>Your mental attitude towards food.I watch how animals eat, and I think this is the best way: I enjoy food when I am hungry. I am indifferent to it if I am not.
I don't eat for "pleasure" unless the pleasure comes from the food tasting good to me as it satiates me.
I strictly avoid only a few foods that I find cause problems with my body, and certain foods I only enjoy on an occasional basis. I will not eat just because I think it tastes good, it must both nourish and satisfy me.
>The timing of your meals.I try to eat when I am actually hungry which is usually only 2-4 times per day. I get more hungry if I've done a lot of work or exercise. I get less hungry if I am sedentary. I feel tired if I fast the whole day and exert myself.
>What you generally eat.After years of experimenting I know what I can eat and what I cannot.
I eat a variety of whole foods, cooked or raw, sometimes more preparation-intensive meals if I have the time. Fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, legumes, and grains like oats and rice.
Variety and balance are the key. No need to nitpick over details except the source and how it impacts your subjective experience. Generally if I snack I eat a whole fruits, dried fruits or seed or nuts.
My macros veer more toward 40% protein with slightly less complex carbs and fat depending on the day. I currently maintain 10% body fat and am focusing on increasing lean tissue. On exercise days I don't discriminate against simple carbs - I once had an hour post-meal glucose tested from eating a huge ice cream shake and it was at 90 on the dot. I also supplement with vegetarian protein.
On principle I generally avoid over-processed crap and wheat and non-GM foods (due to herbicide) but I will indulge in chips, sausage, beer, liquor, coffee or certain soda if it is free of corn syrup. Their value to my subjective experience is most important. The closer to homemade the better. I indulge in stuff I like but I do not gorge.
>Suggestions on cooking books or cooks I should pay attention to.Nourishing Traditions cookbook is a good start.
Look up cooking vids on youtube if you don't know how to cook. It's a valuable skill that gets easier in time. Simple recipes like stews and oatmeal are good to get started on a budget and make in bulk, you can google for these based on the ingredients you have on hand. Spices are your friend.
Try to find a middle ground between convenience and quality of nourishment, and go for the highest quality you can get and afford. It's better to eat what you need even if it's less than ideal than to starve yourself for only the purest of foods.
If you're concerned about purity, avoid meat except for the purest stuff. Higher-order animals get the concentrated junk they are fed, then we eat that concentrated junk their bodies absorb. I am not vegetarian though and still eat meat especially when it is raised right.
>>30583That's a nice chart, especially the suggestion for ginger beer but the BPM there is kinda high IMO, my resting is usually 50-60. then again might be different for others. I'm not an expert.
>>30711A middle ground of cooked and raw is fine. Cooking releases certain nutrients that can't be released by eating raw, and eating raw gives you access to other nutrients that are lost in cooking.