Although I'm mostly vegetarian meself, I've been doing a fair bit of reading and you might as well say hundreds of thousands of years!
An unconnected but interesting fact : )

yes as far back as 200,000 years I think some researchers believe something happened that changed our diet and the rapid development of our brains. That was probly when we left the aboreal forest, has less fruit available and started to experiments with grains, meat etc..which limited our intake of hormones, steroids and other chemicals like maoi's found in fruits..

If you exercise hard, then table sugar can be useful to consume post workout with some protein to help maximise assimilation of glycogen in the muscles. Training also means far superior absorbtion of the nutrients from food and better metabolism. Just eating "healthy" isn't enough. Humans are designed for movement. Also, there is a lot of talk that it is not good to always be eating "healthy" because us humans are complex emotional creatures that need a variety of food and vitamins and minerals that won't be found in a low fat "healthy" diet.
Moderation is the key.

Which is why high fructose corn syrup is in Gatorade. Because when the fire is burning hot enough anything burns well.

-NO, it is not in Gatorade for those reasons. It is there because of it's beneficial high glycaemic index,which means rapid refuelling potential of glycogen stores, during and after intensive exercise.

No man...table suger is never good for you..where are you getting this information from? If you want glucose post workout eat a bowl of fruits. Where is this talk that eating healthy is not always good? if you are really eating healthy it will always be enougb, if it is not enough you arent eating as healty as you can be. Why are you talking about a low fat healthy diet now? Who said to eat a low fat diet?

-It's certainly true that no amount of healthy eating's gonna stop you from getting a sexually transmitted disease...

No..that is a completely misinformed statement. Just as the body should not be "saturated" in vitamines because too much of certain vitamines can be toxic..certain foods and additives can be toxic as well. Gatorade is not good for you, ever. Some people use it for the electrolytes..which you can find in great ammounts in other things, like coconut water. Food dyes, white sugar, fake sugar like aspartame etc are not going to be good for you reguardless of how much you work out. Why you are making these claims is beyond me. All sorts of things are not good for the body reguardess of how hot the "fire is burning"..I am sorry but to say that "anything" will burn well in the body is just rediculous.

The best thing I ever did in regards to eating healthy was learning how to cook...

I was forced to learn it, because pre-made foods and quickn' easy meals started consistently causing diarrhea. And it was supposed to be healthy pre-made food! When I read the label I saw no mention of preservation subtances etc., but that stuff is definately unhealthy I can tell from experience!

Now I just make my own and I've got a new semi-hobby as a result. Knowing how to cook well is an asset because, besides the obvious health factor... when you cook for others it's cool and sets a good mood. And it's tasty

-Fractal, i don't drink Gatorade or any gimmicky ready made drink. But one thing is for sure, recovery from exercise is faster from using high glycaemic index drinks during and after intense exercise. This is the most basic sports nutrition knowledge. And of course a better recovered muscle is a fitter one than a less recovered one. I moderately use table sugar in my coffee and in my post workout protein shakes to assist in better muscle recovery and absorbtions of nutrients. I cook all my own foods, and seldom use jar sauces watered down for flavour. Really, hard exercise makes the immune system so much stronger that one needn't overfuss about ones diet, as long as it's 80% decent in terms of lean proteins, complex carbs, fruit, etc. Going without the things you enjoy may be supposedly good for your body, but unfortunately not so good for your "being nice to yourself" levels, and this is why "anally healthy diets" never last -EVER. There has to be a healthy balance, and taking things too seriously doesn't make life a pleasure to live. Life should be enjoyed.

why dont you just eat some fruit or drink some fresh juice?
Why use table sugar?

I had read before that dextrose is a good additive to the post-workout shake. I can't remember specifics but maybe that's the rationale behind the table sugar..

Fruit is expensive so i eat it occasionally apart from the dried fruit in my muesli. Table sugar is dirt cheap. It does the job i need it for, no problems.

I'm repeating myself but

^dude..not cool..it's like a bad attempt at humor that is sort of out of place here in this thread.

Fractal, relax man, only joking, are you being 2 serious??...healthy eating's gettin' kinda labourious, enjoy life!!

EAT, DRINK,and be merry---and use your working time to sort it all out. be a winner in this "life game"!

Nutrition is a VERY complicated subject with LOTS of contridictions, LOTS of "Some studies may suggest that their is a potential benefit" amd LOTS of government influence in the fooods that are recommended for you.

Keep these things in mind and you will be FINE:
Don't eat MOSTLY processed food and try to avoid those with TRANS fats (>1g) at all costs. Some is okay though
Don't eat TOO LITTLE FAT. Low fat diets are linked with depression and diabetes (have to replace the calories from fat with TONS of carbs)
On that, don't eat massive amounts of starches and sugars as your staple. Excess carbs produce excess inculin and eventually are turned into bodyfat, yes carbs make you FAT
Do not be afraid of meat, oils, butter and lard. They are great calorie dense foods that can be added to almost every meal. Your body burns FATS and CARBS for energy.
NEVER starve yourself by either skipping a meal or... actually starving yourself. It can potentially create a vicious cycle lowering your metabolism perminantly.

REAlly, just eat stuff that seems good, makes you feel good and EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE. Walking burns tons of fat and if you like lifting weights, it is interesting but your body keeps burning calories for HOURS AND HOURS after you stop.

If you want to be a vegetarian cause it makes you feel good, AWESOME. If you fee; like shit eating those "healthy greens" well firstly add a heaping TBSP of butter on them and if that dpesn't work then it may mean that your body needs meat.
NO I am not anti-vegitarian, I was one for 3 YEARS. But every time I cheated I felt GREAT and eventually I didn't fight it. I have more energy than I have in a while.

An excellent reply Q21. You have summed up everything very nicely. Whilst we benefit from a healthy diet, we also need to have fun and enjoy life. After all, it's what motivates us and makes life liveable. Put someone on a strict diet, and it will never last long, and the weight lost will soon return. But show someone how to eat sensibly, exercise, and practice an 80-20 rule, and there's every hope for success.

First off, do you have any fitness goals? Are you looking to bulk up, cut or anything like that?

Granted most of "eating healthy" will usually fall within your fitness goals, with the exception of getting more protein for bulking up.

I'd say to eat at least 5 times a day, 3 meals with two snacks. Not massive meals, (although breakfast should be the biggest of the day) and eating every 2-4hrs to keep the metabolism going, don't skip meals.

As far as foods, I agree with most of the posters here. Non-processed, high trans fats foods. Lots of "whole foods," Veggies, fruit, whole grain, fish, lean cuts of meat, cheese, beans, yogert, eggs, nuts.

You can't eat crap foods if you don't buy them right? Although, realistically, aim to eat right about 80% of the time. That way you don't cave to cravings, and after all eating certain foods are great. I don't think I could forgo beer during football games, but I limit it to 2-3 beers once or twice a week as a cheat meal.

Stay away from soda, even diet can be pretty bad since it tricks the brain in that it is expecting a higher calorie load but doesn't get one....this sets cravings later. Water, green tea, juices ect.

mostly, it is about making smart decisions.

I was under the assumption that "grazing" like that depletes necessary enzymes.