# Oh gawd, it's Victim and another of his whacked-out theories...



## Victim (Aug 14, 2008)

This one concerns health and the variety of foods that we eat. Like other BHM, I tend to eat a lot. No surprise there, alot of us here do. Much of the time we are eating a lot of the exact same thing. 

Nutritional science has identified many of the minerals we need, and chemical compounds they call vitamins (so what makes them decide it is important enough to be called a vitamin?) Yet every so often we hear on the news that such-and-such will decrease your risk of <whatever>. There are so many of these now that it really isn't possible to eat all of them in the recommended quantities every day, even if you pack away as much as I do. There are so many possible compounds that could aid us that we don't even know about yet. 

What I'm thinking about trying is to eat as many different foods from as many different sources as possible to see if my overall health can improve. I'm not going to eat less, just much more variety.

Sandwiches: Many different kinds of meats, cheeses, multigrain whole grain breads. Tiny bits of many different condiments.
Drinks: Mixed juices, sodas with many natural flavorings (Dr. Pepper), don't drink the same exact soda/drink all the time. 
Seasonings: Mixed seasonings instead of just salt and pepper. Blends of similar herbs where usually just one is called for. 
Staples: Use different varieties of potatoes, rice, oats, etc. when cooking.
Vegetables: Get mixed veggies if I have to buy frozen. 
Snacks: Even processed foods can vary in origin. Instead of eating a whole bag of Doritos, I'll try a few Doritos, some mixed nuts, a few potato chips, etc. Sure these won't do me much good, but you never know.

Probably a lot more that I haven't thought of yet.


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## Risible (Aug 14, 2008)

If you do your own cooking, Victim, it's easy to change up your diet and incorporate a variety of healthy and low-fat foods. In addition to the seasonings you mentioned, try herbs. Many fresh herbs can be kept in the fridge for a couple or several weeks. Fresh vegetables and fruits are really satisfying to work with.

The biggest obstacles to a varied, balanced diet, IMO, are it's not always convenient to make food at home, and it's a lot of money to buy one or two weeks' worth of groceries at a time. I have to say, though, it only takes about an hour or less and 15-20 bucks to make a big pot of hot, tasty soup that lasts for several meals and impresses the heck out of people.


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## SocialbFly (Aug 14, 2008)

Risible said:


> If you do your own cooking, Victim, it's easy to change up your diet and incorporate a variety of healthy and low-fat foods. In addition to the seasonings you mentioned, try herbs. Many fresh herbs can be kept in the fridge for a couple or several weeks. Fresh vegetables and fruits are really satisfying to work with.
> 
> The biggest obstacles to a varied, balanced diet, IMO, are it's not always convenient to make food at home, and it's a lot of money to buy one or two weeks' worth of groceries at a time. I have to say, though, it only takes about an hour or less and 15-20 bucks to make a big pot of hot, tasty soup that lasts for several meals and impresses the heck out of people.



Like me!!


(why wont it just let me post this message, blah..)


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## olwen (Aug 14, 2008)

So a vitiam is an essential organic compound that can't be synthesized by the body in large quantities. Your body can't regulate and maintain all it's systems without them. The only way to get them all without supplements is to eat a varied diet. Difficult to do if you're poor or in an area with out much food variation. 

If you live in an area with a supermarket that has those small bagged packets of herbs for about a dollar each you can get lots of different spices. Get a cookbook and go crazy and experiment. And soup really is the easiest thing to make. You can throw whatever is in the fridge into a pot and cook up a decent soup.


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## BeaBea (Aug 21, 2008)

When it comes to getting vitamins and minerals from Fruit and Veg the latest advice I read is to make sure there are as many different colours on your plate as possible. When advice is straightforward and easy to follow like this I'm far more inclined to follow it than any long scientific explanation - plus it's fun and I like having a pretty plate of fruit!

Bottom line, there might be something in what your suggestion Victim, go for it and let us know the results.

Tracey


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