns that take in a wide variety of nutrients from all manner of sources, and then sticking to them on all days except binge days. Binge day is once a week, where you can do all the variety you want, follow all your appetites and cravings, etc. Read at least an article on this stuff, if not the book/audiobook, I've found it to be very effective as well as practical to use

Xena said:

is hemp legal? or hemp seed powder? and i know hemp isnt pot but isnt that why pot was made illegal because hemp threatened the paper industry? lol anyway i just thought of a pretty good book called Gulp. hear of it? its pretty much just a pop science/trivia book about food nutrition and digestion but its a quick and entertaining read

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Shit. Didn't realize that. I thought it was legal everywhere. Its legal where I live, so I made a leap of faith. I just couldn't imagine someone getting busted for hemp. That sounds so absurd to me its not even funny.

yogabunny said:

If you have any specific questions please feel free to ask, I've been studying this stuff for years and am a certified yoga instructor and herbalist.

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Herbs- those things have always interested me. Any recommendations?

Yoga- I once asked you which yoga books have the most text that is practical or completely without the theory (or something like that). Using the search engine and history I couldn't find that conversation. Can you tell me again?

Quote:

Personally I eat a mostly plant-based diet with occasional animal protein - eggs & fish mainly, minimal dairy, minimal gluten/grains.

May I ask what your diet is like at the moment?

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dustinthewind13 said:

Herbs- those things have always interested me. Any recommendations?

Yoga- I once asked you which yoga books have the most text that is practical or completely without the theory (or something like that). Using the search engine and history I couldn't find that conversation. Can you tell me again?

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Nettles are a great place to start as far as herbs are concerned, and the leaves make a great tea! That's what my teacher had us take the first few weeks of class - start drinking a few cups of nettle tea a day & see where that takes you. Nettles are nutritive and restorative to the nervous system, endocrine system, and lymph. They're also a great source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals.

Another one of my favorites is chamomile. Chamomile is a gentle, yet powerful herb. As a tea it's great for digestion, and acute bouts of indigestion or heartburn. It is also STRONGLY anti-inflammatory and can be applied topically to soothe skin irritations, acne, small cuts & abrasions, etc. I also like to keep tincture of the fresh flower around for acute anxiety, plus it tastes delicious.

Lastly, echinacea is a really good one to keep around - In tincture form - this is really important! At the very first sign or tickle of a cold or sickness, begin taking 2 droppers full every hour or so. I promise you if you catch it soon enough you will beat the sickness. This worked for me twice last winter and I never got sick all winter.

If you have any other specific questions I'm happy to answer.

As far as the yoga books are concerned. I will say this - don't fear Yogic Philosophy. It is the most non-dogmatic eastern philosophy I've found.

But if you're really looking for something that just focuses on the asana (posture) portion, Donna Farhi's "Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit" is a great place to start.

Just know that even if you practice yoga only for the physical benefits, the more subtle body transformations will come whether you want them to or no.

Hope this all helps & Have a great day!

m4dScientist said:

nettle tea? that sounds damn interesting. my central nervous system is fucked up due to prolonged elevated cortisol levels, i wonder if thatll help.

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Yeah stinging nettles rule

Natural nutritious food will of course help, any change that you make from the processed to the natural, it'll give your body more stuff to use for repairs and good vibes

That being said, I wouldn't expect the tea alone to lower cortisol levels that much by itself. Chronically high cortisol levels, that seems to me like it'll have to do with a number of other things, unrelated to the amount of nettle tea (or any other tea) in your diet. Would love to pick your brain as to what those reasons might be, but I don't want to go off-topic in this thread

I quit cigs last summer too. I used 1mg nicotine tabs for the first 2 months and then switched to regular breath mints. I know going cold turkey works for some people but not for me, this was my 3rd attempt so I went with the tabs. If you want some extra motivation you should really see what cigarettes do to your body, I guarantee you won't be able to smoke anything!

m4dScientist said:

I've been eating gluten free this whole time, with one cheat day a week. You mentioned a diet n someone else has mentioned the gaps diet to me, both which eliminate grains. My question is, how do u feel full??? I wouldn't mind eliminating grains, but I currently eat oatmeal, granola, n brown rice pretty much everyday so I don't know what I'd substitute for it as I'm one of those people that's always hungry.

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How to feel full? Simple answer is FAT! I stay away from the vegetable oils except olive oil and use loads of coconut oil, butter, MCT-oil, avocados, seeds and nuts. To quote Shawn Stevenson, eating fat isn't going to make you fat just like eating blueberries isn't going to make you blue Drop the oatmeal, granola etc. you don't need them, it's all sugar when it's broken down and it'll only make your blood sugar go crazy and give you the cravings. Fill your stomach with vegetables and eat quality fats and protein to feel full, no cravings no problems.

If you're a pussy and have a problem with eating veggies you need to reprogram yourself, I was like that before but I stepped up. Steamed broccoli smothered with butter and salt is some of the best tasting stuff I now know, fill half your plate with some grass fed beef with bell peppers, chili, ginger, onions, garlic and fresh herbs and look up mindful eating and you'll never need a cheat day again For lunch I usually do a smoothie and eat dinner around 4-5 pm with a little snack couple of hours later.

Oh and I never think of this as "dieting" or a diet, I simply eat HUMAN FOOD, as much as I want. I lose fat and gain muscle while doing this so I'd say I'm doing something right. I have no idea of the calories I consume and I don't miss them one bit.