Diets Of The Greats

[michael94]

UG Krishnamurti

"U.G. uses heavy cream, the thicker the better, another important element in his diet, in many recipes, and drinks it with sugar and a dash of coffee (“for flavor”) once or twice a day. He is not concerned with cholesterol or any other disorder. He may consume over a pint of heavy cream a day."

heavy cream

 

[Travis]

If a dove told him to eat an all-meat diet then he probably would have done that instead.

But then we might not even have alternating current by now, and instead only his memoirs describing high tension diarrhea currents alternating with constipation.

 

[Waynish]

I doubt any particular diet is much better for individual "greatness" as long as it's digestible, contains all necessary nutrients and low in toxins. I think the only reason high starch is associated with advanced civilizations is that it allows higher population density and the need for fewer people to be involved in food production so there can be enough leisure for many people to be fully devoted to intellectual pursuits. I doubt pre agricultural humans were less intelligent, probably in some ways more intelligent as long as nutrient and calorie supply was high throughout the lifespan.

Agricultural societies tend to develop mineral deficiencies eventually as soil quality is depleted, and for the masses sometimes leads to protein deficiency as well. I'd expect the most robust, productive societies and individuals have a diet that is a fairly even mix of carbs, fats and protein and are mineral rich. But "greatness" is probably more a product of a childhood with a good balance of free exploration and mentorship by masters of knowledge and skill.

Right, this question is too caught up in the chain of causality on the path to greatness. The roll of diet is one of support & stability for those who are great... And potentially, those great artists fueled by ups and downs may not even be subjects for great diets! The comment about hitler is amusing... Like you want to associate your two least favorite things: Hitler and PUFAs. What a silly tendency. "So... Basically, PUFAs are like HITLER!"
I see this in debates often these days... Implying a cause & effect relationship without the willingness to directly support it. This is a primary reason the weakness of the debaters themselves has rightfully been criticized - because it makes a difference when we take more personal responsibility for the ideas we fight with.

 

[Elephanto]

@Waynish Carbs are literally brain food, implying a causation between increased carbs consumption and increased intelligence in humanity's evolution has little chance of being a mistaken correlation. If you're actually interested in the dietary components that affect intelligence and brain metabolism, you should read Peat's many articles on carbohydrates, pufas and saturated fats. The hypothesis of a causation that is supported by extremely solid theoretical evidences can't simply be rejected without arguments supported by equally solid theoretical evidences.

 

[Travis]

I never said that at all. I just said that starch is a slave food.

I would disagree, and maintain that wheat alone deserves that attribution. Yet paradoxically, the mental debility caused by wheat has more to do with the protein fraction than with the amylopectin. Inside the protein fraction you have the dopamine-lowering gluten exorphin B-5, Celiac-inducing wheat germ agglutinin, the gliadin 33-mer peptide and antigenic fragments thereof, and a massive ratio of glutamine∶glutamate facilitating the growth of associated Aspergillus and Claviceps spores (via supplying a chitin synthetic precursor). Besides the low dopamine consequent of gluten exorphin B-5 and decreased absorption stemming from the lectins, infections of Aspergillosis and Claviceps are inseparable from their metabolites: These include, but are not limited to: prostaglandin F₂, gliatoxin, tryptophol, fusarium, aflatoxin, and ergotamines.

Wheat can produce all shades of mania, yet the carbohydrates can only damage the brain when consumed as dry starch granules. Wheat polysaccharides are mostly fully-hydrated in bread, save the exterior, yet the dry starch granules given by Christian clergymen—euphemistically termed 'communion wafers'—could serve to enhance the collection pot by systematically dementing their followers using retrograde amylopectin. Dry starch granules have been found in the brain of animals by Volkheimer shortly following oral consumption, and to explain this he had to invent a new term called 'persorption.' And yet, both native and gelatinized starch completely lack these unusual pharmacokinetics and are quickly and safely hydrolyzed by endogenous enzymes. My only objection to native starch is it's high glucose∶fructose ratio—actually undefined, or very nearly so—yet this isn't much of a problem in sane doses and balanced by fruit, if it can be even considered a problem at all. Raw native starch with fibre appear to be digested slow enough to prevent much insulin release, as evidenced by how fast the local Amish spaghetti & acorn squash hit me—i.e. they don't.

Wheat has only gotten worse: Besides the progressive enrichment of the infamous gliadins through by selective plant breeding, wheat now often has: reduced iron nanoparticles, folic acid, and is often is mixed with powdered aluminum phosphate right before baking. Wheat has gone from the most mentally damaging food in Roman times to the same in America and more, now having added aluminum for enhanced Alzheimer potential and government-mandated iron nanoparticles for cancer.

And yet, sourdough bread made from unfortified flour appears safe in most regards. Sourdough bread has had most antigenic proteins hydrolyzed by bacterial prolyl-peptidase, although the gluten exorphins are too small and prevalent to be eliminated via a 24-hour fermentation. Gluten exorphin B-5 has been shown to induce a substantial prolactin release, and the receptors for this hormone are concentrated around the midsection and breasts. Even sourdough bread could lower dopamine and induce the prolactin phenotype.

 

[Waynish]

@Waynish Carbs are literally brain food, implying a causation between increased carbs consumption and increased intelligence in humanity's evolution has little chance of being a mistaken correlation. If you're actually interested in the dietary components that affect intelligence and brain metabolism, you should read Peat's many articles on carbohydrates, pufas and saturated fats. The hypothesis of a causation that is supported by extremely solid theoretical evidences can't simply be rejected without arguments supported by equally solid theoretical evidences.

I've read everything Peat has publicly written, as far as I know. Where am I denying increasing carbs would improve intelligence? People don't seem to be talking about "Great's diets" as if they're distinctly higher in carbs or calorie in this thread, are they?

 

[agnar]

nietzsche's diet was entirely in accordance with peat's principles. very strong tea, "absurd" amounts of fruits, lean steak, local hard cheeses and ice cream (one of the reasons for why he loved turin was the local gelato). he avoided alcohol at all costs and wrote that a fast metabolism and a warm environment was instrumental to intellectual development and expression.

 

[Regina]

Depends what you mean by greats. If you mean historical figures, we could look at Hitler's diet for warnings and ominous parallels:

An obviously Nazi (authoritarian) trait was his love of PUFAs: linseed oil was used liberally. He liked lentils in the form of pea soup, though had to limit it as it gave him digestive troubles. Peppermint tea was a favourite during late night military strategy sessions.

On the other hand, he did avoid estrogenic substances like alcohol, muscle meat and tobacco smoke.

Hitler ate Peat-approved foods like cheese, mashed potatoes, and starches (albeit mainly pasta, noodles and rice). He liked coffee, and marmalade (though he did have it with bread). Ice cream was enjoyed by the Fuhrer, along with chocolate and in his final months in the bunker he ate a lot of stress-relieving sugar(in the form of cake).

His cook also secretly added gelatin to his diet, despite his avowed vegetarianism. There are claims that he ate shellfish as well.

So overall it seems we have a mixed bag. On the one hand, he ate polyunsaturated oil before it was even popular, as well as gluten, starch, and legumes.

On the other, we see dairy plus sugar plus caffeine and an avoidance of tryptophan. I don't know his calcium to phosphate ratio but I imagine it wasn't ideal. Perhaps this explains his hateful, vengeance-based ideology alongside the strategic luck and hypnotic power he displayed win the early years of the war.

The stress-based (adrenaline?) energy Hitler displayed sounds uncannily like that observed in high-serotonin individuals, especially those on SSRIs who suddenly find the confidence and motivation to commit mass-murders. Some members have claimed they feel more motivated on a high-serotonin diet.

Yes, exactly. And any attempt at the tiniest sincerest empathetic/compassionate suggestion is punishable by death. Since these people tend also to say that they have never felt better in all their life.

 

[Lynne]

There's at least one Peating-friendly food in almost all these famous peoples diets Ice cream for breakfast and Coke all day: the extreme eating habits of billionaires
eg Warren Buffett: ice cream and coke
Hugh Heffner: potatoes, eggs, milk;
Steve Jobs: raw carrots
Oprah: potatoes
Bill Gates is missed the bulletin, drinking diet Coke. likewise Henry ford ate his weeds rather than boiling then and only drinking the liquid :)

 

[EtienneAmelie]

nietzsche's diet was entirely in accordance with peat's principles. very strong tea, "absurd" amounts of fruits, lean steak, local hard cheeses and ice cream (one of the reasons for why he loved turin was the local gelato). he avoided alcohol at all costs and wrote that a fast metabolism and a warm environment was instrumental to intellectual development and expression.

It didn't end up that well, did it ?

 

[agnar]

It didn't end up that well, did it ?

i'm not sure what you're referring to. he most likely suffered from a meningioma that impacted his pituitary gland and hormone levels, which he treated unconsciously through his highly perceptive diet practices.

 

[AlphaCog]

Hippocratic medicine was humble and passive. The therapeutic approach was based on "the healing power of nature" ("vis medicatrix naturae" in Latin). According to this doctrine, the body contains within itself the power to re-balance the four humours and heal itself (physis).[23] Hippocratic therapy focused on simply easing this natural process. To this end, Hippocrates believed "rest and immobilization [were] of capital importance."[24] In general, the Hippocratic medicine was very kind to the patient; treatment was gentle, and emphasized keeping the patient clean and sterile. For example, only clean water or wine were ever used on wounds, though "dry" treatment was preferable. Soothing balms were sometimes employed.[25]

Hippocrates was reluctant to administer drugs and engage in specialized treatment that might prove to be wrongly chosen; generalized therapy followed a generalized diagnosis.[25][26] Generalized treatments he prescribed include fasting and the consumption of a mix of honey and vinegar. Hippocrates once said that "to eat when you are sick, is to feed your sickness." However, potent drugs were used on certain occasions.[27] This passive approach was very successful in treating relatively simple ailments such as broken bones which required traction to stretch the skeletal system and relieve pressure on the injured area. The Hippocratic bench and other devices were used to this end.

Hippocrates Died c. 370 BC
(aged c. 90)
Larissa, Ancient Greece

 

[SonOfEurope]

Wait - let me guess- the