Would you eat food ONLY for its nutritional value?

alias1001
alias1001 Posts: 634 Member
edited November 21 in Food and Nutrition
This question has been on my mind since yesterday. Would you eat some food, or all food, only for its nutritional value?

I got some Quest bars for the first time, and trying them I thought they were...well...not good. At least to me. But they have pretty good stats: 20g+ protein, loads of fiber, and no added sugar. They're edible, surely, but I like Fiber One's protein bars better, but they are far less nutritious. I'll probably finish the box of Quest but I'm still not sure I'd get it again.

Do you eat foods that you don't like because it's good for you? Is that sustainable?
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Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    I eat food because I like it. I won't eat food if it taste like crap... regardless of how nutriental it is.


    BTW, put the quest bars in the microwave for 10-15 seconds... and then thank me.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I would if necessary. Not as a general everyday occurrence though.

    In general, I think that Quest bars taste like utter garbage so those, I would throw out.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I wouldn't say quest bars are good for you. If I eat them it's for a higher protein "sweet" and if I'm trying to make my fibre look good. The fibre isn't that great....

    I eat food because I like it. Most of what I eat is nutrient dense though, because I like how it tastes and how it makes me feel. I could also happily eat poptarts, icecream, burgers, fries, pizza, etc etc all day.... But i know I'd feel like crap and look like crap. It's not worth it imo!
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    I refuse to waste the few calories that I have available on things that aren't tasty.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    No I wouldn't eat it. I don't like quest either-even heated up.

    For 200 calories just eat a piece of lean chicken for your 20g of protein and have 80-100 calories leftover for a fiber one brownie or half a bar. Generally people eat quest as a TREAT that also gives them protein and fiber. If you don't like it-it seems pretty asinine to eat it anyway
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    i will eat things i dont prefer, but i will not choke something down for health.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    if i don't like something, it's pretty likely i can find an alternative that i do like to get similar or same nutrition...why would i eat something i don't like?

    personally, i think most of those bars taste like *kitten*...and frankly, you can get all of that nutrition from actual whole foods (yeah, I'm kind of a snob like that)...i will occasionally have a Cliff Bar when I'm in need of something quick on the go or when I'm out hiking or fishing or something...I find the peanut butter ones at least palatable...but they aren't an every day part of my diet.
  • lucys1225
    lucys1225 Posts: 597 Member
    I try many things due only to their nutritional value but if I don't like it, I don't eat it.
  • ffbrown25
    ffbrown25 Posts: 110 Member
    If I know a food is good for me, but I don't like the taste, I keep eating it until my tastebuds change their mind. I have very specific goals for my nutrition, and unfortunately not everything tastes like chocolate cake and pizza. I usually end up liking the food in the end, or I figure out a way to prepare it that works for me.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    If I don't like it, I don't eat it.

    In an ideal world, I'd be eating homemade vanilla ice cream with habanero chocolate sauce, not Greek yogurt with chocolate protein powder, but I do still like the latter combination.
  • 29_adjacent
    29_adjacent Posts: 104 Member
    I'm glad I'm not the only person who thinks Quest bars taste awful! :lol:

    Generally no, I wouldn't eat something just because of its nutritional value. I might try something based on its nutritional value (see: Quest bars) but if I don't like it, I won't eat it again. I'll just try and find something else with similar nutrition that I DO like.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    edited July 2015
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    if i don't like something, it's pretty likely i can find an alternative that i do like to get similar or same nutrition...why would i eat something i don't like?

    Exactly.

    I'm guessing most of us are lucky enough to live in countries where there is an abundance of choice available to meet nutritional needs.

    I don't see this as a choice that in practice ever needs to be made.
  • PinkDeerBoy
    PinkDeerBoy Posts: 89 Member
    If you don't like it, find an alternative you like. I've had a few new protein items I've tried, some where great, some were god awful. I would finish it, but wouldn't try it again. I'm not going to eat something I dislike just because of it's nutrition value. Mostly because I can probably something else I like more, but will still give me similar nutrition.

  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    quest bars taste amazing, only the price is unpalatable.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    I don't eat anything I don't like. With so many different foods, ways to prepare them, you can easily find something you do like with the same or better nutritional value.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I don't eat food I don't like. I've never had a Quest bar so can't comment on their taste.
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Its not a sustainable plan to suffer through food.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    If I ate that way only, I'd have to give up alot of my cultural (Filipino) foods. It'd be sad party days.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    I seek out foods that strike a good balance between taste and nutritional value.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    In a zombie apocalypse... Emu's would eat Anything regardless of nutritional value... kibble... rats, mice, bugs...

    it's all about putting it in context...IN order to maintain proper nutrition...umm no... I eat what tastes good.. BUT I base that on my macros... and on some literature that suggests that including things that don't fit into a regular meal... like almonds... 10/day... walnuts... about 1/4 cup/week... boiled eggs.. about 5/week... and I fuel workouts with Clif Builder's bars... anyway... it isn't necessary to eat stuff you don't like... because there should be plenty of stuff that you DO like... at least until the apocalypse begins...

    did you know... that in war people will starve to death before they would eat their pet??? BUT would have no problem eating someone else's... people.. sooo freaking weird... glad I am an Emu :)
  • lizzocat
    lizzocat Posts: 356 Member
    i thought i was the only one who didn't understand the quest bar hype. I have definitely finished food even if i didnt like it for it's nutritional value, but would not buy again.
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
    I don't eat anything that I find revolting, but I do sneak a couple of things that I am indifferent to, into food where I won't notice it (chia seeds for example and some blended veggies added here or there).

    I tried living within calories off pizza and condensed milk and it was not serving me health-wise, so I make a few compromises so that I feel better and my stomach acts up less often.

    I could probably just live off cheese if my taste-buds were the only thing dictating my choices.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    sobriquet01 wrote: »
    Do you eat foods that you don't like because it's good for you? Is that sustainable?

    I don't, and it wouldn't be for me, I don't think, but that's because there are so many foods I do like that fit my nutrition goals and needs. Quest bars is something that I think you could easily find a replacement for that worked as well, for example.

    IF I were someone who really didn't like vegetables or wasn't meeting some goal like protein I'd probably work really hard to learn to like the foods or find alternatives, though, but happily for me that's never been an issue.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I don't think of Quest bars as healthy food, more like a snack bar with extra protein. Even the guys who make them say that "real food" is better.

    I don't eat things I don't like, but I do find ways to include things that I don't love. Carrots are a good example of a food I don't love, but eat on a fairly regular basis. Dark, leafy greens are something I have to prepare in different ways because just eating them raw...I can't. They're too bitter.

    But if it's something I hate, like broccoli, I just eliminate it.
  • alias1001
    alias1001 Posts: 634 Member
    I bought the bars to help me hit my protein macro and that as filling snack they are practical for my lifestyle.

    It seems the consensus is to keep looking. :smile:
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Yes and no. I don't eat foods I don't like at all. But I will eat veggies because they fill me up, and I can't really say that I love veggies...
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    sobriquet01 wrote: »
    Do you eat foods that you don't like because it's good for you? Is that sustainable?


    Yes, I do, all the time. And yeah, it's completely sustainable. HOWEVER, motivation makes a huge difference. If you don't have to, I don't think most people would do it.

    I do it because I don't have any other choice. I have a lot of allergies, which eliminates a lot of food choices for me. And as my allergens are ALSO typically making up inactive ingredients in vitamin supplements, I've either got to find foods to give me what i need, or get sick.

    It's not fun. Frankly, it makes it so that eating is not enjoyable any more, and it's simply another chore to do, most of the time, like vacuuming. But like most things, you would be amazed at what you can do when you suddenly have no other choice, you know?

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    sobriquet01 wrote: »
    Do you eat foods that you don't like because it's good for you? Is that sustainable?

    If there is a choice then I would choose the food I like. I happen to like plenty of nutritious foods that I can eat.
    One snack or meal is part of my whole day though so I look at the whole day's nutrition. If I am lacking something and carrots or a snack bar that I have fits my calories and is a way to fill in that gap- even though they wouldn't be my first choice food- then I would eat them.



  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    No...I don't think I eat a single thing I don't enjoy. And I enjoy Quest bars a little too much.

  • accidentalpancake
    accidentalpancake Posts: 484 Member
    There are too many options out there to eat something that's not satisfying.
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