[Closed] Food experts - no cooking diet

Just eat sandwiches.

I'd just google 'raw food diet'

Not being greatly interested in what I eat I have no great appreciation for all the effort that goes into meals

You'll get on "come dine with me" easy....

One of the greatest things hominids ever did was outsourcing work done by the stomach to fire, via cooking. This saved us energy and allowed us to run instead our very energy-hungry and increasingly large brains. It probably also allowed us to have smaller jaws, so we could talk. Just sayin 😉

I'm not food expert but I seem to get on ok without cooking: salads, pre- cooked chicken from the supermarket, muesli, yoghurt etc make up the bulk of my diet.

I do do a little "cooking" but it entails sticking some Tilda Wholemeal Basmati rice in the microwave and bunging a jacket sweet potato in the microwave and then oven for crisping.

when Mrs Stoner and I were cycling across Spain & Europe for 3 months we tried to minimise cooking to just sorting out carb of an evening (rice or spaghetti usually). Often just with some olive oil or truffle oil or anchovy oil for flavour. Then on to the cheese course.

Lunches of salads: chopped peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, tins of sweetcorn, tins of artichoke hearts. Maybe some salami or other cured meats. Half a melon each was always nice. Otherwise just fresh softfruits and yoghurts.

Maccas and KFC both come already cooked. Try dominos if you don't want to leave the house either

I wonder why these differences occur, I really enjoy food and don't quite get it when other folks don't. I mean I known it's just variance, but part of me just thinks you've not found the food for you and rather than giving up and stopping cooking, you should be going the other way.

But actually, I know you that's just different folks

bunging a jacket sweet potato in the microwave and then oven for crisping.

You know you can cook a potato in an oven, right?

Yes, but it takes about 45 minutes. I'm too impatient for that.

FuzzyWuzzy - Member
I'd just google 'raw food diet'

Done that, but STW usually has a few trustworthy experts on most subjects.

I'm not sure the recommendations for Maccas etc comes under that category though. 🙂

Partly this is motivated by me wanting to go on a long bike ride. If I ditch the cooking gear I save weight and also cleaning up gear. I'm looking at a month - if it was shorter then I wouldn't be concerned about balance, I'd just take porridge and eat bananas. I want to avoid buying any meals from cafes etc.

But it's also motivated by a desire for healthier meals - my wife is too fond of stuff that makes you fat. I have cooked for the family but they don't like my food choices.

I'm not a vegetarian , but my food choices mainly lean that way. There's very few meat dishes I like, and it wouldn't bother me if I never ate meat or fish again.

I figure if I can survive well on unprocessed food it might encourage the rest of them.

And when I look at what's in a lot of the stuff we currently eat I'm surprised by the amount of additives that look like stuff you'd make paint from.

So I was wondering what foods can be eaten without cooking and still provide a balanced diet.

So are looking to avoid the inconvenience of cooking or do you want to have a raw diet - food that has never been cooked by you or anyone.

The latter is probably a bit more inconvenient than 'not cooking'

I'm surprised by the amount of additives that look like stuff you'd make paint from.

Not sure eating a diet of only uncooked food is particularly healthy, particularly. Cooking actually makes certain things edible which otherwise would not be. Whilst you may not be interested in cooking it adds a lot of flavour. Uncooked food also required preperation argubaly more as you don't have the "germ killing" heat of cooking.

Personally I would look at one proper meal a day and breakfast/one other which is simple and quick.

maccruiskeen - Member
'I'm surprised by the amount of additives that look like stuff you'd make paint from.'
This is where nutritionism and anti-intellectualism converge - the idea that if something is difficult to spell or pronounce then its probably bad for you

I have still got a reasonably good memory of what was what in organic chemistry, and none of that stuff looks like it is anything that is [u]good[/u] for me. That it isn't bad for me is different.

On a long bike trip, yes I want to avoid the inconvenience of cooking. That is not such a problem at home, but if it works on a bike trip, then why not do it at home?

Muesli and salami is pretty easy and covers all the food groups.

If you're out bike touring or backpacking for more than a couple of days there is more to meals than just getting the nutrition in you IMO. I'd certainly not want to go out for any length of time without getting some hot meals* in me; there's a morale aspect to it as well.

*That aren't porridge.

Not sure eating a diet of only uncooked food is particularly healthy, particularly.

Being the only species on the planet that does cook and being the only one that seems to have huge self inflicted health problems caused largely by the processing of food and cooking is a form of processing then I'm not sure you can argue that a diet of uncooked food is unhealthy.

refried bean wrap is my go to bikepacking meal.

can add salsa for flavour, and veggies for variety on a longer ride - needs prep but not cooking (the beans have been cooked).

lots of ways not to cook - boiling water makes a big difference though - ramen/ pasta etc.

in hot weather cold food is fine, but in cold weather a hot meal can be amazing.

Being the only species on the planet that does cook and being the only one that seems to have huge self inflicted health problems caused largely by the processing of food and cooking is a form of processing then I'm not sure you can argue that a diet of uncooked food is unhealthy.

Sure, but not cooking anything because a lot of pre-processed food is bad for you seems like a massive over-reaction to me.

Sure, but not cooking anything because a lot of pre-processed food is bad for you seems like a massive over-reaction to me.

I'm not for a minute suggesting a raw diet just pointing out that it's an illogical proposition to suggest it would be unhealthy.

MrSalmon - Member
Sure, but not cooking anything because a lot of pre-processed food is bad for you seems like a massive over-reaction to me.

But that's not the point. I have no particular philosophy on nutrition, I just see food as necessary fuel rather than as a great pleasure.

The thread was because I'm trying to avoid carrying cooking equipment. Therefore what I eat will be in a ready to eat state without cooking.

Whether it is viable when not travelling is a different issue.

I can see a partial compromise because my titanium mug could easily hold a Trangia burner, and tea is something I don't like to go without and I could also have hot porridge. So if there's anything approaching cooking, it's what can be done with a mug of hot water.

I think the problem is that a lot of uncooked food will be bulky, so carrying all the ingredients for a nice salad is not going to be fun. Then any meat will dangerous after a few days.

Probably the best route if you have no working taste buds is freeze dried food, and then take a burner and pan for re-constituting.

I just see food as necessary fuel rather than as a great pleasure.

It can be both.

cous cous can be done with a pot of hot water....