Are “Healthy” Foods Sabotaging Your Diet?

I don’t know that I have one particular trigger food, but if I had to pick one I would say it would be cheese. Way too easy to just sneak a little extra in! In my opinion, the only way to avoid falling prey to these “triggers” is to be absolutely deliberate in our food choices. Know exactly what you are putting into your body and how much of it. Which is why I think you have to use a scale to weigh everything (definitely more accurate when compared to volume measuring using measuring spoons/cups). You’d be amazed at how much extra you can “sneak” in when using volume as opposed to actual weight!

Joel, you would win that bet! It absolutely would be a carbohydrate. Thanks for the tips on controlling the consumption of these little tempters.

Whole grain homemade bread with a teaspoon real butter. YIKES. Make the bread for hubby’s lunch so have to force myself to only eat one small slice after it comes out of the oven, hot and smelling like heaven. After that one piece, freeze the rest and eat NO more. If I do, it’s carb binging time! Of course, now that those other carbs are out of the house, it’s much easier to control!

I decided to embark upon an extensive detox years ago which got my body back in a state of balance, finally! This meant I no longer craved chocolate (which I used to eat every day, and I couldn’t help myself which I did not like!) or nuts which I craved insanely, interestingly only after I tried to give up chocolate. That process took about 2 years and now my system is very balanced and the only thing I crave insanely at times is fat! But when I say that I mean good organic coconut oil or butter from grass-fed cows. No junk, and this is one of the most satisfying things of having spent all that time and energy on being diligent and on supplements, etc, which is that I don’t crave junk food of any kind! Impossible you say, not quite, though like I said it did take years. How unbelievably worth it though! It was the best investment of time and money I have evermade!!! I’m currently in school to get my degree in holistic nutrition. And my cravings for fat in large quantities are so rare that I’m not concerned, we’re talking a few times a year.

It’s interesting to me that most people are addicted (and I know most don’t like to call it that) to refined carbs, as Joel pointed out, and this is usually indicative of candida overgrowth issues, as are cravings for peanut butter and cashews but other nuts as well, if I’m not mistaken. It’s something to look into if none of you ever have and you’re sick of being dictated to and bound by them. I know I was! I worked at a holistic nutritionists office for 7 years and saw all the cravings you’re all speaking of and it inevitably boiled down to candida (yeast) overgrowth as a primary issue, not necessarily the only issue, but one of the main players in almost every case. When the candida is back into the proportion it ought to be in in the body all the un-natural cravings clear up and your body starts really craving food that truly nourishes it. I know from experience and from watching hundreds of others go throught the same. I could go on but this post is long already and if you’re interested I’m thinking you’ll do your own research. Take care!

It could be any carb. I personally try to set a portion and stick with it. Eating from the box is a big no no!! A disaster actually. And mindful eating helps.

Cereal! I’ll have a nice healthy whole grain, high fiber bowl, but once I’m done, there will be milk left over. So I add more cereal, but inevitably, I add too much cereal for the remaining milk, so I gotta add more milk to balance it out. Before I know it, I’ve eaten three huge bowls worth, each far more than the 3/4 cup serving size. The cereal box makes it easy to rationalize because it has “Helps lower cholesterol!” “A good source of whole grains!” and “Only 1 gram of sugar per bowl!” plastered all over. And it’s so easy to make. But I always overdo it.

Most foods that you eat from a box/bag/container are packed with sugar, salt, tran fats, MSG, and so on. I really do my home work on any of that type of foods before eating.

My Trigger food is a nice cut of grass fed beef and whole eggs on the grill, and being a farmer its all home grown. “Can’t better that taste” all nature don’t need to add anything get the taste for real food and you would eat much from Box/bags/Containers

It’s more fats than carbs. Nuts and cheese. Though I have to be careful with dried fruit – and even fresh fruit, really. I have to measure all of these out carefully, as I don’t self-regulate well with these foods.

fruit of any type – apples, pears, bananas, grapes, strawberries it doesnt matter i eat one and i eat 10 – i buy fruit one piece at a time now
i luckily hate peanut butter cant stand the smell tast or texture
i stopped buying naughty food a long time ago – if its there i’ll eat it…my naughty food now is carrots and the occasional dark chocolate – i disagree that it is richer so can only eat small portions i can eat kilos of the stuff the darker the better, i buy small individual bars now
i can be triggered by cheese, chicken, pork, anything really – even veges i can devour plates of them – i love food ilove eating – i run and walk daily to keep the fat off

For alot of people it’s chips, chips contain something that makes you eat the whole sack if you taste just one!

@Tina –

Hahaha, yeah, so when you want to balance it out you put in too much of the other component and so you keep doing it and eat alot!

My biggest issue is cottage cheese. (I would say “any cheese” except that I know the brick of cheese is bad for me.)

I have to portion out 2 Tbs, then put the thing back in the fridge. Or else I’ll eat the whole thing.

What’s worse, though, is any time I’m low on protein for the day I get carb cravings. If my body would just say “eat protein” I wouldn’t load up on carbs that won’t help.

I am the same about cheese! Love that cheddar.
But also, organic blue corn chips with all-natural chunky salsa. I feel I at least get some veggies & it’s better than downing a large bag of cheetos.

But what does “expeller-pressed” mean?

Thanks for the great tips!

Terri, Here’s an explanation from Spectrum Organics: http://www.spectrumorganics.com/?id=32

Nuts are my healthy trigger food.

My trigger food is oatmeal. Its fast and convenient to prepare a good deal of it and I tend to make lots of it for breakfast when rushed for time.

my trigger food is achu an african dish and traditional meal and also rice because it fast to prepare.

I have the same prob with peanut butter and nuts in general, as so many above. Also, I got hooked on hummus this year, when my grocery store started stocking bigger tubs with lots of different flavors. I never had an issue with chocolate in my life (I’m 50), could take it or leave it, until my wife started buying those “healthy” little individually-wrapped squares of dark chocolate, with the idea of having one per day, like the doctor ordered…HAH! Soon I was eating 5-10 per day, or until we ran out. I was jonesin’ for chocolate all the time, even started putting it in my coffee, which I never would have done before. After a few months of this degrading spiral, I went cold turkey on the chocolate, and the cravings have stopped after a couple of months. That was scary.

Yep, peanut butter is one for me too!

Cereal is my biggest trigger. I used to eat bowl after bowl, and then feel terrible (physically and emotionally). Now I have it one morning a week, and very occasionally as a snack when I’m NOT home alone and I always wash up my bowl as soon as I’m finished. That signals to me that I’m done.

Thanks for the link Erin!! I am so sorry it took me so long to reply, but I don’t always think to go to this site.

Almond butter on low carb spelt bread with no sugar added apple sauce. It’s supposed to be filling and healthy, but if I have one serving, I desperately want another.

On the flip side, bell peppers are pretty satisfying.

cereal unfortunately. any type.

Joel,

I can eat a ton of white rice…especially if I’m having stir fry. I just keep scooping the rice along with a tiny bit of veggies and meat. I’ll poor sauce on the rice, etc. I have to really hold back!

Rusty

Pasta, rice, potatoes – all trigger foods for me. But also diet coke (who’d fiigure?). My trick is to fill up on salads/fibrous veggies first.

raw almonds- cashews are worse, so I hardly ever have them in the house…..
and for me its always around 5 in the afternoon that I get peckish for a ‘snack’…
thanks for a great site.