Should a Treat Still be a Healthy Choice?
Should a treat still be a healthy choice? Or should you just enjoy a treat, whatever it is, because it’s a one off?
I have a word, an acronym really, that stands for an indulgence…a treat. It’s NAGIBOW. Certainly a silly name but it stands for:
Not A Good Idea But Oh Well!
In your lifetime, you are going to indulge in NAGIBOWs outside of your healthy eating style… Does it really matter what you have, or is a “treat” always a “treat?”
Just like good and bad fats have been wrongly categorized together, I think treats have been categorized the same way too.
You hear me preach all the time that I don’t think it’s a good idea to schedule cheat meals because life happens anyway and you will have that moment when that treat is absolutely worth it (like the first time your future baker makes you a cake)!
But there are treats that aren’t so good for you and then there are treats that are downright ridiculously horrible for you. So what I would like to do is share with you some NAGIBOWs that you certainly shouldn’t feel too bad about having, and then those I want you to steer clear of at all costs. They will NEVER be worth the havoc they wreak on your health!
Sweet:
No – Donuts! Incredibly high in preservatives and the mixture of continuously reheated trans fat WITH sugar is the worst combination out there.
Yes – There IS candy out there made with respectable, non-GMO, preservative free, no hydrogenated fats or artificial coloring or flavoring. Just real stuff. Panda brand is pretty good.
Salty:
No – Microwave popcorn! Most people don’t know that microwave popcorn bags contain carcinogens, or cancer causing free radicals. PFC’s are added to the bags to make them more greaseproof even though they’ve been linked to thyroid disease, ADHD and other illnesses.
Yes – There are plenty of companies, with whole food ingredients…especially non-GMO, that make and bag popcorn. Just be sure it’s cooked in a healthy oil like coconut. Skinny Pop is a great choice.
Frozen:
No – Fried ice cream! Most ice cream is made from the cheapest ingredients to begin with but then when you cover it with, most likely, genetically modified corn flakes, THEN fry it in trans fat… It’s probably The WORST thing on this planet for you.
Yes – Real ice cream! Just get the real stuff made from whole food ingredients you can pronounce and enjoy it. Don’t buy the ones that claim they’re healthier because then you’re going to get a lot of artificial crap that you just don’t need.
Comfort Food:
No- French fries! Potatoes themselves are really high on the glycemic index which leads to an increase in insulin. THEN frying these insulin spiking “vegetables” in reheated trans fat should never be an option. Carcinogen nightmare.
Yes – Have a nice soft pretzel with either some spicy mustard or butter.
Fast Food:
No – Fast food chain hamburgers! It’s been approximated that the meat used to make these burgers is really only 12% actual meat. The remainder of the ingredients are “other” parts and fillers that our bodies will want to reject. Plus, these chains will use the cheapest meat they can find…very high in omega 6 which is incredibly inflammatory.
Yes – Call in and order ahead of time from a burger joint you know that uses good quality meat. Twisted Root and True Food here in Texas are good choices.
Many times we don’t know how bad a certain food can be for us and then other times we try to come up with a healthier version of a NAGIBOW treat. If you’re going to have the treat…then have the treat! Just do your friend over here a favor and get the good stuff with REAL ingredients and avoid, at all costs, the 5 I have listed above!