In article >, SteveR
> wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' > writes:
> >In article >, SteveR
> > wrote:
> >
> >> I'm looking for suggestions for the breakfast and dinner meals -
> >> something healthy, but something that "regular folks" might eat if they
> >> were trying to eat healthily rather than what nutritionists would
> >> suggest.
> >
> >Why do you think there is a difference between what "regular folks"
> >might eat vs a nutritionist's suggestion?
>
> It's the difference between theory and practice. The nutritionist's (or
> dietician's) diet plans are based on what we *should* eat. If most
> people followed what the nutritionists and dieticians say, then Morgan
> Spurlock wouldn't have needed to make _Super Size Me_.

I'm sure. But know that not all "regular" folks eat at McDonald's
regularly, frequently, occasionally, or ever. "Regular" covers a lot of
ground, I think. Not all "regular" people are hellbent on eating fast
food daily or frequently.
>
> I'm looking for what an ordinary person eats, thinking of it as a
> healthy diet, rather than the ideal of a "what we should eat" diet.

Are you sure that's what you're looking for? You don't seem to want to
accept my examples. They are examples of a "regular" person attempting
a balanced meal as part of a balanced daily meal plan. That they also
receive a dietitian's blessing is just a bonus. I don't think they
ideas are mutually exclusive.
>
> >Here are some breakfast ideas that "regular folks" eat:
> >Toasted English muffin (whole grain) with peanut butter
> >An orange
> >A glass of milk
>
> Peanut butter on an English muffin? Do people really eat that in the
> US?

Yes.

> When I lived over there, I never saw or heard of anyone doing that.

You have my condolences.

> I know people do things differently over there, but the thing that
> struck me was people eating toast *with* their breakfast. In the UK, we
> eat the toast after eating the main breakfast. Say we are eating bacon
> and eggs for breakfast - my observation is that Americans will eat the
> toast along with the bacon and eggs, while Britons finish off the bacon
> and eggs, and then eat the toast. And Americans don't seem to use toast
> racks either, so their toast gets soggy if it's left too long on the
> plate.

What can I say? Isn't life interesting. How peoples in different parts
of the world have different habits and customs and both are normal.
I've never experienced soggy toast after sitting on a plate.
>
> >McDonald's fruit and yogurt parfait
> >Coffee or tea
>
> Can you buy the parfait at breakfast time?

Yes.

> Is anyone really going to go
> to McDonald's and have *just* a parfait, without buying anything else -

For sure. I'd wager that a good percentage of Americans skip breakfast
entirely; a yogurt parfait -- layered fruit and yogurt -- is their
concession to "eating something for breakfast". I find McDonald's
sausage to be pretty salty tasting.

> no Egg McMuffins, no hotcakes, nothing?

No Egg McMuffins, no hotcakes, no nothing. Yes.

And what about the sugar in the
> coffee?

What about it? Moderation in all things.
>
> >Cheerios with milk
> >Buttered raisin toast
> >Banana
>
> Frosted or unfrosted raisin toast?

Never heard of frosted raisin toast. Yech. So, plain.

> No coffee or orange juice?

Maybe, maybe not. Go ahead, add a cup or two of coffee. Lots of folks
drink tea. I don't have orange juice every morning for breakfast -- do
you?

> Whole milk or skimmed milk?

I can't speak for the entire population, but many folks drink skim or
low-fat. I know of no adults (regular or not) who drink whole milk as a
matter of course. I usually keep a small quantity on hand for cooking
or for use in my coffee.
>
> >A bagel with cream cheese
> >Fresh Fruit - maybe kiwi or strawberries?
> >Milk
>
> What size bagel? In my experience, bagels are *huge* things. And made
> sometimes with all sorts of stuff in them.

What's huge? Grocery store bagels I know about are about 4" diameter
and maybe an inch thick. And just because they are available with all
sorts of stuff in them doesn't mean I eat them. I'm not fond of gacky
sweet bagels, so I only have plain - or else the ones with the savory
seeds on top. My husband likes the cinnamon raisin ones.
>
> Most people, again, would have a glass of juice, probably orange or
> grapefruit, with this sort of breakfast.

Which most people? Most people you know? If I'm looking for variety,
something other than fruit juice will appear regularly. I like bananas;
I eat them at breakfast fairly frequently.
>
> >Which are what "regular folks" might eat and which are "a nutritionist's
> >suggestion"?
> >
> >spoiler space
>
> [snipped]
>
> >All four breakfasts are from a booklet from a dietitian -- I left out
> >the portion sizes to make them look more "regular" than they do.
> >
> >How about dinner?
> >Chicken breast
> >mashed potatoes
> >steamed asparagus spears
> >green salad with tomato and dressing
> >fruit
> >milk

> Milk with dinner?

Uh, yeah. Why not? I don't drink tea; I stop drinking coffee
mid-morning. I drink too much carbonated sugar-free soda and we have
milk with our meals. Again, why not?

> Half a cup of mash isn't much at all,

No, it isn't.

> and a 3-oz helping of chicken is *tiny*.


Depends on how much you like chicken. With other items at the meal, it
can be a very adequate portion. A boneless leg and thigh weigh about
that much - maybe a little more, depending.

> What's in the dressing that makes it fat-free?


The absence of fat makes it fat free.
I occasionally dress a mixed green salad with balsamic vinegar and a
sprinkle of sugar. I occasionally eat the mixed greens naked.

>Skimmed milk? Ick.

I don't know of any salad dressing made with skim milk; it doesn't have
much appeal in a salad dressing to me, either. "Regular" people seem to
be seeking out lower-fat foods with frequency -- there are many choices
in the supermarket aisles. They get their mouthfeel -- that sensation
of body and richness that fat seems to include -- by chemical thickeners
-- guar guam, etc.
>
> >Pork chop
> >Barley
> >coleslaw
> >Green beans
> >Milk
> >Apple Crisp
> >
> >Also a nutritionist-recommended meal. Also quite edible, not to mention
> >a lot of foods to put away.
>
> How much of each, though?

Debatable. I grew up in a family where each person was allowed one pork
chop for a meal. Seemed reasonable to me, inasmuch as we also usually
had potatoes and at least one other vegetable and it was the norm in our
home. Imagine my astonishment when a neighbor described alloting three
or four chops each for her husband and sons. She planned two or three
for herself. I was astounded.

> And what do you do with the barley?

Put it on a fork and then put it in my mouth. I love the chewiness of
it. A little salt, perhaps, too.

> Where's the apple sauce? I thought that *everybody* has apple sauce
> with pork.

Think again.
>
> >I'd enjoy any of those meals, and I'm about as "regular" (shut up,
> >Sheldon!) as they come.

> They sound a bit small to me.

They may be. I know a number of "regular" people who eat reasonable
portions. I know many who eat larger portions.

> The point is that I'm not really acquainted with American tastes
> anymore, and I'm looking for things that most people would eat, rather
> than a dietician's diet plan, and none of these sound quite right.

More's the pity; it sucks to be you.
--
-Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> Arizona vacation pics added 3-24-05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.