Living healthily in Argentina

On another forum, a user published this list about his tips for living a cancer-free life. I cannot invite him over as I cannot use the PM feature over there, but I believe it makes for an interesting topic. If reading the food list alone, I would have said it was describing the Argentinian diet.

What I am not doing right: white flour and alcohol, and canned tomatoes. I am working on the non-white flour pasta, but the options are limited right now (just fusilli and spaghetti available). Soy is also often part of my diet, though I do not enjoy its taste -- it is used in vegan preparations a lot, so I cannot avoid it easily.

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The best way not to get cancer, diabetes, or becoming obese (which increases the risk of getting cancer) is never eat the following (compiled from several on line lists):

Municipal (tap) water

Cured meats (including ham, pastrami, lunch meats and sausage)

Red meat (especially smoked, charred or well done)

Fried food of any kind

Microwave popcorn and potato chips

Baked goods made with white flour (cookies, donuts, bagels, croissants, bread, pizza, etc)

Pasta (unless made from whole wheat flour)

Pickled foods of any kind (beets, olives, cucumbers, peppers, etc.)

Alcoholic beverages of any kind

Artificial sweetener

Soft drinks of any kind (including diet soda and those sweetened with high fructose corn syrup)

Soy protein (TVP and tofu)

Farm raised fish and shrimp

Margarine, vegetable oils, and anything made with hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Canned fruits and vegetables (especially tomatoes and green beans)

Canned soup of any kind

Refined (white) sugar and Corn syrup (Karo)

Fat free and low fat milk

Table salt

Cookies and Candy of any kind (including alfajores and protein bars)

Non-organic apples and strawberries

Fruit juice (of any kind)

Processed "cheese"

Dried fruits with sulfur (apricots and pears)

Canned tuna (though I have some packed in water not oil) on hand in case of a long term food shortage

Here's what I eat and drink the most of:

RO Water (at least two liters per day), Green tea and Coffee

Fresh fruits (pears, apples, tangerines)

Fresh vegetables (especially beets, carrots, broccoli, green beans, red onions, red (sweet) peppers, red cabbage)

Acelga (grows wild here) and basil (I grow my own)

Lemon juice (fresh, used on steamed vegetables and with olive oil and raw garlic as a liver cleanse)

Whole wheat bread (baked locally without preservatives)

Oatmeal (traditional)

Raw Honey

Raw Almonds

Balsamic and apple cider vinegar

Olive oil (always purchased in 500 ML cans)

Garlic

Butter

Soy sauce, Sriracha Chili Sauce

Black pepper, Sea salt, Cayenne pepper, Cumin,Turmeric,Curry powder,Cinnamon powder, Nutmeg, McCormick chili and Italian, seasoning, Oregano, Paprika

Dried beans (red, black, white, garbanzo), split peas

Brown rice

Boiled red and "gold" potatoes (I grow my own)

Baked sweet potatoes and squash

Boiled eggs (can be found on some never eat lists). I buy them from a neighbor

Raw seed mix (sesame, sunflower, linseed, chia, etc)

Popcorn (air popped only)

Vegetable soup (w/wo brown rice)

Grated cheese (used sparingly on whole wheat pasta)

Dried prunes and dates (when available)

Hummus (homemade with garbanzos, olive oil, and garlic)

Chili (made with dry kidney beans, tomatoes (in season),sweet red peppers, onion and seasonings). I occasionally use "tomate tritutrado" (pure) which is sold in glass jars. I do not use canned tomatoes or tomato paste or tomato pure that is sold boxes.

Items I would consume if they were locally available (and/or reasonably priced):

Dark chocolate (80% coco)

Natural peanut butter (Especially Laura Scudder's)

Blue corn chips (baked)

Tamari sauce (as opposed to commercial soy sauce)

Whole wheat pita bread (without preservatives)\

Coconut oil

Fresh parsley

PS: The most important food "rule" I follow (almost 100% compliance) is only to eat fresh fruit in the morning and never eat fruit in combination with any other food.

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Quote from Semigoodlooking

I asked Steve how much his diet costs each week but he never replied.

I am not Steve, and he lives far in the countryside so fresh produces are much cheaper to him.

We eat vegan at home and hit the veggie-fruit shop once per week. I usually spend $350 per week there. Then we buy pasta, rice and legumes at the dietetica, but it is much cheaper than fresh veggies.

Supermarkets are much more expensive and with lower quality fresh produces.

Also rice and beans are more expensive in supermarkets. Dieteticas cater a far wider selection.

For fruit and vegetables you have to try out several verdulerías to find one catering a good variety and quality.

For dieteticas try to go to bigger ones so that the food won't sit in a bag for months, or you'll get fly-infested grains.

What neighborhood do you live in? Maybe we could share tips.

Quote from Rice

Verdulerías pose more of a challenge, because they let everything sit unrefrigerated until it sells or decomposes. How much actual food value can remain in a yellowed, limp stalk of broccoli?

I do agree! Apparently not all people know how to recognize a ripe fruit or veggie, so shopkeepers keep selling subquality produces.

I have found a verdulería 4 blocks from home which I believe is also a distributor, so they have a high turnover of produces. Anyway, always go take a peak and see what looks okay and what not. I cannot believe how people can veggie-shop on the phone.

It also useful to know the seasonality of veggie & fruits in Argentina, which are highly variable. Thanks to the different climates of the country, tomatoes are good most of the year as they are sourced from different provinces.

This article by Allie Lazar lists the season produces and names some verdulerías in severa 'hoods of the Capital. Of those listed there, I know Nelly but stopped going there because the service is so slow. I am currently doing my grocery shopping at Los hermanos, Gascón 1100. It is the one next to the parking, not the one which is a minimarket.

Quote from Semigoodlooking

I live in Versalles.

It seems I am in a cycle of buying bulk produce and watching a decent percentage decay before I get to eat it. I don't have time to go to the verduleria every day, and once a week buys means the food won't last. Any progress towards healthier eating has been really hampered by access to ingredients, cost, and quality of food.

Why do you buy in bulk? If it is to save money, most vegetables can be frozen (though it would be healthier to eat them fresh).

What kind of vegetables do you like? Would you consider delivery services that cater healthy food? I am not talking about pedidos ya, but about regular groceries coming to your door in a ready to eat (or heat up) package. There are some services like this online, but of course they are not cheap.

If you live alone, I can totally get you. When I was a student I followed the astronauts' diet and lived off canned food. The quantities were always too much and the effort to prepare everything for just 10 minutes to consume the meal was really not worth it.

Quote from Rice

Is it really true that fresh vegetables are healthier than fresh frozen ones? I've never known -

I have heard several version, such as amminoacid chain that get broken when frozen or stuff like that. But you are the chemist here, Rice Anyway, in doubt, I would not frozen, if possible. But in Semigoodlooking 's case seems the way to go.

Leafed vegetables would be soggy when thawed, but, for example, I use frozen parsley since a whole bunch of parsley is too much for us (unless when preparing a taboulé). I just wash, dry an chop it, and then freeze it and use when necessary. The same I do for basil (of course, there is nothing like the smell of fresh basil, but better a frozen basil than the dried basil they sell here).

Quote from Rice

... Or the dried basil sold ANYWHERE. Can you keep albahaca growing on your terraza for most of the year, by continuously making cuttings and rooting them?

My mom has basil all year over, but she shed it in winter using bubblewraps (in Italy winter are colder than here). Basic should not be directly exposed to sunlight as it suffers the strong heat. Ideally, it should have sun in the morning. I should plant some! We planted curry and mint last year, but rarely use those.