Towards the end of 2020 I started a new style of menu and this is the latest version that I keep to every day to give me the structure I need for my daily life. I record it every day in a Word file and include notes which turn it into my diary which now has nearly 1500 pages for a 2 year period (on 30 June 2021). I stopped eating chips at Frydays Fish & Chips altogether and gave up eating bread to make my diet consist only of unprocessed food which means I never need to detox as I don’t eat anything to make my body toxic in the first place! I also stopped eating dried fruit – mainly figs & prunes – as the drying process has made the concentration of sugar too high to consider the food as natural and unprocessed. I reduced the number of STs (Sucralose Tablets) I had when I found out I was having far too many and stopped using Sucralose Granulated Sweetener when I found out the extra ingredients which turned small tablets into a granulated product were not good for me. I just dissolve the tablets in water or soya if I need to sprinkle!
I make up 2 1L bottles of Apple & Blackcurrant Squash with No Added Sugar to drink during the day.
Where I mention 50ml or 100ml of water with a non-fruit meal I actually mean a hot water based sauce which I make up before adding the food. This would typically contain:
- Turmeric & black pepper always because it’s good for warding off arthritis
- Garlic granules
- Paprika, or Tandoori Spice Blend or Tika
Sometimes I use 100ml of gravy made up from granules – for example on Sundays to turn my potato meal into a Sunday Lunch. Gravy gives the taste of meat without there being any meat in the meal. I’m not a vegetarian – I just prefer to eat canned fish (Sardines or Tuna) most of the time because it’s has no preparation time and it cheaper than meat when you buy the Asda Smart Price. I often have duck over Christmas just for a change but I never have processed meat apart from on my birthday on 2 September when I have a full English breakfast at Frydays Fish & Chips with lots of bacon toasties. I very occasionally have some cod & chips to celebrate something but only thick chips as they contain a lot less fat because the surface area is lower – see the notes below My Daily Menu regarding that.
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My Daily Menu
0830 Alarm to get up to take Ibuprofen A and do my morning ablutions & duties,
0835 Caffeinated coffee: 2 teaspoons (100mg of caffeine) + 2STs (Sucralose Tablets) + 100ml soya +20ml water with 250ml boiling water added. Cold soya & water ensure the temperature of the boiling water is reduced to the best creamy taste (75C) and the granules are not burned. Don’t forget that granules represent coffee that has already been brewed.
(A recent change (30Jun’21) since I discovered that a certain amount of caffeine is good for you! It used to be Tetley Decaff Tea with 2 bags &2STs with 50ml soya milk & 50ml cold water.)
0845 Take Electricity Readings
An alarm used to be set for 08:45 so that I woke up in time to take the electricity meter readings just after the Economy 7 system switched from night to day rates. This used to change to 07:45 during the gmt months. On 8 June a Smart Meter was installed by Eon Next which provide me on a remote monitor the energy used each day together with the estimated cost which takes into account the Economy 7 tariffs of 11.44p/kwh for night, 22.31p for day and 7.35p standing charge. Given the number of kwh used for a day and it’s estimated cost you can use simultaneous equations to work out how many kwh were used at night and how many kwh were used during the day. I have encapsulated this within my electricity spread sheet so that now instead of recording 2 readings from the outside meter, I record the number of kwh used for the day and its cost from the remote monitor.
0920 Morning yoga session to wake up my body with my laptop casting to the TV a 17 minute video of my favourite yogi Chloe doing yoga by the Pool):
- General limb loosening & warm up exercises to prepare me for the yoga session:
- hip rotations: anti x5/ clock x5/ anti x5/ clock x5/
- waist twists: left x5/ right x5/ left x5/ right x5/
- Side bends x2 each side
- Back & forward bends x2
- Toe raises: 20 each for right foot/left foot/both
- Squats: x20 – palms touching floor every time, holding first and last to make my knees more flexible.
- Lunges x20 for each leg with feet as far apart as possible – repeat left leg if still weaker than the right
- Jogging on the spot: Start with left foot: 50 x2 + Start right foot: 50 x2 aiming to complete in 50s or less
- Follow Chloe’s routine all the way – change Warrior to suit my weakened knees as little as possible
- Side bends x2 each side as far as possible (not included in yoga sequence)
- Back & forward bends x2 as far as possible (for back bends against gravity, forward bends just to balance)
- Headstand for 7 minutes – not touching bed wall – slow up – slow all the way down
- Shoulder loosening and carpel tunnel nerve sliding exercises in all different directions
- Nauli kriya with mirror against the wall by the window: chest lift hold 20secs, central out to in x20, side to side x20, central & sides out x20, central/left/right isolations x8
The Nauli Kriya practice is to improve my abdominal muscle isolations, to keep my six pack in shape and to improve my digestive motions.
1000 Porridge 250ml raw oats (1 small mug) in water 400ml (2 small mugs -100ml), microwave 4@800+3@180, then stir in 100ml soya with 8STs dissolved while waiting for the porridge to cook.
1100 Apple & Blackcurrant Squash (from 1Jul2021 – used to be Tetley Decaff Tea with 2 bags & 2 STs etc.)
1200 Potatoes 500g baked in microwave 6@800+12@300 with T+BP, Garlic, Salt & : (Turmeric & Black Pepper & another herb) with
- baked beans drained.
- sardines & mushy peas & 50ml water.
- baked beans drained.
- sardines, mushy peas & 50ml water.
1230 Caffeinated coffee (from 1Jul’21 making it 200mg of caffeine a day – used to be Tetley Decaff Tea).
1330 Ibuprofen B
1345 Yoga flow exercises to stretch & warm up my muscles for my salsa walk:
- hip rotations: anti x5/ clock x5/ anti x5/ clock x5/
- waist twists: left x5/ right x5/ left x5/ right x5/
- side-bends: left/ right/ left/ right/ slowly with style
- back bend/ forward bend/ back bend/ forward bend/ slowly with style
- toe raises: 20 each of both/ right/ left/ slowly
- squats: x20 – palms touching floor every time
- jogging on spot: Start left 50 x2 + Start right 50 x2
1400 FD?? Salsa Walk 48? (6km @ 68% Africando Mario salsa track = 130 steps per minute)
1500 Yoga flow exercises at the finish line to warm down – same as the warm up ones.
1600 Rice dish or omelette:
- 200ml rice & T+BP, Garlic, Salt & : with tuna & carrots with 100ml water & 50ml potato flakes.
- 200ml rice & T+BP, Garlic, Salt & : with baked beans drained.
- 200ml rice & T+BP, Garlic, Salt & : with tuna & carrots with 100ml water & 50ml potato flakes.
- 4-egg omelette & T+BP, Garlic, Salt & .
1610 Pears (1 large, 2 medium or 3 small).
1700 Coffee #3.
1800 Pulses with T+BP, Garlic, Salt & : with next can (Cannellini Beans or Butter Beans or Chickpeas or Kidney Beans (or any other pulse but these are 55p or less in Asda) with
- sardines & mushy peas with 50ml water.
- tuna & carrots with 100ml water & 50ml potato flakes.
- sardines & mushy peas with 50ml water.
- tuna & carrots with 100ml water & 50ml potato flakes.
1900 Apple & Blackcurrant Squash & 5 baby beetroots.
2000 Fruit desert:
- 500ml of sliced rhubarb sticks (soaked in water for at least a day) heated for 3@800+3@180. 5STs mixed in and stirred to dissolve. Served on a bed of sliced banana or
- Can of rhubarb when out of season drained & served on a bed of sliced banana.
- Can of peach slices drained & served on a bed of sliced banana or
- Can of grapefruit in grapefruit juice sweetened with 5 STs & served on a bed of sliced banana..
2100 Apple & Blackcurrant Squash & 5 baby beetroots.
2200 2 apples.
2300 Cocoa: mix 2 table spoons with 60ml water until it becomes a thick mixture then mix in another 60ml,. Microwave 100ml soya + 150ml water for 2,5@800. Add to cocoa mixture, add 6STs & stir well then drink with my supplements.
0130 Bed after a few yoga flow exercises in case my back has stiffened while sitting on the sofa reading, using the laptop or watching TV.
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Notes
Porridge Oats: 250ml raw oats, 400ml water microwaved 4m@800W+3m@180. Meanwhile I place 8 sucralose sweetener tablets in 100ml milk so that by the time the porridge is ready they are fully dissolved. I add this afterwards to ensure the maximum osmotic pressure is available to hydrate the raw oats in the shortest possible time. If you add them first the cooking takes twice as long. Using sucralose sweetener tablets instead of granulated sweetener saves a lot of money (around £1.50 a week) and I have read that the granulated sweetener has a lot of stuff making up the bulk which isn’t good for you!
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I recommend any of the pulses (actually legume seeds – pulses are the dried seed from the fruits of legume vegetables) and the following are generally available in supermarkets: chickpeas, rinsed baked beans (ie haricot beans), kidney beans, mushy peas, butter beans, cannellini beans, borlotti beans, pinto beans, black-eyed beans, black beans & green lentils are in fact all legume seeds and there is a vast selection available as you can see on this list of pulses with their Indian & English names. There’s a more comprehensive list on the AGT website but I’m not recommending AGT as I’ve never used them! The pulses I choose are simply the cheapest available at Asda or anywhere else for that matter (55p or less for a 400g can).
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The hot sauces I make may include the following herbal flavours: Piri Piri Seasoning, Jerk Seasoning, Hot Chilli Powder, Hot Curry Powder, Medium Tandoori Spice Blend & Garam Masala Spice Blend, Bolognese Seasoning – all available from Asda for around a pound! I also include Ground Turmeric as a colouring for potato & rice and because of it’s anti-cancer properties which are apparently improved by the addition of a little Black Pepper. Also Turmeric makes microwaved sliced potato look like chips and gives rice an appetising colour.
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Whenever I want to thicken something I use potato powder instead of flour as I try to avoid any products containing gluten which seems to bring back arthritis in my knees as happens every time I have reverted to eating normal bread because I love it so much! Hopefully I’ve given up doing this after 5 years on my Natural Low Density food but it doesn’t matter whether I do or I don’t – I’ll give it up again soon enough when the symptoms return! An occasional bit of something you love which is bad for you is good for you! If Asda don’t have the potato powder I like to use in stock I buy some potato flakes from Morrisons instead.
Sometimes I have a snack of homemade popcorn – just follow the link to see how I make it. Again if Asda don’t have it in stock I buy some from Morrisons instead though it is more expensive there. I never eat ready prepared popcorn and I never use the microwaved version because it contains too much fat. You don’t need any fat to cook your own popcorn from kernels. You don’t have to add anything at all! I usually flavour with salt since I discovered that granulated sweetener contains bulking agents which aren’t good for you.
Sometimes I prepare homemade chocolate to cool and eat like a bar of chocolate or use as a dip for my homemade popcorn. Usually I have my daily chocolate fix in the form of a cocoa drink with my supplements at the end of the day.
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My Old Menu & Notes – left here pro tem while I update with the latest menu & notes from 30 June 2021!
My usual menu for normal days is:
- 08:00 Coffee, black with sucralose tablets (place a table spoon of the Douwe Egbert’s coffee & 2 sucralose pills in a mug, add 190ml boiling water, stir then add 60ml of cold water and then stir again.)
- 10:00 Porridge oats, large bowl-full using water and soya milk with 10 sucralose sweetener tablets to replace the creamy taste when made with cows milk (See Notes below)
- 12:00 Microwaved chipped potatoes (400g) and the 1st pulse of the day with a thick hot sauce (see Notes below for the latter two items)). On Mondays and Fridays I have some real chips in Fareham (£1.75) or Gosport (£1.95) and a punnet of grapes for no more than £1.20.
- 14:00 Peach slices (medium can rinsed and drained) or Grapefruit pieces (large can drained & sweetened with granulated sucralose).
- 16:00 Soup – for example Carrot & Sardine Soup.
- 18:00 A large banana or homemade popcorn – depends what I feel like eating – possible both!
- 20:00 Rice, sweet corn or chopped tomatoes and tuna flakes, sardines (rinsed), chicken breast or pork chop with the 2nd pulse of the day with a thin hot sauce (see Notes below for the latter two items).
- 22:00 Cocoa drink made with coconut milk or soya milk or, if out salsa dancing, a third of a bar of dark chocolate.
- 00:00 Daily supplements with a drink of squash and a banana.
- ??:?? If driving home after salsa a snack of a whole packet of peanuts and finish off the bar of dark chocolate!
NOTES
Porridge Oats: 250ml raw oats, 500ml water microwaved at 800W for 5 minutes – 15 sucralose sweetener tablets dissolved in a little water added afterwards to ensure the maximum osmotic pressure to hydrate the raw oats in the shortest possible time. If you add them first the cooking takes twice as long as it does if you use 25% coconut milk or soya milk instead of just water! Sometimes when I feel like a creamy porridge (often on a Sunday) I use only 375ml of water instead of 500ml and then mix in 125ml of coconut milk or soya milk after cooking. Using sucralose sweetener tablets instead of granulated sweetener saves a lot of money (around £1.50 a week). The only down side is having to make a solution of the tablets in a small amount of cold water instead of just sprinkling the granules!
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On Mondays and Fridays I have a portion of chips from Whistlers Fine Fish & Chips shop in Fareham for my 12:00 meal (there was a new owner with a new name in September 2017 but they’re the same chips served by the same cook so who cares). They often give me a large portion but that’s fine because there’s nothing wrong with eating big high quality chips because the ratio of the surface area to volume is 50% lower than the slim chips you get from Burger King, KFC, McDonalds, etc which means that they qualify as a natural low density food! There’s a good reason why the fast food places cook slim chips – because they cook faster but as you can see below (Thick Chips Versus Thin Chips) there’s a good reason why you shouldn’t eat them.
On Saturdays at 12:00 I have often have a potato omelette made with 3 eggs as a replacement for the big fry-up I used to have in the old days – sometimes from a cafe – the biggest English breakfast they had on the menu!
When I’m travelling back from London I sometimes have a tin of Sardines in tomato sauce to keep me going together with several cups of coffee made from a thermos flask of hot water as I never buy ready made coffee … ever … £2.50 for a hot cup of water with a little brown powder – what a joke! When I used to drink cappuccino £2.50 seemed like a better price because at least I was getting some milk but when you spend a lot of time on the road driving to and from salsa venues – around 400 miles a week – the amount you would spend on take-away coffees adds up to £20 or more a week which is a ridiculous waste of money no matter how much you earn.
If travelling via the A3 I stop off at the M&S service station at Ripley 2 miles after the M25 junction for 2 Scotch eggs costing only £1.05! If they haven’t got those I’ll might have some dry roasted peanuts instead. It may be shown as BP on the south heading side of the road but it’s actually M&S. I don’t consider anything else in the shop as remotely edible! These Scotch eggs are the only non-natural food I eat but they are 90% natural (2 eggs 37%, pork 26%, water 27%) with only a small amount of wheat in the breadcrumb coating (7%) and therefore only a tiny amount of gluten.
Sometimes for supper I have home-made raw chocolate instead of dark chocolate, either of which always puts me in a good mood. Occasionally I have some home-made popcorn as an additional snack – when I fancy them which is not very often.
I try not to eat the same food more than once in a day and I drink black coffee with 2 sweetener tablets or Apple & Blackcurrant Squash (Double Strength – no added sugar) whenever I feel like it – no limits whatsoever as caffeine does not stop me sleeping – even if I have a cup just before going to sleep! Having said that I have recently converted to drinking strong decaffeinated tea with soya milk during the day because I prefer the taste. Although I wasn’t aware that the caffeine in my coffee was reducing my sleep – now I have a lot less caffeine I sleep even better than before. In fact I only have coffee when I’m driving because making good tea in the car from thermos flask temperature water is not impossible!
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THICK CHIPS VERSUS THIN CHIPS
Thin Chips (McDonalds)
Surface Area = 0.5 x 0.5 x 2 + 0.5 x 11 x 4 = 0.5 + 22 = 22.5
Volume = 0.5 x 0.5 x 11 = 2.75
Ratio = 22.5 / 2.75 = 8.18
Thick Chips (Chip Shop)
Surface Area = 0.75 x 1.5 x 2 + 0.75 x 6 x 2 + 1.5 x 6 x 2 = 2.25 + 9 + 18 = 29.25
Volume = 0.75 x 1.5 x 6 = 6.75
Ratio = 29.25 / 6.75 = 4.3
Comparison
These figures indicate that the thin chips have 1.9 (8.18 / 4.3) times as much surface area for any given a.mount of chips which means that’s how much more fat sticks to the chips! Thick chips are therefore less calorie dense than thin chips . . .
CHANGES TO MY USUAL MENU
Feb2018
Started drinking strong decaffeinated tea with soya milk during the day instead of coffee which means I only drink coffee when I wake up and when I’m driving as making a good cup of tea with flask temperature water is not possible! There’s also the safety factor when I’m driving with caffeine helping me to stay alert!
Started having soup at 4pm instead of an omelette.
Started eating meat like pork chops, chicken breast and chicken thighs instead of just sardines and tuna.
Dec2017
Upgraded my coffee from cheapest in Asda to Douwe Egberts
Changed main part of evening meals to a grain (rice or sweetcorn) but still occasionally tomato pieces if I fancy them.
Realised that pulses are the dried seed from legume fruits so if I buy a can it contains legume fruit seeds!
Stopped having porridge for supper – replaced it with a cocoa drink and a banana.
Started using gluten free bread again!
Realised that a dispenser containing 300 sucralose tablets provided the same sweetening power as 2.5 jars of granulated sweetener and both were £1 each thus saving £1.50 a week or more!
Jun2017: Discovered chopped tomatoes as an alternative to peas for the main part of a main meal. This usually pans out to 3 days on rice from Friday to Sunday (made in one go) followed by 3 alternate days using chopped tomatoes and the other 3 alternate days using garden peas.
Mar2017: Discovered that garden peas were a better alternative to mushy peas or processed peas which I have always preferred. Suddenly realised mushy peas may be processed and garden peas actually tasted nicer than mushy or processed peas – sweeter.
Sep2016: An extra egg
16:00 2 egg, rinsed baked bean omelette (alternatively chickpeas or kidney beans)
changed to
16:00 3 egg omelette with rinsed baked beans, chickpeas, kidney beans or rice
Jul2016: Removed bread entirely from my diet and started using soya milk instead of water for my porridge
16:00 2 poached eggs with 2 slices of gluten-free toast without spread
changed to
16:00 3 egg omelette with drained baked beans
10:00 Porridge Oats, very large bowl-full using water and granulated sweetener
changed to
10:00 Porridge oats, very large bowl-full using soya milk and sucralose
22:00 Sardines in tomato sauce drained
changed to
22:00 Porridge oats, large bowl-full using soya milk and sucralose
Although having porridge twice is against my usual rule of not eating the same food twice in one day I make an exception of porridge because it has become my replacement for eating bread and I just love it! If I’ve been out salsa dancing during the week and I get a chance to pop into Asda I have 2 bananas instead of porridge for supper.
3Jun2016: Remove bread from my diet as the arthritis in my knees returned – see my blog of 6th June
2 poached eggs with 2 slices of toast without spread
changed to
2 egg, rinsed baked bean omelette (alternatively chickpeas or kidney beans)
22Jun2016: Decided to try gluten free bread instead so back to
2 poached eggs with 2 slices of gluten-free toast without spread