Re: the perfect food

The traditional combination thing was discussed a lot several decades ago,
and good books and recipies came out. Search for "complete protein".
Perhaps Adelle Davis?

I think lentils are part of a traditional combination in India: lentils,
kidney beans, etc, served with rice. Many of their dishes include yogurt or
a yogurt drink is served with the meal. There are very spicy Indian dishes
packaged in foil in boxes by Tasty Bite etc -- I take one of those and add
plain lentils or whatever for a milder taste. The traditional spices in the
dishes are helpful for digestion and I expect nutritionally too.

Quoted message said:

There is no single thing. When scientists started looking around the
world at food traditions they spotted food patterns, which in
combination provided a sound nutrition. For example, the native
american diet in many places where farming was done was based on
beans, corn, varieties of squash and other fewer veggies and some
meat. In some places such as the astecs in mexico meat was rare as a
common food and used the corn/bean/squash combination almost
exclusively.

Cheese is part of most traditinal Mexican dishes, may be needed to complete
the protein.

Quoted message said:

The rice, soy bean, veggie combination with little meat
is an example in the e. asian cultural area. These provided less
complete sources of proteins that when combined were complete and the
veggies and other such provided vital vitamin/minerals when combined.
Potatoes were part of such a combination in s. america and in the
irish case.

What did they combine with the potatoes for complete protein?

Skinny

"Cheese is part of most traditinal Mexican dishes, may be needed to
complete
the protein."

Cows were introduced by europeans, the combination of the protein of the
beans and corn was complete.

"What did they combine with the potatoes for complete protein?"

Incans, corn - irish, grain; both very small amounts of animal protein
when available.

Quoted message said:

"Cheese is part of most traditinal Mexican dishes, may be needed to
complete the protein."

Cows were introduced by europeans, the combination of the protein of the
beans and corn was complete.

Good point. But weren't there other domesticated animals, such as llamas,
before the European cows? Goats?

Skinny

PS. I haven't compared prices much, but you might look at coconut milk as a
source of fat. It's a sauce base for many traditional Asian dishes that
combine rice, lentils, etc. Delicious, easy to cook with, comes in cans or
powdered. Perhaps cheaper in Asian import shops than supermarkets.

I use it as a soup base too. Thin like chicken broth or with pureed veg for
'cream of' soups. Take cheap vegetable parts such as stalks of broccoli or
asparagus and puree them in coconut milk and microwave, makes a wonderful
quick soup.

Or for quick drink combine half coconut milk with half V8 and add water to
thin to taste, microwave.

There used to be some health issues about what kind of fat is in coconut
milk -- but lately some 'coconut oil' supplements have come out, claiming
health benefits too.

Skinny
----------------

Skinny said:

The traditional combination thing was discussed a lot several decades

ago,

Quoted message said:

and good books and recipies came out. Search for "complete protein".
Perhaps Adelle Davis?

I think lentils are part of a traditional combination in India: lentils,
kidney beans, etc, served with rice. Many of their dishes include yogurt

or

Quoted message said:

a yogurt drink is served with the meal. There are very spicy Indian

dishes

Quoted message said:

packaged in foil in boxes by Tasty Bite etc -- I take one of those and

add

Quoted message said:

plain lentils or whatever for a milder taste. The traditional spices in

the

Quoted message said:

dishes are helpful for digestion and I expect nutritionally too.

Quoted message said:

"Cheese is part of most traditinal Mexican dishes, may be needed to
complete
the protein."

Cows were introduced by europeans, the combination of the protein of the
beans and corn was complete.

"What did they combine with the potatoes for complete protein?"

Incans, corn - irish, grain; both very small amounts of animal protein
when available.

Protein completing is an hoax
Legumes proteins and grains protein are complete by themselves
There's no need to combine grains with legumes
There's no need to complete or combine anything
Although the amount of some amino acids may be low on some foods they're
still adequate to human nutrition
2500 calories of only beans provide all the essential amino acids one
need without needing to complement with grains or other foods:

-----------------------------------------------------------
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
RDA RDA BEANS BEANS
Amino Acid mg/kg mg/70kg mg/100g mg/2000kcal %RDA
Isoleucine 10 700 363 5299 757%
Leucine 14 980 656 9577 977%
Lysine 12 840 564 8234 980%
Methionine 13 910 124 1810 199% <--
Phenylalanine 14 980 444 6482 661%
Threonine 7 490 346 5051 1031%
Tryptophan 3.5 245 97 1416 578%
Valine 10 700 430 6277 897%

What these results show is that eating nothing but beans would result in
obtaining a large excess of
every essential amino acid. In spite of the fact that beans are
_relatively_ low in methionine,
they are not _absolutely_ low in methione. Eating nothing but beans
would still provide 2 times the
RDA of methionine.
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