1. Protein (g) + Fiber (g) > Sugar (g)
This is probably the one that I abide by the most because these are 3 key components for a very active athlete. We all know the benefits of protein, but fiber helps regulate blood sugar and ultimately the metabolization of the sugar you intake. Plus sugar is an inflammatory so if you struggle with joint pain ingesting a lot of sugar will only worsen your condition.
Think about if you were to consume a product with 20g of sugar but with no fiber. What happens basically is that all that sugar is going to try to be processed all at once and if you are not burning significant calories then you will inevitably store it away as fat. A similar product with fiber will have to be broken down and the more fiber there is the more sugar that will be broken down as well. This is why apple juice is bad for you where as apples are perfectly healthy. Without any of that flesh or pulp, there is a sugar rush that your body simply can't handle.
This rule is something I came up with myself, so this is by no means an industry standard (that I know of at least), but I found that I would be putting more items back on the shelf that were questionable than I was putting into my cart, and when it comes to health and diet that is usually the side you want to side on.
2. # of minutes to make meal > # of ingredients
There is probably a slew of ways to abuse and circumvent this rule, but this rule isn't meant to be broken, but to be understood at face value. The intent of this rule is to avoid highly processed, quick to make meals (think of Kraft Mac and Cheese). Of course you could cheat and take 20 minutes to make Mac and Cheese to offset the 17 ingredients, but that isn't what you should be aiming for.
When you get right down to it, you shouldn't be thinking about the time portion but the ingredients portion. A simple meal of choice of fish, salad topped with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, and a baked sweet potato will accumulate an outstanding 5 ingredients. So really this rule isn't about saving time (because you should take the time and care into preparing a nutritious meal), but cutting back on the unnatural preservatives, dyes, and contaminates, and adding whole foods will make this rule easy to follow.
3. Nothing in life is "free"
When is the last time you saw an stalk of celery have a label on it that said "Fat Free!"? I'm sure you haven't and the point here is that if a product has to officially claim on its label to be lacking one thing, there is probably issues elsewhere. Usually this is interchangeable with sugar and fat. Sugar free? Look for fat content both saturated and unsaturated. Fat Free? Look for how much sugar it has and revert back to rule #1. And don't forget that if you see 0g of sugar, don't forget to check the ingredients list for often used artificial sweeteners (hopefully by now you know that zero-sugar means your body pays a larger toll in the long run). Really the only "free" labels you should be excited to see are "GMO Free" and "Gluten Free".
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I don't want to necessarily delve much deeper into questions like "white rice or brown rice?" (but the answer there is always quinoa), because this is just supposed to serve as a starter. So when you contemplate pasta for dinner, consider just topping off your pasta with freshly cut garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil instead of store bought sauce. Don't expect your budget to take much of a hit either because you can actually save money on healthier alternatives, although I don't think there will ever be a substitute for Top Ramen.
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