What is the healthiest meal you can think of... incorperates everything, hmm... I think pasta, with a side of kiwi, followed my mashed potatoes the gravy is made from red meat, and um salmon, and skim milk

Ok!! so have lunch already!. :)

The heathiest meal is a good steak, veggies on the side, onions to shew the steak with, and a glass of red wine. Hmmmm, well might as well make it the bottle. ;)

G.

Its got to be a tuna pasta bake, can't get enough of it.
It has lots of tuna, so plenty of good fishy oils.
It has pasta, a great source of carbohydrates.
Then there’s cheese, which is full of calcium.
And finally there’s Cream of mushroom soup, which is full of... mushrooms apparently :D

Well, if healthiest means that which promotes longevity, then only one meal should be eaten a day. That meal should contain no meat, lots of vitamins, and be low on calories. Green tea should go with it.
It's found that under-eating is the diet that keeps a rat living the longest, as well as people. So just stay in a state of semi-starvation.

Semi starvation just makes life seem longer...

No kidding. I'll eat what I want, keep exorcising. I mean exercising. Haha, I should be a Baptist!

meep exersice ><

It's found that under-eating is the diet that keeps a rat living the longest, as well as people. So just stay in a state of semi-starvation.

I've read a bit about that, the studies are still ongoing but the early results really are quite stunning. I mean, doubling rats lives with nothing more than diet is pretty astounding. Then again, they've "cured" aids and cancer in rats before too so it's a bit premature to assume these benefits will translate to humans.

interesting stuff though.

Well, if healthiest means that which promotes longevity, then only one meal should be eaten a day. That meal should contain no meat, lots of vitamins, and be low on calories. Green tea should go with it.
It's found that under-eating is the diet that keeps a rat living the longest, as well as people. So just stay in a state of semi-starvation.

But doesn't eating so seldomly cause your body to fight starvation, store fat and essentially start "eating itself" from the inside out. Liver (or kidney, I can't recall which) failure often occurs as a result of starvation diets due to this.

If your body is constantly fed, it uses it's food efficiently and liberally.

I would imagine it would be healthier to eat very small meals (with natural appetite suppressants like mint or blasamic vinegar) 5 to 6 times a day or more.

Maybe a handful of green grapes (or a small dose of a different healthy fruit each time) followed by a few mint leaves every few hours.

Does anyone have a hypothesis on why borderline starvation seems to prolong life?

Well, what about the really long lived yogis and bhuddists? They eat low on the food chain, and eat little, and reportedly live a long time.

But doesn't eating so seldomly cause your body to fight starvation, store fat and essentially start "eating itself" from the inside out. Liver (or kidney, I can't recall which) failure often occurs as a result of starvation diets due to this.

If your body is constantly fed, it uses it's food efficiently and liberally.

yeah thats true, we've actually misrepresented the diet a bit. In reality it involves eating a hell of a lot (in mass at least) it's also quite varied. Beans, nuts, fruit, veggies, mushrooms, etc... imagine eating a salad that looks to be meant for 3 people at each sitting, it's really a pretty daunting amount of food to look at it. All the nutrients, fiber, vitamins and calories needed are there but not an ounce more. That and complete absence of refined sugars and refined grains seems to be the key.

I only gave the details a glance and it was a few years ago but if I remember correctly those are the highlights. So, it's not a matter of starving in anyway just a very low calorie intake (compared to most diets).

A balanced diet refers to intake of appropriate types and adequate amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for the maintenance of body cells, tissues, and organs, and to support normal growth and development.

For a healthy diet, replace unhealthy and fattening foods with healthier alternatives, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Your entire body is made from the food you eat and the water you drink. The human body is roughly 63% water, 22% protein, 13% fat, 2% minerals and vitamins. Eating the highest quality food in the right quantity helps you to achieve your highest potential for health, vitality and freedom from disease. In short, a long and healthy life.

Mexican Dip

Sour Cream (dairy)
Tomatoes (vegtables)
Beans (proteins)
Ground Beef (meat)
Green Onions (vegtables)
Jalepenos (stimulates digestion along with other spices)
Cheddar Cheese (dairy)
Corn chips (vegtables and salts)
Flax Seeds (mixed in the beef for omegas)

Natural = healhty

Vogue had some great articles on aging and diets in August issue. One of the interesting things was that if you want to get calcium, you have to eat milk products on their own, not combined with other things:

"The cereal's fiber impedes calcium absorption. (As does iron [in kiwi] [etc.])"

If the above is right, it follows that you really can't stuff everything onto one plate and call it a healthy day. Healthy food is a complex on-going habit that should last for life.

What about 'Fruits'? However, a food which can be healthier for one may not be similar for other.

some studies on the effects of a reduced calorie diet:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-09/uop-rda091302.php
http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/03/anti.aging.diet/

Does anyone have a hypothesis on why borderline starvation seems to prolong life?

It's called caloric restriction (CR) and it is the only proven way to prolong life in virtually every living species! Hasen't been tested in humans yet for obvious reasons. It is believed that by reducing your intake, the body goes into an evolutionary starvation mode where it devotes more energy in maintaining the body than into reproduction. Sex will kill u!!!
CR does this primarily by increasing our DNA repair capacity.

I;d go with foods without addatives.

Organic Bran, meat and vegetables.

If you're looking for the healthiest meal around then soething synthetic could be made in a lab...

have you heard of quinoa? only found out about it myself a short whole ago.......you cook it like rice...ie, you put about 2/3 of a cup of quinoa in a cup and two parts of water--try and use good mineral water. then bring it to boil and simmer for 15 mins on lowest number with pan lid on
so what is it. it is a ancient food from south america. you must though check it out for yourself cause it gots an interesting tale...it is an all round amazingly nutritious food...i have mixed peas with it...mmmmmmmmmm

not eating - and not eating carbs, maked the body enter a state of ketosis. Your body will be running on diesel, rather than premium petrol :)

i currently eat 8 meals a day (and work out 5 times a week).

my body fat percentage is lowering, and i am gaining muscle.

good foods are lean meats, fish, nuts, green leafy veg, fruit (red is best), eggs, milk, water, brown rice, wholegrain pasta, olive oil..

What is the healthiest meal you can think of... incorperates everything, hmm... I think pasta, with a side of kiwi, followed my mashed potatoes the gravy is made from red meat, and um salmon, and skim milk

This i only discovered this food myself last year:

Quinoa:
Quinoa (pronounced 'keenwa') which has been grown for 5000 years and is reputed to have given the Azrecs their enormous strength, contains significantly more protein than any grain, and the quality of its protein is better than meat. quinoa is not technically a grain, but rather a fruit. Nutritionally, it is quite unique, containing more protein than a grain, and more essential fat than fruit. It is also rich in vitamins and minerals, providing almost four times as much calcium as wheat, plus extra iron, B vitamins and vitamin E. Quinoa is also low in fat and the majority of its oil is polyunsaturated, providing essntial fatty acids. As such, quinoa is about as close to a perfect food as you can get.
Quinoa can be found in many healthfood stores and may be used as an alternative to rice. To cook it, add twice as much as water and boil for 15 minutes". (The Optimum Nutrition Cookbook, by Patrick Holford & Judy Ridgway

it is lovely btw