What 1 Eat

People frequently inquire me what I eat.  I've been reluctant to share, because it feels egocentric in addition to I'm a private somebody past times nature.  I besides don't desire people to see my diet equally a universal prescription for others.  But inward the end, equally someone who shares my opinions nigh nutrition, it's solely fair that I response the question.  So hither nosotros go.

In my nutrient choices, I travail to strike a residue betwixt nutrition, cost, fourth dimension efficiency, creature welfare, pleasure, in addition to environmental impact.  I'm the chef of my identify of two, in addition to I create 2 meals a day, almost every day, typically from unmarried ingredients.  I prefer organic, but I don't insist on it.

Eggs from my hens

My diet changes seasonally because I grow much of my ain food.  This started out amongst vegetables, but latterly has expanded to staple foods such equally potatoes, flour corn, in addition to wintertime squash.  I besides receive got a little flock of laying hens that plough tabular array scraps, bugs, grass, in addition to chicken feed into delicious eggs.

The primary guiding regulation of my diet is to swallow somewhere betwixt a "Paleolithic"-style diet in addition to a traditional agricultural/horticultural diet.  I intend of it equally a broad ancestral diet.  Because it's partially inspired past times agricultural/horticultural diets, starch is the top dog calorie source.

My meals are organized unopen to 3 nutrient groups: a protein, a starch, in addition to vegetables/fruit.  If whatsoever of those 3 are missing, the repast doesn't experience complete.  I'll showtime amongst those categories in addition to movement on from there.

Protein

I swallow some shape of fresh meat nigh every other day, most frequently poultry or fish.  Lately I've been eating deer from my breast freezer (my hunting flavour was unsuccessful, but I got meat anyway because my hunting partner was successful in addition to I helped him butcher).  My meat portions are unremarkably modest, in addition to I frequently set it into stews in addition to other such dishes to extend it.  I besides tend to purchase whole animals or cuts amongst bones, thus I tin brand os broth, which I role to pep upwards soups in addition to stews.  For example, I frequently roast whole chickens or fish.  I rarely swallow processed meat.

When I'm non eating meat, I'm unremarkably eating beans, lentils, or eggs.  I swallow a lot of beans in addition to lentils because they're healthy, environmentally friendly, inexpensive, in addition to don't enhance creature husbandry concerns.  There is abundant evidence that humans receive got been eating legumes since long earlier agriculture, in addition to historical hunter-gatherers besides relied on a broad diversity of legumes.  I purchase dry out beans inward volume in addition to soak them overnight earlier cooking.  It's thus cheap, it mightiness equally good live free.  I swallow 1-2 eggs per day.

In improver to eggs, I besides brand my ain yogurt from whole milk.  I larn through nigh a pint of it a week.  Eggs in addition to yogurt operate along me satisfied on days when my meals would otherwise non incorporate whatsoever creature food.  I love cheese, but I don't swallow it real much because I don't unremarkably receive got breadstuff around.

I swallow a lot of unsalted roasted nuts in addition to peanuts, in addition to a fair amount of peanut butter.  I operate along a giant pocketbook of unsalted, roasted in-shell peanuts unopen to inward instance I desire a snack.  Because I receive got to rhythm out them individually in addition to they aren't salted, I don't overeat them.  I besides unremarkably receive got a jounce of raw almonds on hand, which I role for snacking, for almond milk, in addition to equally an constituent inward stews.  Unsalted nuts in addition to fresh fruit are typically the solely visible, straight off edible foods inward my kitchen.

Starch

Potatoes reign equally my unmarried largest rootage of calories from September through March.  We harvested 800 lbs of potatoes from the garden concluding season, in addition to we've already gone through most of them.  Contrary to claims that the quickly-digesting starch inward potatoes makes you lot hungry in addition to fat, I detect that potatoes operate along me total for a long time, in addition to I sure haven't gained whatsoever weight.  I unremarkably bake or microwave them whole, in addition to swallow them evidently equally business office of my meals.  I besides sometimes toss them inward a piffling crude oil in addition to plough them into oven fries for a treat.  The skins larn to our hens.

Our spud field.  You tin come across some corn on the top right.

I swallow a diversity of grains in addition to pseudograins, peculiarly corn, rolled oats, dark-brown in addition to white rice, in addition to buckwheat.  I swallow oats amongst mineral-rich yogurt to brand upwards for its high degree of phytic acid.  I besides brand popcorn sometimes.  I don't swallow much wheat, but I do swallow whole grain breadstuff from fourth dimension to time, in addition to white breadstuff or pasta on special occasions.

I frequently role buckwheat, rice, in addition to chickpeas to brand a sort of starchy "pancake".  I soak the ingredients overnight, rinse well, grind it all into a fine batter inward my Vita-Mix amongst salt, in addition to and thus role the batter to brand thick, savory pancakes onto which I set other foods.  I invented this recipe, but it's inspired past times the practices of many traditional cultures.

I grow flour corn (Painted Mountain), in addition to role most of it to brand masa.  This involves the traditional South American method of nixtamalization, which makes corn to a greater extent than digestible in addition to nutritious.  Nixtamalizing in addition to grinding the corn is labor-intensive, but it results inward satisfying, hearty tortillas in addition to tamales.  I besides role the corn to brand build hominy in addition to flour.

Painted Mountain flour corn

Homemade tortillas from PM corn. Note the regal color,
which results from the corn's high polyphenol in addition to carotenoid content.

I grow a large amount of sugariness in addition to starchy wintertime squash.  We swallow it fresh over the course of report of nigh half-dozen months, in addition to set a lot of cooked crush into the breast freezer for the repose of the year.  I grow gourmet varieties, such equally 'delicata' in addition to 'Oregon homestead sugariness meat', which don't require added saccharide or fatty to gustation good.  I either roast them in addition to serve them plain, or role them inward soups in addition to stews.  I feed the skins in addition to little seeds to my hens, in addition to the large seeds to myself.

Vegetables in addition to fruit

Me 'n my giant broccoli.

Most of the vegetables I swallow come upwards from my garden.  Since I alive inward the Maritime Northwest, conditions are favorable for cool-weather crops 8+ months of the year.  Some hardy plants, similar kale, tin hold upwards year-round, in addition to fifty-fifty live somewhat productive inward winter.  I tend to swallow a lot of lettuce in addition to kale because they're unremarkably abundant.  Broccoli besides thrives hither for most of the year.

Garden tomatoes

In summer, nosotros swallow a lot of greenish beans, tomatoes, in addition to summertime squash.

I supplement my garden create amongst store-bought onions, carrots, celery, canned tomatoes, avocados, in addition to occasionally other vegetables.  I swallow a lot of onions.  I purchase 10-lb bags of yellowish onions, set them inward the garage, in addition to nosotros don't receive got whatsoever problem going through them earlier they spoil.

I brand my ain sauerkraut, which nosotros swallow raw because nosotros similar the crunch.  Overall, I likely swallow nigh 3-5 servings of vegetables per day.

I love fruit in addition to I swallow a lot of it.  I'll swallow whatsoever fruit, but I swallow apples, bananas, in addition to blueberries the most.  I harvest a diversity of berries from my garden inward summertime, in addition to set some inward my breast freezer for autumn in addition to winter.  I likely average nigh 3-5 servings of fruit per hateful solar daytime (keep inward heed that a medium apple tree is nigh 2 servings).  Fruit is the solely dessert I eat, amongst rare exceptions.

Fats, salt, sugar, in addition to other flavorings

I role the minimum amount of added fatty I demand to brand my nutrient palatable.  I don't mensurate how much I use, but it's non a lot.  Most of my added fatty is extra-virgin olive oil, but I besides role little amounts of grass-fed butter in addition to high-oleic sunflower oil.  I role olive oil, cider vinegar, in addition to mustard to brand large batches of vinaigrette dressing that I operate along on my counter for role on salad in addition to other vegetables.

I role tabular array salt inward my cooking, but 1 time again solely the minimum required to brand my nutrient palatable.

I almost never role saccharide inward my food, except occasionally when I'm entertaining in addition to I create upwards one's heed to brand a fancy dessert (e.g., flan).  I role a piffling fleck of dear hither in addition to there, but non often.  I don't role other added sweeteners.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 diversity of herbs in addition to spices brand their agency into my food, but the most mutual are bay leaf, chili pepper, rosemary, garlic, in addition to thyme (I grow the concluding 3 inward my garden).  I role soy sauce in addition to sriracha sometimes.

I tend to create simply, focusing on the satisfying flavors of lineament ingredients rather than relying heavily on added fats, sugar, salt, in addition to flavors.

Beverages

My primary imbibe is water, either directly from the tap, or carbonated from my keg (usually amongst a piffling added flavor, similar grapefruit rind in addition to citric acid).

I average nigh v alcoholic drinks a week, typically difficult cider or wine, but sometimes besides beer or spirits.  I brand my ain cider, wine, in addition to beer.  I much prefer my ain dry out cider to the alcoholic apple tree juice that's sold inward the US.  I to a greater extent than frequently than non avoid drinking alcohol 2 nights inward a row.

I imbibe dark tea on most mornings, amongst goose egg inward it.  Sometimes I'll receive got half-caf coffee, amongst or without a splash of milk.

I can't retrieve the concluding fourth dimension I drank sugariness soda, in addition to I don't fifty-fifty bask it at this indicate inward my life.  I do occasionally imbibe Gatorade on peculiarly strenuous cycling or backpacking trips.

Junk food

I swallow junk nutrient sometimes.  By that I hateful highly palatable, calorie-dense, nutritionally questionable foods.  Pizza in addition to H2O ice cream are 2 of my favorites, but I besides sometimes swallow tortilla chips, bacon, French fries, or other goodies.  When I swallow junk nutrient inward public, I brand jokes nigh looking out for paparazzi.

Honestly, if I were to add together it all up, including when I larn to restaurants in addition to receive got dinner amongst friends, I likely swallow some variety of junk nutrient at to the lowest degree 1 time a week.  I don't experience guilty; I exactly bask it.  It's all business office of the plan.

I swallow at a eating theater nigh twice a month, which isn't necessarily junk food, but is rarely equally salubrious equally what I cook.  Most of us tend to overeat at restaurants, in addition to I'm no exception.

I purchase 25-pound bags of white saccharide at Costco.  I role it to brand (dry) fruit wine, but it sure does await bad!  If you lot come across me on the encompass of a tabloid magazine, clutching a giant pocketbook of saccharide amongst a crazed await inward my eye, you'll know what happened.

Supplements

The solely supplement I receive got is vitamin D3 inward winter.  My finish is to receive got chiliad IU per day, but I unremarkably forget.

A hateful solar daytime inward my life

Now you lot know what ingredients I use, but non how I role them.  Here are a few examples of typical meals.

Breakfast

I alternate betwixt 2 breakfasts: a evidently (baked or microwaved) spud in addition to a fried egg, or oatmeal, yogurt, in addition to blueberries.

Lunch

Lunch is unremarkably catch-as-catch-can.  Typically, I'll swallow dinner leftovers amongst a spud or tortillas, in addition to a slice of fruit.  Sometimes I'll cleft opened upwards a tin of salmon or sardines (canned inward water).  Nuts are unremarkably involved.

Dinner

My most frequent dinner is some variety of thick stew made amongst meat or beans/lentils, addition onions, other vegetables, in addition to a brace of herbs or spices.  The base of operations is unremarkably os broth or diced tomatoes.  I besides roast whole chickens, turkeys, in addition to fish, in addition to I poach salmon steaks.

I besides frequently brand a bed of cooked vegetables inward a sauce made of stewed tomatoes, olive oil, in addition to herbs, cleft 2 eggs into it per person, in addition to create amongst the lid on.

I swallow the top dog dish amongst a generous helping of potatoes, rice, tortillas, or my savory grain "pancakes".  There's besides typically a side of vegetables: most frequently some variety of salad amongst homemade vinaigrette, steamed broccoli amongst vinaigrette, roasted squash, or sauerkraut.  Dessert is a slice of fruit, or, from fourth dimension to time, dark chocolate.