Sefton10
Member
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2019
- Messages
- 1,593
How the Mid-Victorians Worked, Ate and Died
Long time lurker here and first post. As many of you, I've worked my way through most 'diets' in the quest for health and found the work of Ray Peat following several months of very low carb/carnivore. Inevitably (in hindsight of course) I tanked my metabolism and have been trying to work out those issues in the last year or so (cold hands/feet, low HR, short fuse, low energy, disturbed sleep etc.), essentially the classic hypothyroid symptoms.
With a developing understanding and appreciation of the bioenergetic approach (from hours spent reading these boards, listening to the usual podcasts etc.), I feel I'm gradually working things out. I turned 40 this year and am generally in good shape physically, standing 6' 2" with a decent bit of muscle and otherwise no health issues. Ironically, the best I've ever 'looked' (usual misguided stuff of ripped with a 6 pack) was around a year ago and it is hands down the worst I have ever felt. I now realise it wasn't just the way I was eating but I was chronically overexercising with intense workouts (mostly lifting) too. Combined with the classic low carb and fasting combo, I really did a number on myself and was essentially a stress hormone factory.
Recently, I've learned a lot from reading @CLASH and some of his ideas on upping fat alongside carbs and just getting sufficient protein (I fell into a trap of pounding protein at the expense of energy in the last few years, easily eating 200g+ a day, and lots of that being oily fish). I've been gradually feeling better and becoming more in tune with cause and effect of different foods and this turned a light bulb on for me. Despite upping carbs a lot (300g+ a day), I think I'd subconsciously swapped one problem for another by going too low fat and I came to realise I had a real yearning to simplify and balance was probably where I needed to be.
This led me to start thinking about my direct ancestors (Northern European/Germanic) and what they would have eaten, as well as reading more on traditional diets. I landed on the linked paper outlining the Mid-Victorian diet (1850-1880) and it struck me that this was likely one of the last genuinely 'healthy' diets before hyper-industrialisation and food processing really got going.
Their whole way of eating was actually pretty 'Peaty':
Anyway, I'm not entirely sure on the point of my post, I just felt inspired to share the article and thought others might find it interesting. My plan moving forward is to go back to basics and base my food choices on the Victorian 'tradition' while incorporating the principles of being pro-metabolic and reducing other causes of stress. I think quite naturally it should hit pretty much all my micronutrient requirements in balance, and should provide a balanced macronutrient split in line with what @CLASH switched me onto, i.e. adequate protein (around 130g), enough carbs for the brain, nervous system etc. (around 300g) and enough fat for digestion, satiety etc. (around 100g).
Long time lurker here and first post. As many of you, I've worked my way through most 'diets' in the quest for health and found the work of Ray Peat following several months of very low carb/carnivore. Inevitably (in hindsight of course) I tanked my metabolism and have been trying to work out those issues in the last year or so (cold hands/feet, low HR, short fuse, low energy, disturbed sleep etc.), essentially the classic hypothyroid symptoms.
With a developing understanding and appreciation of the bioenergetic approach (from hours spent reading these boards, listening to the usual podcasts etc.), I feel I'm gradually working things out. I turned 40 this year and am generally in good shape physically, standing 6' 2" with a decent bit of muscle and otherwise no health issues. Ironically, the best I've ever 'looked' (usual misguided stuff of ripped with a 6 pack) was around a year ago and it is hands down the worst I have ever felt. I now realise it wasn't just the way I was eating but I was chronically overexercising with intense workouts (mostly lifting) too. Combined with the classic low carb and fasting combo, I really did a number on myself and was essentially a stress hormone factory.
Recently, I've learned a lot from reading @CLASH and some of his ideas on upping fat alongside carbs and just getting sufficient protein (I fell into a trap of pounding protein at the expense of energy in the last few years, easily eating 200g+ a day, and lots of that being oily fish). I've been gradually feeling better and becoming more in tune with cause and effect of different foods and this turned a light bulb on for me. Despite upping carbs a lot (300g+ a day), I think I'd subconsciously swapped one problem for another by going too low fat and I came to realise I had a real yearning to simplify and balance was probably where I needed to be.
This led me to start thinking about my direct ancestors (Northern European/Germanic) and what they would have eaten, as well as reading more on traditional diets. I landed on the linked paper outlining the Mid-Victorian diet (1850-1880) and it struck me that this was likely one of the last genuinely 'healthy' diets before hyper-industrialisation and food processing really got going.
Their whole way of eating was actually pretty 'Peaty':
- Meat on the bone, Offal (brains, heart, sweetbreads, liver, kidneys)
- Eggs, Beef Dripping, Hard Cheeses, some Milk, Bone broths
- White fish (Cod, Haddock), Mussels, Oysters, Herring
- FRUIT/VEG: 8-10 portions per day. Apples, Cherries, Plums, Dried Fruit and Candied Peel, Chestnuts. Onions, Carrots, Turnips.
Anyway, I'm not entirely sure on the point of my post, I just felt inspired to share the article and thought others might find it interesting. My plan moving forward is to go back to basics and base my food choices on the Victorian 'tradition' while incorporating the principles of being pro-metabolic and reducing other causes of stress. I think quite naturally it should hit pretty much all my micronutrient requirements in balance, and should provide a balanced macronutrient split in line with what @CLASH switched me onto, i.e. adequate protein (around 130g), enough carbs for the brain, nervous system etc. (around 300g) and enough fat for digestion, satiety etc. (around 100g).