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A cooking show said, if there was only 1 food to eat you can live a very long time on dried beans or beans in a can. Not green beans. No information of food value?

TV New said, potatoes are the #1 most popular vegetable in the USA. No information about food value?

Science show said, Corn is #1 food in several countries people will starve to death without corn. No information of food value?

I did Google search for, Which vegetable has the most food value and get answers about healthy & nutritious. You can not live on a garden of only spinach.

Spinach is #1 healthy. No information on food value.

Green Peas #1 also according to another source most heathy.

Swiss chard also most heathy.

Most nutritious, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, kale. Can you survive on nothing but carrots?

Vegetarian cook book says, beans & rice is a good meat substitute.

Another source said, beans & corn or beans & potatoes, = to meat.

If a person had to live from the food you grow what are the top, 1,2,3,4,5,6, in order, what vegetables will keep you alive?

Hard to say what's the healthiest veggie on the planet. I thought broccoli was one of the healthiest. No one can survive on JUST vegetables, eventually you'd get anemic like a cousin of mine did many years ago. Humans are meant to consume meat. In the Bible it says John the Baptist thrived on locusts and honey. I'll die before I eat grasshoppers. Honey on the other hand I can't see as being healthy as veggies. And fresh veggies are healthier than canned veggies I assume.

If I had to choose, I'd live on just broccoli because it's my favorite veggie.

Local vegetarian restaurant serves this for lunch, bean, rice, tofu tacos, it is very good. Tofu is like eating a soft white cheese, taco sauce makes it taste good. Herbs in tofu when it is make adds flavor.

Cooking TV show showed, Vietnam, Thailand, & another place where people build traps to catch bugs to eat. Instead of straying to kill, cockroaches, ants, termites, birds, worms, spiders, like we do, they eat them it is protein. The man doing the TV show said, total absents of all wild life here everything is eaten even dogs & cats. When I was in college half a century ago foreign exchange students would get all the free dogs & cats it was free food for them.

There are ways of living on just vegetables, and many people do that, but you have to eat a lot of different things, to get everything you need. Look at history if you want to see how bad potatoes or corn are, when famines developed in some areas where people were trying to live on almost just those foods! Yet the Mayans (or maybe before them) figured out how simply treating corn - nixtamalization - made more of those nutrients available, and this was, and is, the main food in many areas, though they also have some other very good things, such as dried beans. You also can't survive on just white rice, but many people have this as their main food, but add a lot of much more nutritious foods to it, many of the areas using a lot of brassicas - some of the most nutritious foods out there.

I think I remember, that potatoes are one of the highest in terms of food value. When potato blight hit Ireland, that is when people realized how many poor Irishmen starved because potatoes were the mainstay of their diet. For myself, I would be more specific and instead of potatoes, I would say sweet potatoes which are unrelated to potatoes probably have a higher value. Not only because of the starches and vitamins but because the leaves are also edible.

The potato is a moderate source of iron, and its high vitamin C content promotes iron absorption. It is a good source of vitamins B1, B3 and B6 and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and contains folate, pantothenic acid and riboflavin.

Sweet potatoes are also high in vitamins, minerals, and beta carotene. It also has good amounts of fiber and antioxidants, and estrogen like compounds.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sw ... o-benefits

Sweet potato leaves are cooked as a vegetable in many parts of the world. They are rich in vitamin B, beta carotene, iron, calcium, zinc and protein, and the crop is more tolerant of diseases, pests and high moisture than many other leafy vegetables grown in the tropics.

Taro would also be a substitute for potatoes. In the tropics, it is easier to grow than potatoes. It is also hypo allergenic. Taro in bottles or frozen, is yucky, but it has complete nutrition and there have been instances where it has been used for people who have extreme allergies to food. It is mostly carbs, but contains a good amount of vitamins and minerals. It is also a very good source of fiber and because it contains some resistant starch, it is better for diabetics since it does not spike blood sugar as much as other types of carbs.

One cup (132 grams) of cooked taro has 187 calories — mostly from carbs — and fewer than one gram each of protein and fat (1).

It also contains the following:

Fiber: 6.7 grams
Manganese: 30% of the daily value (DV)
Vitamin B6: 22% of the DV
Vitamin E: 19% of the DV
Potassium: 18% of the DV
Copper: 13% of the DV
Vitamin C: 11% of the DV
Phosphorus: 10% of the DV
Magnesium: 10% of the DV

Thus, taro root has good amounts of various nutrients that people often don’t get enough of, such as fiber, potassium, magnesium and vitamins C and E
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-taro-root#1
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/taro-root-benefits

Beans for sure is a good source of vegetable protein, carbs and vitamins. As a bonus they are cheap and dried beans store a long time. Fava beans though should not be consumed by individuals with favism,(a genetic disorder), since they lack the enzyme G6PD. This deficiency actually helps people who live in countries where malaria is endemic. It is a recessive trait and will not express itself unless the trait is inherited from both parents.
ttps://www.healthline.com/nutrition/beans-101#what-they-are

Cruciferous vegetables. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, mustards, arugula, turnips,and radishes. Nutrient values are better if the vegetables are not cooked or only lightly cooked. Many Chinese restaurants will soak vegetables in baking soda to wash them keep them crisp and green. However, boiling vegetables with baking soda reduces the vitamin value of the vegetables. So, if you use baking soda to wash your vegetables, rinse them well with water.

"Cruciferous vegetables are low-calorie, and rich in folate, vitamins C, E, and K, and fiber. Fiber is an important nutrient to incorporate if weight loss is the goal, as it helps keep you fuller longer.

Cruciferous vegetables are also good sources of phytonutrients, which are plant-based compounds that may help lower inflammation and reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Also present in cruciferous vegetables are glucosinolates. These chemicals are not only responsible for the aroma and flavor of these plants, but they have also been shown to have anticancer effects. According to the National Cancer InstituteTrusted Source, studies in rats and mice have demonstrated that indoles and isothiocyanates, the compounds that form from broken down glucosinolates, protect cells from DNA damage, inactivate carcinogens, and have antibacterial and anti-viral effects."

https://www.healthline.com/health/food- ... s#Arugula-
recipe

Whole foods are best. Brown rice instead of white rice. I don't like brown rice, so at best I can eat hapa rice which is a mixture of brown and white rice. Rice is a staple in the Pacific and Asia. It is a major source of carbs but it is never eaten alone. It is usually eaten with a good amount of vegetables cooked and preserved. (not so much raw. Raw foods have their issues. Fermented foods are sometimes the best way to preserve foods especially in hot humid climates where refrigeration is limited.) If you see my refrigerators, they are packed with staples like bread, cereal, pasta,and flour since bugs will emerge from them if they sit on the shelf long enough.) Rice is packed better now, I used to have to put the rice in the freezer for a month to kill any eggs that may be in the rice. I still put bay leaves in the rice bucket and wash out the bucket before adding a new bag of rice to it. This would not be a problem, but it can take me over 6 months to use a 20 lb bag of rice. Most people here would eat that in less than a month. Twenty pound bags of rice are scarcer now, 15 lb bags are more common and they cost more than the 20 lb bags did before. Costco does sell 50 and 100 lb bags. It is more economical for larger families, but I could not even lift that. Fermented foods have many health benefits such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-atherosclerotic activity.

Most vegans use nutritional yeast as a protein source. Vegans need to balance their proteins and usually take vitamin B supplements because the best source of some B vitamins is red meat. Ovo, lacto, pisco, vegetarians don't have as much problems balancing the nutrients in their diet.

Actually, a colorful plate is always the best. White foods, processed foods should be limited. All the colors of the rainbow like carrots, colored vegetables, berries, avocado, and less starchy/sweet fruits. Bananas are the most popular fruit, but a serving is half a banana. Who eats half a banana?!

The American Academy of Pediatrics stance has been that for kids, it is more important to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat or fat free dairy. It is probably good advice for adults too. Adults learned their eating preferences in childhood, so to avoid picky eaters, it is best to offer the healthy food early and limit the processed and sugary snacks that can become so addictive and readily available. In food deserts healthy food is more expensive and hard to find.

American Academy of Pediatrics weighs in for first time on organic foods for children. Summary: ... "What's most important is that children eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, whether those are conventional or organic foods.Oct 22, 2012

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 13, 2021 11:42 am

There are ways of living on just vegetables, and many people do that, but you have to eat a lot of different things, to get everything you need. Look at history if you want to see how bad potatoes or corn are, when famines developed in some areas where people were trying to live on almost just those foods! Yet the Mayans (or maybe before them) figured out how simply treating corn - nixtamalization - made more of those nutrients available, and this was, and is, the main food in many areas, though they also have some other very good things, such as dried beans. You also can't survive on just white rice, but many people have this as their main food, but add a lot of much more nutritious foods to it, many of the areas using a lot of brassicas - some of the most nutritious foods out there.

This is very interesting information to read minutes before eating a pot of 15 bean soup for dinner. Yesterday I bought a 10 lb ham with bone for $12. Soaked beans all night then cooked about 2 lbs of ham with beans and bone all day. Save 8 lbs of ham in freezer. Bone dissolves into the soup the information I read said nothing about bone being good calcium to convert corn to a better protein. Beans & corn plus calcium are a complete protein. I already knew about stone soup but did not know the benefits of cooking with calcium. Growing up on the farm we grew, corn, beans, potatoes, tomatoes. I wonder if a person eats corn & beans in the same meal if they mix in your stomach to produce a better protein? I put a pint of garden corn into our 15 bean soup..

Gary You hit on a point that is sort of a simplified way of putting it, since all legumes and whole grains vary some, but vegetarians generally try to mix whole grains with legumes, to get those "complete proteins", with all of our essential amino acids. I frequently add some whole oats, or wheat, or brown rice, to those lentil dishes I make; though I'm not vegetarian, I sometimes go a long time with no meat, especially in the summer! Of course, this is just one of the things missing when not eating meat, but it's the main thing missing in a meatless diet. It's those diets with the best fruits and vegetables missing, that can cause malnutrition, and the the easily grown corn, where it has taken over, through the centuries, has caused massive outbreaks of pellagra - simply caused by lack of nitrogen. Here is a good article about this, and how, in the new world, they figured out how to deal with it, but the new people didn't see what they were doing was a necessity, when living on corn.
https://www.southernfoodways.org/malnou ... -pellagra/

I don’t know a lot about this topic, but I’ll add that lacto-fermented / pickled and preserved foods and cultured yeasts have added nutrient values to simple beans, vegetables and grains as well — soybeans, black beans, rice, barley, wheat, cabbages, hot peppers, daikon radishes, etc., etc… as well as seafood.

Summertown TN has a Hippie commune called, The Farm, you can find it online & on facebook. I have been there and have several friends there. About 35 years ago I built them about 10 industrial size stainless steel food processors with 2 hp electric motors that holds about 3 gallons of liquid. They make Tofu from many things, 1 thing they used all the time was a weed called, Lambs Quarters. Puree weeds in water then boil about 20 minutes. Skim off the foam, strain out the weeds, then boil water & add something to water, it may have been vinegar to make dissolves solids clabber like cottage cheese. Pour though cheese cloth you now have Tofu. You can make Tofu from many things.

These people have been vegetarians for 50 years, healthy and not over weight. They cook beans & potatoes, beans & corn, beans & rice, nixtamalization process. 350 people live on 1000 acres of land that they own, they have very large gardens, they grow all their own food & eat, no meat, no milk, no eggs.

I have never been 100% vegetarian but years ago I have gone several months several times an not eaten meat. I don't have the energy I once had it is too much work for me now to grow & make 100% of what we eat. It is so each to eat fast food and get over weight. Back then 40 yrs ago people that worked in the kitchen at The Farm cooked the food, I did not need to know how it was done. Some people did food processing, some worked the gardens, and a group of them worked day jobs in town so the Hippie community had money to buy, solar panels & wind mills & other things like clothes, vehicles, tools. They have their own school for the children. Back then everyone built their own tiny house but now they have dormitory type housing. If you watch TV garden shows the Barefoot gardener is from, The Farm at Summertown TN. The last time I was at, The Farm, was summer before covid 19. I don't know anyone at The Farm anymore some moved to KY to form another commune group. Members dropped to about 200, now up to 350.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farm_(Tennessee)

I can grow, corn, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, garlic, onions, melons, sweet potatoes, cilantro, pac choy, Raspberries. If a person absolutely had to they could probably live on this with no meat. Chickens, pigs & Jersey milk cow would be nice to have.

My friend is a vegetarian. She says, if you haven't eaten meat for a long time, your body will have trouble digesting it. She makes a lot of smoothies and soups. She is a good cook and adds spices to add flavor. I have learned a lot from her. I have grown Swiss chard, but I really hardly ate it because of the earthy taste. She taught me that one, I let it get too big, and secondly, if I only eat the leaves and not the stems, the taste is milder. She adds fruit, mostly frozen berries and avocado to green smoothies. The berries provide the sweetness. Kale actually is less bitter in the cooler months. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of salt in vegan food, and I found out the hard way that you have to drink a kale smoothie slow because your body can only process so much fiber over a given time.

She has given me a couple of books on plant based diets. I am still reading it off and on.

My nephew's wife is a pisco vegetarian. She eats fish, but she does not like milk or eggs. We usually have some fish for her at parties, but almost no one else will eat it. Our family rarely had fish. My mom is not a good cook. The would make a strong teriyaki and ginger sauce for it and cook it to death. The only other time we had fish was for New Year. Our neighbor usually ate the fish. We only liked the somen she made with the sauce the next day.

I am going to my niece's house for Christmas Eve. I have decided to make roasted vegetables. Mainly, because I know there will be so much food and there will hardly be any vegetables. In Hawaii, potato mac salad is considered a "vegetable". I like roasted vegetables and it is one of the vegetarian dishes I actually like eating. I usually add thyme or rosemary sprigs to the vegetables since it is what I have growing in the yard.

Maybe this is related — do you have one type of food that you have to have or start missing it after say about a week going without?

I’m a big believer in natural nutrition and assuming the body is able to identify the nutrients it needs once you wean yourself away and remove the artificially imposed nutrient balances/ratios and various food addictions that have been built up and normalized over the years of wild dietary habits.

I have found that, having switched to high percentage of whole grains years ago, I can’t go without and only eat refined grains. I tend to gravitate towards brown rice, and can’t be fully satisfied by half hearted “whole wheat” and rye breads and pasta, or oatmeal (certainly not instant, although steel cut oats works to alleviate).

I used to stock wide varieties of other whole grains, but that for me is hard to manage since the rest of the family are not as enthused by those alternate selections on the menu, and I haven’t been able to keep up with shopping for the “exotic” ingredients over the last several years.

I do take vitamin supplements, but not daily since I think trying to eat healthier and getting the body to fuel up naturally from eating is important.

However, I find that if I start “foraging” for something to eat by opening and staring into the fridge and freezer, opening the pantry, etc. WITHOUT finding anything I particularly want to eat … when I don’t feel hunger “pangs”, but still keep looking in the fridge, … and I’m trying to consider various ingredients in my head, but nothing feels particularly what I want… then it’s a sign I should just take the full regimen of the vitamin/mineral, etc. supplement combo — I’m missing something(s) without being able to identify what I need.

I do usually feel better a few hours later and more energetic in general next day.

I guess that is true. I have changed my diet over the years. I usually only eat sugar free (almost) substitutes, so now anything with real sugar tastes too sweet. I still eat salt and it is very hard to stay under 1500 mg of sodium a day. I have gone down to less than 800, but I really had to work at it. Still, compared to other people, I find some things just too salty for me.

Rice is a staple, but I reduced my carbs and rice, potatoes, baked goods, and bread were the easiest things for me to give up. Just don't stick a chocolate cake in front of me. I don't have that much will power. I have rice on occasion and I just made fried rice which I am finishing up today. I may not have rice again for a few weeks and I won't really miss it. I have reduced my meat consumption so I have more stir fries and stews and less chunks of meat. I like a baked potato now and then, but I don't have to have it every day or even every week. However, I do miss potato chips. I will crave some, but I will only buy one snack bag and not a big one, because I just can't eat one and I will pay for eating that much salt.

I did have a harder time giving up fruits. When I first started on a low carb diet, I did not realize just how much fruit I ate. I can only occasionally have fruit and most of those are berries. I did start adding more carbs in terms of cereals like oatmeal and some occasional fruit (instead of sauces and gravies). I can lose more weight on a 20g carb diet, but I don't feel good on it and I tire even faster. I guess that would be the keto flu. I do better on a 35g carb diet. I do have to keep a journal to stay on a diet like that so I can keep track of the nutrients, calories and salt. I guess that is my body giving feedback to me when it does that. I usually find on a low carb diet that is works better if I stay on it for about a month and go off of it and stay only in the salt and calorie restrictions but include more carbs for a couple of weeks. I have fewer side effects. It also means I never reach the ketogenic stage. I do take vitamin supplements because on the low carb diet I usually am deficient in calcium, vit D, and some of the B vitamins. Vegetables are the major source of carbs and I have had salads for dinner, but I prefer the vegetables to be cooked. I just can't have as much. I can have 4 cups of raw vegetables but only 2 cups if they are cooked to stay within my carb limit.

I try to make one dish meals so I don't have to make side dishes. I try to include some vegetables in it. I just don't like salads much. Not because of the raw greens, but because I just can't see the value of eating the raw greens with 300 calories worth of a dressing I don't even like. I would rather have a 300 calorie burger.

I am lactose intolerant so I don't use milk much. I have powdered milk for recipes and almond milk for smoothies. I do like ice cream, which is why I can't have it in the house. It would be nice if I did not have cravings for junk food, but I do.

applestar wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:34 pm

Maybe this is related — do you have one type of food that you have to have or start missing it after say about a week going without?

I’m a big believer in natural nutrition and assuming the body is able to identify the nutrients it needs once you wean yourself away and remove the artificially imposed nutrient balances/ratios and various food addictions that have been built up and normalized over the years of wild dietary habits.

I have found that, having switched to high percentage of whole grains years ago, I can’t go without and only eat refined grains. I tend to gravitate towards brown rice, and can’t be fully satisfied by half hearted “whole wheat” and rye breads and pasta, or oatmeal (certainly not instant, although steel cut oats works to alleviate).

I used to stock wide varieties of other whole grains, but that for me is hard to manage since the rest of the family are not as enthused by those alternate selections on the menu, and I haven’t been able to keep up with shopping for the “exotic” ingredients over the last several years.

I do take vitamin supplements, but not daily since I think trying to eat healthier and getting the body to fuel up naturally from eating is important.

However, I find that if I start “foraging” for something to eat by opening and staring into the fridge and freezer, opening the pantry, etc. WITHOUT finding anything I particularly want to eat … when I don’t feel hunger “pangs”, but still keep looking in the fridge, … and I’m trying to consider various ingredients in my head, but nothing feels particularly what I want… then it’s a sign I should just take the full regimen of the vitamin/mineral, etc. supplement combo — I’m missing something(s) without being able to identify what I need.

I do usually feel better a few hours later and more energetic in general next day.

When I was younger I use to be able to eat anything and function good all day. I have always been very actives, work hard, over activity uses up my body blood sugar faster than my body can replace it. When I was young eating lots of carbs kept my blood sugar up so I could be very active and never slow down all day but 40 years later that no longer works for me. Now that I am older my body can no longer make all the vitamins & nutrients it needs from the things I use to eat so I now have to eat what my body requires. Vitamins make me feel better & have more energy. Breakfast for me has to be about 80% protein, about 15% carbs, about 5% sugar. I have been eating Cherry Jam on toast with egg & sausage so far so good. Sugar in Jam gives me quick energy, carbs is longer lasting quick energy, protein is all day energy. Breakfast is very important for me if my blood sugar gets out of control it stays out of control all day. Lunch for me needs to be about 60% protein, 35% carbs, 5% sugar. I can not eat, pasta, rice, pizza, or other carbs for lunch. Even dinner I am a bit more free to eat other things but I still can not be a, plate of spaghetti too many carbs, a dinner with too much rice make my blood sugar very high, thin crust pizza us ok by crust needs to be vert thin. I don't eat, pasta, I love rice be need to be careful how much I eat, I don't eat any potatoes all day & only a small 1/2 of potato for dinner. Too many carbs will make my blood sugar high like eating sugar. Wife was a nurse for 40 years she explained it to me & my doctor did too. You body is wearing out it can not process the foods you eat very well anymore so you much eat what you body needs in the amounts it needs at the time it needs it. If I work too hard too fast my blood sugar crashed in 5 to 10 minutes so I much get use to working at a continuous slow speed. Hot weather is more of a problem for me than cold weather. If I dehydrate it takes my body 3 days to get rehydrated and back to normal again. I love salt I eat lots of salt on everything. Salt is not a problem like most people think it does not cause high blood pressure dehydration does. Salt makes you body dehydrate and dehydration causes high blood pressure. If I eat too many carbs it makes me feel terrible, I feel so bad I want to lay down & take a nap until I feel better but that is the wrong thing to do, jump up and work hard and fast to work the over dose of sugar out of your blood then I feel better. I get so tired of eating the same breakfast every morning just so I feel good all day but I have several things I can eat to keep protein, carbs & sugar at about 80/15/5%.