Now that I've been doing core for about a month, I discovered that I have a bunch of questions. Our WW leader is a points person, and doesn't seem to have all the answers when it comes to core.

So those of you who are pros, please help.

1. The book says you can have fish, but you can't have sushi. Now I'm not a regular sushi eater, but the other day we went to Stir Crazy where I had lightly seared tuna (basically raw), with brown rice and spinach, thinking I had a core meal. Cooked fish is in but raw fish is out? This doesn't make sense to me.

2. I have a few recipes that call for pine nuts. I looked them up in the book, but can't find them. They're not exactly nuts, but I don't think they're vegetables either. Are they core? If not, how do I figure the points?

3. Book says vinegar is in. Does this mean all kinds of vinegars, like cider vinegar and wine vinegars?

4. Book says chicken is okay as long as skin is removed. Popeyes makes "naked chicken" which is seasoned and deep-fried, but skinless and not breaded. I'm not sure what kind of oil they fry it in, so I figure I should count about a tsp oil per chicken tender. So basically, I'm enjoying deep-fried chicken tenders for about a point each. Is my reasoning sound here, or am I not supposed to eat this stuff?

5. Book says lean cuts of pork are okay. I want to make some pork chops. How do I know if they are a lean cut? Do I ask the butcher for anything in particular?

6. Book says that lentil soup is core, but doesn't mention other similar soups. For example, how about black bean? It's not mentioned anywhere and is one of my favorite soups at Panera.

7. For those of you who have altered recipes for core, is it a fair assumption that anywhere flour is used to bread things, you can substitute cornmeal?

8. Does anyone use the extra points you get for exercise? I don't really know what to do with them. My initial thought was that I could have a candy bar every day that I do my exercise, but this is the kind of thinking that got me here in the first place.

9. Book says spices are okay. What about those spices that are really seasoning mixes, like Cajun spice or Jerk seasoning? If they don't have sugar in them, I was figuring that they're core. Does this make sense?


Thanks much!

Terry

Wowee!! So many questions, so few answers (from me, anyway!) -- here are my observations.

1. Sushi is such a broad term and usually mis-used. It's the rice that's not Core, but your sashimi tuna should have been fine. In fact, that whole meal you listed sounds as Core as can be, in my opinion. Check this out:
http://sushiref.com/glossary/

5. Lean pork chops -- just look at it and if there's not a lot of fat, it's usually considered lean. If there is a lot of fat, trim it off. The boneless and butterfly cuts always look a look leaner to me than the center cuts that have all the fat marbled in.

6. I eat black bean soup everywhere that serves it, and consider it Core. Since you don't know what's in soup that's made in restaurants (like how much fat, etc.) it's really hard to say. Do you have the canned soup list? There's one on here that I can find and repost for you, but it has been altered slightly since the original posting to take some of them off.

8. If I exercise, I just count it as a bonus. Usually somewhere during the day I will have had something non-Core, so figure that wipes out at least a little portion of it.

9. I've never counted points for spice or seasoning. If ketchup and steak sauce and taco sauce and things like that are considered Core, and you know each of them has a little sugar in them, then I figure everything I use for seasoning would be Core too.

Okay I'll take a crack at these -....and will wait for the other "experts" to jump in!

1. The book says you can have fish, but you can't have sushi. Now I'm not a regular sushi eater, but the other day we went to Stir Crazy where I had lightly seared tuna (basically raw), with brown rice and spinach, thinking I had a core meal. Cooked fish is in but raw fish is out? This doesn't make sense to me.
I think sushi refers to some of the raw fish which also incorporates white rice and other ingredients which may not be core. Tuna would be core along w/the brown rice and spinach - this would be a good choice. I don't think the rationale is specifically raw vs cooked - but ingredients.

2. I have a few recipes that call for pine nuts. I looked them up in the book, but can't find them. They're not exactly nuts, but I don't think they're vegetables either. Are they core? If not, how do I figure the points?
Internet research: "Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pine trees. They are small elongated ivory-colored seeds from pine cones, measuring about 1/2 inch long. When raw, the seeds have a soft texture and a sweet, buttery flavor. They are often lightly toasted to bring out the flavor and to add a little crunch. "...this leads me to believe pine nuts are not a nut, but a seed.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size for 1 oz of pine nuts:
Amount Per Serving
Calories 190Calories from Fat 174
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19.3g 30%
Saturated Fat 1.4g 7%
Polyunsaturated Fat 9.7g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.3g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrates 3.7g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1.0g 4%
Sugars 1.0g
Protein 3.9g

3. Book says vinegar is in. Does this mean all kinds of vinegars, like cider vinegar and wine vinegars? I believe all vinegars would be included. If otherwise I believe exceptions would be listed.

4. Book says chicken is okay as long as skin is removed. Popeyes makes "naked chicken" which is seasoned and deep-fried, but skinless and not breaded. I'm not sure what kind of oil they fry it in, so I figure I should count about a tsp oil per chicken tender. So basically, I'm enjoying deep-fried chicken tenders for about a point each. Is my reasoning sound here, or am I not supposed to eat this stuff? Personally I would keep this as an occasional treat. You might want to ask the type of oil used? However I think part of the philosophy of Core/WW is to try and limit bad fats and too many fats in the diet. Otherwise I agree that you should count these.You should also be aware that some fast-food chicken is processed/marinated with sugar and is probably high in sodium so may need to up the water as required.

5. Book says lean cuts of pork are okay. I want to make some pork chops. How do I know if they are a lean cut? Do I ask the butcher for anything in particular? Sorry don't eat pork so not much help here

6. Book says that lentil soup is core, but doesn't mention other similar soups. For example, how about black bean? It's not mentioned anywhere and is one of my favorite soups at Panera. Not sure what "Panera" is - if this is a restaurant I presume you could find out soup ingredients in which case it would be easy to determine whether or not it was core-friendly. I would add that black bean soup made w/all core ingredients would obviously be core as well.

7. For those of you who have altered recipes for core, is it a fair assumption that anywhere flour is used to bread things, you can substitute cornmeal? I would think that cornmeal would be a good substitute. I know that in certain meatloaf/ground beef recipes many have used either oatmeal or couscous as fillers instead of breadcrumbs with great success!

8. Does anyone use the extra points you get for exercise? I don't really know what to do with them. My initial thought was that I could have a candy bar every day that I do my exercise, but this is the kind of thinking that got me here in the first place. You should use your AP if you feel you need them. Not sure how much exercise you do - but remember a regular size chocolate bar would be at least 5-6 points! You would obvioulsy be better off using the points for other more nutritous foods - but if you need the chocolate bars, maybe not every day?? Or maybe you could try and find a chocolate substitute?

9. Book says spices are okay. What about those spices that are really seasoning mixes, like Cajun spice or Jerk seasoning? If they don't have sugar in them, I was figuring that they're core. Does this make sense? I would agree that combinations spices, as long as they don't include sugar or anything non-core, should be considered core-friendly!

There you have it - my attempt at being a core expert! Hope I have not steered you astray!

Frouf

Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom.

Kathy, I appreciate the sushi education. I'm glad I can still have the tuna, 'cuz it was totally delish and I'm likely to have it again.

I think the black bean soup at Panera is low fat. (Frouf, Panera is one of those high-end sandwich and bakery restauants.) It is really tasty and falls into the category of core stuff I can eat when the coworkers want to go out to lunch. Of course, they give you a big hunk of crusty bread with it which I would have to count (unless I had the willpower to ask them not to give me the bread).

Frouf, if my calculations are right, the pine nuts are 5 points an ounce. I've been skipping them in recipes -- looks like I'll continue to skip them. Thanks for the research.

Once again, I am so glad I found this board!

- Terry

Terry,
I know the pts. for 8 oz., black bean soup at Panera is 3pts., don't know if it's CORE though.

Lisa

Terry, good news for you! I haven't had a chance to research your other questions yet but I do have an answer for you on the Panera Black Bean soup. I have a great website that lists nutritional information for many food items at many chain restaurants. The following is the link to the Panera Black Bean soup. http://www.dietfacts.com/html/items/22611.htm. It looks Core and lowfat. An 8 ounce serving is 2 points (I don't know why they all say "unofficial points") but if I were you, I would call it Core and enjoy! I'll be back later to take a crack at your other questions.

1. I should pass on this question since I have never in my life eaten sushi, nor am I likely to ever be brave enough to try it! Kathy, I believe, is our resident expert here. I did look in the Complete Food Companion, and under Japanese food, it lists several Core items. Edamame (which I love), Sashimi (all types including salmon and mackerel), and miso soup. I'm guessing the rice is the problem with the other kinds. The CFC lists a whole bunch of different types of sushi and their point values. Sushi rice is 2 points for 1/2 cup.

2. I found the pine nuts under the brand name section in the back of the book. They aren't checked Core. They also listed another name for them which I had never heard of....pignolias....and listed point values in the front of the book under their unheard of name. 1 teaspoon is 0 points, 1 tablespoon is 1 point, 1 ounce is 4 points, and 1 cup is 20 points. My guess is that they are very high in fat. I've never tried them. Are they good?

3. The CFC on page 347, lists under brand names, all kinds of vinegars and checks them as Core. Examples are balsamic, red wine, apple cider, brown rice, white wine, gourmet malt, tarragon, garlic, etc.

4. I would avoid Popeye's naked chicken like the plague. Can't really say why beyond the fact that I am certain they are not using remotely healthy oil. Based on the fact that the Dining Out Companion doesn't have Popeye's and neither does my Restaurant nutrition guide, I'm thinking their stuff is sky high in points. If you love it, I'd keep it for a special treat or an emergency. JMHO!

5. I'm with Kathy on this. Look at it and see if it looks lean. Trim any visible fat. The CFC lists several varieties as Core. They are center loin, loin (like pork loin roast), sirloin, and pork tenderloin. Center cut chops are listed in the back of the book under brand names.

6. Terry, my book shows black bean checked as being Core.

7. I think you can use cornmeal as a coating to bread things. The problem comes in when you try to come up with enough oil to fry! I have a great cornmeal chicken recipe which only requires you to count points for some parmesan cheese. I use regular because I can't find FF. They are cooked on the George Foreman grill and taste even better cold than hot!

8. Sometimes I use my exercise points and sometimes I don't. Not a very good answer but it's the truth. I never "plan" to use them since I lose so slowly any way. I allow myself to use all 35 of my WPA but try not to use any AP's. Sometimes I'm so hungry the week before my TOM that I dip into them. The things that I crave then are expensive, like chocolate.

9. I agree with you and Froufie. As long as there is not sugar, spices and spice mixes are allowed.

Thanks so much to everyone. I knew you folks would have the answers.

Vickie, what's the Complete Food Companion and where do I get one? Also, would you post your cornmeal chicken recipe (or tell me where to find it if you already posted it)? Pignolias are good in recipes. Not something I would eat by themselves. Kind of a crunchy buttery taste. Also very pricey.

Thanks again --

Terry, if you don't already have a complete food companion and a dining out guide, I bought a "kit" of sorts on ebay for about 30 bucks. It came with the two books, the daily tracker, and a holder-thingy. That's the technical name for it.

Terry, fogive me. I can't remember whether you are doing WW on your own or going to meetings. If you can find a WW Center near you, you can just go in and purchase a book. If they ask if you are a member, tell them you are buying it for a gift. If you don't have this book, you really should get it. I couldn't do Core without it. It costs about $5 and lists all kinds of foods and even brand names and tells you point values and whether or not they are Core. You can probably get one on Ebay, but why pay shipping! I'll go look to see if I posted the Cornmeal Chicken. If I didn't, I'll post it up at the very top where we post all new recipes under Main Meals.