CHECKLIST FOR FOOD VARIETY

[Guest guest]

Dear Support Group,

As promised several weeks ago, I have completed my "CRON Checklist for Daily Food Variety." It is attached as such in the "Files" on our page. If you don't have EXCEL and would like to see the sheet, please email me privately and I'll be very happy to snail-mail you a copy.

The list can be used several ways, and you can add or delete foods or entire groups of foods at your discretion. It is not intended as an endorsement of any food or group of foods over others. One of the things which strikes me when I review Dr. Walford's books is the diversity in the diet which he recommends. For me, this represents a key to maintaining the OPTIMAL NUTRITION aspect of CRON. I am a creature of habit. Therefore, in the process of reducing calories, it is quite easy for me to repeatedly eat the same foods day after day. That's not entirely bad--for me, a day without my blueberries is a day without sunshine. What I need to avoid, however, is the temptation to eat three types of berries in a day to the exclusion of other fruits and vegetables.

As you use the list for a week, it might be interesting to actually SEE where your own food choices are falling into "repetitive use" errors. Too many grains? Addicted to dried fruits? Not enough of something? (I was surprised to see that I hadn't eaten a single gourd in over two weeks--for what that's worth. And GEE it's been a long time since I've had eggplant...mmmm.)

This checklist, then, is designed to help us monitor the diversity in our diets over the period of a week. It can be used strictly as a checklist, or to roughly tally up your calories day by day. It's even quite handy to take to the market as a grocery list.

I'll love to hear how you've adapted the list for your own use. Please though, let's not get into splitting hairs over whether I should delete "dates" or "coconut" and add "cottage cheese" or "egg yolks" or "red wine." This list was created for my own use--you are very free to add and delete items on your own computer to your heart's content, and I urge you to do so.

I anticipate a few debates regarding what's a fruit and what's a vegetable. Melon, for instance, is listed with "gourds" instead of with "fruits-other." It is a gourd, but if you want to put it with fruits for your own convenience, that's a good idea too. Do what works for YOU. Okra, for example, is in the mallow family, related to cotton. Oh dear--well I stuck it in with legumes because it's a seedpod. Maybe it fits with nightshades in your mind. (Go for it!)

ONE LAST POINT: On my personal copies, I've written "IN MODERATION" next to certain groups of foods. Those words were omitted from the copy I've posted in files. Which foods you choose to eat in moderation or not to eat at all is your decision, not mine.

HUGS TO ALL,

Suz

[Guest guest]

Suz: this is just fabulous!! We now have a another tool in our arsenal for

keeping on track with CRON, especially the ON part. Folks: you really MUST

go to this new file and look at this AWESOME checklist that Suz put so much

effort into.

We all agree that variety is most important so as not to miss any nutrients

(including some that may not have even been discovered yet). With this

simple yet most effective and INGENIOUS checklist that Suz has created, that

concern is now a thing of the past!

Use this when you do your shopping!

Use this in conjuction with nutrient tracking programs!

Use this when you're not near a computer!

Use this if you don't do nutrient tracking!!

Two simple sheets of paper!!

Please check out the file. The silence thus far from the group on this, I

am assuming is because most of you just haven't had the time to look at

this file yet. I urge you all to please DO. I can't emphasize enough how

valuable this new, easy to use, checklist is. Let's hear the applause for

Suz for her ingenuity and effort for the benefit of all of us!! She

deserves it.

on 8/14/2002 11:59 AM, Suzanne Cart at massuz@... wrote:

> Dear Support Group,

>

> As promised several weeks ago, I have completed my " CRON Checklist for Daily

> Food Variety. " It is attached as such in the " Files " on our

> page. If you don't have EXCEL and would like to see the sheet, please email

> me privately and I'll be very happy to snail-mail you a copy.

>

> The list can be used several ways, and you can add or delete foods or entire

> groups of foods at your discretion. It is not intended as an endorsement of

> any food or group of foods over others. One of the things which strikes me

> when I review Dr. Walford's books is the diversity in the diet which he

> recommends. For me, this represents a key to maintaining the OPTIMAL

> NUTRITION aspect of CRON. I am a creature of habit. Therefore, in the

> process of reducing calories, it is quite easy for me to repeatedly eat the

> same foods day after day. That's not entirely bad--for me, a day without my

> blueberries is a day without sunshine. What I need to avoid, however, is the

> temptation to eat three types of berries in a day to the exclusion of other

> fruits and vegetables.

>

> As you use the list for a week, it might be interesting to actually SEE where

> your own food choices are falling into " repetitive use " errors. Too many

> grains? Addicted to dried fruits? Not enough of something? (I was surprised

> to see that I hadn't eaten a single gourd in over two weeks--for what that's

> worth. And GEE it's been a long time since I've had eggplant...mmmm.)

>

> This checklist, then, is designed to help us monitor the diversity in our

> diets over the period of a week. It can be used strictly as a checklist, or

> to roughly tally up your calories day by day. It's even quite handy to take

> to the market as a grocery list.

>

> I'll love to hear how you've adapted the list for your own use. Please

> though, let's not get into splitting hairs over whether I should delete

> " dates " or " coconut " and add " cottage cheese " or " egg yolks " or " red wine. "

> This list was created for my own use--you are very free to add and delete

> items on your own computer to your heart's content, and I urge you to do so.

>

> I anticipate a few debates regarding what's a fruit and what's a vegetable.

> Melon, for instance, is listed with " gourds " instead of with " fruits-other. "

> It is a gourd, but if you want to put it with fruits for your own convenience,

> that's a good idea too. Do what works for YOU. Okra, for example, is in the

> mallow family, related to cotton. Oh dear--well I stuck it in with legumes

> because it's a seedpod. Maybe it fits with nightshades in your mind. (Go for

> it!)

>

> ONE LAST POINT: On my personal copies, I've written " IN MODERATION " next to

> certain groups of foods. Those words were omitted from the copy I've posted

> in files. Which foods you choose to eat in moderation or not to eat at all is

> your decision, not mine.

>

> HUGS TO ALL,

> Suz

[Guest guest]

Yes, it is very easy to forget what an immense variety of nutritious

food there is out there and end up eating more or less the same thing

with only token variety.

> Use this in conjuction with nutrient tracking programs!

A good idea but very DIFFICULT. I have a tendency to want to stick

to a certain diet once I have gotten one that scores decently in

nutrients. But then there is as you say the unknown ....