The Ration Book Diet

[LizzieMaine]

Recently I've been reevaluating the way I eat -- I've had the habit, because of my work schedule, of eating on the run, usually cheap greasy takeout food, supplemented by popcorn and fountain Coke at the theatre. Not especially healthy, in other words. But I can't go to the other extreme either -- I just don't *like* most vegetables, and if I have to give up cheese and butter entirely I shall surely die.

So I've been trying an experiment, a sort of living-history approach to dieting. Lately I've been confining my weekly meal budget to the amount the ordinary American civilian was entitled to under food rationing. Here's the limits, which I've averaged out over the entire wartime period, since the specifics changed from week to week

Meat, all kinds -- 1 1/2 lbs/week

Sugar -- 8 oz/week

Butter -- 4 oz/week

Cheese -- 4 oz/week

Cooking fat -- 2 oz/week

Vegetables/fruits -- 2 lbs/week

Breads, cereals, milk - no limit.

I've been doing this for two weeks now, and can report that I've lost five pounds so far. I'm taking my meat in very lean thin cuts, and vegetables that I like,like tomatoes, carrots and peas, I'm getting in bulk. Some of the rationed items are no problem -- I don't take sugar in my tea, and rarely bake, so a half pound lasts me a long time. The cheese ration, on the other hand, is really rough -- I used to eat twice that much in a day.

I've also been avoiding items that weren't available during the period of rationing -- convenience foods, frozen dinners, etc. I limit my cereals to products that were actually on the shelf during the war era, so nothing sugary or elaborate, but a lot of Shredded Wheat and such.

I'm not sure how long I'll keep up with this experiment -- I'm figuring the rest of August, at least. But who knows, maybe I'll develop a taste for it!

Anyone ever tried an experiment like this? What were your results?

 

[Miss Neecerie]

My question.....is do you have an estimate of what a week's food is costing you? or even a month if you dont have it broken down.

 

[Feraud]

First, congrats on losing the five pounds.

Now for details. How are you keeping track of the food you eat? I assume you keep a journal and weigh the food. Do you eat out very often?
Have you noticed an increase/decrese in your energy?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, let's see -- costwise I try to limit my basic food budget to $40 a week -- a year ago it was $25, but costs have gone up -- and so far I've been coming in under that. What I've been doing is buying in half-pound units -- half a pound of meat, half a pound of carrots, half a pound of fruit, etc -- or smaller units if applicable. Butter comes in 4 oz. sticks, so I just limit myself to one of those a week. I get my cheese at the deli counter, a quarter-pound at a time, and when it's gone it's gone. I get it in thin slices so it seems to go further. Same with the meat -- I've been eating a lot of lean corned beef, also sliced thin, which goes a long way, along with the occasional chicken breast. And I do continue to nibble on popcorn, of which I have access to an infinite supply.

I usually eat out once a week -- every Saturday morning I go down to the lunchroom on Main Street and have one scrambled egg and some sausage. Restaurant food didn't count against the ration, so I can get away with that sort of indulgence. There is a hamburger stand across the street from the theatre, though, which tempts me sorely. So far I have resisted, because greasy hamburgers are part of what got me into this mess in the first place.

I've also been scouring my stacks of wartime magazines for ration-friendly recipies, some of which I'll post later. What's interesting is how well people managed to eat with so little to work with.

 

[Josephine]

Lizzie, do you have the amounts for families at your fingertips? I'd be interested in knowing how much a family of 4, or 5, or 6 got.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Every individual got the same amount, so simply multiply x 4 or 5 or whatever for the total. Families with little kids could actually eat a bit better -- the ration didnt take age into account, so it was not uncommon, for example, for the parents to skim off some of the kiddies' meat ration for themselves.

The rationing was handled differently in different countries -- in the UK, for example, meat was rationed by points and price: at various times, nobody could have more than 2/- or 3/- worth a week for meat (between 50 and 60 cents a week in 1942 US dollars). That's a bit too thin on the plate even for me!

 

[Josephine]

Every individual got the same amount, so simply multiply x 4 or 5 or whatever for the total.

Thanks!

 

[Mac Daddy]

Lizzie, it might be worth putting something down on paper, perhaps attach it to this thread, I for one am rather interested in how this will go. All the reports I have read suggested people where actually healthier during the war than before it.

Keep us in the loop, I know the modern life has taken its toll on me to...

 

[BonnieJean]

Very Interesting...

Lizzie,
What an interesting thread/diet. Several years ago, my local library had a book that was full of WW II ration recipes. It was published back in the early 40s. I did copy a few of the recipes--mostly cake recipes, where you don't use any eggs, butter, and a minimal of sugar and I think I also have several 1-egg cake recipes from that collection. I've made several of them and they're quite tasty--just not as sweet as more modern recipes. But when I went back to find the book again later it was gone. The library periodically cleans out its inventory and has an annual sale each year and I fear that book was sold as I can imagine there wasn't much patron use with it. I know there had to be several recipe books published back then. I would love to be able to find one again as I recall the recipes sounded wholesome. Hubby and I are wanting to shed a few pounds ourselves and since we're into the vintage lifestyle, what better way than to eat "vintage".

 

[LizzieMaine]

A few recipes from my grandmother's war-era cookbooks. I've scaled the recipes down for one, but you can expand them to family size by multiplying the proportions by the number of people to serve.

"Tasty Supper"

4 oz finely chopped ham
1/2 cup tomatoes
3/4 tsp butter
1 egg
Salt to taste

Melt butter, add tomatoes, chopped ham, and beaten egg. Serve on toast.

"Porcupines"

1/2 lb hamburg steak
1/4 cup uncooked rice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix rice and meat, add seasonings, form into balls. Blend 1 can condensed tomato soup and 1/2 cup water. Heat. When soup is hot, add meat balls. Simmer 1 hour or until rice is soft.

"Bungalow Pie"

Crush 2 large crackers and roll fine, mix with 1/2 can flaked tuna fish. Add 1 tsp tapioca, 1/2 cup milk, salt and pepper to taste. Put in small pie greased pie tin (size of a small Table-Talk). Add 1/2 cup creamy mashed potatoes, 1/2 tsp butter, 1/2 tsp flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, salt and pepper. Bake 15 minutes.

Baked Spam (don't laugh, it's delicious! We actually had this for Thanksgiving one year.)

Score whole Spam, stud with cloves. Bake uncovered in hot oven, basting frequently with sauce made from 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp prepared mustard in 1 tsp water, 1/2 tsp vinegar. Serve with fresh vegetable of your choice. Serves 4 -- if cooking for one, save leftovers for sandwiches.

An important thing to note with all war-era recipes -- the portions are *much* smaller than modern gourmands may be accustomed to. But hey, doncha know there's a war on??

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I have some rationing recipes and booklets I can go through and add recipes here too.


why oh why did the Bungalow pie have to be tuna.....[huh]

 

[Fletch]

The tapioca called for of course is the plain pearl kind - not pudding. (Tuna in pudding is something not even my cat would like.)

I'd try the ration book diet, but I'd be stuffing myself with bread, and for a diabetic that is very bad joss.

 

[Foofoogal]

"Porcupines"

1/2 lb hamburg steak
1/4 cup uncooked rice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix rice and meat, add seasonings, form into balls. Blend 1 can condensed tomato soup and 1/2 cup water. Heat. When soup is hot, add meat balls. Simmer 1 hour or until rice is soft.
-------------------------
I used to make these when I first got married. Forgot all about them. Thanks.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

(Tuna in pudding is something not even my cat would like.)

Where's that spit-take smiley? lol lol



What a great thread. I'm getting some good ideas. I lost 15 pounds and a couple of inches by eating 2 servings of cereal and a half a baloney or cheese sangwich daily, and going out to a nice dinner with some of the moolah I'd saved every other week or so. It's easy, cheap, and quick and I've still got a few pounds to go.

 

[SpitfireXIV]

wow, i never thought of trying that.... but, i imagine it would work. and, it's retro!

i am embracing the 'closest to resembling the actual food product' way of eating. it's limited my shopping to the perimeter of the grocery store for the most part (produce, meat, dairy) but i do feel better. in fact, at my last annual physical, my doctor was quite pleased with my blood work; his 20-something receptionist commented i "had better blood sugars" than she did!

i do admit, i occasionally fall prey to my nemesis: the Snickers bar. and i feel horrible afterward, physically!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Coca-Cola is my own weakness -- and having access to a free supply at work has really not helped my situation. My doctor tells me I shouldn't have it at all -- but, you know, if I have to live to be 80 without having a Coke when I want one, what's the point? So with this diet, I'm limiting myself to a six-ounce glass, on ice -- the standard serving for the first half of the 20th century --once a day. This has, by far, been the most difficult resolve to keep.

 

[Josephine]

... 2 servings of cereal ...

Hmmm. I like this. I'd go for Total, and a lot of fruit cut up on it. Although, I may have to check out Total's sugar levels...

 

[ShooShooBaby]

What a great thread. I'm getting some good ideas. I lost 15 pounds and a couple of inches by eating 2 servings of cereal and a half a baloney or cheese sangwich daily, and going out to a nice dinner with some of the moolah I'd saved every other week or so. It's easy, cheap, and quick and I've still got a few pounds to go.

wow, i must eat, literally 3-4 times that every day! i don't think i could function on much less than what i eat...

 

[Mojito]

Very interesting concept! I don't know much about the rationing process (the "rationing rationale"), but did calculating daily caloric requirements come into it, and were they then averaging them out for the general population as part of how the allocations were arrived at? There was a good deal of interest in experiments along these lines from the early part of the century. The Scott Antarctic expedition conducted all sorts of experiments along the lines of fat/carb/protein ratios etc (sadly their daily ration vs their daily caloric requirements on the final trip to the Pole was sadly mismatched).

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

Oh dearie me. Butter and cheese make everything taste better! I'm not sure I could survive on such a diet. (If you want to find yourself in deep, deep trouble...slice a bunch of mushrooms and saute them in twice as much butter. This is culinary heaven.)

If I were going by this diet (during WWII), I would probably plant a Victory Garden and supply myself with many more fruits & veggies. Those calories are generally negligible, and fresh produce is always good for you.

(See, now I understand all the tiny sizes from that era. Imagine if you wanted to make pie or pastries or some such - you'd have to devote a decent amount of your weekly butter ration to one dish! Ah, well, guess that's why they had shortening.)