The grizzly bear diet. Salmon, wild berries, and the occasional horned quadruped.

haha

I note that the majority of commenters here are male. What is there about male anatomy and metabolism that gives them so much trouble with malfunctions? "You are what you eat." I eat mostly chocolate. That's de rigeur for a vegetarian. Fresh fruits, vegetables, salads. Easy on grains, never eat cereal except occasional oatmeal. I do consume a lot of "protein plus" beverages that incidentally are also loaded with vitamins. I take no meds, no pills, no separate vitamins of any kind. I don't drink sodas. No coffee as such (fine in mocha). I drink cranberry/raspberry juice several times a week. Did I mention eating a lot of chocolate? Very little cheese and dairy products. Veggie burgers without the bun. Oh, and the chocolates come from Europe, preferably loaded with hazelnuts. Their sugar is better.

Now I extend the question to "You are what you think." What are your premises? What ideas do you feed your mind?

Of course there's the story of Jim Fixx, the guru of jogging for your health, who died young from an inherited heart condition. I worked with a young scientist who seemed incredibly healthy, with a lean, powerful physique, but dropped dead at his desk one day. The autopsy showed he had an unusual inherited condition that had rapidly aged his internal organs. Externally he looked good, but internally he was over 90 years old.

What's healthy to eat seems to be always shifting. Not too long ago, eggs and avocados were foods that were supposedly bad for you, but now are recognized as providers of vital nutrients. The famous food pyramid was constructed from studies of Olympic athletes, under the assumption that such robust, healthy people had to be eating healthy foods. Years later, we've since recognized that conditioned athletes need 3-5 times as many readily available calories than the average person, and that the carbohydrate-heavy pyramid is a formula for obesity.

Right now the best bet for a healthy diet is avoiding starchy foods, getting complex carbohydrates from fruit and vegetables, limiting intake of red meat and large predatory fish (they have high concentrations of mercury), and consuming whole grains. No guarantees in life, but it's important to know your family health history.

I suffer from a habitual affliction in that my body and its remorseless metabolic workings reject any foods which do not contain a generous combination of salt, sugar, and fat.

I try to overcome said affliction with judicious drinking and the smoking of cigars.

At 72 I repeatedly exclaim - much as the man who had jumped off the 100th floor of the Empire State Building was heard to exclaim as he passed the 90th floor, "so far so good!"

cured my girlfriend of breast cancer with intensive use of wheatgrass juice...shrunk tumor 1/2 in three weeks...she chose to have the rest removed surgically....we do 2 ozs everyday...clear for 5 years now...in our late 60s....anyone can do this...it is not rocket science...

Iceberg lettuce, if I recall correctly. Is that what's happened to lettuce these days? Every adviser I consult says you have to get lettuce to get enough folates. Not many supplements contain folates. (I ought to know: I've become a walking United States Pharmacopoeia to judge by the number of tablets and capsules I now swallow with every meal.)

True enough, my meals are unconventional. Especially substituting carrot juice for orange juice. I do this to strengthen my natural immunity. I don't even bother with 'flu shots any more. With the result that seasonal viruses don't affect me nearly as severely, and leave me immune to repeat attacks.

Interesting, I have heard of Against the Grain but not yet read it. My opinion only comes from a nutritional view, rather than an agricultural revolution view.

LOL!

I know. It's not smart. I think it's crappy food loaded with sugar and salt to hide that. That's how I can get bag of 1200 calories for $3.50.

It's always very low, below 150.

How about a nice wallow in one of those refreshing tar pits. Oops, maybe not such a good idea.

Old dino can recall a three times in my whole life when I got so hot I wound up with a splitting headache.
The remedy was to take a cool shower and go to bed. It was still daylight each time.
Maybe it was hard for a dinosaur to take a cool shower at the end of the Jurassic Period.
Ha! Ha!

Was that because of global warming?

https://pinchandswirl.com/homemade-to...

I already make the gin (from vodka and a recipe of botanicals.)

Thanks, Mike, regarding Vega.
First, I did not know this, but then I did not really research it. I appreciate the information. What it does for me outweighs the danger, at least until I die of tertiary coreopsis, or some other unnameable disease. I'll probably die from global warming first.

Of course lettuce is no good. It's the only part of the salad that I like, although the BW insists on Romaine lettuce, while I prefer the old fashioned iceberg. I am sure you are right about my eating habits although I did exaggerate in order to make it more humorous. However, as vices go, there are some far worse than gluttony.

Crickets, yummy. I'm dieting, you can have my share.

Exercise is good. Perhaps it deserves a separate topic. And you will see that others here endorsed alcohol, specialty brews in moderation, for instance. By focusing on exercise you do have an easy metric for your health. Do you measure your cholesterol, for instance? I go to AnyLabTest and get mine measured a couple of times a year.

What kind of lettuce? Most of the varieties are contra-indicated for health. Lettuce is green junk food. Perhaps you have more insight and awareness on that.

Everything else sounds delicious. Can I come over for breakfast?

I had not heard of VEGA Supplement. An Internet search returned this:
"Sequel Nationals Inc. dba “Vega” is recalling Vega One Nutritional Shakes and Sports Performance Protein products because they contain trace amounts of chloramphenicol (CAP), a naturally occurring antibiotic. Chloramphenicol is a prescription drug used to treat typhoid fever and eye infections. It should only be used under medical supervision. It can cause aplastic anemia and can cause allergic reactions in some people. Pregnant or lactating women should not take this drug.
None of the Vega products include CAP as an ingredient. But an enzyme provided by a third party supplier, which constitutes less than 1% of the product ingredients, had trace amounts of CAP. The products were distributed nationwide in retail stores. There have been no allergic reactions reported associated with the consumption of these products." -- https://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/201...

I am not convinced that a 1% antibiotic is cause for alarm. Just noting the alarm...

Just to expand on my terse reply... It is famous that hippie nutrition icons Euell Gibbons and Adelle Davis died young of cancer. As you said, genetics can be the defining factor. I also must insist that the quality of your life is something that you can control. While you seem blessed with an iron constitution, if you read the comments here, not everyone is. Even those who are would fare better with a better diet. ... at least that's our theory and we're sticking to it.

You can't "overcome" your inheritance, but you can improve your chances of a healthy life.

Thanks for the thumbnail bio. As you will see, you are not alone here in (1) having a health issue and (2) solving it with natural foods. You grow your own food. That's great.

Thanks! You know, of course, that others here will disparage grains. I am not the best enthusiast for grains. I recommend reading Against the Grain by Richard Manning. My review on "Rebirth of Reason" here: http://rebirthofreason.com/Spirit/Boo...

That being as it may, as I said, I too, am a fan of whole grains for breakfast.

I think that the bottom line is whether and to what extent you seek health and happiness. I believe that that makes for a better (longer) life.