I LOVE GRANOLA!! I had to stop buying Quaker Natural Granola cereal because I would pour two huge bowls for each meal and want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I also had to get rid of my “natural” “healthy” Heavenly Hash chocolate granola which I could eat half a bag at a time (not just the 1/4 Cup serving size which alone is 150 calories).
Previously, I made a short and sweet post that was very well received (hundreds of comments and counting) called The Best Diet Tip EVER.
In that tip, we talked about the simplest way to avoid temptation and cravings—don’t have it in the house.
Simply put, if it’s not available, it’s not a temptation.
But today’s tip digs a little deeper.
Did you know that even “healthy” foods can be a problem for some people? There are certain foods—and it’s an individual thing—that once you start eating them, it’s very hard to stop.
For me, it’s pasta. Sure, I’ll cook the whole wheat variety and sit down to a “healthy” meal, but unless I specifically portion out the amount I’m going to eat, I can easily end up downing half the box or more.
You see, if I’m not careful, “healthy” can easily turn into a massive calorie overload sent straight to my waistline.
These foods—those “Pringles” once-you-pop-you-can’t-stop foods—are what I refer to as “trigger foods” and if you’re going to consume them, you need to do so with a little bit of caution.
Here are just a couple trigger food tips:
1. Only consume trigger foods as an “individual” meal, not with the family. This allows you to cook (or reheat) an individual portion, and not be tempted by a huge serving bowl in front of you.
2. If you are cooking one of your trigger foods as a family meal, measure out a single portion and remove the serving bowl from the table. Tell your significant other “I’m not having seconds; hold me to it.” A little accountability goes a long way.
3. Never eat trigger foods directly from the box/bag/container. Always measure out a specific portion and then store the rest.
Do you have a “healthy” trigger food? Let me know by commenting below!
I’ll bet you anything it’s a carbohydrate of some sort ;)
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel
P.S. Want to learn some VERY smart food choices for weight loss (and even some “healthy” foods that you should NEVER eat)? My good friend Isabel gives you the details in her video here:
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Chocolate covered cashews, chocolate of any kind and ice cream. It is a good thing that I do not live in Campbellford Ontario because if I did I would probably weigh 300lbs. This is where the worlds finest chocolate factory outlet is and you can buy chocolate CHEAP by the pound. Good thing that it is not close.
After eating an extremely healthy meal full of veggies and usually chicken, I like to indulge in all kinds of fruits, whether they be frozen or fresh. My two favorite right now are kiwi and mango. But strawberries and raspberries are really great too. This seems to curb my sweet tooth enough to where I’m satisfied for the rest of the night.
Baked lays chips! oh man. Don’t let me sit down with those suckers.
Peanuts!! Among others but peanuts are the only ones I keep in the house. I used to eat them straight out of the jar but consume WAY too many doing this, so now take a portion out and put the jar back in the cupboard!
Originally Posted By BJNormally a low carber, I’ve been trying to incorporate oatmeal into my diet to help lower my cholesterol. I make my oatmeal with a couple tablespoons of ground flax, a bunch of cinnamon, and no sugar, yet still it sets off those killer cravings.
I have til the end of June to lower my cholesterol naturally, and if it doesn’t happen then statins are in my future.
I’m not sure how best to handle this…
do a little research on statins. there is no connection between high cholesterol and disease. there is NO evidence that taking statins help and plenty that they actually hurt. don’t take my word. There is overwhelming amount of information available despite massive pharma scam and PR
Originally Posted By AdamThe big one for me is pistachios. Those dang these are just plain addicting.
I feel your pain. I don’t buy them any more cause I can’t help eating all up no matter how much available. It happened after I realized I open with both hands and eat them WHILE DRIVING from grocery!
OATMEAL! OATMEAL ! OATMEAL ! I DONT KNOW WHYYY! BUT OATMEAL AAAGH!
Nuts of any kind. They are so easy to just keep munching and the high calorie load is definitely an issue. I usually take only a small quanity as a result.
Rice… I go crazy and just can’t stop until nothing’s left.
I adore carbs, even “healthy ones” Which leads me to this question. I am having great success so far on the CYWT program, but sometimes the recipes confuse me. For example, how many apples are in this recipe and how many muffins does it make?
Apple Oat-Bran Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups oat bran
2 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 12-ounce can apple juice concentrate (thawed)
1 cup water
Directions:
Heat oven to 325° F. Lightly oil muffin pan. Peel and core apples; chop them
coarsely. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, stir together pastry flour, flour, oat bran,
baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add thawed apple-juice concentrate,
chopped apples, and enough water to make a light batter. Mix just enough to
moisten all ingredients. Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake till lightly
browned, 25-30 minutes. Remove muffins from cups while hot and enjoy with a
side of fresh fruit and a glass of milk.
omg, this is mine too! i thought i was crazy for the longest time..seriously, i down an entire bag while i’m walking through the grociery store getting other “healthy” food, and it’s not until the end of the rounds around the store that i’m able to pick up the bag i’m ACTUALLY going to buy for the house. Trick that sometimes (if i have alot of self control) is grabbing a pack of gum and a sparkling water RIGHT when i walk through the sliding doors, and chewing/drinking that while i shop. Trick when i get home is to immediately put them in the crisper- they last longer and are out of sight.
i was referring to grapes, btw.. not rice, lol.
Joel,
what do you know about Dreamfields Pasta and do you think it’s really a good choice for carb reduction?
Jay Robb Protein Powder – I can eat it dry off a spoon, for hours! YUM!
Definitely the first place get the raw nuts-almost all kinds,I just love them.I am ready often not to eat anything else during the whole day but have them- almonds, hazelnuts,cashew,walnuts…and it happens,but even after a “normal daily eating plan”, if I start with them I always get much than I planned. And it is really a problem for me ,because having a 200g pack of nuts(which I have no “problem” with) means much more fats than the daily needs, and the calories for the whole day…
…and the other- fruit- I just can’t have an apple-it was soon when I learned to have 2(not 4,5 or even 6 like before).Have you ever eaten a whole pine apple- normal size,or bigger…I have
For me it’s raw almonds!
@ Leanne:
Oh my god I know how you feel! I’m from Australia too and I LOVE them! Must have brown sugar on top! or banana…..yummmmmm
Nutella, nuts, chocolate, cereal, icecream, CHOCOLATE – i can go for weeks with lots of discipline then WHAM!! all i can eat is junk – its a vicious cycle – trying again to regulate the blood sugar levels… have ruined my figure – back to square one!!
banana and peanut, cant stop until a whole bunch is finished
Of course it’s a carb!!
Mine is braun rice cakes with organic almond butter and raw honey…
It’s soooo delicious!! But it’s also loaded with lots of “healthy”calories….
Why all the very good and tasty stuff has to be potentially dangerous??? It’s just not fair…
My trigger foods are def. Not carbs Joel. My two are nuts (almonds and walnuts mainly) and Naturally More Peanut Butter. I swear, peanut butter is from God, lol.
banana and peanut cant just stop until whole bunch is finished
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