Do you follow the 5-4-3-2-1 grocery rule?

[Anonymous]

A method for meal planning and grocery shopping. Encourages a balanced and nutritious diet by focusing on specific food categories and quantities. Supposed to help simplify meal planning, reduce food waste and promote healthier eating habits.

five vegetables
four fruits
three proteins
two starches
and one fun item per week

If you have kids, teens, elders, or those with dietary restrictions in your household, you may need to modify

[Anonymous]

I e never even heard of this rule. Did you just make it up?

[Anonymous]

This seems very gimmicky. I don’t want to have to tailor my meal planning to an arbitrary grocery list. I plan meals and then buy the necessary ingredients. Once in a while, if there’s a really good sale that I stumble onto in the grocery store, I may make a spur of the moment change to my menu plan.

[Anonymous]

No. TBH, I don't care for most fruits. I like vegetables, so try to replace fruits with vegetables.

[Anonymous]

Wow this really helps me op I appreciate it! How do you scale it though, is that per person per week? How does it split into meals ie two veggie meals per week ? I’ve got three growing boys and a carnivore husband so I struggle with meal planning. We do eat a lot of beans does that fall into starches?

[Anonymous]

Wonderful. Now we have rules for grocery shopping?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow this really helps me op I appreciate it! How do you scale it though, is that per person per week? How does it split into meals ie two veggie meals per week ? I’ve got three growing boys and a carnivore husband so I struggle with meal planning. We do eat a lot of beans does that fall into starches?

That’s not enough for your family.

[Anonymous]

Is this per day? Or per oerson!?

[Anonymous]

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This seems very gimmicky. I don’t want to have to tailor my meal planning to an arbitrary grocery list. I plan meals and then buy the necessary ingredients. Once in a while, if there’s a really good sale that I stumble onto in the grocery store, I may make a spur of the moment change to my menu plan.

This.

[Anonymous]

This would not work for my family.

You might provide balance in your diet by varying the overall quantities of vegetables, fruit etc . . . But not the numbers of ingredients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. TBH, I don't care for most fruits. I like vegetables, so try to replace fruits with vegetables.

I'm your exact opposite! Most veg tastes sour/bitter to me. (And yes, I've tried things multiple times prepared multiple ways.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow this really helps me op I appreciate it! How do you scale it though, is that per person per week? How does it split into meals ie two veggie meals per week ? I’ve got three growing boys and a carnivore husband so I struggle with meal planning. We do eat a lot of beans does that fall into starches?

Also trying to figure out how much. I guess per person for the week, unless they can't eat from one of those groups. Beans are primarily a protein source but they also contain good amounts of carbohydrates, can be categorized as both. They are a part of the vegetable group plus a key component of protein food group especially for vegetarians and vegans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow this really helps me op I appreciate it! How do you scale it though, is that per person per week? How does it split into meals ie two veggie meals per week ? I’ve got three growing boys and a carnivore husband so I struggle with meal planning. We do eat a lot of beans does that fall into starches?

Also trying to figure out how much. I guess per person for the week, unless they can't eat from one of those groups. Beans are primarily a protein source but they also contain good amounts of carbohydrates, can be categorized as both. They are a part of the vegetable group plus a key component of protein food group especially for vegetarians and vegans.

Or it could be per household?
For ex., veggies, 2-3 broccoli heads is enough for a household of 2 adults and 3 teens. you count broccoli as one of your veggie for the week.

[Anonymous]

Honestly I'm just happy if I don't forget a crucial ingredient for one of the meals I've planned. I'm not going to make it more complicated than it already is.