Good Food, Bad Food

HeyJudii
HeyJudii Posts: 264 Member
Bad food? I have seen the hotly contested debates about why there is no "bad food". That it is all about portion control. So, I will just say, non-nutritious foods. Foods, that while they may taste good, and/or bring fond memories, and/or be comforting, or whatever, these foods and I will have to from now on have a distant, but cordial relationship.

I had been using my exercise calories (in moderation), to just eat whatever I felt like eating from Friday through Sunday, as long as I had the calories to do so. I was moderating my intake (calories), but my intake (substances) were strictly candy, chips/crisps, pastries, dips, crackers, and whatever else was pre-made, easy to get, etc.

And after almost 5 months I realized that I had no energy on the weekends and generally felt like I had a low grade flu. It wasn't until Monday evening or Tuesday morning that I began to feel better. So, I compared what I ate during the week to my weekend fare, checked my macros and realized that while I got lots of starchy carbs and fats, I got almost no ( or very little) protein, vegetables, or fiber from Friday-Sunday.

I decided to change my weekend foods to match my weekday intake (with 300 calories/day set aside for an end of the day treat of my choice - as I did during the week) and wouldn't you know, my yucky feeling during the weekend faded to a memory.

In conclusion? While the argument roils about there being no such thing as "bad" foods, there are definitely foods that bring nothing long-term nutritious to the table. Wait for it...

Disclaimer: IMO
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Replies

  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    Its not just about the foods either. I thought about how my parents and myself ate up until the 70's. We rarely had deep fried foods or any fast food for that matter. I don't know how dunking food in hot oil affects me but it can't be good. The bad foods also push out the good foods. I just can't remember the last time I had fresh veggies at a fast food joint. I don't stress over it. I eat good and bad but the good is far outpacing the bad right now....and that's good.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited May 2018
    "Bad foods" don't push out "good foods" unless you let them.

    IMO, a sensible approach is to eat a healthy diet with sufficient protein, fiber, healthy fats, and lots of vegetables (plus some fruit) -- that's not only a healthy diet, but the kind of diet I think is enjoyable and would eat regardless. And then if you have room -- and people usually do -- eat whatever else you like.

    If you don't do that, the problem isn't so much eating "bad" foods, but not focusing sufficiently on getting in sufficient nutrient dense foods.

    My definition of moderation is the amount that fits in an overall healthful diet. That can mean saving some high cal treats (mmm, Indian food) for a rarer occasion or it can mean fitting in small amounts daily.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    I suppose I'll tell my story.

    When I was in the heart of dieting, the really deep part where I had lost the easy weight and was chipping away at the harder stuff and having a hell of a time with it, I developed some control issues with food. I would panic at parties and restaurants because I couldn't log the food accurately. I broke into tears at a world-renowned burger place because they didn't have the quinoa burger I had prelogged and I didn't know how to adjust my plans without it. I was spiraling because I felt like I was surrounded by all of these bad, heavy foods and there was something wrong with me because I couldn't say no to them. Food became my enemy unless it was the right kind of food, the kind I had full control over.

    Fortunately, my therapist caught it early and we worked hard to keep it from developing into a full-fledged eating disorder. But part of that work was to stop seeing foods in terms of good and bad. I believe in balanced diets and unbalanced diets, foods that fit into your goals and foods that don't, foods that make me feel better and foods that make me feel worse. I believe in looking at the big picture of a diet, concentrating on what I want to include instead of what I feel like I have to remove, and having chill food guidelines that I can stick to without stressing. I don't believe in good foods vs. bad ones.

    But everyone approaches food differently. I just refuse to travel back down that particular rabbit hole.

    Excellent bullet points^^^^
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Again I keep it very simple... healthy eating is mostly about variety and unhealthy is mostly about a lack of moderation. The exceptions are specific medical conditions.

    It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out that eating like a teenager at home by themselves for the weekend is going to cut it though. There is the lack of variety and the lack of moderation that forces itself outside my personal definition.
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    I want all the food.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Context and dosage matter. And are often completely ignored in discussions of this nature.

    This applies to almost everything. Whether in MFP our any other issue. That's why here when someone claims "I'm doing everything right, but not losing - I must be different" without giving age, gender, current weight, or other details - like time window, context is asked for.

    In my case, I've never thought of "good" or "bad". It's just calorie target, enough protein, and let the carbs/fat fall where they fall. And I eat 3-4 chocolate chip cookies (or more) almost every day. Even while steadily losing.

    If I chase protein, while limiting targeting calories, everything else works.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    maybe im lucky in that the majority of the food i like, especially for MEALS, are generally high in nutritional value. but i got fat eating that way too, so .... theres your take away- quantity matters ;) I've never liked fast foods, or prepackaged frozen meals. do i have them ON OCCASION, sure. but pretty rarely.

    how i eat on wednesday is no different than how i eat on saturday, in any given week.

    if i want a drink, i have a drink and make room for it (whether through conscious planning or making up for it elsewhere- cut back on cals another day, an extra workout, whatever). Same goes for chips or chocolate. i make it fit. neither constitute the bulk of my overall diet. As i said, i got fat eating healthy foods. ive gotten healthy (and healthy sized) but eating the correct AMOUNTS of food - no mater the item.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I don't buy the 'there is no bad food' theory (I eat plenty of it, I'm just not in denial that I could make much healthier choices), and you're not going to prove anything by having a diet mostly consisting of junk food.


    I suppose "good" food supposedly extends our lives while "bad" food shortens them? What food is so bad that in moderation is going to kill me sooner? How much sooner?
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    HeyJudii wrote: »
    Bad food? I have seen the hotly contested debates about why there is no "bad food". That it is all about portion control. So, I will just say, non-nutritious foods. Foods, that while they may taste good, and/or bring fond memories, and/or be comforting, or whatever, these foods and I will have to from now on have a distant, but cordial relationship.

    I had been using my exercise calories (in moderation), to just eat whatever I felt like eating from Friday through Sunday, as long as I had the calories to do so. I was moderating my intake (calories), but my intake (substances) were strictly candy, chips/crisps, pastries, dips, crackers, and whatever else was pre-made, easy to get, etc.

    And after almost 5 months I realized that I had no energy on the weekends and generally felt like I had a low grade flu. It wasn't until Monday evening or Tuesday morning that I began to feel better. So, I compared what I ate during the week to my weekend fare, checked my macros and realized that while I got lots of starchy carbs and fats, I got almost no ( or very little) protein, vegetables, or fiber from Friday-Sunday.

    I decided to change my weekend foods to match my weekday intake (with 300 calories/day set aside for an end of the day treat of my choice - as I did during the week) and wouldn't you know, my yucky feeling during the weekend faded to a memory.

    In conclusion? While the argument roils about there being no such thing as "bad" foods, there are definitely foods that bring nothing long-term nutritious to the table. Wait for it...

    Disclaimer: IMO

    I most certainly agree with you. the entire argument is simply "silly" and I went through the same learning curve until on the weekends I too began doing what I did all week.

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I don't buy the 'there is no bad food' theory (I eat plenty of it, I'm just not in denial that I could make much healthier choices), and you're not going to prove anything by having a diet mostly consisting of junk food.

    I'm not sure I would call it a theory so much as an experience or mindset. That you believe someone like myself is in denial after discussing my issues is certainly your choice, but this is why I don't jump into these posts with my story very often.

    Except for man-made trans fats. I'll accept that those are objectively a bad food.

    Experience or mindset maybe. I just believe that an apple would be healthier for my body than 80 calories of candy... and would fill me up better as well. Of course you can still have a healthy diet with 100 calories of candy here and there though... But nobody can deny that there are food that have way more nutrition value than others.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    when i think of food as fuel, not good or bad, i just ask when i want to fuel myself with. donuts are fun but i'll get more out of an oatmeal with nut butter
    and sometimes, i choose the donut. that's ok too.
    if it fits my calorie allotment
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
    edited May 2018
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Experience or mindset maybe. I just believe that an apple would be healthier for my body than 80 calories of candy... and would fill me up better as well. Of course you can still have a healthy diet with 100 calories of candy here and there though... But nobody can deny that there are food that have way more nutrition value than others.

    That is not what you said though. You said there was "bad" food. I guess here the candy is "bad" because an apple is better. So then maybe if 80 calories of blueberries are better than an apple... the apple is "bad"?

    Meh, I feel like we're arguing semantics here. Is a diet of pure apples going to provide adequate nutrition? No. Is a diet of pure Skittles going to provide adequate nutrition? No. Can someone eat Skittles as part of a healthy lifestyle? Sure.

    That doesn't make them equivalents. I don't think it's unreasonable for some people to classify foods that offer nothing but calories and tooth decay as falling below a point on the nutritional spectrum that can be considered "good". I also understand why some people are resistant to classifying food as "good" or "bad" just as some people are resistant to the use of "cheat" day. Not everyone's diet has to be the same, so why does what constitutes a healthy mindset about food have to be exactly the same for everyone?