What is it about pasta? It’s like a drug, I can eat it until I feel bloated and sick and still want more. Also cereal.
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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Crystallized ginger and any kind of nut. I also go through periods where I eat nothing but brocolli, but I am not too concerned about that one. I have always operated on the belief that our cravings are an indicator of something our body is needing. I think that is very true when dieting because we limit so many things.
Here, here Don. My cardiologist put me on a statin to lower my LDL and it made it about 5 point worse and also raised my liver numbers. Stay away from those if you can at all avoid them. @Don –
For me it’s pumpkin pie and peanuat butter, but I also prefer cereals. If I start eating one of these, I just can’t stop. And I do want to stop, but I can’t until the box is empty :S
My worst trigger “healthy” food is trail mix. I make my own combination of unsalted nuts using any of the following: almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, raisins and dried apricots to name a few. I try to ration myself to a small portion but sometimes wind up going back for more.
Strangely enough, chicken is my healthy-but-still-can’t-get-enough food. Particularly dark meat. I sometimes wonder if it could be the salt or the sugar in the marinades, but 1) I rarely use them, and when I do I make sure the salt and sugar content is low, and 2) I don’t necessarily have the same effect with other salty or sugary foods.
Hmm. The topic is healthy triggers (so that obviates potato chips. I learned many years ago not to bring them into the house. I used to think that a “chip clip” was a quaint idea, because they never stayed around long enough to get stale: an open bag was an empty bag!).
Nuts. Hummus. Grapes. I measure out a serving, and remove the rest from sight. Usually works.
Pasta and ice cream. My perfect cheat day meal. I pay for the indulgence in pain for many hours so it’s best to avoid. Took me a long time to figure this out!
How about trail mix? Always good stuff.
@BJ –
Have you tried adding Krill oil to your diet to help lower the cholesterol? Also, add psyllium to increase the fiber intake.
Before I discovered that I’m gluten intolerant my trigger foods were bread based. Especially whole wheat bread. After cutting those out of my diet I tend to crave nuts. Any kind… salted, mixed, raw. I’ll take them any which way! Portion control and measuring them out is absolutely key for me. Otherwise I’ll use my hand as an approximate measurement and fudge every time. Isn’t it interesting how we try and fool ourselves? I’ve also had to cut chocolate out as it was a serious issue. I would end up eating close to 10 squares a day! Yikes! I thought I was going to shrivel up and die without my chocolate, but my cravings actually went away after about a week. Thank the Lord! I don’t know if I could have done it otherwise!
My triggers are sweets and smoked almonds. I can’t keep them in the house.
Okios greek yogurt, honey flavor. Yum!
Self-discipline is when you tell yourself to do something and you don’t talk back.
– W. K. Hope
For me it is cereal and skim milk. One bowl leads to two. But on the bright side, I have found that the “no-carb” days have really put a huge dent in my carbohydrate cravings. Eating a small handful of almonds as breakfast works for me (just got to get used to it, though… took me a few weeks).
For me it’s edamame (soybeans) and nuts. Fruits are also too good for me. I crave for them now that I’m in the second week of the priming phase. I look forward to Cheat day to eat plenty of fruits, one after the other! Banana, grapeferuit, mango, blueberries, raspberries, orange, pear, etc HUUMM! I also love plain yogourt with fresh fruits in it. I could eat the whole thing if I don’t calculate my portion before I eat it!!
@Beth Jones – Beth: have you ever tried high-dose niacin (prescribed as “Niaspan”) for cholesterol improvement? Stuff is effective on average (though of course not in everyone and you do need to get liver tests too). I am on it to rise my HDL, but I think it also can reduce LDL. Look it up.
BJ,
Please read this before going a statin. http://blog.xtend-life.com/warren_matthews_blog/2009/8/24/an-example-of-successful-cholesterol-balance-using-natural-s.html
@BJ –
I’m the same as you Joel. Pasta. I love my pasta. I’m not a big guy but I can eat as much pasta as anyone.
A more recent one I found are roasted and salted pistachios, I’ve been eating hands and hands fulls of them even though I know it’s almost 160 calories a handful!
@Jim – Thanks Jim…I have a blood test set up to check my cholesterol, will have the liver functions done as well.
PEANUTS!!!!! Or any kind of nut. Once I start, if I don’t have a portion set aside I can eat a huge amount and not realize it. I’ve gone through 5 pound bags of in shell peanuts in a weekend before.
For me it’s Trader Joe’s popcorn, whether it is the Olive Oil, White Cheddar, or Kettle Corn. I usually try to limit myself to one small bowl to limit myself. Other times, I can’t stay away from those tortilla chips in Mexican restaurants. I’ll “treat” myself to a few, and try to shove them across the table out of reach!
Definitely carbs.; usually because I haven’t had enough food in the day and there’s an empty hole inside so healthy and wise ‘reason’ gets over-ruled by impatient ‘want’. Reason says, “take that little bit of extra time and make a salad and THEN if you are still hungry have the carb” BUT nope, the kid inside my head wants to get its way RIGHT NOW and so there I go dipping into a homemade ultra healthy oatmeal cookie and then another…..until I feel full. So much for the salad or the green lemonade!
By the way, a great oil-free dip for veggies or salad dressing is: 1/3 c tahini (sesame seed butter), 3 tbsp tamari, 1/4 cup of red star yeast or nutritional yeast flakes ( very high in protein and good for you!), 2 tsp dijon mustard, 3 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 – 2/3 c pure water. Mix it up in a blender a voila a delicious, tasty dressing that is loaded with protein and flavor! Enjoy and thanks Joel for setting up this great forum!!
all of the above……..except the cereals!!
@BJ –
I totally solved my cholesterol problem with what I like to call “first breakfast”:
it is a smoothie, made with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, plain yogurt with it’s live bacteria in tact, I sometimes add 1/2 bannana or some frozen acai berries, then I put in msm powder, glucosamine, a bit of stevia powder, powdered gelitin, rice protein powder, and the magical ingredient: psylium husk powder. After only a few months on this morning ritual my bad cholesterol was down and my good cholesterol up and my blood pressure down and good. My doctor asked me if I had begun running again. I just smiled.
@Beth Jones – I adore Crystallized ginger also. Sadly there is none in my pantry.
I agree with you that intense cravings are often a sign that our bodies need specific nutrients/minerals. Magnesium especially. They are also a symptom of a food allergy or intolerance; or candida as someone else mentioned.
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I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...