Food and the INTP

[atom]

Any odd diets out there?

I buy the same things every time I go to the store because I consume most products in sync so I run out at the same time. I am a powerlifter so high protein content and carb intake are critical for me. I optimized according to:

1) Simplicity/lack of time commitment (50%)
2) Nutritional requirements (30%)
3) Cost (10%)
3) Taste/Flavor (10%)

I get 80% of my nutrition from:

Cereal (usually corn flakes)
Whey protein powder
Cottage cheese
Almonds
Fruit Jelly
Ice cream
Frozen fruit

I supplement with:
centrum
creatine
fish oil

I eat a school cafateria lunch several times a week with extra cartons of milk.

I drink 3 cans of diet coke a day for caffeine.

Weekly extras: 3-4 alcohol drinks
1x A can of tuna
1x pan grilled fish or steak
1-2x Meals out

So what do you eat and why? And why are the other posters dumb and wrong?

[outmywindow]

I'm lazy, but I also try to be conscientious. I've learned that there's a way to eat meals that are quick but that aren't just Hot Pockets or hamburgers.

As far as quick food is concerned, I eat a lot of cereal, usually some sort whole grain shredded wheat with low fat milk. I also eat a lot of hummus with whole wheat pita (lol, white people), or sandwiches using rye or the 'whole grain' sourdough breads that have lots of seeds in them. For meats, I'm partial to peppered salami, but if I'm splurging I'll go to the deli and get roast beef. Campbell makes a good chicken noodle soup that's supposedly 'all natural' and has whole wheat pasta, low sodium, etc. so I always have a few cans of it in the house.

If I cook something, I'll make a large amount of it and eat the same thing all week for dinner. I've been making lots of beans and rice using various brown rice mixes and different types of beans. I'll throw in some fresh vegetables at the very end of the cooking process, and top the whole thing with a bit of cheese. Not something I'd really want to serve a guest, but I think it's damn delicious. I'll never understand why beans and rice gets a bad rap.

If I don't bring my lunch to work (which happens more often than not), I'll get salads, maybe a bagel with cream cheese and a banana, or something similar. If I'm feeling particularly rich, I might get sushi. I try to eat some fish once a week -- it usually comes in the form of sushi, or more often, salmon lox.

All in all I'd say I only eat red meat two or three times a month, and I probably end up eating vegetarian four days out of seven. My big weaknesses are cheese and ice cream. Ice cream is easy enough not to buy, but with all the fancy cheese shops and independent bakeries in my area, I have a harder time turning down the idea of a meal consisting of a lump of cheese and freshly baked bread.

[LastRailway]

Laziness gets the best of me, usually, except for when I really feel like cooking (and I do cook really well).

I've never gotten into the habit of having breakfast. I used to drink a coffee at some point during the morning, but I've given coffee up, so no breakfast altogether.

I usually cook at night for dinner and for next day's lunch and it's usually some variety of rice and something.

Factors:
Quick to prepare: 40%
Cost: 35%
Taste: 20%
Easy to carry: 5%

It's mostly really rice and mushrooms or rice and curry, or rice and tomato/onion sauce, or rice and chickpeas, etc, or some random veggies and/or fish and/or chicken. Pasta & sauce when I'm really in mood of making a treat to myself.
Sometimes I skip dinner altogether and get myself a chocolate instead.

I always, under all circumstances, eat bread with all my meals.

[Resonance]

Factors:
Gluten-free: 100%
Cost: 90%
Easy: 50%
Tasty: 50%
Nutritious: 50%
High calorie content: 30%

[starla]

If I cook something, I'll make a large amount of it and eat the same thing all week for dinner. I've been making lots of beans and rice using various brown rice mixes and different types of beans. I'll throw in some fresh vegetables at the very end of the cooking process, and top the whole thing with a bit of cheese. Not something I'd really want to serve a guest, but I think it's damn delicious.

If I'm ever in your house, just know that if you served me this, it would probably be the best meal I'd have had in months. Both in terms of taste and nutrition.

I eat out a lot. If I eat at home, it's frozen soy nuggets, frozen pizza, or soy meat sandwiches. I snack on fruit if we have any and sometimes eat whatever cereal rhinosaur has put in the pantry, but mostly if I have dinner in, it's usually because it's too late to go out for dinner, so I just have a glass or two of wine. I know this isn't healthy, but I don't care. I don't enjoy eating that much, I enjoy cooking even less, and I absolutely hate cleaning the kitchen.

[atom]

Factors:
Gluten-free: 100%


I'm celiac too. I forgot to mention because I don't miss it.

[outmywindow]

If I'm ever in your house, just know that if you served me this, it would probably be the best meal I'd have had in months. Both in terms of taste and nutrition.

Heh. I remember when I was a kid we were quite poor and ate beans and rice for dinner a lot, back before it was healthy to do so. Apparently my mom was genuinely concerned that I'd feel neglected or something because if it, or that I'd develop some weird complex about food as a status symbol. In reality, it was -- and still is -- one of my favorite meals.

I have a question about gluten-free diets, and I want to preface it with the fact that in no way am I claiming you're all fakers. But, is it just me, or has the idea of the gluten allergy only recently come into existence? It might have more to do with me moving to a different area with a dramatically different subculture than it does the actual timing of the event, but I had never in my life heard of a gluten allergy until six or seven years ago when I came to the Bay Area for college. Not only is it a relatively new thing for me, but the number of people I encounter who say they have a gluten allergy has been increasing as time goes on. Is this the ADD of food issues, in that I'm sure there really are people who are allergic to gluten, but there's probably a larger number of people who are just buying into the marketing of gluten-free living? I apologize if I sound accusatory; I'm just very curious about this phenomenon.

[atom]

If I eat wheat I fart for 8-10 hours while food ferments in my gut instead of digesting properly. It takes very little.

No wheat, no bloated farting.

[teleforce]

unless i'm at home i usually eat a fair amount of brown rice, noodles, pasta, whatever veggies i have (broccoli and carrots or something), beans, some meat (mostly fish), cereal and blahblah. i don't go out to eat much because i'm a cheap/lazy ass, but i'll buy a sandwich or soup or whatever when i'm out somewhere for school-related or social reasons (?). when i'm home i like being a fucking pig though.

[outmywindow]

If I eat wheat I fart for 8-10 hours while food ferments in my gut instead of digesting properly.

No wheat, no bloated farting.
By this logic, cows are allergic to their natural diet.

I'm not saying you should put up with being uncomfortable, just that maybe it's not an allergy per se, but a preference. I dunno, for those who just get a little bloated -- as opposed to those who go into anaphylactic shock -- it seems like calling it an allergy is a little extreme. Maybe I'm just insensitive and have been jaded by all the hipsters who eat gluten-free simply because it gives them cred.

[!diom]

I don't eat any meat.
I try to eat organic as much as possible, with the obvious hierarchy being 100% organic > organic > made with organic ingredients.
I try to eat as much protein as possible, considering that I'm a 6'1 male who'll slowly wither away if I don't get at least 90 grams per day.
I try to pay attention to calcium, iron, B12, and omega-3s.
I eat almonds whenever possible. I recently discovered almond "milk".
I eat greens whenever possible. Collard greens and kale are my favorites.
Brown rice, brown rice, brown rice, brown rice.
Black beans, lentils, black beans, lentils, black beans, soy, lentils.
Cheese.
I always have apples, oranges, and bananas on hand.
Olive oil is used for just about anything that I cook.

As for eating out. I'm a sucker for pizza and quesadillas. In fact, I think I'm going to go get a quesadilla or vege burrito right the fuck now. Later in the day I'll probably have the ol' quinoa, black beans, kale, and miso-tahini sauce.

I'll have an orange too. And I'm going to try the Pacifics brand of almond drink today.

I always buy big jugs of water.

[atom]

Celiac isn't an allergy, its an immune response triggered by gluten. An immune response at the intestine walls leads to inflammation and poor digestion in the short term and, in the long term, if the irritation continues the walls of the intestines be affected permanently and be unable to pull in nutrients normally.

There is a lot of paranoid mumbo jumbo about wheat as well (i.e. gladiomorphone and the leaky gut) but celiac is real. There's a blood test for the antibodies. My mother's digestion is in irreparably terrible shape because she wasn't diagnosed until 50.

[Resonance]

By this logic, cows are allergic to their natural diet.

I'm not saying you should put up with being uncomfortable, just that maybe it's not an allergy per se, but a preference. I dunno, for those who just get a little bloated -- as opposed to those who go into anaphylactic shock -- it seems like calling it an allergy is a little extreme. Maybe I'm just insensitive and have been jaded by all the hipsters who eat gluten-free simply because it gives them cred.
Getting the equivalent of a rash on the inside of your intestines counts as an 'allergy' IMHO. Just because you don't need an epi-pen every time someone opens a box of cookies in the same city doesn't mean it doesn't qualify.

Basically what happens is the cilia on your intestines swell up and chafe off, so that they get shaved down to the smooth intestinal wall...which has about the same digestive capabilities as your tongue. They try to grow back, but if you ever eat wheat they swell up and break off again. Plus the scar tissue builds up.

Ditto on the 'mom near-irreparable age 50' thing.

And, as 'normal' as it might be, humans are not meant to shit fire. Agriculture may have gotten us where we are today but that doesn't mean we have to stick with it just out of tradition.

[foodeater]

Two packets of instant oatmeal with a few scoops of protein supplement/peanut butter and a glass of milk with ovaltine for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch if I have time, chicken thighs and rice for dinner (sometimes with vegetables if I remember to get them), and another protein shake, bananas, orange juice, V8, or oranges at some point during the day sometimes. I also take some fish oil and an multivitamin. Occasionally I'll get crazy and try something new, but usually I go with things that are cheap, don't take very long to make, and that I know taste good.

[s0978]

I'm often experimenting with my diet. Lately I've been eating mostly vegetables. Also beans, fruits, nuts, brown and wild rice, quinoa, eggs, fish, and chicken, but I've been eating these sparingly.

So meals are usually vegetables with a side of vegetables, or it's a medley of vegetables. Last night for instance, I roasted caulif, brussels sprouts, beets and chestnuts with thyme, and topped with parsley, lemon juice and walnut oil. Not too shabby.

So I've completely cut out bread, pasta, cereal and dairy. This was going to be temporary, but it's been a few weeks and I've not really missed them. And I've been feeling really good. I also think meals might be more satisfying without them. Not tastewise, but now I'm rarely looking for seconds or dessert, probably because my blood sugar is super stable. But, we'll see, because some romano or parmesan would be really awesome to top off my spaghetti squash.

[atom]

Two packets of instant oatmeal with a few scoops of protein supplement/peanut butter ... a protein shake for lunch if I have time, chicken thighs ... another protein shake...

What's your athletic endeavor of choice?

[pangolin]

I am both poor and live in a house with an asshole that mostly prevents me from using the kitchen. Also, my partner has no taste and this limits my food choices, so most of what I eat could be described as crap.

[Skinart]

Bananas. Other stuff too, but Bananas are a staple. If I don't have one or two a day things start going downhill. I seem to have difficulty maintaining adequate potassium. Bananas are a tasty way to avoid muscle cramps.

[foodeater]

What's your athletic endeavor of choice?

Right now it's lifting mostly. I started again a few months ago after around six months of eating ramen and sitting around doing nothing but it's going well. I want to get into rock climbing and/or archery at some point, and run more.

[rhuarch]

My food habits are terrible. I just really like food, and almost always eat too much if it's even remotely good. It's one of my few genuine sources of shame. If I let myself (and I sometimes do) I could eat a full, large meal every couple of hours. I am overweight, although considerably less so than one might expect considering how much I actually eat.

[kali]

I have weird food habits. I don't have proper meals. I just snack whenever I feel hungry. I could survive a day on plain bread and cigarettes. Sometimes I overeat, sometimes I undereat. I'm not health conscious. I was strictly vegan for 2 years (i'm not now) but other than that, I am not picky, I have low standards for food.

[composer]

We only eat grains, beans, vegetables and fruits in their unrefined form. No oils, sugars, white flours or animal parts or reproductive fluids. Here's a typical day


Breakfast - a multi grain cereal I make of barley, wheat, oats, corn meal, millet and buckwheat. Topped with Cinnamon and fruit, cooked for 10 minutes in a pressure cooker. Also usually some toast from my bread (see Lunch), sometimes some extras like grapefruit.
Lunch - a raw kale salad, homemade bread (Desem style, takes three days to make), apple and/or banana.
Dinner - a variety of soups or many other dishes. Tonight was a basic fallback, brown rice, steamed vegetables and homemade hummus (no oil recipie)


Cool thing is it makes me look 20 years younger than I am.

[outmywindow]

We only eat grains, beans, vegetables and fruits in their unrefined form. No oils, sugars, white flours or animal parts or reproductive fluids.
Since I don't think milk qualifies as a reproductive fluid (ie: it's not a fluid that causes or aides in the actual act of reproduction), I'm going to read this as you reassuring everyone that you do not consume animal semen or vaginal lubricants. Thank you for that.

[s0978]

No oils,
Why no oils? I thought the latest was that the right ones (organic, unrefined, cold pressed, poly- and monounsaturateds) make nutrients more bioavailable.


I've been making lots of beans and rice using various brown rice mixes and different types of beans. I'll throw in some fresh vegetables at the very end of the cooking process, and top the whole thing with a bit of cheese.
What are your favorite combos? My newest and latest is brown basmati/wild rice/kidney beans with cumin (the cumin is important) topped with collards. An old standby is cuban black beans over brown basmati topped with a fried egg.

[djm]

I will eat most things so long as they do not contain cheese.

When cooking I always cook from scratch ingredients and avoid anything in a packet. I won't eat convenience foods, or junk foods unless necessary.

Generally speaking my diet is pretty healthy and varied, but I do skip a lot of meals which probably is not good for me. I just have a high tolerance to hunger, and if busy tend not to bother with eating. It is not unusual for me to go a couple of days without eating, and is quite normal for me to skip eating for a day at least once a week. I would normally eat once a day only, unless food is put in front of me in which case I will eat what's on offer.

If I am thinking a lot then I need sugar and caffeine, usually via a combination of tea, Irn Bru and chocolate. Having said that I have made a conscious effort top reduce all three of those over the last six months or so.

[Resonance]

(the cumin is important)
I just 'discovered' cumin the other day. Definitely one for the ages.


Lentils/beans
I still find it very hard to eat lentils. I am pretty sure I have been preparing them correctly, but I haven't tried pressure cooking them... The only time I've actually found them tasty was in a soup my dad made with exotic spices where they were all ground up (like split pea soup.)

[djm]

I just 'discovered' cumin the other day. Definitely one for the ages.


I still find it very hard to eat lentils. I am pretty sure I have been preparing them correctly, but I haven't tried pressure cooking them... The only time I've actually found them tasty was in a soup my dad made with exotic spices where they were all ground up (like split pea soup.)

Red lentils go very well with bacon, grated carrots and tomatoes in a soup - splash of tabasco (or similar) doesn't go amiss either. Can even chuck in a spud and some parsnip. One of my winter staples that recipe.

[outmywindow]

What are your favorite combos? My newest and latest is brown basmati/wild rice/kidney beans with cumin (the cumin is important) topped with collards. An old standby is cuban black beans over brown basmati topped with a fried egg.
Last night I made a pot with two different kinds of brown rice, black barley, and radish seeds (sounds weird, but they're delicious and have great texture). When that had about three minutes left to cook I threw in some fresh green beans. Once it was done I mixed in a can of seasoned black beans and a bunch of roughly chopped fresh mushrooms. The mushrooms ended up kind of slimy, but they tasted good so I didn't mind. Last time I made this I had less rice and more beans; I think the ratio was better this time. The cheese is nothing fancy, just sharp cheddar. I put too much in my bowl last night, but tonight's dinner had a much better amount.

I have a dried bean mix with 17 different kinds of beans in it that I'm going to try next, just with plain brown rice and vegetables. Once I'm confident I won't overcook them into slimy bitterness, I want to try using asparagus in one of these concoctions.

[attila_the_hunny]

I could eat cow and potatoes for the rest of my life.

I eat a lot of chicken based Indian concoctions with basmati rice/couscous/naan. I'm really into chickpeas.

[outmywindow]

I could eat cow and potatoes for the rest of my life.
Me too. Bacon, potatoes, beef, cheese, bread. Although by no means do I have to force myself to eat what I do, there is never a moment that a huge piece of tri-tip doesn't sound delicious.

Or garlic fries with mounds of fresh-chopped garlic piled on top. That's another food that I could eat at any time.

[attila_the_hunny]

Me too. Bacon, potatoes, beef, cheese, bread. Although by no means do I have to force myself to eat what I do, there is never a moment that a huge piece of tri-tip doesn't sound delicious.

Or garlic fries with mounds of fresh-chopped garlic piled on top. That's another food that I could eat at any time.

Oh. Yeah.

[kali]

Today I had 2 apples!

I haven't eaten mashed potatoes in years.

[s0978]

radish seeds (sounds weird, but they're delicious and have great texture).
I will look for these.

And bean blends sounds like a great idea, thanks. I've only ever done it in soups.

[bluebell]

If I cook something, I'll make a large amount of it and eat the same thing all week for dinner. I've been making lots of beans and rice using various brown rice mixes and different types of beans. I'll throw in some fresh vegetables at the very end of the cooking process, and top the whole thing with a bit of cheese. Not something I'd really want to serve a guest, but I think it's damn delicious. I'll never understand why beans and rice gets a bad rap.


This, although I prefer tinned fish to beans. I don't do well with just legumes long-term (plus I kinda hope the fish oil in the tinned fish helps a little with the chronic inflammatory disease that I have).

I've served my brown rice and vegies and tinned fish (often baked in the oven with cheese on top) to nerdboy quite a few times now, and he always goes back for seconds and is happy taking some for lunch the next day. However, I have yet to serve it to anyone else, mostly cos I rarely have dinner guests cos I'm a slackass when it comes to socialising.

That said, I just had a bowl of muesli and skim milk for dinner. /lazy

[composer]

Oil is not a health food. The amounts you really need are pretty small. The food industry has done a good job of training us to think over eating all sorts of refined ($$) food is good for us.

And yes milk is a reproductive fluid, what else would it be, circulatory? Evolution didn't create it for us to stuff in our pie holes. It's for baby mammals.

[pangolin]

Oil is not a health food. The amounts you really need are pretty small. The food industry has done a good job of training us to think over eating all sorts of refined ($$) food is good for us.

And yes milk is a reproductive fluid, what else would it be, circulatory? Evolution didn't create it for us to stuff in our pie holes. It's for baby mammals.


Except of course if it (evolution) did. Which it did for a lot of people of northern European descent.

[Pooja]

Except of course if it (evolution) did. Which it did for a lot of people of northern European descent.

And Indian too. We don't worship cows for nothing.

Dairy is my "weak" spot. I love aged cheeses, dark chocolate, ice cream, skim milk with granola, milk in my coffee, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc... I've never had the slightest trouble digesting these foods.

Although I'm starting to become paranoid about consuming so much dairy. I'd love to switch to organic or soy, but it's about 3 times more expensive, and while I can afford it, I'm a cheap lady.

[Hustler]

Oil is not a health food. The amounts you really need are pretty small.

What you do need are EFAs. Most oil people encounter is processed, chemically treated, and is a poor source of EFAs. If you were to eat that oil, you would need to eat a lot of it to get the required amount of EFAs. However, if you were to eat raw, unfiltered, cold-pressed hempseed oil, you would only need between one and two tablespoons to get all of your daily EFA needs.

[Anonymous]

I buy/eat whatever I seem to be craving. It's worked pretty well so far. For breakfast, I have some overly-sugary oatmeal, toast, or a bagel, peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch (usually - sometimes a massive bratwurst hotdog), and a mixture of things for dinner. Usually an entree of pasta, burritos, or chicken and rice, and a side of raw veggies in ranch dressing. Lots of fruit throughout the day, probably too much.

Not especially healthy, and I've never bothered to look at nutrition. I find food incredibly dull and tedious most of the time, I was recently looking at the feasibility of eating only one meal per day. (It doesn't seem to be, although this article (http://www.fitconnect.com/blogs/Rusty/Eating-One-Meal-Per-Day-to-Get-Ripped-I-Know-it-Sounds-Crazy) suggests otherwise[/url]).

[greenblob]

I went on one meal a day for a semester, mainly because I was on the school's dining plan, which covered 113 meals for the semester and it was all-you-can-eat (or take-out, in my case, since I preferred to eat in my dorm rather than the dining hall) per meal.

[Anonymous]

I went on one meal a day for a semester, mainly because I was on the school's dining plan, which covered 113 meals for the semester and it was all-you-can-eat (or take-out, in my case, since I preferred to eat in my dorm rather than the dining hall) per meal.

Did your grades deviate from normal?

[zserf]

Since elementary school I've had the same stuff for breakfast and lunch. I just finished High school.

Breakfast: 2 eggo waffles and a class of milk.
Lunch: 3 oreos, 2 capri suns, and a turkey sandwich.

[Qfwfq]

My list probably contains apparent flaws resulting in nutritional deficiencies, characterized by my pale/skinny/near death complexion. Nevertheless, here is what I will regularly pick-up:

fruit: banana, mango, grapefruit, berries,jam, orange/fruit juices
vegies: a lot of spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms(for what they're worth), peas, green beans, carrots
nuts: almonds, pistachios, peanut butter
a couple litres of soy milk
a few pounds of tofu in a charade of familiar forms
starch: oatmeal, bread, rice, corn on the cob
supplements: vitamin D, iron, multivitamins (but I pop these irregularly)
General bullshit: chocolate, Fruit Loops, Reese's(the cereal) proceeded by a long list of unmentionable deliciousness I can't bother to remember.