Suggestions for a Simpler Living

[iBee]

Hi Friends,

 

Appreciated in advance for reading this post and sharing some of your thoughts that would value me on my search for a fruitful living.

 

I have always inspired for a much simpler living especially in this fast paced society.  For recent years back, my health has suffered due to an intake of imbalance foods and a hectic lifestyle.  Visits to the doctors were frequent.  After recent meeting up with a long time friend whom I have not met for years,  he has improved in his health and he quitted smoking.  He shared with me briefly about a balanced living.  

 

I started to change a lot of things about my diet. I drink green tea instead of having 3 cups of coffee daily.  I take soy milk instead of milk, tofu instead of meat.  I said no no to candy and sweets and I take plenty of fruits.  

 

This is a little small step that I have taken towards in changing my lifestyle.  

 

Any suggestions for a much inspiration lifestyle is much appreciated.

 

Cheers..... 

Edited October 27, 2015 by iBee

[AussieTrees]

Hello iBee,

 

Your journey to inspirational lifestyle has already begun,continue your search and your path will become clear.

[soaring crane]

Hi iBee

 

One thing I notice, you're relying on clichés about healthy food, and I think you migt be disappointed with the results over time.

 

The first thing to do is minimize sugar intake. View all carbohydrates as sugar, because that's what they are. Sugar is absolutely vital to life functions (as made clear in the link I posted about the organisms that live on electricity), but it's in virtually everything, including meats, and we get all we need and then some when we stick to a protein/fat-based diet. Every excess molecule of sugar can be viewed as poison that wears down and ages the organism over time, and not that much time is involved in the process.

 

I don't personally like to eat much meat, and when I do, it's generally local, often game (boar or deer) from local hunters. But I eat lots of fresh eggs and fish (also often local, trout, carp, often smoked). A typical meal for me would be three eggs and an assortment of colorful, chopped vegetables, fried up in olive oil, with a variety of spices (my staples are tumeric and cumin, plus chili and miso), often with some chunks of oily fish tossed into the mix.

 

Eat breakfast! Don't snack!

 

Also, coffee is wonderful, healthy stuff, but you have to prepare it correctly, and drink it without sugar, of course.

 

You have the right attitude and whatever you do, I'm sure you'll turn out fine :-)

[iBee]

Greetings Soaring Crane

 

Thank you very much for your wise suggestions.

 

I have tried (still trying) to cut down on sugar intake.  I used to cherish for chocolates, for how satisfying to feel all impurities to be washed away with the chocolates really melts your heart,  but hidden guilty feelings will manifest themselves after that.   I love fried food too (e.g. fried vegetables, chickens, etc) but all these food does not serve much nutrition.  And I love snacks (oh dear haha).... but will try to cut on this. 

 

Apology for this sense of humor, for sometimes it takes an outsider (like yourself) to point out the interest in things that they have become familiar in our daily life.

 

With great thanks......

[soaring crane]

Just want to point out that where I wrote "fried", I was referring to lightly stir-fried in a skillet :-)

 

But I do use a lot of oil, no doubt.

[Andrei]

Use coconut oil for stir frying or butter/ghee. But if you are a man you should avoid at all costs tofu or any soy product. If you are a woman avoid tofu only if you are estrogen/ovarian type (large hips and fat deposits mostly on hips). Otherwise what soaring crane said.

[soaring crane]

Use coconut oil for stir frying or butter/ghee. 

 

coconut oil for stir frying can get expensive ... I mostly use olive oil, and plain butter

[gatito]

When you fry with oils it's best to choose an oil with a high smoke point. The smoke point for oils is the temperature at which the oil starts to give off smoke and burn.

 

Why olive oil should be kept out of the frying pan: -

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/wellbeing/diet/10970070/Why-olive-oil-should-be-kept-out-of-the-frying-pan.html

 

[soaring crane]

When you fry with oils it's best to choose an oil with a high smoke point. The smoke point for oils is the temperature at which the oil starts to give off smoke and burn.

 

Why olive oil should be kept out of the frying pan: -

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/wellbeing/diet/10970070/Why-olive-oil-should-be-kept-out-of-the-frying-pan.html

 

sorry to be confrontational but that myth has been debunked, time and again. The warning about the smoke point is (probably) correct in general, but there's no reason not to use olive oil for normal stir-frying at home.

 

edit: good quality olive oil (or any oil). If the oil contains impurities, then it may well go up in smoke sooner than it should.

[gatito]

No need to apologise for confronting me about a difference in opinion (as long as you're polite about it - which I think you almost invariably are). It can help considerably in clarifying an issue - particularly when it's done in a civilised manner.

 

And (to clarify ) I agree with you that there's no reason to not use olive oil if you don't exceed the smoke-point temperature.

 

However, I specifically don't use olive oil for stir frying because it can be quite difficult to spot the smoke point when stir frying.

[AussieTrees]

Hi iBee,

 

Fasting maybe a good start.

 

Food of all soughts is available,hence we are all getting fat.

 

A few days fasting,helps change our perception and perspective.

 

Try it for yourself.

[thelerner]

coconut oil for stir frying can get expensive ... I mostly use olive oil, and plain butter

I like ghee.  Takes a high temp, and has a nice buttery nutty taste. 

 

For keeping things simple its nice to make a big pot of soup/stew at the beginning of the week and enjoy it for a few days. 

[gatito]

What oil is your personal preference for stir-frying?

 

Rapeseed - which is said to be toxic! I don't do a lot of stir-frying though..

 

BTW you can get highly refined olive oil that's got a high smoke-point. Very few things are absolutes...

[soaring crane]

Canola/Rapeseed (a pretty unfortunate name, but it's an old word) is pretty popular here in Germany, too, and a preferred oil for cooking. We have it in the house, but only organic quality. It's also an industrial product, used for "bio-diesel" among other things, so quality can vary wildly.

 

Olive oil is good stuff, the best as far I'm concerned. The smoke point of good olive oil is well below anything you'll acheive on your stovetop. Problems begin if you're using a wok with a gas burner. Those get crazy hot and you need special oils for them. Peanut oil is good for that, and you only need a tiny amount. 

[gatito]

In the U.S. I can find canola easily. I did not know that rapeseed is said to be toxic. But this article explains why canola was invented: to remove/reduce toxicity. Thanks for mentioning that point. 

 

Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned it because it's not been established that the erucic acid that you'd ingest in low quantities from rapeseed oil would cause any harm and the glucosinolates that were also selectively bred out of canola are thought to be important in mitigating some cancers.

 

Apologies to the OP - it's belatedly dawned on me that this probably doesn't count as a suggestion for simpler living. However, in my defense, suggesting that it's better to fry with high smoke point oils was good advice.

[gatito]

Canola/Rapeseed (a pretty unfortunate name, but it's an old word) is pretty popular here in Germany, too, and a preferred oil for cooking. We have it in the house, but only organic quality. It's also an industrial product, used for "bio-diesel" among other things, so quality can vary wildly.

 

Olive oil is good stuff, the best as far I'm concerned. The smoke point of good olive oil is well below anything you'll acheive on your stovetop. Problems begin if you're using a wok with a gas burner. Those get crazy hot and you need special oils for them. Peanut oil is good for that, and you only need a tiny amount. 

 

Now I'm going to disagree with you.

 

Good quality (cold-pressed extra virgin) olive oil is not the best olive oil for frying - it's those that are cheaper and highly refined that generally have the highest smoke points.

 

Edit to add: -

 

Emphasis + smiley above in an attempt to remove the possibility that this was intended to be critical and...

 

Re: Suggestions for a Simpler Living: -

 

<advice to self>

 

In future avoid even apparently simple online "conversations" as they invariably become more and more complicated...

 

</advice to self>

 

Edited October 29, 2015 by gatito