My current diet

[Mr. PC]

But if I'm going out in the sun, and eating cholesterol, than I should be ok for vitamin D, right? How can I measure how much UV light I get? Should I be outside a certain number of hours per day?

I don't think I've read anything about requiring phytonutrients and antioxidants. In my understanding phytonutrients make your body believe it has nutrients it doesn't; or am I confusing it with hormones (phyto-estrogen from soy). Anti-oxidants are also not needed. Why does our body need them?

I've been taking an entire vitamin, in two parts during the day, morning and evening, and with food. Otherwise I've been keeping generally the same diet, although I have been adding bananas back.

RRM, can you confirm that it's ok to get only 50% of the RDA for any vitamin (sans calcium)? My main concern I think should be whether I can suppliment

Vitamin D................................147.40IU ........400.00IU
Vitamin K.................................19.68mcg ........70.00mcg
Zinc, Zn...................................5.83mg .........15.00mg
Iodide, I..................................1.30mcg .......150.00mcg

by taking half a pill that supposedly contains 100% DV for each of these, twice a day, with food.

[overkees]

A little help of wikipedia and you'll find:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytochemical

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopene
phytochemical in tomato for example

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant

Read the articles and please tell me again what you think about it, they are very important for good health. The body is in constant stress and NEEDS antioxidants to compensate this effect. Vitamin C and E are the most important ones. But alot of antioxidants are in fact phytonutrients/chemicals. Please eat more fruit for better health.

You should, in my opinion, never cut money when it comes to food.

[RRM]

You should, in my opinion, never cut money when it comes to food.

ABSOLUTELY.
Start cutting somewhere else...

[Mr. PC]

Hmmm, and I was just about to buy a new computer. . .

I think it's hard because food is so transient, it in a way feels like a waste. Although, if it were to have a significant affect on my intelligence (I learn more while eating healthy) than I'm investing in something long term, rather than something that will be lost.

So

I was trying to get at least half the RDA in each nutrient; I can't remember where I got that idea from but instead I'll focus on getting at least half my energy from fruit/yolks, rather than sugar water.

If I eat 8 yolks
8 oranges
two tomatoes
two bananas
1 avocado, each day, than I get 1565.61400kcal out of the 2900.00kcal that my demographic (men 19-24) needs. Question though - I'm turning 25 in March, but I'm only 130lbs (58 kilograms). Should I do the nutrient calculator according to my age, or weight, or a compromise between the two?

Also, if I go over my 2900.00kcal with sugar, does that matter as far as micro-nutrient intake is concerned? Do I need to consume half my cards in fruit/yolks, or do I need to consume half my RDA for energy in fruit/yolks?

I have to say, I really wish I could make myself smarter.

Oh, and even with that last diet, maybe I should still take the multi-vitamins 'till they're gone, because they did cost my mom money, and I hate wasting, and they do give vitamins, which I think would still help even while I'm getting half my RDA of energy in foods. I don't care about acne, so - I'm curious if you happen to know why they absorb better with food. Is it because of the physical mass in the stomach? Because they're being absorbed with sugar? Why would we absord the nutrients in OJ, when it's a liquid?

[Oscar]

I'd say you should be fine somewhere between 2100 and 2500kcal, of course depending on your level of activity. In the end you have to listen to your body and eat/drink accordingly, as energy needs can differ per day.

You don't necessarily have to buy a whole new computer. Depending on the age of the components and your needs, you could upgrade selectively. This does require opening your case and building in the upgraded components, which is not too difficult nowadays, but you have to be willing to invest some time in it.

[RRM]

food is so transient, it in a way feels like a waste.

Its essential to health.
Health is extremely valuable, and the best investment one can think of.

I'll focus on getting at least half my energy from fruit/yolks

Thats a better plan.

Do I need to consume half my cards in fruit/yolks, or do I need to consume half my RDA for energy in fruit/yolks?

Half the energy consumed.

I'm curious if you happen to know why they absorb better with food.

Its because nutrients naturally come 'in a package'; the uptake of nutrients co-depends on the presence of other nutrients,
including fats, for example.

Why would we absorb the nutrients in OJ, when it's a liquid?

That liquid also is a 'package'.

[Mr. PC]

Does that mean we'd absorb orange vitamins better with fat? (olive oil).

I'm finding the sugar water to be *extremely* convenient. Do you think it could work for me to still use sugar water for energy, but then eat fruit for my nutrients? I'm not sure how I could balance that; I guess if I measure the sugar I use before adding it to the water.

Recently I don't use a lot of energy. I walk/run from class to work to the bus, but nothing compared to someone who 'exercises'. I don't think I've ever consumed enough fruit to get 2100 kcal; I'd have to eat 10 oranges a day. I'm assuming I get more vitamins eating the whole orange than juicing it (with Hurom), or would the difference be insignificant? Does the dry pulp have any vitamins in it?

Oscar; I was really just looking for something portable for class/work. I'm thinking I'll get a cheap tablet actually, put Ubuntu on it, and thin-client it to my home computer.

[RRM]

Does that mean we'd absorb orange vitamins better with fat? (olive oil).

It means that regarding the fat soluble vitamins in oranges (the tocopherols, tocotrienols and vitamin K)
the 'package' that they come in (fat) is required for their uptake.

Do you think it could work for me to still use sugar water for energy, but then eat fruit for my nutrients?

sure, if you get all your vitamins from fruits, egg yolks etc.
Im not saying that you dont get vitamins from supplements, but that the body is better at getting the right amounts of all vitamins etc
(the proper balances) when they come in their natural package.

I'm assuming I get more vitamins eating the whole orange than juicing it

Correct.
Pressing a little extra juice would compensate for that, though.

Does the dry pulp have any vitamins in it?

yes

[Oscar]

Oscar; I was really just looking for something portable for class/work. I'm thinking I'll get a cheap tablet actually, put Ubuntu on it, and thin-client it to my home computer.

Ah ok. You can also root the existing OS of the tablet, btw.

[Mr. PC]

Thanks RRM.

So I think I'll continue with the sugar water and just up my fruit intake, but also take the multi-vitamins I have left over. I guess I can assume I'm not getting any benefit from the fat-soluble vitamins, but if I'm floating around the bare minimum of what I need in terms of vitamins, then it shouldn't be a big deal that I'm only absorbing a small amount.

Oscar - Does rooting it mean I can download software from the 'app store' that could normally cost money, for free? I really don't know anything about Android but I get the impression it has a lot of limitations. I heard it runs on the Linux kernel, meaning theoretically you could run both OSs at the same time.

I've noticed I've felt tired and not so focused since switching to sugar water, btw, but it could be a co-incidence. I think I'm also simply tired of the monotonous course I'm taking.

[RRM]

I've noticed I've felt tired and not so focused since switching to sugar water, btw, but it could be a co-incidence.

I dont think so.
On this diet you should always feel energetic and focussed.
Try sticking to a 'bare-minimum-of-sugar-water version' for a week (more fruit/juices),
and see if that makes a difference.

[Oscar]

Oscar - Does rooting it mean I can download software from the 'app store' that could normally cost money, for free? I really don't know anything about Android but I get the impression it has a lot of limitations. I heard it runs on the Linux kernel, meaning theoretically you could run both OSs at the same time.

Yes it does mean that. You can find articles on the internet about it.

[Mr. PC]

I've been reducing sugar water and feel much better. I wonder what the science is behind it. Maybe I was taking too much sugar at once and having energy spikes, causing long term energy loss.

Now my local supermarket has a sale this week, oranges are 50 cents / lb (usually $1.20). I bought 140 oranges, which should last me 2 weeks. But I'd like to sock up more for this deal.

I've read that at 3 degrees Celsius, they can be stored for up to 8 weeks, but that they dry out if not in plastic, and mold in plastic.

I really want to avoid/minimize waste. I'm thinking of putting them in my cold storage, which should be close to that temperature. Is 2 months / 600 oranges realistic? What are your experiences storing oranges long term? I read in the adidic oranges thread viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1893 RRM that you store oranges for up to 4 months; what temperature is that at? Do they dry out? (I guess not as you wrote that they become sweeter). Would the wasted oranges if a few go bad undue the savings from the deal?

Oh, FYI soft/bruised oranges cause the other oranges to pseudo-ripen more quickly, so keep those separate and eat them first.

[Mr. PC]

Ok, so 've bought about 100 lbs all together, and have also read that harder oranges last longer than soft ones. And for Navel oranges, the larger the navel, the more ripe it was at it's time of picking (which is also useful to know because those should in theory be superior oranges), but for storing, they don't last as long.

Maybe I should have written that all in a more organized way and begun a new thread? There's one about storing fruits in general, but the hearsay on oranges seems to be different from the other fruits as described in that thread.

[overkees]

I think you can best pick out the bad oranges, use them up first. Then you could wrap every orange in wrapping paper individually and put them in the refrigerator, no plastic but wrapping paper. Then almost none will get spoiled and you can keep them up to 2 months easily.

However, this tends to dry them out a bit and they don't taste really good anymore. So, you should select the soft oranges that will last 2 weeks and store them at room temperature. Select some more that you wish to store for 4 weeks and wrap them in wrapping paper individually and store at room temperature. The rest can be stored as I described above.

Good luck