There are 'BAD' foods

Options
suziecue20
suziecue20 Posts: 567 Member
edited January 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
I see lots of posts stating that there are no 'bad' foods but if this is the case why do we have expressions like 'naughty but nice' when we have eaten something scrumptious we know we shouldn't have?

I know that with CICO I could spend all or most of my daily calories on foods like full fat cheeses, cakes, pastries, biscuits [cookies], ice cream, deep fried chips [fries], sausages, fatty meat and still lose weight but at what cost to my health?

There are lots of foods that are 'bad' but obviously only when they are eaten in high volume and too frequently.

I eat 'bad' foods occasionally under the premise that 'a little bit of what you fancy does you good' and the fact that they stop me feeling deprived and becoming a self-righteous martyr.

So come on, admit it folks, there are 'bad' foods.

«134567…56

Replies

  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Options
    Nope. Sorry. I don't agree.

    There are no bad foods. There are foods that are calorie dense and dense in nutrients that we need only a little of. But the food in and of itself in not bad.

    We can and do however make bad choices. Sometimes on purpose. And that's okay too, None of us is perfect.
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    Options
    I really don't see food as "bad" or "good". Many people label things like pizza, candy, etc as "bad", but they are really food that are either high calorie or have less nutritional value. Bad is such a vague adjective.

    Also, I don't see how a food can be ok if you eat it in moderation but considered a "bad" if you eat a lot of it. You are not changing the food at all so how does the food classification change?!?!

    I know it is mostly semantics, but when I eat pizza or chocolate I am just eating a food I want. It may be more calories, or have less nutritional or even be a food that is "bad" for me, but the food itself is not bad.
  • LHWhite903
    LHWhite903 Posts: 208 Member
    Options
    It depends on your values. I consider anything that would kill me or make me sick if I ate it (allergies/intolerances) "bad" as well as those that have a lot of unnecessary chemicals (dyes, artificial flavors, etc.). I stay away from those things as much as possible at all costs.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    Options
    suziecue20 wrote: »
    There are lots of foods that are 'bad' but obviously only when they are eaten in high volume and too frequently.
    ....

    So come on, admit it folks, there are 'bad' foods.

    Your final sentence seems to contradict the previous statement.

    Cheese, sausages, and cake are not necessarily bad. On a day where I've been active, eaten plenty of vegetables, sufficient protein, etc., having a slice of cake in the evening is not bad at all. On the other hand, eating a whole cake to myself when I'm not hungry and haven't got off the sofa all day is not the best choice, but even that's not detrimental to my health necessarily, if I only do it twice a year.

    I don't think anyone ever advocates that it's totally fine long term to eat nothing but very high sugar/salt/fat food constantly as long as it's not over your calorie goal. There are foods which are hard to eat in limited quantities because they're delicious, and there are foods which might not offer the most nutritional value per calorie, but enjoying them as part of a varied diet is not bad IMO.
  • Equus5374
    Equus5374 Posts: 462 Member
    Options
    No bad food, just bad choices about food.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Options
    Bad diets maybe

    But all foods have calories and are made of macro nutrients

    Naughty but nice means highly palatable and highly calorific

    Not necessarily bad ...particularly if you've covered off your nutritional requirements ...

    I have just eaten a Neapolitan ice cream sandwich (106 calories) and a packet of Quavers (85 calories)
    ...is that under 200 calories of bad?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited January 2016
    Options
    Unrefrigerated foods left out on the counter are bad and may make you sick. Food past their expiration date can be bad. Food dropped on the floor not so bad, if you use the 4 second rule.

    ETA: Fricken commas, I hate them.
  • Kvm11628
    Kvm11628 Posts: 7,386 Member
    Options
    I don't like labeling food as good or bad, and I don't ban any foods for me. I just limit them and track them. If I cut anything I love out completely, I will end up over-indulging after a period of deprivation. Better to control portions, enjoy a small amount of something calorie-dense or less nutrient-rich as part of a healthy overall plan than to risk falling off the rails (in my opinion).

    That being said, sometimes I take a break from trigger foods for a short time to mentally "reset." For instance, I could eat candy like it is my job. So, if I know I have been overindulging, I make a goal of no candy for a week or two. I am able to break the craving/routine and reset.

    I do think there can be "bad for you" foods. Maybe you have a documented medical condition that makes certain foods dangerous for you. Or, maybe you have trigger foods that can cause you to seriously backtrack, no matter how much willpower you show. If that's the case, eliminate or drastically reduce as needed.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
    edited January 2016
    Options
    Transfats are bad. There is no need to use them and they damage health.

    Also for me, simple carbs are very bad. They may not be for you but they are for me :-)
  • suziecue20
    suziecue20 Posts: 567 Member
    Options
    The UK Government has just labelled ALL processed meats, including bacon and sausages as being dangerous to health [cancer causing] so how can they not be bad?
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Options
    My body digests chips and candy way easier than fruits and vegetables because of a GI issue (Crohn's). They, amount other things cause extreme pain and very frequent trips to the bathroom so for me veggies, fruits, fiber, non white carbs, red meat, legumes, nuts, seeds, lactose, caffeine, pork, spices, etc are bad foods and chips are good ;)
  • ClicquotBubbles
    ClicquotBubbles Posts: 66 Member
    Options
    suziecue20 wrote: »
    The UK Government has just labelled ALL processed meats, including bacon and sausages as being dangerous to health [cancer causing] so how can they not be bad?

    When did that happen? I must have totally missed it and I do read the Daily Fail. Surely it would have been a headline?
  • SilverRose89
    SilverRose89 Posts: 447 Member
    Options
    suziecue20 wrote: »
    So come on, admit it folks, there are 'bad' foods.

    Nope. Considering food 'good' and 'bad' is what caused me to have issues with eating and feeling guilt when I'd eaten something 'bad'.

    Food is food. Some has more nutritional value than others and making the decision about what to use your daily calories on is part of the challenge of weight loss (or gain, or maintenance). But I'm never gonna say any food is "bad" because it isn't.

  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    Options
    suziecue20 wrote: »
    I see lots of posts stating that there are no 'bad' foods but if this is the case why do we have expressions like 'naughty but nice' when we have eaten something scrumptious we know we shouldn't have?

    I know that with CICO I could spend all or most of my daily calories on foods like full fat cheeses, cakes, pastries, biscuits [cookies], ice cream, deep fried chips [fries], sausages, fatty meat and still lose weight but at what cost to my health?

    There are lots of foods that are 'bad' but obviously only when they are eaten in high volume and too frequently.

    I eat 'bad' foods occasionally under the premise that 'a little bit of what you fancy does you good' and the fact that they stop me feeling deprived and becoming a self-righteous martyr.

    So come on, admit it folks, there are 'bad' foods.

    Of course there are bad foods, or rather bad diets. But, I would not assume that "bad" = high in calories, there is more to nutrition than calories.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Options

    Drink too much water and you die.
    Eat nothing but broccoli and you'll have severe malnutrition.

    Everything is a bad food by that definition.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Options
    suziecue20 wrote: »
    The UK Government has just labelled ALL processed meats, including bacon and sausages as being dangerous to health [cancer causing] so how can they not be bad?

    You didn't read this study very carefully. If you eat tons of processed meat every day your cancer risk is slightly elevated
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited January 2016
    Options
    .

  • __Wolf__
    __Wolf__ Posts: 137 Member
    Options
    Value judgments around food are pretty silly, in my opinion. As has been said, there are calorie dense foods and foods that, in high quantities, increase your chances of disease (e.g. bacon and sausages with cancer). There are also personal ethical views on food. Personally, I see factory farmed meat as unethical therefore I avoid them.

    Food isn't good or bad - its just a combination of chemicals. We decide based on our values whether they're good or bad.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Options
    I've never used the phrase "naughty but nice" in my life, in relation to food or anything else.

    Your avi looks somewhat familiar. Unless I'm imagining things, you've been around long enough to know that nobody on MFP suggests eating an unbalanced diet for good health. Overall health and weight loss are two different issues when it comes to how much you eat of any foods/nutrients.
  • suziecue20
    suziecue20 Posts: 567 Member
    Options
    ClicquotBubbles wrote: »
    suziecue20 wrote: »
    The UK Government has just labelled ALL processed meats, including bacon and sausages as being dangerous to health [cancer causing] so how can they not be bad?

    When did that happen? I must have totally missed it and I do read the Daily Fail. Surely it would have been a headline?

    It was on the BBC morning and evening news about a week ago.

Categories