How many different foods a day do you eat?

Raybo · Post by **Raybo** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 9:45 am

The other day I got to thinking about variation in my diet so I counted the number of different foods I ate. On a typical day, I eat 25 different foods. Note, I count foods made from other foods, such as a slice of bread or a Vegeburger, as one food item just to keep things simple. I don't count vitamins or other supplements, either. I pretty much only drink water which I left off, too.

Here is a typical 25 item day:

7 Breakfast (Yogurt, apple, blueberries, sunflower seeds, flax seed, WW bread, Butter/Avocado)

7 Lunch (Salad - Lettuce, Celery, Carrots, Onion, Tomato, Vegeburger, Salad dressing, WW bread (already counted))

8 Dinner (Wok-fried Vegetables - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, fresh Garlic, fresh Ginger, Baked Tofu, Cashew Nuts, Sauce, Celery and Carrots (both already counted))

3 Snacks - banana, chocolate, peanuts

How many do you eat?

englishgirl · Post by **englishgirl** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:28 am

OK, I'll play.

Yesterday I had:
Breakfast: 4 (coconut milk creamer, coffee, soy milk, soy protein and greens powder mix)
Lunch: 2 (a rice and cocoa protein powder mix, walnuts). What can I say, it was a poor lunch as I didn't have time to eat properly!
Dinner: 11 (coconut oil, onion, garlic, ginger, sweet peppers, mushrooms (portabello and oyster), kale, black eyed peas, followed by raspberries, soy yogurt)

Monday:
Breakfast: 4 (coconut milk creamer, coffee, eggs, coconut oil)
Lunch: 15 (romaine lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, black olives, hummus, balsamic vinaigrette, potato chips, watermelon, canteloupe, pineapple, grapes, blueberries)
Dinner: 6 (chai tea with soy milk, brie, cheddar, apple, almond)

Saturday:
Breakfast: 3 (coffee, soy milk, soy protein and greens powder mix)
Lunch: 8 (veggie sushi - rice, nori, sesame seeds, avocado, cucumber, asparagus, carrot, ginger)
Dinner: 12 (avocado, tomato, olive oil, coconut oil, leek, mushrooms (portabello and oyster), garlic, rice, pine nuts, lemon juice and rind, followed by raspberries, soy yogurt)

Not bad - that averages to 21-22 a day. I didn't include Sunday because I did a 24 hr fast. And yes, I totally counted tea and coffee as foods - they have antioxidants and other good stuff too!

gkaplan · Post by **gkaplan** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:17 am

Lunch: Salad (Dark green lettuce, carrots (~ten baby-size carrots), tofu (~½ pound), cherry tomatoes, sardines (tin), olives, matzos); one or two bananas; one-three slices of whole wheat bread; plain, non-fat yogurt large tub (32 ounces)

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:27 am

Breakfast-------------Hershey bar, lemon jello, Pepsi, low fat bagel, jelly beans

Lunch-------------Strawberry ice cream, Mountain Dew, Big Mac, fries,

Dinner--------------Pizza, Big gulp 40 oz., chocolate chip cookies,

JUST KIDDING

mhc · Post by **mhc** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:40 am

Breakfast: (5) peanuts, Greek yogurt, cherries, broccoli, carrots, banana
lunch: (4) sandwich, carrots, snow peas, apple
dinner: (4) roast, potatoes, carrots, onions (I didn't count my fish pills since I think they are in the vitamin category)
dessert: (2) humus, pita chips

I just had my cholesterol checked this morning. I hope my diet has been worth it.

Raybo · Post by **Raybo** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:52 am

mhc wrote:Breakfast: (5) peanuts, Greek yogurt, cherries, broccoli, carrots, banana
lunch: (4) sandwich, carrots, snow peas, apple
dinner: (4) roast, potatoes, carrots, onions (I didn't count my fish pills since I think they are in the vitamin category)
dessert: (2) humus, pita chips

I'd count the items in the sandwich separately. Also, you counted carrots twice

rdmayo21 · Post by **rdmayo21** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:59 am

Breakfast(6): Beef Roast, butter, fermented cod liver oil, dark chocolate, Brazil nuts, milk kefir
Lunch(5): Salmon, gold potatoes, dulse flakes, broccoli, peach
Dinner(10): Beef broth, beef liver, eggs, bacon, onions, tomatoes, spinach, kimchi, sweet potato, blueberries

Grt2bOutdoors · Post by **Grt2bOutdoors** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:09 pm

Breakfast - (2) Oatmeal, bannana
Lunch - (6) MG Bread,chicken,lettuce,orange,blueberries,strawberries
Snack -(3) apple, chocolate, almonds
Dinner -(6) spinach,cheese,salmon,butternut squash,carrots,swiss chard

17, at least that was yesterday

Grt2bOutdoors · Post by **Grt2bOutdoors** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:10 pm

rdmayo21 wrote:Breakfast(6): Beef Roast, butter, fermented cod liver oil, dark chocolate, Brazil nuts, milk kefir
Lunch(5): Salmon, gold potatoes, dulse flakes, broccoli, peach
Dinner(10): Beef broth, beef liver, eggs, bacon, onions, tomatoes, spinach, kimchi, sweet potato, blueberries

Wow! What's your cholesterol level? - 300+?

Grt2bOutdoors · Post by **Grt2bOutdoors** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:12 pm

mhc wrote:Breakfast: (5) peanuts, Greek yogurt, cherries, broccoli, carrots, banana
lunch: (4) sandwich, carrots, snow peas, apple
dinner: (4) roast, potatoes, carrots, onions (I didn't count my fish pills since I think they are in the vitamin category)
dessert: (2) humus, pita chips

I just had my cholesterol checked this morning. I hope my diet has been worth it.

Eat like a horse - think fiber! Oatmeal, barley, apple, carrots and a piece of licorice! Neigh!
That will get the cholesterol down.

SPG8 · Post by **SPG8** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:13 pm

Monday;

Breakfast: 0
Lunch: 0
Dinner: 0

Tuesday;

Breakfast: 0
Lunch: 4 - hb egg, greek yogurt, coconut Larabar, isopure shake
Dinner: 5 - 1.25 lbs grass-fed beef, onion, green pepper, 4 cups California Basmati rice, 2 squares dark chocolate (85% cocoa)

Today;

Breakfast: 0
Lunch: 3 - 2 hb eggs, greek yogurt, coconut Larabar
Dinner: 6 - 75% of a Wegmans kosher roasted chicken, carrot and celery sticks, 2 squares dark chocolate, 2 Brazil nuts, handful of Dulse

Normally excel at the numbers game with lunch - 3 cups chopped raw vegetables with 6 of carrot/celery/red pepper/jerusalem artichoke/cucumber/broccoli/cauliflower/radish/asparagus plus olive oil/balsamic.

Petrocelli · Post by **Petrocelli** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:55 pm

SPG8 wrote:
Monday;

Breakfast: 0
Lunch: 0
Dinner: 0

You didn't eat Monday? Wow.

SPG8 · Post by **SPG8** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:01 pm

Petrocelli wrote:
SPG8 wrote:
Monday;

Breakfast: 0
Lunch: 0
Dinner: 0

You didn't eat Monday? Wow.

Big picnic Sunday, even had cake.

englishgirl wrote:I didn't include Sunday because I did a 24 hr fast.

Petrocelli · Post by **Petrocelli** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:30 pm

I once went 5 days without eating, but it was after I had 6 inches of intestine removed, so that doesn't count.

SPG8 · Post by **SPG8** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:36 pm

Petrocelli wrote:I once went 5 days without eating, but it was after I had 6 inches of intestine removed, so that doesn't count.

Sorry to hear that.

I had been meaning to try it out, and the timing was good with the Sunday feast.

rdmayo21 · Post by **rdmayo21** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:39 pm

GRT2BOUTDOORS wrote:
rdmayo21 wrote:Breakfast(6): Beef Roast, butter, fermented cod liver oil, dark chocolate, Brazil nuts, milk kefir
Lunch(5): Salmon, gold potatoes, dulse flakes, broccoli, peach
Dinner(10): Beef broth, beef liver, eggs, bacon, onions, tomatoes, spinach, kimchi, sweet potato, blueberries
Wow! What's your cholesterol level? - 300+?

Here's an explanation for why I don't care about my cholesterol levels: http://chriskresser.com/i-have-high-cho ... -dont-care

minesweep · Post by **minesweep** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:42 pm

Yesterday
Breakfast
Pancakes (whole wheat flour, blueberries, cornmeal, egg, buttermilk)
Fruit (currently fresh picked raspberries from backyard)

Lunch
Soy burger (Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion), Bush baked beans
Cereal (w/raspberries, half a banana, 1% milk)

Dinner
Grilled boneless chicken breast w/mushrooms
Brown rice & corn
Salad (red & green lettuce, onion, tomato, black olives, red pepper)
Desert (ice cream, 2 oatmeal cookies, piece of dark chocolate and almonds)

Snack
Fruit (fresh pineapple, raspberries, strawberries)

Mike

rdmayo21 · Post by **rdmayo21** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:46 pm

SPG8 wrote:Monday;

Breakfast: 0
Lunch: 0
Dinner: 0

Tuesday;

Breakfast: 0
Lunch: 4 - hb egg, greek yogurt, coconut Larabar, isopure shake
Dinner: 5 - 1.25 lbs grass-fed beef, onion, green pepper, 4 cups California Basmati rice, 2 squares dark chocolate (85% cocoa)

Today;

Breakfast: 0
Lunch: 3 - 2 hb eggs, greek yogurt, coconut Larabar
Dinner: 6 - 75% of a Wegmans kosher roasted chicken, carrot and celery sticks, 2 squares dark chocolate, 2 Brazil nuts, handful of Dulse

Normally excel at the numbers game with lunch - 3 cups chopped raw vegetables with 6 of carrot/celery/red pepper/jerusalem artichoke/cucumber/broccoli/cauliflower/radish/asparagus plus olive oil/balsamic.

You must be Paleo/Primal, right?

englishgirl · Post by **englishgirl** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:54 pm

SPG8 wrote:
Petrocelli wrote:
SPG8 wrote:
Monday;

Breakfast: 0
Lunch: 0
Dinner: 0

You didn't eat Monday? Wow.
Big picnic Sunday, even had cake.

englishgirl wrote:I didn't include Sunday because I did a 24 hr fast.

Well, I mean, I *did* eat on Sunday, so it wasn't 0. I had an omelet and coffee for breakfast. So my 24 hours was from 7:30 am Sunday to 7:30 am Monday. I am trying out intermittent fasting for weight loss - this was my second week.

SPG8 · Post by **SPG8** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:00 pm

Primal, IF 16/8, added rice to cycle macros leangains style. Found that 40 isn't that much more than 24, once you tackle that.

OP, sorry for the hijack...how many different foods does everyone eat?

Colorado13 · Post by **Colorado13** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:27 pm

Raybo wrote:
mhc wrote:Breakfast: (5) peanuts, Greek yogurt, cherries, broccoli, carrots, banana
lunch: (4) sandwich, carrots, snow peas, apple
dinner: (4) roast, potatoes, carrots, onions (I didn't count my fish pills since I think they are in the vitamin category)
dessert: (2) humus, pita chips
I'd count the items in the sandwich separately. Also, you counted carrots twice

Actually, carrots are listed 3 times. I bet mhc has great eyesight.

But you accidentally included humus and pita chips as dessert. That sounds much too healthy for dessert; I recommend cake, cookies, or ice cream.

(kidding...kudos to you for such a healthy meal plan.)

FabLab · Post by **FabLab** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:29 pm

I try to stay on a strict Pistachio Pistachio ice cream diet, Ben & Jerry's

Colorado13 · Post by **Colorado13** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:32 pm

Bkfst: Eggs and cottage cheese
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Homemade pizza (olives, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, sauce, crust), apple, Greek yogurt (with chopped spinach, strawberries, and bananas)
Supper: Pear, tortilla, cheese, diced tomatoes

Total: 17

Colorado13 · Post by **Colorado13** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:32 pm

FabLab wrote:I try to stay on a strict Pistachio Pistachio ice cream diet, Ben & Jerry's

Yum!!

Petrocelli · Post by **Petrocelli** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 5:16 pm

I notice that everybody who posted to this thread is a very healthy eater. It's kind of like a thread on investing where everyone beats the market. The guy who had the Grand Slam Breakfast at Denny's, and a super-sized lunch at Mickey D's is keeping his pie-hole shut.

LazyNihilist · Post by **LazyNihilist** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:57 pm

Lon wrote:Breakfast-------------Hershey bar, lemon jello, Pepsi, low fat bagel, jelly beans

Lunch-------------Strawberry ice cream, Mountain Dew, Big Mac, fries,

Dinner--------------Pizza, Big gulp 40 oz., chocolate chip cookies,

JUST KIDDING

If everyone had this diet for a couple of years, all the worlds problems would be solved.

Fallible · Post by **Fallible** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:15 pm

About 12 years ago I was put on a low-fat, low-salt diet to try to bring my blood pressure and cholesterol down without medication. It worked but it wasn't easy and it took awhile to get completely on a diet of mainly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish. It was easier to maintain when I retired and now I love that stuff.

Petrocelli · Post by **Petrocelli** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:09 pm

SPG8 wrote:
Petrocelli wrote:I once went 5 days without eating, but it was after I had 6 inches of intestine removed, so that doesn't count.
Sorry to hear that.

No problem. The surgeon said I didn't need it anyways. And I got to take 6 weeks off work watching Deadliest Catch and Cops while on a heavy dosage of Vicodin. It was actually a pretty good time.

mhc · Post by **mhc** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:22 pm

Petrocelli wrote:I notice that everybody who posted to this thread is a very healthy eater. It's kind of like a thread on investing where everyone beats the market. The guy who had the Grand Slam Breakfast at Denny's, and a super-sized lunch at Mickey D's is keeping his pie-hole shut.

Fortunately, this question wasn't asked on a Sunday or Monday. Saturday and Sunday I eat differently. Those days might look like:

breakfast: pork green chili omelet w/ cheese, fried potatoes, toast, and coffee
lunch: subway sandwich and cookies
dinner: ribeye, potatoes, salad
dessert: ice cream

zaplunken · Post by **zaplunken** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:50 pm

Lon wrote:Breakfast-------------Hershey bar, lemon jello, Pepsi, low fat bagel, jelly beans

Lunch-------------Strawberry ice cream, Mountain Dew, Big Mac, fries,

Dinner--------------Pizza, Big gulp 40 oz., chocolate chip cookies,

JUST KIDDING

Breakfast, lunch and dinner of champions. You need to add "little chocolate donuts" to your diet to make it complete!

http://lockerz.com/d/8028179

epilnk · Post by **epilnk** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:14 pm

Petrocelli wrote:I notice that everybody who posted to this thread is a very healthy eater. It's kind of like a thread on investing where everyone beats the market. The guy who had the Grand Slam Breakfast at Denny's, and a super-sized lunch at Mickey D's is keeping his pie-hole shut.

Not me. I don't eat much processed or corporate food, and I consider my diet healthy enough, but I doubt many here would be impressed. My BMI and bloodwork are good, and aside from asthma and skeletal problems - both dating from childhood - I've gotten past 50 in good health. But I don't believe food has magic powers, and I don't see any particular reason to get a lot of variety on any given day; it would not be unusual for me to have a day in which my diet consisted of bread, marmalade, peanut butter, pasta, cheese, and chocolate - 6 foods, counting the marmalade. I'd eat something else tomorrow. If we needed 5 different fruits and vegetables every day to be healthy our species wouldn't have survived its first winter.

minesweep · Post by **minesweep** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:23 am

Lori wrote:Breakfast-------------Hershey bar, lemon jello, Pepsi, low fat bagel, jelly beans

Lunch-------------Strawberry ice cream, Mountain Dew, Big Mac, fries,

Dinner--------------Pizza, Big gulp 40 oz., chocolate chip cookies,

JUST KIDDING

LazyNihilist wrote:If everyone had this diet for a couple of years, all the worlds problems would be solved.

It won't help to solve the diabetes epidemic and the associated problems it can bring.

Mike

HongKonger · Post by **HongKonger** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:10 am

Interesting!

Bfast: Eggs, mayo, bread, veggie dim sum, soy sauce, espresso, sugar
Lunch: Cheese, lettuce, tomato
Dinner: Tofu, noodles, veggies, beer, chocolate

total: 15

Confused · Post by **Confused** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:20 am

Breakfast (2): Cereal, milk
Lunch (6): Sandwich (bread, meat, cheese), crackers, piece of fruit, water
Dinner: I have no idea what I'm eating - spouse makes the meals; I wash the dishes.

If it was up to me, it'd be cereal and milk three meals a day. The rest of you have made it overly-complicated.

fareastwarriors · Post by **fareastwarriors** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:23 am

Breakfast-------------Hershey bar, lemon jello, Pepsi, low fat bagel, jelly beans

Lunch-------------Strawberry ice cream, Mountain Dew, Big Mac, fries,

Dinner--------------Pizza, Big gulp 40 oz., chocolate chip cookies,

You guys are so healthy! I know plenty of my friends eat similar to that and they are still skinny and slender...
My diet is not great either. I don't do soda or dessert because they are just too sweet for my taste. But I do love my pizza, hamburgers, and steak. Maybe when I get older I will aim to be more serioues about what I eat...

cheesepep · Post by **cheesepep** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:12 pm

Yesterday:

Breakfast: Rice noodles, lettuce, ham, egg, bean sprouts

Lunch: Chicken sandwich (lettuce, bread, chicken), french fries, coke (not included in count)

Dinner: rice, pork, cucumbers, ong choi vegetable

Total: 13

Petrocelli · Post by **Petrocelli** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:33 pm

Yesterday:

Breakfast: Rasian Brain
Morning Snack: Banana
Lunch: Chicken sandwich
Lunch: Apple
Afternoon snack: Banana
Afternoon snack: Cliff Bar
Dinner: Salmon, rice and salad
Dinner: Beer
Evening snack: Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich
Evening snack: Cherries

That's 10 different foods

As an aside, I had my physical this week. I lost 14 pounds since last year's physical and 31 pounds from 2 years ago. I went from a 37/38 waist to a 34.

p14175 · Post by **p14175** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:32 pm

B: 2-egg omelet with ham, chicken and cheese and cooked in butter, Coffee with full fat 1/2&1/2
L: Meatballs with spaghetti sauce, gazpacho (onions. sweet peppers, cucumbers, cilantro, tomatoes), water to drink
D: grilled Italian sausage and grilled cauliflower coated with butter and parmesan cheese, half a tuscan melon, some beer

That's 18 different foods!

Balance · Post by **Balance** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:39 pm

This is a typical day's meal. And it is exactly what I had today.

Breakfast - Smoothie - 2-3 handfuls of kale, 1 cup of blueberries, 1 small banana, 6-7 raspberries, almond butter, 1/2 cup of coconut mlik.

Snack - Coffee with 2 Tbs. heavy cream

Lunch - Bacon salad - 3 cups of organic spring mix salad, 1/2 avocado, 2 Tbs. raw goat cheese, handful of pistachios, 4 pieces of Niman ranch bacon, 2 pastured hardboiled eggs.

Dinner - I piece of wild caught salmon. (5-6oz), steamed veggies (cauliflour, brocolli, carrots) and 2 Tbs of Kerrygold Irish butter.

Snack - 1/4 bar of 85% dark chocoloate with a handful of macadamia nuts.

This comes out to approximately 70% fat/20% protein/10% carbs. 21 different types of food!

Maid of the Mist · Post by **Maid of the Mist** » Fri Jun 22, 2012 2:03 pm

Yesterday:

Breakfast: (10) Mesa Sunrise dry cereal (incl quinoa, kamut, amaranth, corn, flax) topped with dry oatmeal, half of a banana and mixture of soy milk and almond milk plus coffee

Lunch: (7) Kale salad (kale, blueberries, dried cranberries, almonds, quinoa) and fruit (cantalope, more blueberries and strawberries)

Dinner: (18) Super salad (romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, red cabbage, carrots, red pepper, tomato, onion, cucumber, radishes, kidney beans, pinto beans, soy beans, corn, green pepper, ground flax seed, garlic, Braggberry dressing)

Snack: (?) granola (sunflower seeds, dry oatmeal, etc)

My husband and I try to eat healthy to keep health care costs down (like any good boglehead would do), maintain our active hobbies (biking (the ones with the pedals), hiking and traveling) and support the planet (low/no animal products - mostly organic). I hope it is working!

Post by **Alex Frakt** » Fri Jun 22, 2012 2:28 pm

See http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtop ... =3&t=98428