The Ration Book Diet

Shangas · Nov 3, 2011

I've been reading this thread with great interest. Ever since I joined the FL and I started dressing better, my wardrobe has been my main motivator to stay in shape. As such, I've significantly limited my food intake. I admit right now, that I have almost NO self-discipline when it comes to diet, exercise and portion-control. But for the past two or three months, I've been cutting down on my intake and I have lost weight. I'm not sure how much, though. I started at 68kg (149 and a half pounds). Right now, I'm down to about 64 or 63kg (138 and a half pounds). So I've lost about ten pounds (give or take a few ounces). My height in the "old language" as my highschool sports-teacher would say, is five feet, six inches.

Feeling very proud of myself right now. I don't know if I could live with the "ration-book diet", although I can see that it would certainly have dietary and nutritional benefits.

When I was in London earlier this year, my father and I went on the Blitz Walk (one of the walking tours offered around London). The tourguide told our group that during the War, people were actually a lot healthier than at almost any other time in history, because their food-intake was so restricted and they didn't have the advantages (or privileges) of excess that we have today.

KingTigerII · Nov 4, 2011

I'm starting this up. Yesterday I Got on the scale and saw that number....nearly fainted. Only problem is I can never follow through with diets.

Then it hit me, if I took a diet as serious as I do my WWII reenacting - I'd stick with it! So I got myself a "reenacted" diet

So I did a bit of reading and based somethings off of Lizzie's first few posts. Since it's just me I got a Pound of Corned beef, sliced thin. The Slices were enormous. So I split the pound into three parts, of ten slices each. At a slice per sandwich it's still quite a bit and that one pound will last me a month. Did the same for a pound of Amish baby Swiss. I want to not rely on meats and Cheeses so I cut those down and bought some celery and carrots to eat raw. I'm drinking more milk (Essentially buying a gallon and no soft drinks...well all but a few glass bottle cokes I picked up

), more water and eating whole wheat energy.

The main point is portions. I weighed in at 205 this morning. I can eat like a Sherman consumes Gas. Working out would help but unfortunately I have neither the time or the space to do it - so portions need to be adjusted for the energy I use. A tip a Sargent in one of our other Companies gave me was this: "When going out to eat the portions are enormous! When you get your food immediately ask for a box. Divide your food in half, placing one in your gut and the other in the box. If it's not on your plate you are less likely to eat it. But I guess the easiest way would be to order less!" It's an excellent point if you ask me.

Now I see SPAM listed in the recipes posted above, was that considered part of your "Meat" ration? Not that I'd want SPAM too much, delicious but no where near nutritious!

Thanks for the Recipes and progress reports - this thread is bookmarked for me!

-Corey

Shangas · Nov 4, 2011

A lot of things were in severely short supply in England during the war. Meat was one of them. From the documentaries and research I've seen and done, Yes, SPAM was part of your meat-ration. It was shipped to England by the millions of cans from America. I believe back then, they sold it in 12 ounce cans. The smaller cans we have today (I forget the weight. 6 ounces, I think) only came out after the war.

SPAM is the kind of meat you eat when you're desperate for a meat-kick, I reckon.

You eat it sparingly and seldom. Only when you have to.

LizzieMaine · Nov 4, 2011

Spam makes very good sandwiches. And fried up in a skillet it makes a fine breakfast meat. And baked with a mustard and brown sugar glaze, it can even make an excellent main course. It's tasty, easy to prepare and store, keeps forever, and isn't expensive -- plus it was a very efficient use of one's ration points. What's not to love?

The thing to remember is that a can of Spam was meant to be enough for a family of four. It was not a meal to be eaten by one person in one sitting.

Shangas · Nov 4, 2011

Lizzie is right. Spam does make for good sandwiches.

Since, as you say, it was meant to feed a whole family, I take it that I'm correct in saying that SPAM was sold in the larger, 12oz cans during the war?

KingTigerII · Nov 5, 2011

I know it is delicious!

Nutritious on the other hand....

When I had my wisdom teeth pulled I was binging on soft foods due to excessive hunger and the meds gave me the munchies like no other. I took a Can of SPAM, two links of handmade locally (by my people - The Polish - so it's not the crap you might find in a box store) and threw it in a food processor. Add three eggs and an onion and it was the best heart attack I'd ever eaten. Since it took 10 years off my life I decided not to do it ever again...

Miss Moonlight · Nov 5, 2011

I've read this about ration portions:
"In addition to this a points system was put in place which limited your purchase of tinned or imported goods. 16 points were available in your ration book for every 4 weeks and that 16 points would enable you to purchase for instance, 1 can of tinned fish or 2lbs of dried fruit or 8 lbs of split peas."

I wonder how any of you might be incorporating the use of these extra points for yourself.

Also, for things which were not on the ration but in short supply such as bread, flour, oats- any of you working a system out for these?

Shangas · Nov 5, 2011

Perhaps they could do what the Victorians did and substitute flour for building-plaster.

Miss Moonlight · Nov 8, 2011

From what I understand, flour was available, but not much. So probably not!

So far my ration diet has consisted of eating everything I already have that isn't rationed... which is not much, and pretty realistic.

Tenuki · Feb 21, 2014

I'm reviving this old thread to see if anyone is still on the Ration Diet. I started about a week ago, after deciding it will be simpler than Weight Watchers - I get bogged down with too many options. I haven't weighed in yet, but will on Sunday. Next week, I think I will follow Lizzie's lead from the beginning of this thread and portion out my weekly allowance.

It has been interesting to weigh out food with the idea of once a category has been consumed, that is it for the week. I've started drinking milk again, which I haven't done for a long time. I have a questions about which foods were rationed.

Rice? I tried googling it and found one site that said 1.4 ounces per person per week, which is nothing at my house. Riots would break out. Oh, and don't tell General McArthur that we eat Japanese rice

Milk - not rationed. Ok, does that extend to yogurt? cottage cheese? half and half?

kiwilrdg · Feb 22, 2014

I am sure General MacArthur would have no trouble with people eating Japanese rice since he was the governor who rebuilt the country and enacted so many reforms in Japan. He stayed in Japan two years after he turned over control of the country.

Stanley Doble · Feb 22, 2014

Dr. Hindhede was the nutritionist responsible for the WW1 rationing program in Denmark. Based on his prewar experiments, he concluded that the human requirement for protein could be met without meat. Many vegetables contain protein. He also concluded that wheat bran and milk made a good replacement for meat.

The WW1 rations were mainly black bread (think rye bread or pumpernickel), barley porridge, potatoes, greens (the kind of vegetables you can grow in a northern climate) with limited amounts of eggs, milk, beer and meat. Imported luxuries like sugar, citrus fruit, tobacco, coffee and tea were very scarce.

During this period of time, the death rate dropped to the lowest ever recorded in a European country. Infectious diseases like TB and measles fell slightly but lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure etc nearly disappeared.

Many people reduced excess weight. As Dr Hindhede put it, the new rations "were not to Mr Sorensen's liking" (Danish expression) and they cut down on their calories without trying or intending to.

This was an experiment that included 3 million people for a year and a half. It was not their intent to carry out an experiment in nutrition but that is what happened.

Results were confirmed by similar results in Great Britain and elsewhere.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/jul/lessons.htm

Dr Hindhede's report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 1920

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/jul/hindhede.pdf

Tenuki · Mar 7, 2014

kiwilrdg - I wa being silly, all for naught, since we eat Japanese style rice that is grown in California.

Stanley Doble - thanks for link. I found that site after reading quite a bit of this thread, seeing it was inactive and looking for more information. It convinced me to give it a try, although I am finding it quite difficult. I am intrigued by barley porridge and am off to find a recipe.

I am still curous about how rice was rationed.

lolly_loisides · Mar 7, 2014

Tenuki said:
I am still curous about how rice was rationed.

I know rationing varied from country to country. Here in Australia rice wasn't on the ration, but was available via the coupon system.

LizzieMaine · Mar 7, 2014

Basic rice wasn't rationed in the US -- but processed foods made from rice were. You could buy a bag or box of rice to cook up yourself without giving up ration points, but a box of Rice Krispies would cost you however many blue points the OPA ruled for that specific month.

Just because it wasn't formally rationed, however, doesn't mean it was easy to get. The military had first call on all commodities, and it was very common for your grocer to be out of staple goods like rice, flour, eggs, and such. When that happened you just had to wait and hope to be first in line when the next shipment arrived.

Stray Cat · Mar 7, 2014

LizzieMaine said:
doesn't mean it was easy to get

This statement was exactly true in here. You could have rice.. if you could find any. [huh]

Stanley Doble · Mar 7, 2014

Tenuki said:
kiwilrdg - I wa being silly, all for naught, since we eat Japanese style rice that is grown in California.

Stanley Doble - thanks for link. I found that site after reading quite a bit of this thread, seeing it was inactive and looking for more information. It convinced me to give it a try, although I am finding it quite difficult. I am intrigued by barley porridge and am off to find a recipe.

I am still curous about how rice was rationed.

You can get pearl barley at any good grocery store. It comes in bags and is found with the dry beans and rice.

Add a handful of barley to home made vegetable soup, or make beef barley soup with a soup bone, carrots, celery, onion, barley, and an OXO cube. This was a staple of working class cooking when meat was scarce and dear.

It takes about 60 minutes to cook barley porridge on the stove, much faster if you have a pressure cooker (more like 15 minutes).

The main thing is to reduce or eliminate sugar, fat, salt, and junk food. Go in for more vegetables and home cooked meals. You have to revise your way of thinking and get away from the 2014 fast food lifestyle and into a more traditional way of eating.[/QUOTE]

vintageTink · Mar 9, 2014

Puzzicato said:
This reminds me of the "mousse" my grandmother used to make - dissolve a box of jelly crystals (I guess that's jell-o to most of you) in boiling water, whisk a can of chilled evaporated milk until thick and frothy, whisk in the dissolved jelly and pour into a mould to set. It works best with citrus flavours, in my opinion, and when I have been low-carbing, is an excellent treat when made with diabetic jelly.

I'll have to try that.

Tenuki · Mar 11, 2014

Thanks Lolly and Lizzie for the rice info. Lizzie - are you still a practiicing Rationer? I'm wondering how it works long-term.

Stanley, I like adding barley to soup. I've lost 5 pounds so far, mainly by what you've suggested: reduce fat, sugar, and serving size; eat more veg and whole grains; avoid prepared foods. My hubby and I are fortunate to live near a local grocery with good vegetables and a terrific bulk food section. He's not interested in rationing with me, but does eat whatever I cook. Fortunately, this is the ideal way to eat for me - high fiber/low fat, but the trick to this diet for me is discipline and mindfulness. Living in the 21st Century with all manner of convenience foods, it's all too easy to fall into lazy food tendencies.

LizzieMaine · Mar 11, 2014

I've been on and off the wagon a number of times in recent years, due largely to outside circumstances -- working fifty or sixty hour weeks isn't conducive to doing your own cooking, and last summer was a very bad one for other reasons and I ate a lot of greasy takeout as compensation.

As a result of last summer's unfortunate circumstances I ended up gaining about fifteen pounds and had triglycerides which were off the scale. My doctor yelled at me, so I'm back on the ration. I've cut cheese down to practically nothing, which pains me mightily, and I'm eating mostly chicken for meat, and have managed to lose about ten pounds. I'm supposed to be examined again in April, and I need to get the other five pounds off by then, but they're very stubborn.

I don't eat much sugar, because I don't especially like sugary things -- I never eat desserts, I drink my tea plain, and the only cereal I'm eating is plain Shredded Wheat. About the only sugary product I consume is a Coke now and then.

If the fish and chips stand at the end of my street doesn't reopen this summer, I think I've got a fair chance of staying on the ration plan. But time will tell.

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