[RUSTYME]

I am 55 , 5' 9" and about 11-12 stone , don't have scales .
I don't think i need to lose any weight , quite happy as i am anway . But , i want to eat as healthily as i can .
I basically grow my own veg and i don't eat too much crap food .
I am not a veggie , but can't afford proper meat , so basically buy mince etc .
The latest food debacle has prompted me to make the move to rear my own meat again , ie chicken , quail , sheep , beef , pork .
Although i have worked in an abattoir , i do have problems with the killing side of things , gone soft !
Anyway , that can be sorted ok .
The meat from any stock will feed me , my family , and my dogs , so there will be no waste . The skins , hides etc will be cured and tanned so again no waste .
The manure from the stock will provide the fertilizer for the grass and the veg , and waste veg , trimmings etc , will do the same , so all veg and stock will be as healthy and free of chemicals as possible . Thus , my food will be 'clean' .
My only problem will then be arriving at a correct balance of nutrients and calories to suit my lifestyle , which is relatively an active one .
 I can supply all my own veg , meat , dairy , even all my grain needs , ie , wheat , barley , oats , rye , millet etc , although i will still need to buy in haylage (organic) for the horses and any other stock that needs it .
 Halfway there on the whole thing , just need the final jump .
Got to get some durum wheat seed for pasta too ! , and some more rice , the horses ate the last lot just as it started to form seed , sods !

[clydesdaleclopper]

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My only problem will then be arriving at a correct balance of nutrients and calories to suit my lifestyle , which is relatively an active one .

There is some really interesting info in the book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon about what we need, particularly our need for animal fats. If you can get a milking goat then that would provide a lot of what you require.

[renee]

The need for animals is more for the milk/cheese, hides and wool for clothing plus manure. So it is not so iportant to have many animals for food, especially if you only slaughter with reluctance. When not eating much meat which supplies Homo Sapiens with the correct amino acids in balance it is important to provide this balance by a varied diet. Milk, seeds, grain and beans/peas/peanuts and nuts. So, your vegetable garden along with goats, sheep, hens (eggs) Hazel nuts, sunflower seeds and linseed, fruit and you are king of the castle.
I make my pasta from ordinary flour, works fine but then again I eat to live, not live to eat .
you mentioned how many sheep you would need in an earlier thread and I never got round to replying. Work out how much clothing you will require and take it from there . I am sure you can repair cloths. Animals take a lot of caring for so keep as few as is necessary. (Says me who has 100 sheep)
Good luck with your plans.

[happygolucky]

Interesting that we/I know a little about dogs requirements, well sort of, but not about humans, they tell us how many calories but I suppose what you need is some dietitian to break down the food groups etc, is it possible to grow enough meat cheaply enough? I am only saying as its often cheaper to buy meat, now I can understand why that would be of concern, do you ever think of hunting? we got game from beating with the hunt, a good day out and a bonus of the meat.
I know I over eat, not too much meat though, and I, like many others react badly to wheat and  milk products, still eat them though
I often mention my brother but he has been on a low budget for donkies and often tells me the best way to get his protein, he eats whatever he finds the cheapest, often things like cottage cheese or eggs and different varieties of cheap cheese of course. Fish is also fantastic but now Mackerel appears to be getting a bad press!!!

[Hassle]

Just to throw this in here and I know off topic but isn't the cheap cheese just fat?

[sabrina]

I think that would be a good idea Rustyme. I bring on a couple of lambs and pigs for our freezer just so I know there are no chemicals but it is not a cheap way to get meat. A simple blood test at the doctors would tell you if you were lacking in anything. Your diet sounds good and your thoughts on your way to live even better. Private slaughter is getting harder though so may be a problem for you.

[doganjo]

Mackerel has always had bad press - they are scavengers - they'll eat anything   But boy do they taste good 

You could dig a pond Russ, and breed carp

[Lesley Silvester]

As a rough guide, your plateful for your main meal should be half vegetables, quarter carbohydrate - potato, rice, pasta, etc - and quarter protein - meat, cheese, eggs, pulses, beans, etc.

When I had a largish flock of hens (20+) and a disinclination to kill them, I would take four live hens to a friend who would slaughter, pluck and dress them then give me two back.  It suited us both.

[happygolucky]

As a rough guide, your plateful for your main meal should be half vegetables, quarter carbohydrate - potato, rice, pasta, etc - and quarter protein - meat, cheese, eggs, pulses, beans, etc.

     you learn something new every day, I think my problem is big plates

[sabrina]

Same here I think 

[RUSTYME]

Cheers all .
Will check the book out cc .
I am not a 'foodie' at all , just eat to live too . What i have to eat i want as 'clean' as possible though .
 I won't really need that much of anything for myself , but i don't mind rearing and growing more for the family etc .
I will be growing more sunflower , hemp , linseed , poppy , amaranthus etc, for a mix of the seed , oil , fibre .
Tons of hazle here , just have to beat the fluffy tailed tree rats .
As for wool , i went for cotswolds because i have kept them before and you get loads of wool !
I won't need all i get from say 5 or 6 for jumpers and cloth but as things get tighter in times to come , the family will welcome any excess .
Sheep will also even up the grass after the horses , and help reduce the worm burden .
 I worked on a farm that produced all the food to feed the pigs , sheep , cattle and chickens .
In fact grinding the barley and oats to feed them was how i got farmers lung ! lol .
I would go the barter route for my meat , but nearly everyone i know buys in their pig feed or sheep nuts etc , and i don't want to eat that crap anymore .
I can grow enough food to feed a couple of pigs , a few sheep , even a couple of cows with the extra haylage , plus rear the young .
The whole lot only comes to about 10 animals plus the chickens , and the young .
Enough to provide all my needs and keep me busy enough , as well as some for the family .
I may dig a couple of fish ponds , but i am sick of digging lol , but i would probably go for trout , carp are a bit yuk for me .  I have reared both before , carp were easier , but trout tasted better .
Got plenty of wild roses for hip syrup , millions of blackberries , plus my rasberries , strawberries , blueberries , black/white/red and pink currants , will be getting black and white grapes plus some hops , then apple , pear , plum , apricot , gage ,  mulberry , cherry trees , so i should have most things covered , even going to grow my own tea ! Speaking of which , time for a cuppa .

[renee]

Wondering how you would make haylage?. Bees might be an idea. You would'nt get such a big surplus as yhey would need a lot of their own honey to keep them through the winter. But then again, you don't have 7 months winter

[renee]

and I, like many others react badly to wheat

Have you tried making a habit of using a sour dough starter? With many people it is not the gluten but the enzymes in wheat that need a going over (Can't think of the word in English and I refuse to Google translate into my native language ) factory white bread should have a health warning on it like cigarettes.
I am lucky, I can fish in my neighbour's pond. Now it is ice fishing - bore a hole through the foot of ice and the fish nearly jump into your lap.

[doganjo]

As a rough guide, your plateful for your main meal should be half vegetables, quarter carbohydrate - potato, rice, pasta, etc - and quarter protein - meat, cheese, eggs, pulses, beans, etc.

     you learn something new every day, I think my problem is big plates

The first thing all the Slimming clubs tell you is to use a smaller plate than usual.  It's a 'mind' thing    I always use a fish plate now - never a full size dinner plate

[goosepimple]

This is a good post, I'm going to take a leaf out of your book Rustyme and I like that diagram plate thingy - going to draw that one out and pin it up in the kitchen to remind me. 
 
We have black slate tiles behind the aga which we use for drawing with chalk our 5 a day chart - kids like it - its a good reminded if you haven't eaten your 5 a day for 2 or 3 days, it's easy to forget what you've eaten a couple of days ago and you can easily cheat yourself into thinking you are eating healthy.  Must start that up again.  Good time to start it in spring. 
 
Thanks for the reminder Rustyme, we 50plus have to take a bit extra care.