5 tips for enjoying “bad” foods

Photo by Mollie Sivaram on Unsplash

​I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoy foods that are “bad” for me. I put “bad” in quotation marks, because even foods that don’t provide nutritional sustenance can be good for your soul. Joy is nourishing too!


Here are 5 simple suggestions to help you enjoy your guilty pleasures without the guilt:

1. Keep special-occasion foods for special occasions. This is a suggestion comes from Michael Pollan in his book, Food Rules. Think back to the foods you ate at holidays, birthdays and celebrations as a kid. Save those foods for those occasions.
   
   
2. Share them. If you want to eat chocolate cake, share a piece with a friend or two. Enjoy fried food? Order it with a green salad and split the meal with someone. Sharing is caring - for yourself, your buddy and your bodies.
   
   
3. If you have a sweet tooth, consider buying just one cookie to satisfy you instead of baking one dozen. That works unless you’re an avid baker! If that’s you, consider freezing most of what you make so you can eat just one now but have some for later. Or, package up 75% of what you bake to give as unexpected gifts to your co-workers, friends, neighbors, strangers...you'll become very popular. 
   
   
4. Aim high for quality. Set high standards for yourself and buy the best piece of dark chocolate torte from a bakery that uses high quality ingredients instead of eating fluffy sheet cake with grainy frosting or whatever candy is in the break room at the office. If you’re into fried food, look for a restaurant (like the Anchor in NE Mpls) that makes their own breading and deep-fat fries in lard instead of corn oil. There’s a trick in here that also supports Tip #1: these things are expensive, so you’ll likely think twice before purchasing.
   
   
5. Shamelessly enjoy them and don’t look back. Part of being a conscious eater is to mobilize your fork with intention. That puts thoughtfulness into everything you consume. If you think things over before you dig in, you spend your eating time unabashedly savoring each bite. Then with a guilt-free grin on your face, you wash your hands and move on with your day, no looking back.

What would you add to this list? Share in the comments below!