Rate these foods

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darkxshade

Lifer
Mar 31, 2001
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Apparently I have no clue anymore about what I should or shouldn't eat as evidenced by my lack of knowledge into bacon here: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2026483


So since I haven't seen one of these threads, I figure I'll throw out a list of foods that I'm curious about and on a scale from 1-10, maybe the more knowledgable folks can rate where some of the more dubious foods fall into.

Scale from 1-10:

1-2 = Should always avoid/never eat // example: transfatty junk foods

3-4 = Ok as part of a cheat meal occasionally(once a week or less) // example: pizza/fried chicken/etc

5-6 = Ok a few times a week as part of a meal(for when you're too lazy to do better I guess)... has its pros and cons // example: white rice?

7-8 = Ok daily as part of a balanced meal w/ moderation // example: bacon

9-10 = Should always eat daily/staple you could always fall back on // example: fresh fruits & veggies

Rate this:
-Steak
-Eggs (including yolk)
-Your standard Quaker instant oatmeal
-Whole wheat toast
-Curry(japanese style w/ potatoes, shredded chicken breast, onions, garlic)
-Multigrain rice/Brown rice
-Strawberry spread/jam(has HFCS in it)
-Creamy peanut butter(non natural)
-Cheeseburgers/Hotdogs
-Ketchup
-Spam
-Waffles/Pancake


Keep in mind when rating that this is in general for the average joe, not someone who's strict on a specific diet such that you would rate something higher/lower because it has too much carbs or protein for that specific goal.

Feel free to list your own if you have something you're unsure about as well.
 

Deeko

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
30,213
11
81
Scale from 1-10:

1-2 = Should always avoid/never eat // example: transfatty junk foods

3-4 = Ok as part of a cheat meal occasionally(once a week or less) // example: pizza/fried chicken/etc

5-6 = Ok a few times a week as part of a meal(for when you're too lazy to do better I guess)... has its pros and cons // example: white rice?

7-8 = Ok daily as part of a balanced meal w/ moderation // example: bacon

9-10 = Should always eat daily/staple you could always fall back on // example: fresh fruits & veggies

Rate this:
-Steak 10
-Eggs (including yolk) 10
-Your standard Quaker instant oatmeal 7
-Whole wheat toast 8
-Curry(japanese style w/ potatoes, shredded chicken breast, onions, garlic) ?
-Multigrain rice/Brown rice 7
-Strawberry spread/jam(has HFCS in it) 6
-Creamy peanut butter(non natural) 9
-Cheeseburgers/Hotdogs 8/4
-Ketchup 8
-Spam ?
-Waffles/Pancake 4

Responses inline
 
Mar 22, 2002
10,483
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Things that are severely processed are automatically lower on the list. Things that are less processed (i.e. produce, nuts, unprocessed meats, etc) are higher on the list. Sugar is highly processed and is contained in many products. Those get a mark down just because of that. Use your sensibilities.
 

brikis98

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2005
7,253
8
0
In terms of quantity, eating the appropriate number of calories for your goals with a roughly equal distribution of calories from fat, carbs and protein through out the day usually works well. In terms of quality, the general rule is that the closer the food is to being natural/whole/unprocessed/raw, the better. In other words, the foods on your list that are "real food" are going to rate higher than those that are highly processed "food products". Identifying real food is not entirely trivial and I highly recommend reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food for some great rules of thumb (or check out the condensed version in the article Unhappy Meals).

-Steak: 10
-Eggs (including yolk): 10
-Your standard Quaker instant oatmeal: 7*
-Whole wheat toast: 7*
-Curry(japanese style w/ potatoes, shredded chicken breast, onions, garlic): 8*
-Multigrain rice/Brown rice: 8
-Strawberry spread/jam(has HFCS in it): 2
-Creamy peanut butter(non natural): 2
-Cheeseburgers/Hotdogs: 8/3*
-Ketchup: 3*
-Spam: 1
-Waffles/Pancake: 4*

Anything marked with a * means I'd need to see the exact ingredients to make a real rating. For example, some whole wheat bread, such as Wonder Bread's whole wheat version, is still loaded with all sorts of artificial crap, including HFCS, all sorts of dough conditioners and preservatives. I'd give it a rating of 2. However, other brands of whole wheat bread which include only whole wheat flour, yeast, water, salt (and maybe some honey) would get a rating of 8.
 

darkxshade

Lifer
Mar 31, 2001
13,749
6
81
I don't eat most of the stuff on that list regularly if at all, I was just curious but damn I'm having steak tonight... 8 oz ribeye :p

I added the curry to the list because that's what I've been learning to cook lately. Per an older discussion, I've been pre-cooking lunch the night before. It's pretty much 2 tbsp oil + fresh potatoes/garlic/onions/sometimes carrots or other veggies sauteed, add 2 cups of water and my premade shredded chicken(boiled chicken breast shredded after cooled), then add 2 cubes of curry mix which is probably the unhealthiest ingredient of them all, let it simmer and that's bout it. Makes about 3 servings so I usually eat 1 for dinner and save the rest where I eat 1 serving for lunch and the remaining serving 2-3 hours after.

Here's a link to the curry mix:
http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/product/golden-curry-hot-8-4-oz

There's 8 cubes/box and I use 2 cubes at a time.
 

kamper

Diamond Member
Mar 18, 2003
5,513
0
0
How much, prepared in what way, and what kind?
I'm assuming this was directed at me?

1.5 cups flour, 0.25 tsp salt, 5 eggs, 2.5 cups milk. Mix, put a wee bit of butter in the pan and toss some batter on. Never been picky about types of flour. More in keeping with the spirit of the OP, I guess the question would be are there specific types of flour to pick or avoid?
 

KoolDrew

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
10,226
7
81
For what? General health? Aesthetics? From a purely aesthetics standpoint, eat whatever you want as long as it fits into your daily calories and specific macronutrient breakdown.

From a health standpoint... well, that's a different story but the important thing is still moderation. There are some foods that should, for the most part, be avoided. However, for the most part, it's the big picture that matters much more than what individual specific foods you eat.
 

Kipper

Diamond Member
Feb 18, 2000
7,366
0
0
I'm assuming this was directed at me?

1.5 cups flour, 0.25 tsp salt, 5 eggs, 2.5 cups milk. Mix, put a wee bit of butter in the pan and toss some batter on. Never been picky about types of flour. More in keeping with the spirit of the OP, I guess the question would be are there specific types of flour to pick or avoid?

When nutritionists talk about moderation and variety this us what they mean - five eggs for breakfast routinely. Possible that you are taking a good thing too far? What I meant to say is that for ANY of the foods above the type, method of preparation and quantity matter. Banning trans-fat from food is pointless when there are bigger food issues out there and people generally don't consume much of it relative to other things in the diet. If you are eating nothing but porterhouses every night, there is a problem despite the fact red meat is acceptable.

It is all about how much and how frequently, not whether a particular food is "superhealthy" or not.
 

kamper

Diamond Member
Mar 18, 2003
5,513
0
0
That's just the recipe. I certainly don't eat the whole batch in one sitting :p

These questions about quantity weren't in the op. I just wanted to know why, for instance, pancakes were so much worse than whole wheat bread, assuming the pancakes are made with flour comparable to that in the bread.
 
Mar 22, 2002
10,483
32
81
When nutritionists talk about moderation and variety this us what they mean - five eggs for breakfast routinely. Possible that you are taking a good thing too far? What I meant to say is that for ANY of the foods above the type, method of preparation and quantity matter. Banning trans-fat from food is pointless when there are bigger food issues out there and people generally don't consume much of it relative to other things in the diet. If you are eating nothing but porterhouses every night, there is a problem despite the fact red meat is acceptable.

It is all about how much and how frequently, not whether a particular food is "superhealthy" or not.

Who defines what moderation is? Especially when it comes to eggs, there are very few downsides (if you make sure to cook them). I understand what moderation is when it comes to y'know, bacon, white rice, candy, etc. But as you know, the cholesterol thing isn't a big deal anymore so there aren't that many cons.
 
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