What are your food rules?

[autumnpalm]

I try to stick to whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies and I eat very little red meat. I drink diet sodas in moderation (probably 1-2 per week) and avoid processed foods.

My "rules" aren't that strict and I every so often I will have pizza for lunch or some ice cream after dinner. I have a sweet tooth but luckily I don't like a lot of things like cheese, fried things, salt, heavy sauces, cream, etc.

Oh, I refuse to eat at KFC and Taco Bell though!

 

[klacey1]

If it's on the floor longer than 5 seconds...it's trash.

Excellent rule!! We had no "rules," per say. DBF eats red meat almost everyday and drinks soda constantly and weighs 130 pounds. I won't allow this for our kids though-- we never had soda in the house growing up (well, my father did), and I plan to do this for ours.

 

[MIGrandma]

I don't have many rules, but a few. Not eating anything with wheat gluten, and staying away from dairy. I have "bathroom issues", to put it mildly, if I don't stay away from those things. I indulge occasionally if I know I'm going to be home the next day and not having to go out anywhere.

I also try to use as many fat free things as possible, for my cholesterol.

And I limit pop/soda. I rarely drink it anymore, except maybe with popcorn.

And I limit fried foods to just occasionally.

 

[mamacatnv]

No organic on purpose
No fat free anything and lo-fat is scrutinized for sugar
Absolutely no bottled Ranch dressing, all Ranch must be homemade
No diet soda except for me to mix my Vodka in (I am not joking)
High fiber carbs
No canned veggies - yuck, mush
Only real butter may enter the house along with BestFoods Real Mayo

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Anything in moderation.

 

[jsmith]

NO SOY if it can be avoided (i have thyroid issues and a family history of breast cancer)
Avoid artificial sweetners wherever possible
If it will give you anaphylasis-dont eat it
If you can not remember when it went into the refrigerator-the only place it should go when it comes out is the trash.

 

[luvmy3]

I have only one rule:

If I actually cook you better not complain about what I made.

Mine is like that, its "if you don't cook it, you don't get to complain about it"

I don't have too many rules.
Milk with meals
veggie/fruit with every meal (not the fruit in syrup, it ceases to be fruit when its sitting in liquid sugar)
No candy for snack, that is a dessert food.
No diet drinks for the kids

 

[binny]

I dont have a lot of rules. On the weekends or when the kids are home we have snacks at 10 and 2. Kind of a random rule but it prevents them from snacking all day long AND they eat better that way.

Also years ago when they were little, we decided we could have dessert twice a week. So we let them choose the days. They decided Friday and Saturday so that is when they expect dessert and when they are free to have it. Now we arent strict about Holidays or special occassions and we do splurge once in awhile on some other day but it really did help them cut down on treats and they realize that it isnt something that should come with every supper.


Oh an cereal with more 12 grams of sugar is NOT a breakfast food. Its a treat. I dont usually buy it anyway but if I do they dont eat for breakfast

 

[Boston Tea Party]

I find the behavior dumb, or at last silly, not the person. Many very intelligent people make dumb decisions form time to time, including myself. It is when one continues to make the same poor choices that it becomes a reflection of the person.

Surely you don't realize it, hehe, but you are coming off as very brash, abrasive and "holier than thou."

Would you be so judgemental of those who suffer from chemical or other addictions?


As for my rules: "Eat, drink, and be merry because noone has the promise of tomorrow!"

 

[Sorsha]

No MSG - I have bad neurological reactions to it.

Avoid HFCS whenever possible. This - and the MSG - has made me into a compulsive label reader.

No margarine, only real butter.

Absolutely NO artificial sweetners.

I try to avoid "boxed" foods whenever possible - Hamburger Helper, frozen lasagna, "Blue Box" mac and cheese, etc. Almost everything is made from scratch.

No sugar-y drinks. No Kool Aide, no Sunny D, no juice cocktails, etc. We drink 100% juice, iced tea, milk, coffee, hot tea, or water. The only exceptions to this rule are Capri Sun pouches for the DDs' school lunches and lemonade in the summertime. DH takes a "throwback" soda to work with him in his lunch each day, but the kids and I drink no soda.

NO onions. DH and I can't stand them - in fact they cause me some nasty digestive issues. Because we never cook with them, no one seems to like the taste of them when they have had them.

ETA: I know all that sounds harsh, but I am as guilty as the next person of snarfing down way too much junk food if the opportunity presents itself. I try my best to make healthy choices, but I find the best way to NOT pork down half a pie in one setting is to NOt deprive myself of small pieces of pie every once in a while. All in moderation, as they say.

 

[FireDancer]

Surely you don't realize it, hehe, but you are coming off as very brash, abrasive and "holier than thou."

Would you be so judgemental of those who suffer from chemical or other addictions?


As for my rules: "Eat, drink, and be merry because noone has the promise of tomorrow!"

It's just the way I see it. I feel the same about all addictions, if you want to quit something bad enough (drinking, drugs, gambling, porn or sex addiction, etc) and have the willpower you will quit. I feel as a species that if we can invent algebra, put a man on the moon, harness the power of the atom, and estimate the circumference of the Earth with a stick and a well we can kick a bad habit.

It is just my opinion of course but there has been nothing in life I have set out to do that I was not able to eventually accomplish through will, determination, and/or hard work. I think most that don't either don't try hard enough or make excuses for themselves. It may not be easy and I never said it was, but it is possible and possibility is my measuring stick, not ease.

The thread asked my food rules (which for me includes nutrition philosophy) and I gave it. Anyone who feels differently is free to do so, opinions can vary and I'm fine with that. I'm not one of those people that thinks everyone has to agree with me and I don't really care what you do. I find using food for anything other then nourishment to be an unwise health decision, that is all.

 

[NotUrsula]

My only real rule is, "Don't take it out of the serving dish if you don't plan to eat it." I don't like food being wasted, so if you are not going to eat it, leave it in proper condition for someone else to be able to do so.

As a general rule (please pardon the pun), food "rules" make me laugh a bit. I grew up poor, and we ate whatever we could afford, or whatever Dad could catch.

 

[PatsGirl]

First, there is no snacking within 90 minutes of dinner!

No sugar cereals for breakfast but NO ONE leaves the house in the morning without eating something....preferably something healthy. (I have cooked a hot breakfast for DS and now DD every school morning for the last 20 years whether they like it or not, haha)

Soda only on the weekends or when we are out for dinner and even then limited to 2 glasses/cups. I PUSH water.

At least two veggies are served with every meal and you are expected to eat at least one serving.

Carbs are limited to one serving unless you match the second serving with either a protein or a veggie.

Only Mom gets to drink wine before, during or after dinner

 

[disfan07]

Our rules are:

NO Artificial sweetners....I have been told by every doctor and dietician to avoid them like the plague
NO Peanuts (nothing with peanuts/peanut butter and nothing processed on the same line or in the same facility as peanuts)...i'm anaphylaxis to peanuts
Nothing with eggs...allergic to eggs
Nothing with sodium benzoate (a preservative)....I'm allergic to it
Nothing with shellfish...allergic to it also

Those are our only rules.

I also don't eat a lot of salt but that's because I dont like salt. If I can taste salt on it, I most likely won't eat it.

Right now, we have hershey kisses in the freezer, root beer in the fridge and homemade fudge on the counter.
We also have asparagus, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, grilled fish, chicken, etc.

So obviously we believe that anything is okay in moderation (unless you are allergic to it of course)

 

[MichelleVW]

Please eat something every day, those are my rules I guess.

I don't buy junk food since I personally have no will power. My DD17 loves to bake and will torture me with cookies, but usually I take them to work or I will eat them all!!

My family all has whacked out schedules and we aren't all home at the same time to eat, so usually it's fend for yourself.

 

[jamimb]

It's just the way I see it. I feel the same about all addictions, if you want to quit something bad enough (drinking, drugs, gambling, porn or sex addiction, etc) and have the willpower you will quit. I feel as a species that if we can invent algebra, put a man on the moon, harness the power of the atom, and estimate the circumference of the Earth with a stick and a well we can kick a bad habit.

It is just my opinion of course but there has been nothing in life I have set out to do that I was not able to eventually accomplish through will, determination, and/or hard work. I think most that don't either don't try hard enough or make excuses for themselves. It may not be easy and I never said it was, but it is possible and possibility is my measuring stick, not ease.

The thread asked my food rules (which for me includes nutrition philosophy) and I gave it. Anyone who feels differently is free to do so, opinions can vary and I'm fine with that. I'm not one of those people that thinks everyone has to agree with me and I don't really care what you do. I find using food for anything other then nourishment to be an unwise health decision, that is all.

I believe that if God intended for food to be only about nourishment it wouldn't taste so darn good!!!! I feel sad for you! I eat very healthy but I enjoy every bite!!!!

 

[lattemomof3]

1. everyone eats a healthy breakfast

2. and then mom has her 1 latte (made at home) w/ a
square of dark chocolate in it

3. drinks are 100% juice, water, milk. Pop is considered a
rare treat - at the movies you can choose pop, or candy,
not both.

4. everything in moderation. Fruits/veggies at every meal
to round it out.

5. try to limit processed junk - but we're not perfect about
it.

6. upgrades of the usuals - natural peanut butter vs. sugar
filled, all natural fruit jam vs. fake stuff, whole grain
bread vs. white, etc. There are a lot of really great
substitutes for products we use a lot, that are a great
health upgrade

7. try to slow down, enjoy your food, converse - the kids
have to eat so quickly at school I try to reverse that
at home. We try to eat w/ the European mentality that
delicious real food in reasonable portions is one of the
good parts of life

 

[monkeybug]

My food rule is that when at all possible I cook the way my Great Grandma and Grandma did. (except I rarely fry, use olive oil or canola oil, and eat less beef than they did. We also cook with more whole grains than they did.)
Basically all the food we eat is actually food, not over processed and full of chemicals. If I can make it myself with out buying a dairy, a factory, or flying to another country, than I do!
I will say that I have the time to cook that way (I know many people don't) and I enjoy it! I wouldn't put so much effort into our food if I didn't.
My kids eat what I make or don't eat until the next meal.
No margarine in this house! It's all about the butter baby!!
It's milk, 100% juice, or water, (coffee and tea for mom and dad) we don't buy soda, but my kids are allowed to have it if we are out or they are at a friends.
Don't put too many restrictions on food. If it's in our house, on a menu, or at a friends, and you want it, go ahead and eat it!
You don't have to like it, you don't have to eat it, but you do have to TRY it!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We cook without seasonings, salt, marinades, bbq sauces etc for the most part. Basically everything is bland and you can add on your own stuff after the fact. We all have reflux here.

That is pretty much the "rules".

 

[scottishduffy]

General rules, I am not perfect with them but we do pretty well.

1) I will try to cook from scratch as much as possible. Home cooked is *always* better than order out.

2) Fruit/Veg with every meal. Pasta shall not be considered a side dish option.

3) Try to drink water as much as possible. Very Limited soda and caffeine.

4) Try to limit rice/pasta with meals. Just a protein (meat/chicken/fish) and veg preferably.

5) Go out to eat with Hubby one night per week. I may be a homebody but he is not, so GET OUT!

I used to be much better befor I started residency! It had been my pride and joy that I made homecooked food every day and we had not eaten fast food for *years*. Residency has kicked my butt, However I hold out hope that after graduation I can easily go back to my daily cooking. I have done it before and will do it again! For now I try to cook larger items that will leave leftovers. Such as roast chicken or bulk amount of split pea soup. I am also currently trying to wean myself from the 100 calorie packs and have more fresh fruit and veg.