"Healthy" food vs. low-fat/low-cal/"diet" food

goodigirl2
goodigirl2 Posts: 58 Member
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone else struggled with finding a balance between "healthy" foods versus what our society thinks of as diet foods (i.e. organic Brown Cow full fat yogurt vs. a low-cal Yoplait).

I've gained about 30 pounds over the last 3 years and as I'm losing weight again now, I find myself back to my tried and true 'old faithfuls" of eating moderate amounts of things I enjoy (real ice cream vs. more of fake sugar added ice cream). But, I also do well having something like a Lean Cuisine with fresh fruit for lunch. But there's so much criticism of foods like Lean Cuisines that I find to help me moderate my weight. I've tried cutting out sugar and fake sugar (to very limited amounts) but I don't find that sustainable. I'm not so much concerned about for weight loss...I know what I need to do to lose weight and I'm doing it. I'm thinking more about for health and wellness sake. I do try to eat very naturally, but all the gluten free (by choice!) and paleo dieters make me wonder what is the best route to wellness.

Replies

  • goodigirl2
    goodigirl2 Posts: 58 Member
    Another example is real, full fat cheese vs. 2% cheese.....
  • samanthajshep
    samanthajshep Posts: 14 Member
    I tend to use both...I have put great emphasis lately on whole, healthy, unprocessed foods...but, to stay on track I do incorporate some "diet" foods...like special k cracker chips, vita tops, 100 cal snack packs, etc. I wish I could cut them out completely and stay on track, but I find that if I do, I end up going way of track to get my "sweet" fixes. I figure that a few "diet" foods to help me get to a healthy weight are better than staying heavy and unhealthy like I am now!
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    I like to read nutrition labels. If a low calorie food doesn't have any vitamins or minerals, I probably won't eat it. I look to get my nutrition, rather than just eating to fill a void. I think that by eating what I really want and crave, I will probably eat less overall.

    I'm not saying I don't eat low calorie "diet" food, but I do check and see how the process has changed it before I chow down.
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