@Kestrel said in What do you eat?:
Can I ask why you live non-carb?
I eschew carbs mostly because I choose to. Also, I go into keto when I go into a training cycle because I have found that such diet gives me more energy and better recovery times.
I've read many studies. I've watched many documentaries. And as a result, I believe that the Blue Zone studies are the best indicia of what would help if you want to live a long healthy life. That being said, for the reasons you've stated, I believe what matters most is not how or what you put into you but rather how much and what you do with it.
First, I have concluded that studies suffer from a great deal of confirmation bias and lack of controls. The diversity of food studies and their results only demonstrate to me how inconclusive the science is. Take, for instance, your study on the gut microbiome of the Japanese in Okinawa. The first study on which it was based only had 13 individuals and the instant study had only 106 individuals. Given that Okinawa has a Japanese population of over 1 million, this study seems extremely limited.
Second, I have concluded, as you state, that the common factors across the populations in Blue Zones are the most important. I look at my parents as examples: they both walk at least an hour a day, enjoy spending time with friends, family, and colleagues locally, and are generally faith-abiding. That said, their diets aren't exactly balanced, and while they no longer eat a lot of meat (because of dental issues, mostly) they certainly do not and did not avoid it.
Finally, you don't need to eat animal products to live low-carb. If you're fortunate enough to be able to eat seeds and nuts, you can remain vegan and go low-carb. You could get your fats from: (1) avocados; (2) dark chocolate; (3) chia seeds; (4) EVOO; and (5) coconuts and coconut oil. Need proteins? Try tofu, tempeh, and peanut butter. And whereas many sites advise you to stay within 20-50 grams of carbs to get into keto, you can still hit keto if you eat 100-150 grams (40-50% of daily recommended intake), exercise, and keep your calories around the 2,000 mark (it just takes longer).
Prior I stuck with keto for 3 months before I shifted into a low-carb diet and have kept the weight off despite numerous "life-based" interruptions. This year I intend to get into keto again for 3 months before shifting back into a low-carb diet. The trick is getting the non-animal fats into my diet so far, but I'm looking into what I can do to change that. Aside from that, getting more mobility and raising my lifting capacity (again) are on my checklist.
But the most important thing (so far) is quitting the smoking habit. Not looking back on that one. And if I kick it for good but end up sticking to meat-eating? Yeah, I'm gonna have no regrets.