Do you ever eat something 'just for fun'?

Bella_Figura

I don't eat 'empty' calories...all my choices are based on the nutritional benefits (predominantly the fibre and/or protein content) which means I often eat food that seems unpalatable compared with a less nutritional alternative.

As an example, today I passed up lovely looking fresh loaves of bread in favour of buying a pre-packed loaf of organic multi-seed sourdough just because it had 11.7g of fibre per 100g (and only 163 calories). The fact that it looks as appetizing as a brick is irrelevant.

Do you eat 'indulgent' foods, or do you choose on nutritional grounds as I do? Am I being too extreme?

Mrsshellers

Personally I find that if what I am eating doesnt make me happy then there is no point.

Yes we should be eating everything that is 100% nutritionally balances but if it looks like a brick then I'd rather not bother at all.

siany01

There has to be a balance. I am sure there has to be nicer multi-seed sourdough bread out there. Maybe try a bakers or making it yourself.

I am a sucker for bread. I love a fresh loaf so as am every day thing, no I don't buy them but every now and then it does the soul good to give it what it desires.

Bella_Figura

Hopefully the brick will taste better than it looks, but it will certainly be easier to resist than the mouthwatering crusty loaf of fresh sourdough that I almost bought. It's easier to exercise portion control when the food is less appealing.

But I'm the first to admit that my OCD tendencies aren't particularly healthy.

kendrafallon

I would rather have everything in moderation, than strictly limit what I'm eating. Food should be something that is enjoyed and not just about the nutritional content or value that it brings to our everyday diet.

And yes every so often I'll have that cream cake/chocolate muffin just because I want to and because I'll enjoy eating it.

ruwise

I absolutely eat indulgent foods. I'm making a change for life and I want to live a longer healthier life but for me part of that is enjoying myself. If I'm miserable it will just feel like I'm alive longer. Everything in moderation is the key.

honsi

Yes.I love food and I tend to eat a healthy diet as much as possible but I also believe in moderation and if i really fancy something a bit unhealthy or indulgent then I will have it as long as its not all the time and doesn't go over my calories for the day ( well not too much). Especially when I'm out with friends and family, food is a big part of my social life too.
I think its important not to separate foods out into 'good' and 'bad' or as a 'treat'.

TavistockToad

chocolate has very little nutritional value, but it tastes good, so i'm not going to stop eating it.

diet coke has no nutritional value, but it tastes good, so i'm not going to stop drinking it - though i have cut down.

nutella has little nutritional value, but it tastes soooooooooooooo good, so i'm not going to stop eating it.

each to their own.

honsi

I agree .Life is hard enough.

Camera_BagintheUK

I just eat what I've always eaten. I have made a few changes, like I'll poach eggs instead of frying them, and I've cut down on bread a lot, but I still eat it. And I make salads for lunch instead of sandwiches.

I've never liked any bread except crusty white bread, so it would be pointless buying any other kind. It would just rot. But I choose things like Ryevita more instead.

I need to make some changes like I know I eat too much fat and sugar still and don't get enough iron.

Oh and yes, if I can afford the calories, I'll have chocolate, or a couple of glasses of wine - just for fun

ChristyJade

During the week I tend to go for less appetising lower calorie/beter for you items, and try to resist eating for fun (as best I can) but I do cook food I enjoy to eat! Just not what I would prefer to eat which would mainly be cheese coated lasagne or bacon-ie goodness. But at the weekend you gotta let your hair down a bit! I wont go mad, but if I fancy some chocolate I'll have it. Mmmmm..

angiewf

I go by the 80/20 rule - if 80% of what you eat is healthy, you can ease up a bit on the other 20% and allow a couple of treats.

Bella_Figura

Thanks for all your responses everyone - really helpful and interesting!

I do mainly eat food that I enjoy and get pleasure from, but if I have a choice between a healthier option and a less healthy option I'll almost always choose the healthier option. However, having read your responses I have eased off a little these past couple of weeks, and have started to be a little less rigid in my choices, and I must say it has made life more enjoyable and hasn't harmed my rate of weight loss.

jollyjoe321

I'm going to start eating more seafood sticks, at 15 calories a pop, how could you say no!

HaggisWhisperer

I'm trying to follow the Slow Carb Diet - which seems to be doing the trick and I've lost quite a bit of weight! The diet advocates a "cheat day" once a week when you can eat what you like and you are supposed to stay strict the rest of the week which I mostly manage. I do sometimes fall off the wagon and have been know to give into some Green and Blacks 85% dark chocolate. I also picked up some Fudge Kitchen fudge at the Royal Highland Show and that was sooooo tasty and pretty hard to resist as well although "fortunately" my husband and kids also liked it and removed the temptation from me the only way they knew how :sad:

LilMissDB

I'm a total foodie (as are all dietitians :P). If you take away any eating for pleasure then my life would not be worth living. Perhaps a little over dramatic haha but I think food is there to be enjoyed. I definitely have a 'everything in moderation' mantra. Part of the trick of a true lifestyle change though is actually changing the food you enjoy, I think. If you always feel that you would enjoy unhealthy food more, then you will always feel deprived. Once your tastes and attitude start to change and you enjoy healthy food then it will be easier to maintain long term

jannemarie74

I'm a total foodie (as are all dietitians :P). If you take away any eating for pleasure then my life would not be worth living. Perhaps a little over dramatic haha but I think food is there to be enjoyed. I definitely have a 'everything in moderation' mantra. Part of the trick of a true lifestyle change though is actually changing the food you enjoy, I think. If you always feel that you would enjoy unhealthy food more, then you will always feel deprived. Once your tastes and attitude start to change and you enjoy healthy food then it will be easier to maintain long term

"like", my "treats" every day are, greek yogurt with fresh fruit and banana with handful of cashews, homemade soups, homemade muesli or porridge with flaked almonds and spicy homemade dinners. everything i eat is a treat including homemade wholewheat bread with nut butter!

andysport1

If you look at my food diary you'd think I eat what I want and when but actually I'm on a diet and I have cut down quite a bit.

The whole malt loaf was lovely wish I bought two

If I don't lose any weight this week I will alter my food intake slightly :-)

sijomial

I love my food and choose food that I like the taste of. Although I've always eaten healthily I clearly ate too much, hence why I got fat. Had peanut butter on my crumpets this morning because I love it rather than because of its fat & protein profile!

One of the great pleasures in life is eating a nice meal, with fine wine and in the company of friends or family. Alcohol in general is really under your "just for fun" category I suppose?

Through a combination of calorie counting and 5:2 fasting my relationship with food has changed to a degree and I'm more aware of keeping a balance - both in calories and in nutrition. Yesterday I knew I was going out to a BBQ (and a few beers) in the evening so I exercised in advance to balance the books.

5:2 suits me better than any other approach I've tried as the two days of being restricted allow me a lot of freedom on the five days of "normal" eating.

sijomial

I love my food and choose food that I like the taste of. Although I've always eaten healthily I clearly ate too much, hence why I got fat. Had peanut butter on my crumpets this morning because I love it rather than because of its fat & protein profile!

One of the great pleasures in life is eating a nice meal, with fine wine and in the company of friends or family. Alcohol in general is really under your "just for fun" category I suppose?

Through a combination of calorie counting and 5:2 fasting my relationship with food has changed to a degree and I'm more aware of keeping a balance - both in calories and in nutrition. Yesterday I knew I was going out to a BBQ (and a few beers) in the evening so I exercised in advance to balance the books.

5:2 suits me better than any other approach I've tried as the two days of being restricted allow me a lot of freedom on the five days of "normal" eating.

Bella_Figura

There are some fascinating responses here!

I guess I'm lucky in that some of my all time favourite foods are naturally reasonably healthy ones - I've yet to find a vegetable, legume, fruit or nut that I dislike, and they usually make up the bulk of my go-to meal and snack choices. Also I'm really lucky that I've never had much of a sweet tooth, so I've never really been tempted by sweets, cakes, chocolate etc....or by dairy produce such as cheese, butter and cream. I could take them or leave them, and preferably leave them.

The areas where I do tend to deliberately choose something healthy over something perhaps more palatable but less healthy are in respect of cereals, bread and salty snacks. Re cereals, sometimes I'd love a bowl of muesli or granola, but I tend not to eat it as it doesn't tend to be as high in fibre as my usual cereal (Weetabix Crunchy Bran). Re bread, I only eat it sparingly, and I almost always choose whole grain, high fibre, organic sourdough bread. Which is fine, as it's delicious....but sometimes I'd prefer a piece of crusty white bread or some lovely focaccia or ciabatta. I tend to always go for the high fibre option instead, as I'm paranoid about constipation ) !

As for the salty snacks, the flip side of not having a sweet tooth is that I have a salty tooth instead - if I wasn't 'health conscious' I'd be drawn to things like crisps, salted nuts, seaweed peanuts, salty crackers etc....and these are the things I tend to avoid eating, and choose healthier snacks instead, mainly because I find them difficult to resist once I've started eating them, so it's better to avoid them entirely.