Snacks! Treats! Yummy Stuff – When and How Often Is Okay?
On occasion, we’re all allowed to eat our favorite meals. However, “on occasion” does not mean once a day or once a week. “On occasion” means that you don’t routinely preplan bad habits. It means that so long as you eat clean and lean 90 percent of the time, you can eat fast food as part of the other 10 percent.
lets talk sugar
Cutting sugar alone can rid your daily diet of an extra 300–800 calories! It doesn’t mean you can’t ever enjoy cheesecake or your favorite cupcake. I’m not talking about the occasional indulgence; it’s your daily sugar intake that matters most. Oddly enough, you probably don’t even notice or particularly enjoy the daily sugar you eat as much as that apple pie you look forward to on Thanksgiving.
Did you know that food manufacturers commonly place sugars in foods you wouldn’t typically label “sweets,” like pita bread, soy sauce, and salad dressing? This is a good reason to read food labels. Try to avoid anything with more than 8 grams of sugar, unless it’s an all-natural pressed vegetable juice, which contains natural sugars you can have daily.
The worst part? Sugar is addictive. You know that daily 3 p.m. candy or mochaccino urge? It’s so hard to fight because it’s not just a craving—it’s an addiction! Studies have shown that sugar stimulates the same receptors and pathways activated by drugs like heroin and morphine. By constantly eating sugar, you also force your pancreas to work overtime. As you eat more sugar, it pumps out massive amounts of insulin, and eventually your body may become less sensitive to sugar.
Now, not all sugar is created equal. Natural fructose, which can be found in fruits, doesn’t trigger more cravings, and fruits are full of fiber and nutrients. Fruit sugars are fine, so long as they come from real fruit. When you follow the KB program, we will ask you to maintain a balanced intake of fruit and to try to eat it during the earlier hours of the day, but the moral here is that fruit is good for you!
So YES, you can snack and eat sweat stuff, but it has to be (should be only 10% of your over all nutritional habits)
While fruits can be 25%!
lets talk sodium
Aim to keep your sodium intake under 2,500 milligrams a day. Too much salt can make you retain several pounds of extra water weight, and it can also harden your arteries. The main sodium you want to avoid is the stuff found in frozen dinners, takeout, and fast-foods. Also, be careful not to oversalt your food, and use sea salt whenever possible.
If you stick to the rule of shopping 80 percent in the produce aisle and 20 percent elsewhere, your sodium intake shouldn’t be an issue. Check labels on foods, and try to avoid buying any products that have more than 300 milligrams of sodium.
lets talk fat
Fat typically gets a bad rap because it’s high in calories. However, don’t fear fat. Eat foods rich in monounsaturated fats, such as olives, nuts, and avocados. With that said, portion control is key, since even the good fats are still high in calories.
Here are guidelines to keep in mind when looking at the fat content listed on nutrition labels:
Saturated fat: 0 to 0.5 grams. Aim to avoid these, if possible. They’re terrible for you.
Trans fat: absolutely 0 grams. Aim to avoid these completely. Polyunsaturated fat: up to 5 grams is acceptable. Monounsaturated fat: up to 5 grams is acceptable. Cholesterol: up to 20 grams is acceptable.
Put food in its Place!
• Food can be social and celebratory, but it cannot be a crutch.
• Food cannot be your escape. Almost all self-destructive eating is uncon- scious eating, which serves no purpose and provides no pleasure. This cannot happen anymore.
