Has living aboard changed your diet?

[MarkJ]

My big change was when I got a proper freezer on board! Yes! Then I could eat exactly as I like.

However some said they eat healthier on board... well that's a mindset that is more difficult than at home unless the boat has huge refrigeration and freezer.

Look at that huuuggggeeee fridge freezer in most homes, you just don't get that onboard or with its easy access.

At home you can buy vegetables once per week and refrigerate. You can pick up Specials and freeze. You can freeze leftovers or meal portions easier.

Extra space gives you easy ability for greater variety.

But, yes, it's a mind-set. Pig out on junk food and don't buy and cook good food and you start nailing your coffin wether you are on board or at home.

PS the romantic notion of that full head of bananas hanfing off your stern in the tropics is bull... they all ripen together!



Pps Don't fret it. Lear ing this stuff as you go is great fun.


Mark

[RickG]

You've got a lot of this already. We cook smaller meals without room to refrigerate and freeze leftovers. We keep easy shelf stable ingredients available for pasta, risotto, curry, breakfast, sandwiches. I am a baker, so loaf breads and flat breads too. Cookies and brownies are always a hit, bit I tend to ration myself on those.

The hardest thing for us was reducing the amount of food we prepared to keep the leftovers down.

Cheers, RickG

[zeehag]

leftovers make great omelettes and pasta dishes i learned as i grew up. momma made all kinds of leftovers meals.
i donot make much pasta here--is mexico-- not s o much used.
never did eat much fast fooods before -- dislike that stuff, and disliked chips since kidhood...fruits--hellyeah-i live in fruit ville...
cook meats with coco water and fruit ..add rum or what to it for a flavor kick. serve with rice -- rice cooked in many places has veggies in it and poblano chiles. yummmm
add the main course and tortillas of corn and it is dinner. not many flour tortillas made down here.
fast food here is a nutritious taco.

[wsmac]

Originally Posted by RickG

...The hardest thing for us was reducing the amount of food we prepared to keep the leftovers down.

Cheers, RickG

Luckily I got this worked out a while back, once I was living on my own again.
When I was married, we might make a HUGE bowl of pasta salad, or a large pot of stew/soup/goulash... and keep that in the fridge for days.
Not to dig on my former wife at all... she's a great cook!... but our daughter would come over to my house and we'd decide what to cook/eat for the days/nights she was with me and go shopping. She would tell me, "I never get to eat all this different stuff... Mom always makes large pots of stew and we eat that for days!" lol
I'm glad she got to eat well with her Mom... glad she got some diversity with Dad

I got spoiled when living up in Fairbanks, Alaska... kept our mid-sized chest freezer full of fresh caught salmon, halibut, and whatever bear/caribou/moose our friends and neighbors had too much of and passed on.
We fished, I tried to hunt some... but got lazy with that. My brother and I used to hunt for meat in West Texas all the time... Alaska... didn't get that going much during the short 5 years I was there.
But the garden? WOW! Even the moose loved our ENORMOUS broccoli!

Once I get to the stage of staying on the boat overnight... I'll get the alcohol stove going and bring out my cast iron wok... just to see how well it works.
I cook with cast iron pretty much exclusively, but the wok is lighter and in a way, easier to cook with at times than the traditional cast iron skillet.

And that's the other part of the equation... food prep/cooking.
It'll be interesting to find out if I'm a fan of alcohol stoves or I switch out as fast as I can to propane! lol

Determining what few cooking utensils I can put onboard will go hand-in-hand with what types of dishes I will be making as well... I suppose?

Contemplating living on a boat has me thinking so much more of how items in my daily life work together.
Due to my wilderness survival experience, I lean towards items with multiple uses... but I don't always think that way in a house.. in the kitchen... WAY more storage space to collect 'things'! hahaha

[Lepke]

I eat a lot more fish. Especially albacore because they're so much fun to catch. I have 2 small freezers and vacuum seal the whole fish minus heads, tails and guts. Some I cut into steaks before freezing and can others. I winter where there are several custom canners and prefer storing their metal cans to my glass jars. Salmon and bottom fish I fillet and vacuum seal and freeze most of them. One good fishing trip, I can have enough for a year. Tuna, especially is good trading material to farmers for other food.
Fish waste makes good crab bait.

[JD-Odyssey]

[QUOTE=thomm225;2373740] My experience from observation is that non-sailing/non-cruising liveaboards gain weight.
QUOTE]

Had to laugh when I read this line cause over the winter months when we don't sail, I usually put on at least an extra 10 pounds. We avoid the "unhooking from the dock" syndrome by keeping the boat in a ready to shove off condition with everything in its place, water tanks filled and at least a week of food on hand.

[barnakiel]

Being quasi-vegetarians I must say our diet changed quite a bit.

We used to eat what we liked as we liked when we lived ashore. However, out at sea there are no shops, and our passages tend lengthy. Once at the destinations, most local markets are nothing compared to what we used to have back home - choice is less, quality is lower and prices are WAY higher. The world is not a place for a veggie lover, esp. if you compare a big Western city to a small island village. (Exception - India, or so they say).

So, from the "vegetarian" point of view, cruising mostly sucks.

Then again, there are some bright sides too: foreign fruit and vegetable is DIFFERENT. This is great. And if you try hard, it can also be had FRESH. This is also great.

And you adjust. So what we found lacking at the beginning and absent some time down the road, we no longer lack today. No potato? Grab a breadfruit. No courgettes? Grab a christophine. No coconut? Problem. No butter? No problem ;-)

So it is just all cut and paste and adjust. Food is mostly (too) simple but otherwise very tasty and nutritious.

Compared to our forefathers who had just some smelly roots and underdone meat (only now and then though) we are better off, even cruising, no matter what.

Cheers,
b.

[wsmac]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

...Once at the destinations, most local markets are nothing compared to what we used to have back home - choice is less, quality is lower and prices are WAY higher. The world is not a place for a veggie lover, esp. if you compare a big Western city to a small island village. (Exception - India, or so they say)....

Cheers,
b.

Thanks

Things brings up an issue I deal with almost everytime I shop... especially when our farmer's markets are running.

I can find all manner of cheap veggies at the local national chain supermarket. That is, cheap compared to buying at the farmer's market.
But personally... I feel the quality is much better from the farmer's market as well as anything I wind up planting here at home.
So... I try to wrap my head around... less, more expensive, but better.. is smarter than cheap, lots, and lesser quality.
I'm not saying the veggies at the large supermarket are not fit to eat... but definitely not as fresh as locally grown.
And I believe more nutrient-loss goes with the packing, sorting, freezing/cooling, storing, packaging and trucking to the supermarket than with the... picking, boxing, driving to the market on the same day method of food handling!

I have to admit that I still battle with the mindset I acquired as a low to middle-class American... "OOOH IT'S ON SALE! BUY LOTS OF IT!", or "OOH IT'S SO CHEAP... BUY MORE THAN I CAN EAT BEFORE IT GOES BAD!"

Sometimes I have to remind myself that paying say, $2.45/head of red leaf lettuce organically grown and local... is better in the long run than paying $1.48/head of red leaf lettuce grown at mega-farms hundreds of miles away, stored for days on end at the 'farm', in the truck, and in the grocery store it winds up in.

My worldly traveling experience as an adult has been from Canada down to Belize and points in between.
So I'm finding it interesting hearing about the experiences of people in more far-flung places, in acquiring fresh food in those locales.

[michaelratinter]

Yes my diet has changed. I need to be fit enough to climb the masts. And when I rowed my new dinghy to the boat and couldn't catch my breath that was the last straw. I've lost 41 pounds in 5 months and my food intake has completely changed. Oatmeal for breakfast. Tuna and crackers for lunch. One skillet dinners. Fruit and nuts. Lots of clementines.

[toddster8]

Really, I stock pretty much the same things on the boat as at home on the farm.

Except for college years, I've pretty much always had a 35 mile drive to the nearest store or restaurant, so impulse control has not been a problem. Nor urban-legend food fads.

A few differences:

No toaster on the boat, so I tend to (occasionally) make biscuits instead of toast. Or just wrap breakfast in a warm tortilla.

No espresso machine on the boat. Oh, I have a couple of little pressure-devices that will work on the stove top, but they don't steam the milk or grind the beans and just don't produce that nice foamy latte that I used to be addicted to. With the extra sugar and fat. So most of the time on the boat I either make a pot of percolated coffee or a pot of tea and keep it in a thermos all morning.

No deep-freeze on the boat, so no stocks of frozen meat. I've started keeping a few canned meats from Costco. Chicken, roast beef, pulled pork. Nothing you'd eat as-is, but fine for burritos, lasagne, etc. If the boat is somewhere I can walk to a store, I can always get something fresh to last one or two days, but the canned stuff is there for back-up.

A long time ago, I gave up on stocking fish in the freezer, anyway. (Probably about the time that I got an underwater camera to occupy myself with.) I'll spear a fish or gather some scallops to eat that same day, but no more.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by wsmac

After my former wife and I split up, our daughter would come to stay with me (in the beginning it was right next door... so she walked... lol) and used to open the fridge and say, "DAD! You never have any food here!" which wasn't technically true... I just didn't fill up the fridge and cabinets!
But yeah... I just keep a few condiments, spices, dry goods.
Then I shop everyday or every few days for matsuma oranges, apples, avocados, a loaf of bread, meusli with a box of raisins and cinnamon, a few cans/boxes of soup, some tea bags, and my coffee. I also rotate broccoli, lettuce, asparagus, and such for my veggies. Try to keep a bag of baby carrots for snacks.

I had a similar experience after my wife split. Before she left, the fridge, freezer, cabinets and pantry were jam packed. We could have gone a month without shopping just eating the stockpile in our house.

After she left, I tried to shop less, and tried to actually eat and use up the stockpile...it took quite a while, and some of it was donated to the local food bank. Now I shop and eat like you...mostly fresh fruit and vegetables. Very little in the way of frozen or processed. And I shop 3 or 4 times a week. It does make the "food storage" look empty, but the kitchen counter is always full of apples, oranges, bananas, kiwis, nuts, and all the good stuff my kids and I should be, and now are, eating.

Its a good way to eat, and transfers well to the boat, since my boats have never had any freezer, limited icebox, and limited storage in general. In fact getting ashore every few days is one of the pleasant activities I enjoy so much about cruising. I would much rather explore a local grocery store than a bar.

[wsmac]

Originally Posted by toddster8

...No espresso machine on the boat. Oh, I have a couple of little pressure-devices that will work on the stove top, but they don't steam the milk or grind the beans and just don't produce that nice foamy latte that I used to be addicted to. With the extra sugar and fat. ...

have you seen the small pump-style espresso makers?
I just drink regular black coffee... although I totally prefer grinding my own beans (with a burr grinder not blade slinger) and either AeroPress, drip, or french press.

I was recently looking into these:
Minipresso
Handpresso
Staresso

I checked into this one a while back because it uses a bike pump... I MTBike and somehow found my way to this:

Airspresso... actually uses your bike pump. Totally machined parts that make it really compact and looking kinda cool!

[JPA Cate]

wsmac:

Just a note, here, about your alcohol stove and the wok. Alcohol doesn't burn as hot as propane. Also, you may find the wok doesn't fit well over the burner. I don't really know if you'll be able to get it hot enough to cook like it does "at home." I sort of doubt it.

There is one marine stove I saw pics of that has one much larger burner, one regular, and one small, that might do the trick, but when I was shopping, I'd take the wok with me and try it. Same thing goes for the people who swear by cast iron: make sure your favorite skillet fits on the stove.

Diet changing? Not necessarily, although the first year we were out and had no refrigeration, we ate dinners of which a lot was canned food, canned butter, too. Lots of canned fruits. Fortunately, cabbage, onions, potatoes, grapefruits, some melons, some pumpkin keep very well w/o refrigeration. Limes, wrapped in aluminum foil after washing and drying, keep a long time, and so do farm fresh eggs that have never been refrigerated. Dietary changes are up to your choices. If you don't buy it, you don't eat it.

We made extensive use of hanging storage hammocks and boxes where you could keep the food from getting bashed around at sea. We learned to pickle fish to preserve it, short term. Had Canadian friends who never had refrigeration, did lots of home canning, and used their home canned meats with their vegs, stayed very healthy. Guys who always ate oatmeal for breakfast, even in the tropics.

Ann

[hamburking]

I always found it odd to see people on boats eating like they are on land. Bacon and eggs on a boat makes such huge mess...and what to do with the leftover fat...you could start a whole thread just on fat in the sink pipes (). Or meals that have a salad course, main with sides, dessert, then coffee. Hey, somebody has to wash all those dishes! So I try to make one pot meals, served in an oversize bowl. Better are things like fruit and sandwiches that need no plate or cutlery at all.

Once the wife (now ex) decided not to sail with us, not only was I responsible for all the sailing aspects of the boat, but also the cooking and washing up as well. First thing I did was remove most of the cutlery, pots, mugs, dishes and utensils. Only left the bare minimum...an oversize bowl, mug, spoon and fork per person, one pot, one kettle, and a few utensils. Less stuff meant less mess and less to wash. My kids learned they could either clean their bowl and cup, or just re-use it again just a bit crustier.

Each night I would prepare ISLAND STEW, named after whatever island we were near. Meat and vegetables go into the pot with either a creamy sauce (cream of mushroom soup) or a red sauce (spaghetti sauce/salsa). Add a little rice or pasta and thats dinner in one pot. The kids were in charge of spices...and hot sauce was used with a heavy hand. Oddly enough, the variations were endless. Since we were sailing, we all had huge appetites, so even the crappy days tasted fantastic. When we got ashore, the kids would search for new hot sauces and spices.

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by michaelratinter

Yes my diet has changed. I need to be fit enough to climb the masts. And when I rowed my new dinghy to the boat and couldn't catch my breath that was the last straw. I've lost 41 pounds in 5 months and my food intake has completely changed. Oatmeal for breakfast. Tuna and crackers for lunch. One skillet dinners. Fruit and nuts. Lots of clementines.

This sounds like my approach to living aboard, though I don't cruise yet so I use an electric hot plate for one-pot meals. My favorite carb dish is spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, onions, basil leaves and red pepper flakes -- all cooked at once -- with a good asiago cheese shredded on top. Breakfast is yogurt, blueberries and pumpkin seed/flax granola. Then tuna fish for lunch. I also grill fresh tortillas rolled up with raw salmon, capers, sour cream, onions, apple and basil for dinners. A store nearby has a salad bar so I load up on all the cut veges and rice/mango (prepared) salads into a box that I then dump on raw spinach leaves with balsamic vinegar and oil. For diversity, I pick up sushi at the grocery store or get a burger at the local dive bar. Pancakes with eggs and packaged bacon are de rigeuer if I'm racing over a weekend away (need those calories, right?). I used to eat ice cream every night, but the boat freezer doesn't do well with that so I rarely have that on board any more. Instead, I have bananas, grapes and "cuties" to feed the sweet tooth. Veges, hummus, salami, olives and cheese all go a long way during day sails. I can live for days off tomato soup and grilled french bread with a pungent slice of hard cheese. I've often thought how this is going to translate to long term cruising. I think the main thing is to be flexible and eat local. I go through eating trends, but never get fixated on any one thing.

As to exercise, climbing boat steps every day certainly builds up leg muscles, which I had not noticed had declined with age over time. There's also a whale boat team in my marina, which provides a great core workout, along with a swim team a couple of miles down the road. If I leave this marina, then everything will change again so I think it's a matter of mindset....how willing you are to keep exercising and to find the resources to eat reasonably well. Being constrained in space and nearby stores can make it worse or it can allow you to become more flexible in your choices.