The Rule of 5

[not2late]

More from Marion Nestle's book What to Eat

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store because that's where the fresh foods are located (meat, fruit, veg and dairy). Avoid the center aisles. If you do venture there, limit your purchases to foods that contain 5 ingredients or less, not counting the added vitamins and minerals.

So with the "low carb" or "reduced sugar" foods on the market, how many of us purchase food products with 5 ingredients or less, excluding the added vitamins and minerals?

The things I buy that have more than 5 ingredients tend to be condiments like mayo, but I don't use alot of those condiments on my food or in my cooking. Since I have incorporated whole grains into my Atkins, I stick to whole grains, like oat groats or steel-cut oats. I also buy the WASA fiber rye crackers (6 ingredients: whole grain rye flour, wheat bran, sesame seeds, wheat germ, wheat fiber, sea salt). But on the whole, I stick to the perimeter of the supermarket....

[ErinRachel1021]

Re: The Rule of 5

With this program aren't you supposed to work out 5 days a week, eat 5 light meals a day with no more than 5 ingredients that take no more than 5 minutes to make?

[not2late]

Re: The Rule of 5

I think you have it mixed up with a weight loss program. Marion Nestle is a nutritionist. Her book gives food information so you can make an informed decision about the food you eat. For example, she has sections about artificial sweeteners, specifically marketed "children's food", organic meats, etc.

Another interesting fact she brings up is why nutritionists make a big deal out of eating grains---in the standard American diet, grains supply more than 50% of the daily fiber intake. So nutritionists freak out because if you eliminate grains, you won't be getting enough fiber. This is a legitimate fear imo, since fiber is important for our general health. And it's an especially legitimate concern in light of the the way I've seen people do Atkins per the advice of their co-worker's cousin's boyfriend's roommate's brother's girlfriend's aunt's neighbor's veterinarian's secretary's mother. But it's also a relatively illegitimate concern if you eliminate grains while eating the high fiber vegetables and fruits. I mean 1/2 cup oatmeal has about 4 grams of fiber, 1 cup of pumpkin puree has the same amount plus vitamins and minerals.

It's an interesting read, imo, particularly if you want to make long-term changes to the way you and your family eats.

[Heidi3]

Re: The Rule of 5

More from Marion Nestle's book What to Eat

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store because that's where the fresh foods are located (meat, fruit, veg and dairy). Avoid the center aisles. If you do venture there, limit your purchases to foods that contain 5 ingredients or less, not counting the added vitamins and minerals.

So with the "low carb" or "reduced sugar" foods on the market, how many of us purchase food products with 5 ingredients or less, excluding the added vitamins and minerals?

The things I buy that have more than 5 ingredients tend to be condiments like mayo, but I don't use alot of those condiments on my food or in my cooking. Since I have incorporated whole grains into my Atkins, I stick to whole grains, like oat groats or steel-cut oats. I also buy the WASA fiber rye crackers (6 ingredients: whole grain rye flour, wheat bran, sesame seeds, wheat germ, wheat fiber, sea salt). But on the whole, I stick to the perimeter of the supermarket....

I love this ...yes I do all of this!!!! ...most food I buy has 1 ingredient ...itself!!!! then when I get home I mix single ingredients together and call it cooking ...the result to me is FOOD!!!!! I love to eat real "FOOD" !!!!

[jimmie 48]

Re: The Rule of 5

i got a guy in the house that is not on atkins or any other plan. i have more in the frig in the way of fresh stuff but i can't escape the middle isles. that is not where most of the money is spent however.

[not2late]

Re: The Rule of 5

Jimmie, I have god-children who come over during the summer and spend an afternoon or weekend with me. I don't buy them "special food" and if we do have something like cookies, they have to bake them from scratch! That was the rule at home when I was growing up---you want cookies or cake, you bake cookies or cake. I'll admit when I was a kid, it was a royal pain in the you-know-what, but now I see that mom was onto something. Having to make and bake our own cookies, gave my sisters and I an appreciation for where food comes from. (Also, it might be the reason why I'm not a cookies-cakes-pies carb addict!) With food being so readily available, I don't think that kind of appreciation/reverance exists. Now, I'm not knocking the abundance of food in our society, but it makes me wonder if that abundance makes us take it for granted.

Heidi, I have a question for you.....I cook/prepare about 99% of the food I eat. There are sometimes when I cook something and can't eat it because the aromas I've inhaled during the cooking/prep period has "filled me up". Does that happen to you or anyone else reading this thread?

[ladyinred]

Re: The Rule of 5

There are sometimes when I cook something and can't eat it because the aromas I've inhaled during the cooking/prep period has "filled me up". Does that happen to you or anyone else reading this thread?

Yes, especially when I've spent a day doing batch cooking. I'm usually "full" by dinner time. It also happens at Christmas. After spending an entire day cooking a huge dinner for 12 people, I can only eat a few tablespoons. It's not from tasting things, I think it's just from being around it all day. Maybe I should get a job in a chocolate shop..? Maybe I would hate it and never want to see it again. lol

[2big4mysize]

Re: The Rule of 5

my Kroger must have read her book cause they moved the produce section to the middle of the store and now paper products, beer, candy, magazines and vitamins are on the exterior of 3 of our store walls.

My mustards have more then 5 ingredients cause of all the spices and stuff like peppers and garlic added. Since I developed my serious soy allergey I have been following that rule of 5 pretty much cause i can't buy already made stuff as soy is in everything.

[boonie stomper]

Re: The Rule of 5

There are several grocery stores I frequent locally, plus a few in North Carolina I visit when I'm travelling there, for nostalgia. I've noticed they all have tendencies to:
1. Re-arrange which sections are where, to keep you hunting for that certain item, and
2. Lace the perimeter of the store and especially checkout zones with items targeting the impulse buyer as well as those avoiding the center aisles and those in a hurry.

Know your store, NEVER go in one when you are hungry, and if your target food isn't in an obvious place, ask an employee rather than searching each aisle. Use the locator guides hung on ceilings or printed as handouts by the door. If you need wasabi or green boiled peanuts, may as well ask. Send the kids to get the cereal & junk food, if they must be got. Keep the blinders on when passing danger zones. And always read labels BEFORE you buy.

[jimmie 48]

Re: The Rule of 5

oh 2ibg! that is sorta funny! you know stores will change things to make shoppers buy buy buy. the store i have been frequenting went and changed a bunch of stuff too. i couldn't find anything the other day. now i'll have to go back and really look at what they put where and see how it changed the dynamics of the store.

megs, my mom feed us kids all the carby stuff. cakes, pies, cookies, macaroni, rice, potatoes, bread at every meal. there was never a meal that we didn't have dessert. she did the baking but this kind of food was used as a filler. it was just cheaper to feed the family cake than it was to feed them fresh veggies. christmas time was a baking frenzy. that's when she made her cookies. all four of her children grew up battleing weight problems, my brother being the worst.
summers were better because we could get fresh stuff from the garden but it was always laced with the pies and cookies and breads.
God love her but she didn't do her kids any favors by feeding us that way.

[Heidi3]

Re: The Rule of 5

[/QUOTE]Heidi, I have a question for you.....I cook/prepare about 99% of the food I eat. There are sometimes when I cook something and can't eat it because the aromas I've inhaled during the cooking/prep period has "filled me up". Does that happen to you or anyone else reading this thread?[/QUOTE]



YES YES YES Megs!!!! I always MUCH eat less when I take time preparing foods....and I know exactly why it happens...cooking is such a sensual art ...and it is not all about sex for me ..being a very sensual person is about enjoying all the plesures in life....what things look like, how they smell and how they feel....taste is also right up there......because you filled your senses with the whole preparation of the food ..then your senses are content and satiated a...and that is good I love that about this whole thing and that is why I get so millitant about people looking for ingredients, preparing food ....savoring each step ...then when you are doine ...eating it ...

[boonie stomper]

Re: The Rule of 5

TOUCHEE, Heidi! The satisfaction gained during preparation lasts a lot longer than the time spent eating it! You miss out on a lot of pleasure when all you do is open a can or nuke a box.

[not2late]

Re: The Rule of 5

2Big, my sympathies.

Okay so, I'm not the only one who gets "full" from the cooking aromas. Good to know! I guess that's one way not to over-eat a particular dish. On the other hand, I wonder why some professional chefs are on the chubby side. Granted they do taste their dishes while they work, but those tastes would be maybe a teaspoon or so. Maybe after work, they eat huge meals?

[boonie stomper]

Re: The Rule of 5

2Big, my sympathies.

Okay so, I'm not the only one who gets "full" from the cooking aromas. Good to know! I guess that's one way not to over-eat a particular dish. On the other hand, I wonder why some professional chefs are on the chubby side. Granted they do taste their dishes while they work, but those tastes would be maybe a teaspoon or so. Maybe after work, they eat huge meals?

Big word - SOME - some are chubby, some aren't. Maybe a study is in order - are most of the chubbies cooking pasta or patry? Are the slims fixing ornately decorated plates of colorfully arranged tiny servings of healthy foods? hmmm...
OR - does it just depend how busy the chef is: cooking 8 hours a day, a few hundred small tastes of anything is sure to add up.

[not2late]

Re: The Rule of 5

Good point. Those "one bites" do add up.