Achieve a Spartan Diet

Recently, we’ve been studying Sparta in one of my classes. I won’t bore you with unnecessary historical details (it can all be found on the internet), but suffice to say I was intrigued. Spartans were the elite warriors of the time, lived simply, and devoted themselves to making themselves the best warriors possible. What I tried to research was their diet, since a healthy diet of course lends itself to better general health. Obviously they were at the peak of their physical performance- it’s a possibility that they were the most physically fit group of people ever. An unhealthy diet would of course inhibit this strive for physical perfection.

So that’s when I found the Spartan Diet blog at http://thespartandiet.blogspot.com/ . It’s diet created by an actual nutritionist, which adds a lot of credibility in my book. Overall, it advocates not only the consumption of water and unprocessed goods exclusively, but an almost total removal of fat from your diet. You basically eat fruits and grains for three meals a day plus an egg, then twice a week you have wild game or fish (since farm grown animals are dosed with all kinds of stuff, not to mention many are subjected to forced cannibalism).

What I like about this diet is its emphasis on not only eating, but exercise, sunshine, and variety. One of its central tenants is that you never eat the same thing two days in a row. On the other hand, I’m a little unsure about whether or not there is enough protein in the overall diet. I would personally advocate a smaller portion of fish or game daily, and I don’t know how much you would need to eat in any of these meals. It’s still a very inexact science, if you will.

I’ll admit though, this is the first diet in a long time that has legitimately tempted me (which is why I’m writing about it here). In some respects it’s already similar to my current diet, considering how about 90% is rice. I’d have to give up my orange juice obsession though, and just drink water, meaning I’d need to get my fruit servings in via a lot more fresh fruit. Unfortunately any form of fresh produce is difficult to find in the city.

Ultimately though, I can totally see myself at least trying this out. It definitely seems worth experimenting with for a while, but I don’t know if I have the self control yet to totally commit myself to this kind of diet (plus I love cheese in ways words cannot express). I’m gonna watch the blog for the time being, and if they do create a book, I’ll probably buy it.

Even if I am unable to do it myself, I definitely like the idea. And it seems incredibly healthy!