Real people, real food, true confessions

In the interest of science, several MIT Medical employees agreed to spend five days attempting to follow the government's newly updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. In brief, this is what they learned:

Bob: "There aren't enough potato chips in that pyramid!"

This experiment made me realize that I don't eat enough vegetables, or enough variety of vegetables. So I really worked at finding ways to get more veggies into the mix. I started going to the salad bar at lunch and putting cold string beans and kidney beans in my salad. That wasn't something I'd tried before, but it was really good!

I also realized that I have to be more selective about eating things like potato chips, cookies, and ice cream-all those empty-calorie things. Personally, I need a 12-step program for potato chips; there are just not enough potato chips in that pyramid! But trying to follow the Guidelines forced me to find other things to eat instead, things that would satisfy me but wouldn't cost me a lot of discretionary calories. For example, I discovered these fat-free fudge sticks that are 50 calories each-a lot less than a bowl of ice cream. And I now eat more fruit for snacks.

Katherine: "When it came to discretionary calories, I broke the bank."

I committed my entire family to trying to follow the guidelines for five days. What was I thinking?

Our biggest challenge was staying within our daily ration of discretionary calories. I think the kids did it once or twice, and my husband managed it a few times, but I almost always broke the bank. I just wasn't allowed that many (225), so putting butter on my whole-grain English muffin and having some full-fat cheese did me in. Forget having dessert!

I liked the emphasis on eating fruits and vegetables-the kids love fruit, but vegetables can be a challenge. Doing this challenged us to try some new vegetables, some more popular than others. My mashed sweet potatoes did not go over well, but the artichokes were a huge hit, so we're slowly expanding our repertoire.

By far, the most positive lesson we took away from this exercise was portion control. Before this, I was almost always willing to let myself or the kids have a second cookie. I never paid attention to how many nuts I ate out of the bag or how much salad dressing I used. Now I make sure I always serve snacks on a plate or in a bowl, so I know how much I've eaten.

Lauren: "I ate a whole bag of gummy bears the first day."

The first day of the experiment was really hard. I hadn't gone shopping, and I didn't have much food in the house. Plus, I was supposed to go out with friends that night, so I was saving up my discretionary calories so I could have two drinks. Then, after I'd eaten nothing but humus and pita bread all day, my friends canceled. So I ended up eating a whole bag of gummy bears-I wasn't going to let those saved-up discretionary calories go to waste!

Things got easier as the week went on, and I started eating better, but it took a lot of planning ahead. By the end of the week, though, I had a better feel for what I needed. I was like, "Okay, I need some more carrots, and I need some more spinach, and I need some fruit."

I'm really happy I did this, because I never really knew what's good for me and what I need. When I went out to eat last Saturday, instead of getting the burger I usually get, I got a turkey club, which had leaner meat. I didn't eat all my French fries, even though I could have. And I ordered light beer instead of regular. I probably won't be completely healthy about the way I eat from now on. But now that I know what I need, I am going to make more of an effort.