How Much Is Too Much 'crap' Food ?

graelwyn

Do you eat totally junk free everyday, or do you incorporate some less nutritionally healthy foods into your daily diet?
I am wondering as I have been told that on days when I have a few ferrero roche, and an ice cream, or a few chocolate bars, or a few granola bars, that this is too much to have and not very healthy.

Having had issues with anorexia in my past, and having found I struggled with binge eating issues when I tried to eat totally clean, I am struggling to deal with the idea of never being able to eat in a way that I see as being more 'normal'. Is it normal to have such snacks? It seems to be, when I am out and about and see people sitting having their starbucks, or walking around with a store bought sandwich, or eating an ice cream.

Or are the majority of people out there actually eating in a way that isn't optimal and that is unhealthy?

As someone who is underweight, I find it very difficult dealing with it being suggested to me that I keep my intake of things like chocolate, granola bars and the like down, not that I even eat loads of that stuff anyway. I just like to slot in a few treats around my otherwise pretty clean diet.

RachelVon

I try to eat pretty "normal" eggs, toast, hot dogs, mac & cheese, bacon, rice, cheese lol, but sometimes I'll throw in a pack of gushers, or a snack bar or something in addition to the grapes & rice on my plate or whatever! Just as long as it fits into my calorie goal!

graelwyn

I see. I tend to eat mainly cottage cheese, fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish, beans, baked/sweet potatoes and the occasional nut cutlet, garden burger or ingredient checked ready meal, along with the snacks mentioned in my initial post, or raw fruit and nut bars and roasted chickpeas.

onyxgirl17

Hmmm... the only "crap" I've been having right now is sugar and cream in my coffee.... my eating has been pretty clean. I think once a week we'll eat out and I will have a splurge like a philly steak sub but no more than that.

Soulflwr

It depends on what your goals are. If you just want to lose weight then it doesn't matter what you eat, as long as you stay under your calorie goals. If your goal is to improve your health as well, then I would say it's what you do the most that matters. If you aren't used to eating "clean" or extremely healthy, then a few bad things here and there definitely won't outweigh most of the healthy food you eat all the time, and if that's what you need to do to prevent yourself from getting out of control. I'd say do it.

Like I said, It's the things you do the most that make the difference, so don't worry about being perfect. Trying to do things perfectly usually causes more harm than good, besides once you get used to healthier eating, I'm sure the crap food will become less and less appealing.

Oh and ETA:
There's no such thing as "normal". You have to do what works for you, if you're snack happy and that works for you...snack on!

significance

"A few chocolate bars" or a few granola bars in one day is not healthy. A little crap in the diet is normal and needn't do any harm. Health guidelines suggest this should be limited to - say - a few small squares of chocolate per week (not even a whole chocolate bar per week). That might be unrealistic for most of us. I tend to have one unhealthy thing most days, and try to limit it to that. It would be better to limit it to an occasional treat, not an every day thing, but I'm a long way from perfect. Maybe limiting crap to <10% of your total calories over a week would be a good target?

ElizabethRoad

In your situation I don't think it's very healthy for you to have friends judging what you eat, to be honest.

SistaHope

I find that if/when I eat crap food, I'm still so hungry~it just doesn't last as long. I think it's because there are so few nutrients that the brain sends hunger signals for "more". This made it harder to stay inside my calorie goal. Eating "clean" has absolutely NO ill effects~whereas crap food has a ton; infact, the only (possible) "good" thing is taste~the thing that deceives us the most!!! I wouldn't eat dog crap, so why should I eat junk food? It took about 3 weeks of WONT power, but I took out junk/crap food out entirely because in the LONG run it just wasn't helping me, and the long run is what I'm interested in. Now, if I eat a burger, it's a REAL one, a clean one. If I want bread, I'm eating whole grains~why eat processed junk?? My digestive system loves me for it.

RealWomenLovePitbulls

maybe try to keep it to one "junk" snack a day. not a few candy bars, just have one. u want to gain healthy weight

graelwyn

In your situation I don't think it's very healthy for you to have friends judging what you eat, to be honest.

Said person is a PT.

ElizabethRoad

In your situation I don't think it's very healthy for you to have friends judging what you eat, to be honest.

Said person is a PT.

What's a PT? A physical therapist?

maddymama

I'm an 80/20 person. If 80% of my diet is healthy and clean, then I really don't stress about the other 20%-- food at friends houses, treats, junk food, etc.

abuch912

I found I have to be careful what my calories consist of (meaning I count everything I eat, but I cant eat fries, fried foods in those calories Im guessing because of the fat content), but I have added an occasional fudge bar which is only 110 calories a couple times a week. It really curbs those cravings.

xarge

If someone's half or more of daily calories are from junk food, then I'd say it's too much. Yes, this site is about fitness and eating healthy but come one, as long as you can control yourself you can have that piece of chocolate or whatever you want. We're not robots.