Snacking v. Treats

nxd10
nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I have been thinking a lot about a question about snacking and I had an insight, I think.

Snacks are part of your regular diet. So they should be generally healthy and in line with the regular food that you eat. A snack is something you eat to get you from one meal to the next without getting hungry.

Treats, on the other hand, are just that. They can have no nutritional value - they just taste good. So you might want to have some of those in your life, but you need to limit the calories you get from them.

So when you're talking about snacking, you want to think pretty healthy.

But when you're thinking treats, you can eat anything, but probably want to limit the frequency and portion size.

Replies

  • klyn05
    klyn05 Posts: 88 Member
    I like the insight! I read somewhere on a Jillian Michaels (sp?) interview that 80% of your daily calories should be "healthy" and 20% should be "fun". I don't necessarily go by that exact equation, but I personally like & maintain the idea of something to that extent in my own diet as to not lead to deprivation!
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
    This makes sense, and I think it also explains the obesity epidemic: those things that should be treats are eaten every day because they are cheap, easily obtainable and we are mostly ignorant about proper nutrition. Add a fast paced life, and the result is sad.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    Treats can sometimes be snacks, but not all snacks should be treats.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    Treats can sometimes be snacks, but not all snacks should be treats.

    I agree. And I agree with the 80/20 rule too. It's all about sustainability and moderation.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    This makes sense, and I think it also explains the obesity epidemic: those things that should be treats are eaten every day because they are cheap, easily obtainable and we are mostly ignorant about proper nutrition. Add a fast paced life, and the result is sad.

    This. When i was a kid, mom let us get a soda as a treat a couple times a month. And we had to walk down to the convenience store to buy it. And it was 10 oz.
    Now people suck down multiple 20 oz sodas all day long.
  • infamousdrew76
    infamousdrew76 Posts: 176 Member
    Definitions:

    Treat (Noun): An event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure.

    Snack (Noun): A small amount of food eaten between meals.


    Sorry, but the original post makes no sense to me at all. There is nothing in the definition of "treat" that makes it bad for you! In fact some of my favorite treats are very healthy and are items that I would eat with a regular meal when I have the opportunity to do so!

    By definition, a snack can be just as unhealthy for you as what you describe a treat to be!

    Neither are the source of obesity! Over eating is!
  • vanillacoffee
    vanillacoffee Posts: 1,024 Member
    I like this idea! Filing this one away.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Treats can sometimes be snacks, but not all snacks should be treats.

    Bingo
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Definitions:

    Treat (Noun): An event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure.

    Snack (Noun): A small amount of food eaten between meals.


    Sorry, but the original post makes no sense to me at all. There is nothing in the definition of "treat" that makes it bad for you! In fact some of my favorite treats are very healthy and are items that I would eat with a regular meal when I have the opportunity to do so!

    By definition, a snack can be just as unhealthy for you as what you describe a treat to be!

    Neither are the source of obesity! Over eating is!

    Maybe it's context. I was thinking about a discussion where someone was saying they eat cake and chips as regular snack foods. They described them as 'good' and 'bad' foods. I was thinking about why I thought snacking like this was a bad idea. My thoughts were that there's nothing inherently wrong with ANY food. It's how much eat you eat of it and whether you're overeating (your point). I agree.

    When I think about snacking, I think about things I grab when I'm hungry and want to tide myself over to the next meal. In general, I'd like that to be lower in calories, maybe nutritious. That's different from a treat - like cake or chips - which I eat sometimes because I've decided I want to eat them for just taste value. But not something that should be my go to between meal food. From a mainenance perspective (what the original question was about), snacking on low cal stuff won't add to your calorie load as much as a treat that you're eating because you just WANT it. That might be healthy (you say yours are). I just had for snack a slice of roast beef on ryvita (low cal). But other things - cake, candy, etc - are things one should eat infrequently.
  • eblakes93
    eblakes93 Posts: 372 Member
    This is an interesting discussion. I like having egg dishes for breakfast, especially with a slice of toast with PB. Today I'm having eggs, but instead of toast I'm having a donut. It has like 0 nutrition, but it is part of my meal, not a snack. I think that for me I would classify it as a "treat". I also know that since I had a donut I have to eat really well the rest of the day. ^.^
  • natalie412
    natalie412 Posts: 1,039 Member
    I don't snack much - only on long run days when I HAVE to. Generally, though, if I have a "treat" I like to sit down and enjoy it. It is so easy consume so many useless calories by mindlessly snacking on stuff, so if I do snack, it is because I am truly hungry and it is usually going to be something tasty but healthier. Unless there are homemade cookies in the house, then all bets are off.
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 Member
    You could have a treat, as a snack.

    I just opened up a whole new can of worms.
  • Bubblywendy
    Bubblywendy Posts: 32 Member
    To me a snack is something low-cal (100-150) that you eat between meals and keeps you going, either it be a granola bar , rice crackers or peanut butter.

    A treat can be something more caloric (300-450) like a custard tart or tim tams which you will only eat 1-2 times a week.
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
    You could have a treat, as a snack.

    I just opened up a whole new can of worms.

    Someone earlier said, "Treats can sometimes be snacks, but not all snacks should be treats." I think you're in the same can. :tongue:
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    One of the keys for me to lose the weight was giving up workday snacks. I quit craving them pretty quickly and see no point in starting to eat them again. I think the premise that snacks are part of a good diet is flawed. I think that a diet can be adjusted to accommodate them. I avoided treats while losing and do allow them now. To me, treats are special occasion things that can't be too frequent.
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
    I don't classify my food as things I 'can' vs 'can't' have because it might be considered as a treat.
    If I want it I eat it within reason. If I've already had two pieces of cake today then I might not eat that third one, but I'm definitely not categorizing all of my foods before I eat them and running percentages.
  • nhradeuce
    nhradeuce Posts: 168 Member
    I don't have treats. I just eat what I want within reason. Most of what I eat would be considered healthy, but I still have "good" stuff on a daily basis. It's ok to have some "bad" calories as long as your daily calories and macros are where they should be. I often have ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, tortilla chips, brownies, or other good stuff. It just doesn't make up a large portion of my diet.
  • Yeller_Sensation
    Yeller_Sensation Posts: 373 Member
    In all honesty and with sincerity, it is not important how you define what you feed yourself. What matters is how little/much you eat and how little/much you move. Your body is not going to know the difference in semantics.

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