Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Like all topics in an area as complex as nutrition, the answer is "kinda, it depends."

What human digestive systems really need are high quality diets that provide the zillion nutrients we use in a delivery method that doesn't produce huge insulin spikes.

This can be done in lots of different ways. Grazing throughout the day on small meals is great. Alternatively you can have several relatively large meals provided they are high in non-soluble fiber.

The biggest problem we face is that the quality of our food supply in micronutrients has gone down precipitously in the last 50 years. In a traditional restaurant (fast food or otherwise) it is almost impossible to get a balanced meal. According to some studies, iron levels in spinach have gone down as much as 78% in the past 50 years. Zinc is almost non-existant. You can look at the same trends across the board. This is all a result of our practice of breaking the food-waste cycle.

But enough ranting on modern-traditional farming practices. You asked a specific question .

1 lb of meat per week seems very low. Meat, red meat in particular, plays a valuable part in our nutrition because it is a complete protein source. It is possible to assemble a vegetarian diet to replicate the same combinations of proteins, but it's really hard. You'll rarely/never find vegetarian body builders because they can't get enough protein to build their muscles.

I'd guesstimate that on the low end, 2 lbs of fish/white meat per week and 1 lb of red meat would do the job.

Hi tamo42,

The definitions of nutritional benchmarks depend on activity levels - body building is at one extreme of activity with extra first grade protein being required to build muscle [protein] mass above the usual levels needed for walking / grazing etc.
I think we have become habituated to very high food intakes over generations - probably since WW2 - and the patterns of tribal societies developing diabetes when embracing our fast food and easy availability of nutrients support this.
Some red meat for kids and menstruating / breast feeding women, and hard workers in a manual sense makes sense, and for the rest of us, a very low red meat intake and generally lower total calories would seem reasonable.

Andrew

Very true. I tend to assume a rather active lifestyle for AP'ers Washing gravel takes a lot of effort! (which is why I use hydroton )

Regardless of activity level, and related meat intake, the insulin response dynamics remain the same.

I very much doubt that red meat is an essential part of a persons diet. Humans are omniverous, we adapt to any available food source. Red meat, and or fat played an important role in the colder climes when other food sources were unavailable. Hardly a situation today.

Omnivorous, hunter gatherers . Never forget the hunt. Even our genetically closest relative ,, the chimp ,, hunts red meat.
Either way , talking about what our Ancestors did is not such a great idea . Yes , chemical free , all natural ..... etc etc ,, and life expectancy ???? AHH under 30 years!!!
OUCH.

I was just reading about protein intake just the other day, and was surprised how little a person needs, the need for meat in this regard may possibly have been over emphasied by groups with vested interests.
The research involved people seemingly achieving good results on diets of largely rice.

The researchers also pointed towards how excess protein effects calcium uptake and other undesirable side effects.

Have been saving money on protein powders since using more smaller amounts during the day/night

as a side note, Sweet leaf contains about 45% protein and tastes nice too. It also grows well in AP

Be carefull about rice,,,even the WHO is pushing poorer countries to grow potato's rather than rice,,,it's much better.
I guess this conversation should really be about Amino-acids rather than just the word protein.
Balanced Amino acid input is required and is most easily supplied from meat and eggs.

AP for fish and fresh veg,,a few happy chooks/Quail and maybe a pig/cow/goat or two.
Good healthy life.

I have noted over the years that when I consume a steak dinner it stops me up for a day or more. Now I do like red meat but I prefer to poop regularly. Perhaps obesity is related to stuck poop. For myself I still have my steak but I cut smaller servings. Your Dexter cattle are a good solution to raising red meat. We do not have grass to feed them here so we raise dairy goats and butcher the kids at 9 mo. That yields roasts, stew meat, cutlets and burger. For beef steak I buy a new york slab, carve and package and freeze. My child bride and I go thru a 16 lb. new york slab in six months or so. That is the only meat we buy. In liew of tough range chickens we raise them for eggs and eat rabbit. With a buck and three does I get 18 or more 2.5 lb (dressed) rabbit dinners a year. When I butcher the innards go to the pigs other unedible parts go to the worm bin. We keep pot bellied pigs which contrary to common wisdom are good eating. The area we have difficulty is in raising fruits and veggies. Soil here is very alkiline and rocky with no organic matter. We have best success with raised beds and imported soil. We are hoping our new AP system will help greatly in this regard. Our big problem is feed. Garden scraps will only supply enough to supplement a small flock few rabbits and two goats. Hope fully we can supply more feed with the second and third AP systems. At this stage I do not know what temperature the fish water will keep summer or winter, so cant decide yet what fish to keep.
You seem to be on the same couse we are. Good on ya.

What is sweet leaf?

just watched "supersize me" and while i may agree that it was a dumb idea to start with and that not many people eat fast food 3 times per day, i will also say how many interesting little tid bits of of info are buried in there

apparently the suggested serving size (daily i think) is about the same as a deck of cards.

have said it about AP and will say it about the obesity epidemic..............its equilibrium, energy in VS energy out.

when you look at the amount of raw (empty) energy aka sugar we consume (in all its hidden forms) and the amount of energy we burn walking to our cars and then from our cars to our desks, is it any wonder?

sorry, i've gone OT, mean to post about the deck of cards only

you want all your essential amino acids? grow quinoa or amaranth. wheat is as useful as (well, insert whatever cliché you want)

wiki the three of them and tell me which should be (or more to the point which should NOT) be our stable grain

dan you have a decent block of land there don't you? i'd love to try grow all my own food although i don't think i'd be willing to take the drop in my standard living to do it.
there are certain things like being able to buy out of season foods that i'm just not willing to go without if there's no compelling reason.
as a whole i don't think growing your own is a solution for everyone, too inefficent. i think everyone should atleast grow SOME of their own though. AP setups on top of apartment blocks etc for high density living area.