User:DPB
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My daily eating plan
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Breakfast
- 40gr rolled oats
- tap water or skimmed milk
- 20 gr raisins
- 1 teaspoon (2-3gr) ground cinnamon (cinnamomum verum, also known as cinnamomum zeylanicum)
Ideally, soak oats overnight in water or skimmed milk. Microwave until porridge bubbles up strongly, remove from microwave and stir in the cinnamon followed by the raisins.
Rationale: Oats have well-established cholesterol lowering properties but contribute a substantial potential renal acid load which can influence calcium depletion. This is exactly counterbalanced by the raisins. Cinnamon is one of the richest sources of procyanidins (e.g. Roger Corder: The Wine Diet, p.56: "2-3gr of cinnamon contains the same amount of procyanidins as a 125ml glass of procyanidin-rich wine") containing oligomeric versions of catechins. Some reseach has indicated that milk may deactivate the catechins, however, other research contradicts this finding either in total, or in part. Even more recently, research has emerged showing that milk actually enhances the recovery of catechins which would otherwise be destroyed in the digestive process. Cinnamon has recently demonstrated potency in controlling blood sugar and cholesterol levels, although this research must still be considered preliminary. and the variety used here (cinnamonum verum) is free of coumarin, a toxic component of cinnamon cassia.
Mid-morning snack
- 200ml natural orange juice.
- 0.5 tsp Blackstrap Molasses.
- 3 prunes.
- 1 tsp natural non-alkalinised organic cocoa powder.
Using the back of a teaspoon, thoroughly mix cocoa powder with the molasses and a small amount of orange juice, and pour in remaining orange juice. Enjoy with prunes.
Rationale: Cocoa powder contains oxalic acid in significant quantities, as do prunes. Oxalic acid combines in the bloodstream with free calcium - leading to calcium depletion - and is either excreted in the urine or contributes to the build-up of kidney stones. By mixing in free calcium (Blackstrap Molasses are a good source of calcium) with oxalic acid prior to its reaching the bloodstream, the oxalic acid is sequestered as calcium oxalate in the gut, where it remains until harmlessly excreted in the feaces. An interesting recent paper claims that orange juice is the most powerful agent for maximizing the recovery of catechins (cocoa is a rich source of catechins, although the paper only examined the catechins contained in green tea) by protecting them from degradation in the digestive tract.
Lunch
250gr Red Lentil and Tomato soup or Field Mushroom and Pot Barley soup or Pea, Serrano Ham and mint soup
Microwave soup and go. Soups are all homemade and contain approx 150mg of sodium per 100gr of soup. Soups are consumed on a three-day cycle, i.e. one bowl of each soup is consumed once every three days.
Rationale: Most commercially made soups, even those available from the chilled cabinet, contain excessive amounts of salt (typically 500mg sodium per 100gr).
Evening meal
One serving of:
- 40 gr organic wholemeal couscous.
- 1 tsp dried parsley.
- 6 walnut halves, chopped.
- 1 tsp pharmaceutical grade cod liver oil. (note: this version contains 2000 IU Vitamin A, not 4500 as indicated in USDA database)
- 3-4 drops of vitamin E oil (300I.U. d-alpha-tocopherol)
Add walnuts to couscous along with parsley and spring onion. Pour over sufficient boiling water or, if using, the hot liquid from the microwaved spinach. Cover and wait five minutes. When water has been absorbed, add cod liver oil and the vitamin E oil. Fluff up with a fork.
One serving from the following choices:
- 150 gr fillet of Atlantic cod, haddock, or Alaskan pollock gently microwaved. (three times a week)
- 200gr canned wild Alaskan red salmon.
- 125gr canned sardines.
- 100 gr frozen shrimp and 100gr large prawns gently microwaved.
- 200gr of (no-fat) beef strips fried (rare) in 1 tsp of sunflower oil.
Apart from the cod, haddock or pollock, each of which I eat once per week, the other products are consumed exactly once per week.
One serving of either:
- 1 medium onion chopped.
- 100 gr mixed vegetables from frozen.
Chop onion finely and microwave for two minutes. Microwave vegetables for one minute. Mix.
or
- 150gr fresh spinach
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed, or shavings of fresh ginger.
Wash spinach under running water. Place in a bowl, add garlic or ginger and microwave for two minutes or until wilted. Drain, slice and serve.
Supper
- 1 medium banana sliced.
- 150gr 0.1% fat natural yogurt.
- 100gr mixed berries from frozen.
- 100 ml orange juice or pomegranate juice (when in season).
Mix well.
Rationale: The role of the yogurt is partly to neutralise the high levels of oxalic acid present in fruits.
Snacks/beverages
- 1 decaf coffee made with skim milk and flavoured with 0.5 tsp blackstrap molasses
- 1 cup of organic green tea, no milk w/ 5gr. quality dark chocolate
- 1 cup of organic green Rooibos tea, no milk w/ 5gr. quality dark chocolate
Supplements
Apart from the cod liver oil and vitamin E oil (d-alpha-tocopherol from natural sources) added to dinner, I don't use supplements. For Vitamin D3 I use this tool and natural sunshine to ensure I safely acquire adequate (c. 1000 IU per day) supplies of 25(OH)D (Vitamin D3), and, when enough sunshine is not available during the winter months, I take a Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplement as necessary. A recent research paper has highlighted a nagging doubt, namely, that a diet rich in antioxidants while beneficial for those on ad lib diets has never been tested on calorie restricted animals and may, in fact, interfere with the mechanisms through which CR achieves longevity extension. This paper may be a wake up call. For this reason, I restrict myself mainly to modest quantities of natural products rich in catechins, which have repeatedly demonstrated powerful ameliorating effects on the inner surfaces of arteries, making it more difficult for atherosclerosis to gain a foothold.
