Is there any background nutritional information on eating the same foods every day? Specifically beans and rice?
I am being told it is unhealthy not to vary your diet.
Repetitive diet and nutrition
If your diet contained all the essential nutrients it wouldn't matter if it was repetitive, but if is only two foods then that probably would be a concern.
We need 11 amino acids (protein) and 2 fatty acids from diet.
We need 13 vitamins: A, B (8 kinds), C, D, E and K.
We also need 13 trace minerals, primarily potassium, chlorine, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium (in that order). The other 7 we need only in tiny amounts. (4 others, in even smaller amounts, may have some function).
A lack of any of these will cause nutritional deficiency.
No one (or two) foods has all of them.
If you had a balanced diet over the course of the day which contained all of those things, you could eat it every day and be all right.
We need 11 amino acids (protein) and 2 fatty acids from diet.
We need 13 vitamins: A, B (8 kinds), C, D, E and K.
We also need 13 trace minerals, primarily potassium, chlorine, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium (in that order). The other 7 we need only in tiny amounts. (4 others, in even smaller amounts, may have some function).
A lack of any of these will cause nutritional deficiency.
No one (or two) foods has all of them.
If you had a balanced diet over the course of the day which contained all of those things, you could eat it every day and be all right.
@sky,
Different people of the world have been eating the (same old boring) repetitive stuff for centuries now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cuisine#Tamil_Nadu
Rice and legumes play an important role in Tamil cuisine. Lentils are also consumed extensively, either accompanying rice preparations, or in the form of independent dishes. Vegetables and dairy products are essential accompaniments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cuisine#Kerala
Coconuts grow in abundance and consequently, grated coconut and coconut milk are widely used in dishes. Rice is grown in abundance, and could be said, along with tapioca (manioc/cassava), to be the main starch ingredient used in Kerala food.
Another one....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of ... ice_dishes
And I don't find pygmies, midgets and deformed people amidst them
! and they don't really die of malnutrition either. And most are as physically fit as any other average demographic of the World. 
We live long enough and don't walk drooped and near-dead.... I sometimes think this quotation is true about the modern food industry!
Also, It is the seasoning that we use for preparing the foods. They have significant benefits.
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/0 ... ecipes.htm
Some misconceptions, hopefully addressed.
http://indianfood.about.com/od/thebasic ... ptions.htm
Talking on the health aspect, my non-Indian friends never cease to be amazed at the multitude of Indian vegetables that are part of Indian cooking. Now take those vegetables and multiply them times hundred by cooking methods and what you have is delicious food that is also seriously good for you! Who wouldn't want to eat their greens if they were dished up like that?
IMO, that quote above is the hallmark of the cuisine. Lots and lots and lots of veggies. Most of us have a good laugh when this is psycho-analysed, overly-rationalised.....ridiculed...... mostly by syndicated press columns in national dailies and non-Indians.
While I try some local vegetarian cuisine wherever I go, I have eaten variants of the above three cuisines ALL my life and I am very fit (not Jacob level fit) but fit enough to run half-marathons, practice martial arts etc.. I am also a hardcore lacto-vegan, so there's another golfing handicap to add to my list.
Your choice. Take it whatever way you like. If you are interested, there's a longish post on Indian pressure cooker recipes here.
Ciao for now, I am off to cook a nice / evening / spinach / meal. Yum!
Different people of the world have been eating the (same old boring) repetitive stuff for centuries now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cuisine#Tamil_Nadu
Rice and legumes play an important role in Tamil cuisine. Lentils are also consumed extensively, either accompanying rice preparations, or in the form of independent dishes. Vegetables and dairy products are essential accompaniments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cuisine#Kerala
Coconuts grow in abundance and consequently, grated coconut and coconut milk are widely used in dishes. Rice is grown in abundance, and could be said, along with tapioca (manioc/cassava), to be the main starch ingredient used in Kerala food.
Another one....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of ... ice_dishes
And I don't find pygmies, midgets and deformed people amidst them
! and they don't really die of malnutrition either. And most are as physically fit as any other average demographic of the World. We live long enough and don't walk drooped and near-dead.... I sometimes think this quotation is true about the modern food industry! Also, It is the seasoning that we use for preparing the foods. They have significant benefits.
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/0 ... ecipes.htm
Some misconceptions, hopefully addressed.
http://indianfood.about.com/od/thebasic ... ptions.htm
Talking on the health aspect, my non-Indian friends never cease to be amazed at the multitude of Indian vegetables that are part of Indian cooking. Now take those vegetables and multiply them times hundred by cooking methods and what you have is delicious food that is also seriously good for you! Who wouldn't want to eat their greens if they were dished up like that?
IMO, that quote above is the hallmark of the cuisine. Lots and lots and lots of veggies. Most of us have a good laugh when this is psycho-analysed, overly-rationalised.....ridiculed...... mostly by syndicated press columns in national dailies and non-Indians.
While I try some local vegetarian cuisine wherever I go, I have eaten variants of the above three cuisines ALL my life and I am very fit (not Jacob level fit) but fit enough to run half-marathons, practice martial arts etc.. I am also a hardcore lacto-vegan, so there's another golfing handicap to add to my list.
Your choice. Take it whatever way you like. If you are interested, there's a longish post on Indian pressure cooker recipes here.
Ciao for now, I am off to cook a nice / evening / spinach / meal. Yum!
You can spot-check a particular diet by looking up the foods' nutritional content in the USDA database ( http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ ), adding things up, and comparing to suggested daily intakes. There are websites such as fitday.com that will do this for you.
I played around with this a few years back, and found that if you eat literally 2-3 ingredients, you will have problems. However a multivitamin would probably fix that. If you live on 2-3 ingredients and have occasional treats, or one different meal per week, you'll probably be fine.
I played around with this a few years back, and found that if you eat literally 2-3 ingredients, you will have problems. However a multivitamin would probably fix that. If you live on 2-3 ingredients and have occasional treats, or one different meal per week, you'll probably be fine.
I am going on my third week of eating beans, rice and tortillias for dinner, except Sundays, which is anything but beans, rice and tortillias.
This is causing spousal anxiety and I just wanted to assure her that the diet is healthy. I feel like my health is improving, to be honest. The anxiety may have more to do with me not eating her (excellent but rich) cooking, or the fact that she now only has to cook for herself and has changed her own diet.
This has been a positive experiment so far, I enjoy the food, I am refining my favorite recipes on how to cook beans and rice, and most importantly, reducing food costs.
This is causing spousal anxiety and I just wanted to assure her that the diet is healthy. I feel like my health is improving, to be honest. The anxiety may have more to do with me not eating her (excellent but rich) cooking, or the fact that she now only has to cook for herself and has changed her own diet.
This has been a positive experiment so far, I enjoy the food, I am refining my favorite recipes on how to cook beans and rice, and most importantly, reducing food costs.
sky,
If you are just going after reduced cost, think about short sales. Eat a rice and beans base, when it's just you. But when preparing food for the two of you, add short sale items. (Currently in one of this week's sales, I can make a meal of brats, buns, and sauerkraut for about $2 to $4 for two.)
While not as cheap as rice and beans, it's still at least a magnitude order less than a restaurant meal!
If you are just going after reduced cost, think about short sales. Eat a rice and beans base, when it's just you. But when preparing food for the two of you, add short sale items. (Currently in one of this week's sales, I can make a meal of brats, buns, and sauerkraut for about $2 to $4 for two.)
While not as cheap as rice and beans, it's still at least a magnitude order less than a restaurant meal!
I am going on my third week of eating beans, rice and tortillias for dinner,[....]
More power to you, my man!
This is causing spousal anxiety and I just wanted to assure her that the diet is healthy. [.....] The anxiety may have more to do with me not eating her (excellent but rich) cooking.
Tell me about it! Been there myself! When Jacob mentioned "Warrior diet" in the blog, I got a little bit inspired... The arguments made sense, especially the "How much grub does an office dweeb (such as I was then) really need during the day?"
DW gave me the all-too-familiar look, marched me to the mirror, pointed and said, "I don't know who you might be seeing there in the reflection, but I certainly don't see a Genghis Khan or Emperror Hannibal, and there's certainly no Alexander the Great looking back from the mirror!So, come and have the nice, hot Upma I made for breakfast!"
Needless to say, that ended the "inspired moment"
The anxiety may have more to do with me not eating her (excellent but rich) cooking, or the fact that she now only has to cook for herself [.....]
Yes, as you can see from her response, I think those were the important concerns for DW also
But if you prepare some Mediterranean/Indian/Mexican rice+bean dishes you might win her over, because unlike me, you are not talking about skipping meals I'm not even married and my SO gives me so much trouble about my unvaried diet. I love eating the same 2 or so meals per season. In winter, it's mostly lentil soup. In summer, lots of "liquefied tomato salad", as she says in disgust. I'm not even trying to save money this way.
"How can you eat the same thing day in and day out!?" I just like it!
"How can you eat the same thing day in and day out!?" I just like it!