Eat Green for your body, your brain, and the planet, without getting confused by trends and other people's diet rules.

Make choices based on reliable science for:

  • energy and longevity
  • reducing inflammation
  • mental fitness 

Do your best to support animal welfare, land use, and clean water.

IT’S NORMAL TO FEEL CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT TO EAT THESE DAYS.

If you followed the nutrition advice from web sites, talk shows, and friends, you’d be on a different plan every month, each with their “magic” combination of carbs, proteins, and fats. 

In some approaches, even suspect vegetables are villians, and you’ve got to learn a long list of “what’s allowed” and “what’s not.” 

Even medical doctors contradict each other’s advice in their best-selling books.

THE TRUTH IS . . . THERE IS NO ONE MAGIC DIET PRESCRIPTION THAT IS PERFECT FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON.

What’s needed is a focus on whole foods, with guidance to personalize it to meet your unique needs.

You might be wondering:

  • What is the big deal about gluten and grains?
  • Which oils should I be using for cooking?
  • What is the anti-inflammatory diet?
  • Should I spend the extra money for organic eggs, or is free-range good enough?
  • I know eating fish is good, but what about the mercury?
  • When is it OK to use “moderation in all things,” and when should I “just say no”?
  • Can I eat well and still go to restaurants and friends’ homes?
  • What are the best choices for animal welfare and the environment?

I’m Joan Craig, and I’m inviting you to join me in Five Star Eating.

I wondered about all those things too, and that’s why I spent years researching nutrition, food policy and sustainability.

I wasn’t comfortable following nutrition rules I didn’t understand.

When I learned the science for myself, I came up with simple, practical standards that worked for me and my students in real life. 

FIVE STAR EATING

Choose foods using simple quality standards.

Learn the science so you know what’s real, and what’s a fad.

Eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re not.

Feel peace of mind knowing you’re making the right choices for your health and for the planet. 

FIVE STAR EATING IS A SIMPLE WAY TO PULL IT ALL TOGETHER:

Knowledge +

Mindfulness +

Core Values

= Personalized Five Star Eating

= Results You Want

Five Star Eating has revitalized my interest in healthy meals not only by introducing me to new foods and new techniques for preparation but also by providing convincing scientific background for making these changes. I’ve lost 14 pounds, started a walking habit, and lowered one of my prescription medicines.
Maggie Downen
I’m paying more attention to what I eating and how it affects my body. If you're thinking about Five Star Eating...Do it! Joan is organized, informed and compassionate.
Carolyn Echols
I have more knowledge about healthy and unhealthy fats and other foods in general. I’ve used that knowledge in food choices. I also gained muscle and lost a few pounds. Five Star Eating is a great way to learn about healthy eating and ways to use the best foods every day.
Cindy Pipes

Here’s what’s inside Five Star Eating: Every choice is informed by three core values -

Quality (that's what to eat)

Attention (that's how to eat)

Nature (choose foods close to their natural state, and personalize the program to suit your nature)

  • Assessments: We measure your current nutrition levels and daily habits – without counting calories – so that we can implement Five Star Eating steps in a safe and practical way.
  • Core Values: Understand the three key core values and how to apply them in your life.
  • Scientific Research v. Personal Experience: Learn when and how to rely on studies and when to go with your gut.
  • Alcohol, Temptations and Trigger Foods: Define your boundaries
  • Fat loss goals: What you really need to watch
  • Gut health – Learn how to use fermented/probiotic foods for ideal health
  • A fast and effective mindfulness tool to ensure you give your body what it needs.
  • Food Prep for Busy People: the bare minimum of shopping and prepping you can do to have a Five Star week
  • How to think like a nutritarian
  • Apply the core value of quality and choose foods with a high nutrition to calorie ratio (most bang for your buck)
  • Complete one simple action step to eat better than 77% of Americans, and reduce your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, diabetes and obesity.
  • Pay attention and make the best choice you can, where you are, with what you’ve got, at the present moment.
  • Customizing for the seasons, your body type, and your goals
  • Apply the core value of pay attention by adhering to the ONLY RULE of Five Star Eating.
  • How to get through the “junkie” phase of getting off crap foods
  • Travel Guide (not just food) – How to stay happy and healthy when you travel
  • How and when to ask hard questions at restaurants, nicely
  • What you need to know about sodium, low-fat foods, and enriched flours
  • Steer clear of today’s hyped diets and just eat real food.
  • Eliminate the need for shakes, powders, pills, or other expensive “food merchandise.”
  • Sugar addiction and what to do about it
  • Real sugar, fake sugar, honey, Stevia, juice and fruit (yes, you can eat bananas.)
  • What you really need to know about the glycemic index chart and why you don’t need to look at the chart
  • Why grains have gotten a bad rap and how to know if they are good for you, personally
  • What modern mono-crop agriculture did for grains and how you can get around it
  • Pay attention to this one thing to change the way you think and behave – quickly.
  • Why Inflammation is worthy of all the buzz, and how it’s linked to the big, bad diseases
  • Easy, tasty choices to reduce inflammation, and you’re already 80% there.
  • A deep lesson in fats and oils that’s not too painful. YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW THIS PART!
  • All about Omega 3s and Omega 6s
  • Which oils to cook with at home
  • Environment tweaks -at home, work and on-the-go – for success
  • What to do when your food values and standards are different from your family’s and friends’
  • Prioritize your spending – when to pay the big bucks and when to buy economy
  • What really matters at the grocery store
  • How to choose fish and seafood to avoid mercury contamination and scary “farmed fish” ingredients
  • Perspectives on GMOs/Genetically Modified Organisms
  • Making time for food (when did we stop cooking?)
  • What animals are supposed to eat when you’re going to eat them
  • Access the Five Star Recipe archive online anytime! Each recipe is Five Star approved so you don’t have to make substitutions when you use these.
  • Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and low-sugar treats
  • When you join Five Star Eating, you have access to all future upgrades to the materials, future coaching groups, and can participate in a “reboot” of healthy eating skills anytime.
  • Water Action Guide: Learn how to find out what’s in your tap water and what to do about it.
  • All About Probiotics: In-depth interview with Registered Dietitian to learn how to keep your gut healthy.
  • Soaking and Sprouting 101 for Grains, Beans, Nuts and Seeds
  • Choosing Best Oils and Fats on-the-go

I want you to FEEL AWESOME.

Here’s the deal. I believe in Five Star Eating. This is not just a program I sell. I live it every day. I know it works. And I want you to feel good, look good and have energy to be the Absolute Best Version of You!  I promise to do my best to help you succeed.

Your body is a temple.

Five Star Eating is not only about choosing healthy foods, it’s a transformation into a conscious mindful lifestyle. If you believe your body is a temple, or you want to believe it, then I can’t wait to help you take care of that sacred space.

My favorite part was learning about all the crap in food!! And being more conscious of feeding my body with the good stuff.
Patti Brady
I’ve lost 13 pounds and have kept it off. I learned a lot. I didn't realize all the different names for sugar. I didn't know a lot about oils either.
Lynel Hill
I focus on eating more vegetables, more organic foods, and reducing my portions. You influenced me to make smart choices on a daily basis . I ask myself more questions about my well-being and health than before
Debbie

Frequently Asked Questions about Five Star Eating course

Got more questions – see if they are answered here!

Feeling concerned that this may not work for you?

Here’s my satisfaction guarantee: send me your Week 0 and Week 1 completed worksheets within 14 days of purchasing the course, tell me you did your best, and I’ll give you your money back. Refunds are processed through Stripe and typically take 10 days.

*Please note that if you register as part of a promotion, the refund policy may be altered. Ask me if you’re not sure…

You’ll receive all the info you need via email in your Five Star Eating lessons. The Facebook group offers additional support. If you post a question there, I’ll see it and do my best to respond. During LIVE versions of Five Star Eating – when the whole community puts forth energy to go through the steps again – I’m in the Facebook group daily and also offer additional coaching to motivate, answer questions, and help you personalize Five Star Eating for your body and your goals. You can certainly benefit from just the lessons, but being part of a bigger community is motivating and encouraging. So I hope you can do both!

The reading or listening will be quick – 10-15 minutes max – this course if for you to do in Real Life! I will provide some supplementary materials which you can go through as you have time, but you’ll get the big picture in 10-15 minutes.

For food prep, I recommend you set aside at least 1-2 hours on a day or half-day off from work. How much time you spend to shop, prep, and cook really depends on your lifestyle. You can do this if you eat out a lot. It’s no secret that homemade food is healthier than restaurant food, so I will challenge you to make at least some basics at home.

As mentioned above, you can make good choices wherever you are. The TRUTH  is that restaurants are in business to make money, which means they want to have low food costs. There are some that also commit to providing nourishing food. Choose those when you can. Traveling for work is a very real challenge. I’m not going to say that it’s easy, but choosing quality foods is simple. I have had several students who travel a lot, and they have achieved their goals. They just had to be very clear and focused on their priorities. They also had to get in the habit of asking questions. The course will help you do the best you can at home and on the road. The Travel Well chapter will help you.

You may already be following some specific diet parameters. If you are happy with your diet and results, carry on!

Before I developed Five Star Eating, I tried being a vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and I followed the Paleo guidelines for a while.  I know I can live within Five Star Eating standards for the rest of my life, even while traveling, without super-rigid rules. It’s what has worked for me and my clients.

Each week we have recipes that will work for almost anyone, and we offer ways to adapt them too. Almost all of our recipes are vegetarian with options to add/substitute organic animal proteins as you desire. It’s easy to add animal products to a vegetarian dish that already tastes good on its own.

It’s also very easy to use Five Star Eating standards while avoiding gluten.

My concern with many restrictive diets is that people get attached to “The Rules” instead of following core values and principles. Five Star Eating teaches you how to choose quality foods in any situation.

Five Star Eating focuses on eating real food and changing your food behavior. It is NOT a substitute for medical advice. You should always seek the counsel of your medical doctor or registered dietician for specific diets for medical conditions. I am NOT a medical professional, and Five Star Eatingis not a medical program.

You will receive access to all Five Star materials. There is nothing in place to keep you from sharing them except my US copyright and Your Ethics. I’ve worked hard to make this program amazing for you. I’m trying to get my little business off the ground so that I can learn more and help more people in a deeper way.  So I ask you to use your best judgment. Of course I want you to share these concepts and practices with your family, but please don’t give it away to all your coworkers. Tell them how great it is, and let them make an investment in their own health. They might not implement the strategies until they take action for themselves and have some skin (money) in the game. Help me succeed in business and refer your friends!

Yes, but… Yes, because I’m busy too. Did I mention that over the several years while I developed Five Star Eating, I had a (more than) full time job AND was getting my own business started? I cook because it’s important to me to eat foods that fit my quality standards, because they make me feel good, and then I can do what matters to me. You don’t HAVE to cook to benefit from Five Star Eating, but doing a few basics goes a long way. You can make really simple food.  And we kept the food prep SIMPLE and EASY for the non-chefs. 

This course is not for everybody.  Five Star Eating is not for you if:

  • You are determined to lose weight quickly at any price (sacrificing common sense and health).
  • You are not ready to let go of excuses and blaming others. (You would be able to eat healthier if it weren’t for your job/spouse/kids/schedule.) Tough love, but sometimes you’ve got to just take responsibility for your behavior!
  • You need one-on-one help. I’m happy to give it! Contact me!
  • Please make sure you sign up for the Choose Joyful Health newsletter on the main website to receive free tips and tools for now.

Technical FAQ You need to be able to pay for the course online – securely through Stripe. (I will accept a check if you choose to send it, and cash if you bring it to me!) Then you need to be able to open your email and open Adobe PDF documents. You can download Adobe PDF reader here for free. And be able to click on links to YouTube. Not too hard!

*Time Magazine, The Weight Loss TrapAlexandra Sifferlin, May 25, 2017

**Nutrition Research Reviews, A structured literature review on the role of mindfulness, mindful eating and intuitive eating in changing eating behaviours: effectiveness and associated potential mechanisms. Warren JM1Smith N2Ashwell M3., July 18, 2017 

International Journal of Medical InformaticsSocial support in an Internet weight loss community, January 2010, Pages 5-13

The Key to Weight Loss is Diet Quality, not Quantity, a New Study Finds, New York Times, Feb 21, 2018

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