Food for Men on Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.)
Tara Carpenter, NC.
Holistic nutrition for people healing with Body Ecology Diet.
Originally published September 8, 2018.
This is for men who want to tailor Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D.) to meet their dietary and health needs a.k.a. “feel full” 🙂 Whilst I am no man, I did watch my husband begin the diet and do have 8 years under my belt feeding him and our two growing boys.
I met my husband in 2011, after being on B.E.D. for a year. I was a single mom healing a stubborn case of systemic yeast overgrowth. Tomas had been used to being on his own, smoking, drinking beer, and eating a typical macrobiotic diet rich in rice cakes and tahini lol 🙂 He had some chronic health issues and an open mind. In the snap of a finger, I went from making food for the kids and I to cooking feast after feast for a hungry man I loved day and night.
Dancing in the Kitchen
I learned as I went. When I felt overwhelmed, Tomas encouraged me with his desire to be healthy, stop smoking, and heal. We were both trained cooks and made a good team; if I cooked, he washed dishes, vice versa.
I was in charge of food prep and keeping wheels moving. Soaking grain, making unsalted cultured vegetables, coconut kefir, and waffle batter was on my shoulders. This period of life helped me become grounded in the ‘body ecology way of eating’ and improved my ability to meal plan. Tomas and I have been married 8 years 🙂
What I Notice About Men & Food
- Men like salt
- Men like BIG (think cheeseburgers, sandwiches, pizza slices with toppings)
- Men like sweet
- Men like fried
- Men like flavor
Sound like any man you know?? I don’t want to get detailed, yet think most agree that men are inherently more masculine and need more minerals (esp. salt) and flavor to energetically extend themselves outwards in the world with more force than many women desire. Again, I am skimming the surface here. Men also tend to have a heightened metabolism.
Find Your Rhythm
My husband is a 6 foot engineer/builder on his feet all day; measuring this, lifting that. When he comes home, he sits with us or to work at his computer. This is his rhythm. Your rhythm plays an integral part in the food you need.
Do you have health issues? My husband’s kidneys called for attention. When he started B.E.D. he struggled with oral health and weight gain. In this way, I customized cooking to meet his needs. How old are you? Are you big or small? What climate do you live in? Your answers will help you to find the type of food and ways to cook that food meant for your body.
Listen & Observe
If you are a man cooking for yourself or cooking for a man in your life, then listen and observe as you move forward on the diet. That is step one in my opinion. Then act accordingly while you go about your life.
B.E.D. is not meant to rule your life nor define who you are. This holistic way of eating simply enhances the life you have. Take time to weave the traditional principles that Donna Gates, author of B.E.D., has laid out to follow. They are guideposts when you are not sure how to go.
Live life to the fullest!
B.E.D.-friendly food ideas to get him salivating for more:
- Zucchini frittatas with quinoa pilaf and butternut squash soup
- Coconut truffles by the dozen
- Broiled wild salmon with mashed cauliflower and steamed asparagus
- Chef salad with soft-boiled eggs, avocado, deli meat, and dressing
- Poached wild cod served with luscious lemon sauce
- Turkey burgers with sweet mustard sauce
- Buckwheat waffle topped with cultured butter and hemp seeds
- Roasted chicken with broiled zucchini
- Konjaku noodles sauteed with snow peas, zucchini, and garlic – top with pesto
- Steak ‘n eggs…does it get more manly? Smother with bernaise sauce
- Filet mignon with cultured horseradish, see photo above
- Pumpkin pie with cultured cream
- Omelets of all kinds
- Milk kefir with cinnamon, pastured egg yolks, and stevia
- Probiotic protein shake
- Lamb stew with carrot and parsnip chunks and broccoli florets
- Chicken soup with a couple eggs scrambled in
- Spaghetti squash with pesto and baby lima bean soup
- Almond cookies cut into hearts, why not? You only live once!!
- Tuna or a tin of sardines with capers, celery, and homemade mayo
- Mug of Ujido green tea
- Cocobiotic with scoop of super spirulina
Note: Serve all with plenty of vegetables; including scoop of unsalted cultured veggies.
Ben’s Breakfast on Body Ecology Diet
Getting Men Into B.E.D.
Therapeutic Nutritional Consultations
A word of thanks to my husband, who loves me enough, to let me write about him so that others can glean from our experience on Body Ecology Diet. This blog post contains affiliate links, read here for more.
May all bellies be happy!