I don't get it - I'm fine

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I eat nothing but peanut butter toast, cereal, eggs and oatmeal and I save a fortune. On top of that I keep in shape. My muscle recovery is fine - I'm growing. I drink protein (water) at the gym during my workouts. Everything in terms of growth and body fat reduction are going splendidly. On top of that, again, I am saving a fortune on groceries.


Why can't everyone live like this? I eat one egg at lunch with a package of oatmeal, a bowl of cereal in the morning and a piece of raisin toast with peanut butter for dinner. Sometimes I'll have a can of tuna, a whole can.

I can't live on peanut butter. It's too fattening and it has too much salt in it. I might be able to make it myself and eat it once a day but I wouldn't want it on bread. Celery instead. Your diet has a lot of carbohydrates.
I do like peanuts. I figure eating peanuts once a day is the same as eating peanut butter. I can find a bag of peanuts in the shells for $2.18. Not a bad price at all.

It's not fair that a majority of people have access and over consume on certain dishes while the rest of the world lives on staple foods such as rice albeit perfectly healthy. It makes more sense economically - why can't North Americans live on staples? The rest of the world had to do it - and still does it. Look how fit the Russians were and the people in Berlin who had to ration their food during the Cold War - and how fit the rest of the developing nations are. Sure - they don't eat much - but that's the whole point.

Some people get a lot of pleasure out of eating various foods, and asking them to eat like that would be like asking them to only listen to one song, or only have one episode of a sitcom to watch for the rest of their lives. Even if they really like that song or sitcom, most people need more variety in their lives.

You've never seen starvation in 3rd world countries? Even in places where people get "just enough" nourishment, it still stunts a child from growing to his possible potential.

It's funny to see a child of two people who only got "just enough," whereas the child got plenty. The child grows up to be much taller and stronger than the parents, even though he has their genetics. This is common in much of China and India when these people immigrate and reproduce in the Western World.

I pretty much live on beans these days. That's my staple. Low in fat, loaded with fiber, they give me plenty of energy while helping me maintain a normal weight. Two or three super foods are all anyone really needs. It also helps if you grow your own food. I grow my own veggies so I don't have to pay for them at the super market. Onions and tomatoes are super easy to grow. I also grow jalapenos and some herbs. All my plants are doing so well this season. They love the extended warmth and the humidity. If you grow your own food, you can do it cheaply and get a bit more variety.

Last edited by ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo on 20 Jun 2012, 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

what's missing is fruit and vegetables. i imagine you're not getting all the vitamins you need. bananas are cheap. as are strawberries in season. buy 'em at the right time and freeze 'em. check out a local co-op for economical produce.

One of the aspie traits I lack is the focused eating habits. White Widow is like Adam. Adam saves a fortune because dinner is always mac & cheese with broccoli. I've tried it, though, but it's just not me. I like spicy foods. I like Indian & Thai & Chinese & Japanese & Middle Eastern foods. Kinda the same with music. Even though I mostly listen to classical, I do have a collection of rock, jazz, blues, punk, metal, middle eastern, and folk music.

We all want things - but we can't have it all at once. And a large majority of us think that we're entitled to variety at a consistent rate. Or perhaps a large majority of us are unaware that calories are numbers and contribute to your satiety. And most people assume that they have satiety that needs to be met with large amounts of pasta or sandwiches - which isn't the case at all. Places like Fatburger or Wendy's could fill probably four people for a lunch if you order one cheese burger meal with fries. and It's like buying clothes. I have 6 shirts, 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of shorts, 2 pairs of workout shorts etc. We have enough resources to feed and clothe trillions but it's all segregated in developed nations and sold as a product - rather than a need. We need clothes - we need food. But we need to begin looking at our external options aside from consumption options. What options are there for the human race to equally distribute it's resources so that the game is fair and all basic needs are met? That's the real question we all need to ask ourselves. Because our consumption patterns will never change until our way of thinking changes. Perhaps brands such as Safeway needs to be nationalized and perhaps groceries would be a public enterprise and the profits would pay the farmers so the farmers could become government workers and food would be subsidized heavily and everyone would be fed. Oh well - too bad for safeway. They got bought out - now they can live a comfy life and the workers of safeway can still work in the grocery store but as government employees. Boom food crisis solved. And don't give me the "Yeah but government deciding what you eat is wrong" Well that doesn't void the invisible hand theory of the market - it would be a national run business operation on the supply and demand system

I found this right after I googled this
http://www.afcm.org/nationalizegroceries.html

Your diet does not fit everyone's needs. You are only one person, there are billions more people who are different than you and could benefit from a much larger variety of food and drink, and some require it. I know I couldn't consume just what you are and feel vibrant. Why should I let other people's lifestyle negatively effect mine? Just because so and so people do this, doesn't mean I should. Are you saying we should limit ourselves to a bland diet which is lacking in a long list of nutrients because other people do just fine with a very simple and plain diet? None of that sounds good to me. So many people are different. You shouldn't expect or want all people to eat what you do or how people with no choice do. No it's not fair that some people have to eat certain foods to live, but if it's healthy what is the complaint. Food shortage is a big deal, so is lack of secure clothing, but I have no control over that. I live in a area where there is a lot of food around too. Surely, if those same people who have no choice but to eat rice as a staple lived here and had enough money they would probably choose to have more variety as well. They don't though and I fail to see why their lifestyle should interfere with mine.

I believe you are saying you think because people are suffering in other parts of the world, we should have to eat like them, and that would actually fix something. But who is to say I don't consume a similar diet to them anyway, and how does that make my choices better than anyone else? I don't think it does honestly. Also, I think you are taking my text out of context. I never once said I am more deserving of filet mingnon or spinach dip, but if it's there, I may choose to have some, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. It feels like you are saying people should feel less deserving of eating what is around such as spinach dip or filets of meat, and to me that is a very rude thing to do if that is what you are saying. I find it silly that you even mention having protein drinks at the gym or other food items you mentioned consuming, like these suffering people have protein drinks and whatnot, or money for gym memberships. If you're going to complain about it, but contradict yourself, then I don't know what the point of this is, besides complaining, perhaps expressing guilt, or frustration with this "foodie" culture that so many parts of the world tend to have. My point is some people have the choice to eat a large variety and some do not, and if we choose to change our diet to mimic theirs, that's not helping the problem with starvation and suffering, and we are downgrading our lives due to such limitations, when we do not have to do that in order to make a difference. It is not right that people are suffering, but there is not much we can do outside of helping those who are needy, by getting involved in programs that gives to the needy, and giving them what we have but we only have so much to give as individuals. Other than that people can talk to government about it. See what they have to say about these issues. They do help people, but not enough to fix world hunger it seems. There are still people suffering from starvation and things like it in parts of the world where there is tons of food. A government generally aims to aid it's own first. It's not entirely up to our governments to help people far away either, they have their own parts of the world to look over, and let's not forget how governments can be corrupt. So it's not okay that people are suffering because they can't get food, and of malnutrition, but there have to be much better ways to better the way of life in poverty stricken parts of the world than say taking on their eating habits.

Well everyone LOVED what you're describing in the USSR. Also I feel your diet needs some vegetables, and you're being quite bourgeois with the whey protein at your gym. I mean seriously, Olympic weightlifters in Eastern Europe didn't have whey protein in the 50s-60s, and they were strong, why do you need it? Also, tuna by the pound in the can is quite expensive, why don't you buy mackerel instead?

You're being a dick about it, but I do mostly agree with you. People are like "GROCERIES ARE SO EXPENSIVE" then they have a cart full of Hot Pockets and frozen dinners. I think all we need to make the food situation be reasonable in this country again is just make it so people have to cook their food from scratch. No need to make people live on rice and oatmeal forever, but I just want people to cook food from scratch again. That'd solve the obesity problem in this country, really, if people just cooked their food from scratch.

But yes, I don't think of myself as being so smart as to think I'd be good at imposing my standards upon others. Also, did you buy your clothing new? I buy almost all my clothes used, I have a ton, but all my shirts are like 50c each. So even though I got dozens of tshirts, I've spent less than you have on your couple shirts.

People are conditioned to believe they need hamburgers from an early age.

Yes, you need some fresh foods in a variety of colors, especially greens.

A majority of people don't live with excess, if you look at the world as a whole. Most people in the world don't have enough. If you can afford a gym you're doing quite well compared to them, and even compared to a lot of people in well developed countries.

Other than that, you're right. We find we can eat very well fairly cheaply by cooking it ourselves rather than eating out or purchasing any prepared foods. Cooking from scratch and cutting back on meat is inexpensive and healthier. But we also make sure we get our fruits and veggies, eat a variety of foods, and take supplements.

Last edited by SpiritBlooms on 21 Jun 2012, 3:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.

It also depends on the person's metabolism. I cook lots of pasta dishes and also fried foods and high fat and calorie foods. We all eat the same amount of the same food and only my younger daughter is overweight. I am cooking differently for her now but the rest of us eat foods and amounts of foods that would put a lot of weight on people, yet we are all on the lower side of normal weight for our height.

I also wouldn't want to just eat a handful of foods simply because other people have to. If my husband makes enough money for us to eat a good variety of foods, there is no reason we shouldn't. If for some reason the government decided to ration our foods, and it wasn't because of something like happened in WWII, then I for one would be right behind the militias in fighting a revolution. Sharing is one thing, being forced to share is something completely different.

Not everyone can live like this because not everyone has the vitamin and mineral reserves that you are coasting on. I am presuming (could be wrong) that you were required to eat at least some fruits and vegetables while your parents controlled your food choices and now that they don't you can coast on the vitamin and mineral reserves they put in you.

But that doesn't last forever. At some point (which will be different for everyone) those reserves run out and then your health starts to falter. At that point, you either add vegetables and fruits or your health suffers. The 5 raisins per day that you are getting from the raisin toast don't make much difference.

How do people living on subsistence diets do it? Simple. Their health suffers. Just because they haven't literally died of starvation doesn't mean they are healthy. They are staying alive but in poor health. When the opportunity presents itself, they eat fruits and vegetables as much as they can.

You won't die of starvation on this diet and neither do the people who eat a similar subsistence diet. But you will deplete your vitamin and mineral supplies and will have to add vegetables and fruits (or just vegetables, if you prefer) once that depletion kicks in. This is an emergency diet that saves money in the short term, not a diet to stick to in the long term or advise anybody else to do.