The Ration Book Diet

[Stanley Doble]

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.

Hey Tenuki you are doing great. The weight loss is nice, but the health benefits may be more important in the long run. Looking good and feeling good, and it gets easier as you go along.

 

[sheeplady]

I find it interesting that vegetables and fruits would be rationed so much. As someone who is mostly vegetarian (with most meals and days being vegan), that would be difficult for me as the few things I do eat seem to have made the rationing list.

I do eat fish one to three times a week (main break in vegetarianism), but mainly I eat veggies and beans/soy/vital wheat gluten (with fruit as a treat). I don't eat butter, except when I make a cake; and I don't really eat any other dairy unless there is no choice. I limit myself to 2 eggs a week, but that is mainly in stuff- for instance, when I make a cake- or when I eat out.

Cheese must have been rationed because it was shelf-stable, and therefore could be sent to the troops?

I think I'd starve on two pounds of veggies and fruit a week... I bet I eat nearly a pound a day of veggies and fruit.

 

[kiwilrdg]

Much of the wartime rationing was really done to reduce tire wear on trucks.
Interesting how the appearant goal is not always the true purpose.

 

[F. J.]

Tire wear . . .

Much of the wartime rationing was really done to reduce tire wear on trucks.
Interesting how the appearant goal is not always the true purpose.

Aye; gasoline rationing was not necessarily meant as a means to conserve fuel, but rubber.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Fresh vegetables weren't rationed in the US -- but they weren't easy to get unless you grew your own. As of early 1943, all *processed* foods, including canned or frozen vegetables were point-rationed, which mean the amount you were entitled to have varied from month to month or sometimes week to week, depending on the available civilian supply. Most of the supply was diverted to military needs, but another factor in rationing processed foods was the shortage of metal for the manufacture of cans. Tin and steel were critical war materials, and the civilian supply was severely curtailed.

Out-of-season fresh vegetables were all but impossible to get, so there was a major upswing in home canning during the war era.

 

[kiwilrdg]

A garden is, and was the best way to have fresh vegetables.

The metal for tins (cans) being the critical material is illustrated very well by a small tag/pamplet that I picked up at an antique store explaining how to replace canned coconut with boxed dried coconut with a promise that canned coconut would be back after the war. At first it would seem that the coconut would be the restrictive item.

During the war my relatives were not stopped from butchering the excess dairy cows ang trading meat to neighbors but relatives that sold them to people who shipped them by truck were picked up for black marketeering

 

[LizzieMaine]

The tin shortage was one of the first major homefront shortages -- it hit its first crisis point during February 1942, and as a result it became illegal to package a number of products in metal cans for civilian sale, including beer, pork and beans, coffee, tobacco, drug-store goods, pet foods, and motor oil. The manufacture of cans below a certain specified size was banned entirely -- eliminating entirely the trade in canned "gourmet" foods -- and whatever supply of cans was available after military needs were met could be used only for canning perishable foods such as meat, fish, fruit, or vegetables. Most non-essential canned products switched to bottles, glass jars, or waxed cardboard containers for the duration.

Housewives were required to turn in empty cans for recycling after peeling off the labels, cutting out both ends and stomping them flat -- a habit my grandmother kept up to the end of her life, even though there was no longer any place to turn them in.

 

[vintageTink]

Victory gardens seemed to be necessary, not just for patriotism but so you wouldn't starve.

Are you able to grow a garden, Sheeplady? I'm trying one this year since we live in a warmer and drier climate than last year.

 

[sheeplady]

Victory gardens seemed to be necessary, not just for patriotism but so you wouldn't starve.

Are you able to grow a garden, Sheeplady? I'm trying one this year since we live in a warmer and drier climate than last year.

Yeah- we normally do. I wasn't able to garden last year at all (when your white blood cell count is down due to the chemo they don't want you to dig around in the dirt- or even slice fresh vegetables- because they are afraid you will "catch" something that you then can't fight off). We'll probably only do a little one this year. It is a mess out in the garden area though because we were so overwhelmed last year that my husband didn't weed or even mow the area around it. Once the snow melts I'll get brave and go back and take a look.

I can see my poor raspberry patch is a bramble that is taking over most of my garden. I can only tell because they're sticking out of the snow.

 

[newsman]

Victory gardens seemed to be necessary, not just for patriotism but so you wouldn't starve.

Are you able to grow a garden, Sheeplady? I'm trying one this year since we live in a warmer and drier climate than last year.

Gardening is a real joy. We started about 5 years ago because we wanted our little one to know something about where her food has come from. Every year has been a little better or worse as we figured out what to grow, when to grow it, and what worked best in our region.

The result is a lot of very tasty things to eat. We are convinced that not only is it a fresher and better product, but that it's much better for us.

If we had enough land we would go as far as chickens and rabbits. But being in a modern subdivision has kept us from doing that. We do get a good harvest of venison, ducks, doves, and fish throughout the seasons.

Anyway. I think everyone should try gardening. Even a few pots with herbs can make for a wonderful garden. We call it our victory garden. Victory over poor produce and high prices. We also make our own bread, some cheese and beer.

 

[lolly_loisides]

Here's a really interesting UK movie short explaining rationing & taxation of all kinds (food, clothing, furniture, tobacco & alcohol) during WW2.
A bit off topic, but the young girls hairdo (at about 6 minutes in) is very short (a modified Eton crop?) & not what you usually think of as a 40s hair do (I like it though).
[video=youtube;o9wNJ78S2GY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9wNJ78S2GY[/video]