The 5-4-3-2-1 method prescribes buying five vegetables, four fruits, three proteins, two starches, and one snack or dessert each shopping trip. The method provides a simple template that covers meal components without overcomplicating choices, centering most purchases in produce and protein sections. The approach reduces decision fatigue, speeds up shopping, and makes meal assembly easier, which can prevent produce from spoiling unused. The method is flexible rather than rigid, supports fresh whole foods, and aims to translate grocery spending into nourishing, ready-to-make meals instead of a cart full of random items that go uneaten.
Even if you go in with a shopping list, it's easy to get distracted by sales or seasonal snacks, and before you know it, your cart is full of random things. To make matters worse, once you bring everything home, it often still feels like you have nothing to eat. It's why people are quickly falling in love with the "5-4-3-2-1 method" that's going viral on TikTok.
"There are so many choices in stores, and it's easy to fill your cart with things that don't actually make a meal," she tells Bustle. It's also common to buy a ton of produce with good intentions, only for it to rot in the back of your fridge. "That's the frustrating part because you spend the money, but it doesn't translate into easy, nourishing meals," she says.
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