@callmedubious

My mother was called a health nut and exercise fanatic. A great role model. I grew up with a healthy, low fat diet. Thanks, Mom!

I eat four small meals per day. Enjoy exercise, lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Cook at home from scratch. Love hiking, snowshoeing, running, weightlifting, etc.

My father died of colon cancer at 51. I was 24. Immediately, I stopped eating all preserved and processed meats (bacon, hot dogs, ham, chicken nuggets, deli meat, jerky, sausage, etc).

In my 20s, I also stopped eating fast food, chips, hamburgers, beef, and deep fried food. Never drank soda pop. Alcohol dehydrates me and gives me a headache.

I don't miss it.

@LiterateHiker Interesting. I eat a high fat, moderate protein diet. Very little carbohydrate, few vegetables. I avoid sugar like it is poison and drink (usually spirits) once a week or so, trending to less than that. I almost never consume industrial oils or fats. When people ask what do I eat, it can be summarized: meat, some fish, eggs, butter, bone broth, salt. A few nuts, and RARE stray of dessert.

@Mitch07102

Everybody's body is different. A classic Ectomorph body type, I have a fast metabolism, high energy, and have difficulty gaining weight and muscle.

[directlyfitness.com]

@LiterateHiker I have NO problem gaining weight. Hence, why I eat as I do. My insulin response is 10X what is common among those with white European ancestry.

@LiterateHiker ,
i ate quite healthily for from about my early 20s (although drank a lot) until maybe my mid-late 40s then i kind of said to hell with it.
now eat bacon & ham a few times/week. actually going for a burger & fries washed down with an IPA this eve.
after a couple of cancers & now a heart condition (AF, nothing to do with a bad diet) i guess i don't really give a damn.

@callmedubious

Sorry to hear you had cancer twice and have a heart condition.

You are what you eat. My friend, Dave, was overweight with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

"You have a choice," Dave's doctor told him. "Either start taking statin drugs - often with bad side effects- or switch to a vegan diet," his doctor said, handing Dave a vegan cookbook.

Dave chose the vegan diet. He lost over 40 lbs. and now has low cholesterol and blood pressure. His wife, Cheryl, became vegan in solidarity.

The War on Delicious

"In a sweeping review released October 25, 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially identified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning the quality of the evidence firmly links it to cancer. Red meats fare little better, falling into Group 2A- foods or substances that probably cause cancer- a category that includes the toxic pesticide DDT, the chemical mustard gas, and the insecticide malathion.

"The International Agency for Research on Cancer report is a robust one. Much more than a single study, it is a so-called meta-analysis- a study of studies- evaluating 800 published papers. Twenty-two experts from 10 countries conducted the work and then voted on what findings to issue."

"The findings state that that 40 grams of processed meat per day- one hot dog or about six pieces of bacon- raises the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%."

"Other cancers too were associated with red and processed meats, including stomach, prostate and pancreatic, but it was colorectal that produced the most persuasive numbers."

"The War on Delicious," Time Magazine, November 9, 2015

@LiterateHiker ,
i'm not a big meat eater and am aware of the carcinogens. my cholesterol levels have always been good. blood pressure a little high in recent years but now under control with a med & sometimes too low.
i don't have a big appetite & am 5 ft 9 & weigh a little under 150.
except for the bacon & ham & other processed meats my diet would probably be considered fairly healthy.

@bleurowz

Thirty years ago, I learned bread-making by reading "Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book- A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking."

Today I used 70% whole wheat flour and 30% unbleached baking flour. A little white flour helps it rise. Made a lot of 100% whole-wheat bricks. The Oatmeal Bread recipe comes from that book. An instant-read thermometer is wonderful.

10 Tips for Breadmaking

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water ( 90-105 degrees), whisking to keep yeast granules from clumping. Adding a little sugar will make the yeast/water foam. This shows the yeast is working.

2. Cool cooked oatmeal to 68 degrees. If the oatmeal is too warm, bread will rise in the bowl, but not in the pans. Loaves don't rise in the oven, as if the yeast peters out at the end.

3. Mix the dough in the bowl and knead for 100 strokes. Rest the dough for 10 minutes, covered with a damp cloth. This allows the flour to absorb moisture. I wash and set the bowl on a heating pad that is covered by a towel folded in thirds. This warms up the bowl.

(NOTE: I use a heating pad for rising dough: medium heat for the first two rises in a ceramic bowl; high heat for the final rise in bread pans. ) Always cover dough with a damp, lightweight cloth.

4. Before you continue, clean your hands and moisten them with water. Pick up the dough and squeeze it. Does it strain the muscles of your hands when you squeeze it? Then it is too stiff. Does it feel waterlogged and runny? Then it is too wet or slack.

5. If the dough is too stiff or slack, flatten it out. If too stiff, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of water on it. If too slack, sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of flour on it. Then fold it over with your hands, mixing in the water or flour. Remember, even perfect dough is moist and sticky at this point, so don't look for firm, claylike dough - you'll end up with a brick.

6. Lightly oil your hands and the counter while kneading. Aim for 500 kneads or strokes. About halfway through kneading, the dough will become more springy and elastic. If you try to stretch it out, the dough rips easily. Don't stop kneading.

7. Kneading is the secret of truly splendid bread, so continue until the dough is silky smooth. When the dough is fully developed, it will pull into a paper-thin sheet, smooth and bright.

8. Knead in tiny chips of cold butter toward the end of the kneading period. This lubricates the gluten and creates a noticeably higher rise.

9. Dough is fully risen in the pans when it slowly returns a gentle indention with your moist finger.

10.Ovoid overbrowning. After 30 minutes in the oven, cover the baking bread with a tent of aluminum foil.

To test for doneness, tip the loaf out of the pan and tap the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, the bread is done.

Still unsure if it's done? Cut off a slice and poke it. Done bread springs back when poked. If your fingerprint stays indented, return the loaf to the pan and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

@Haemish1

I don't like country music. No, I never heard this song.