Food choice defensive

[bmccasland]

I try to eat healthy, honest, but am a closet junk food junkie.

I think some people "got religion of diet." They've been SAVED, and therefore thinks everyone else needs to hear the good word, often.

[jessmarimba]

I try to eat healthy, honest, but am a closet junk food junkie.

I think some people "got religion of diet." They've been SAVED, and therefore thinks everyone else needs to hear the good word, often.

Ya know, that's a very apt description. Probably why it irks me at the same level.

And I'm a junk-food junkie myself. Not regularly, but it's the novelty that gets me. If I'm in a town with a Hardees (so rare in my radius of work) you can bet I'm going to have a cinnamon raisin biscuit for breakfast! Same for Dunkin Donuts, etc.

[Veronica]

I totally p!ssed off my trainer because I went on a Welch's fruit snack binge last week. She doesn't understand why anyone who works as hard as I do would want to essentially pour sugar down her throat. Those things are like a drug for me. I ate so many I thought I was going to barf - seriously.

Veronica

PS GLC those cookbooks you mentioned are in my wishlist at Amazon. I have no desire to "be paleo" but I miss my winter cooking (chicken pot pie, mac & cheese, creamy soups!) and I'm hoping I'll find some healthier alternatives in there.

[GLC1968]

Welches fruit snacks? Are those like fruit roll-ups or dried fruit things? That's a pretty funny thing to binge on, you know!

So far, all of the books have proven to be worth having. They aren't always the best cookbooks (weird directions, no serving sizes, photos that don't match the recipes, etc), but the recipes themselves are all turning out really good.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are zero recipes for mac and cheese. That's probably the one food that could, in no way, EVER be made paleo. Chicken pot pie, creamy soups, lots of winter squash recipes, and a great chili recipe are included though.

[Veronica]

Welches fruit snacks? Are those like fruit roll-ups or dried fruit things? That's a pretty funny thing to binge on, you know!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are zero recipes for mac and cheese. That's probably the one food that could, in no way, EVER be made paleo. Chicken pot pie, creamy soups, lots of winter squash recipes, and a great chili recipe are included though.

They're like gummy bears but with 100% of your vitamin c for the day. It's a good thing you can't overload on vitamin c.

Yeah, I figured probably no mac and cheese. If no one in my family gets the books for me for Christmas, I'll get them after the holidays. I use to do so much cooking and baking... all tasty, none of it really healthy.

Veronica

[shootingstar]

When hosting pot-luck meals involving friends /other family members, I haven't told anyone what NOT to bring. So whatever healthy/unhealthy stuff they bring, I let them. I don't like being controlling in terms of what food is complementary, etc. As long as we don't up with too much of potato chips or potato salads from multiple folks.

However for serious allergies where a guest would land in the hospital, I would tell invitees, not to bring the "danger" food for the allergic sensitive person(s).

It's just alot easier as a host not to deal with the possibility of any emergency situation at dinner.

[GLC1968]

I think some people "got religion of diet." They've been SAVED, and therefore thinks everyone else needs to hear the good word, often.

I think this is true. And it sucks for those of us who might be following the same type of diet but without the same evangelical bent. I swear that it's gotten much easier for me if I don't even mention the word 'paleo'. That seems to set people immediately on the defensive. If I just say that I'm avoiding grains (the most bizarre part of the diet), I do have explain/defend my choice, but at least it doesn't get testy.

But I can't help but wonder what gives people the right to always ask 'why'? I mean, if I say I'm not eating nuts or not eating dairy or not eating red meat, no one questions it. Say you aren't eating grains and it's a guarantee that every single time, you'll get a 'but WHY?!'. I find it very interesting and it's making me rethink how I interact with people, too. I'm sure that 6 months ago, I would have been asking 'why' just like the next person! Now I'm trying to be more aware of my conversations on all fronts (not just about my diet, but about others' as well).

[Selkie]

I think some people "got religion of diet." They've been SAVED, and therefore thinks everyone else needs to hear the good word, often.

At work, there is this group of paleo adherents/crossfit fanatics who preach to everyone else about proper diet (of course, all of them are self-taught nutrition "experts" who will lecture on glycemic levels, etc).

I don't believe in diets. Was raised in a bland meals, no-junk-food-allowed household, after school treat was an orange in our house. My mom was truly before her time in terms of insisting on good eating habits, albeit on a budget. On special occasions and holidays, she could really do it up well (she was an extremely talented cook and baker---her pie crust was the best---never used a recipe). We really looked forward to and appreciated the holidays and celebrations. Since she died, I haven't been able to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Nothing could ever compare to her turkey, stuffing, homemade gravy, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and yes, even the jello salad (lime with a canned pear preserved in it, sitting on a bed of iceberg lettuce).

This is probably why I can happily live on yogurt and cereal. Don't eat meat except fish.

[GLC1968]

At work, there is this group of paleo adherents/crossfit fanatics who preach to everyone else about proper diet (of course, all of them are self-taught nutrition "experts" who will lecture on glycemic levels, etc).

See - it's people like this that make it hard for the rest of us! I'm really torn on the paleo/crossfit combination. I hate that the crossfit fanatics have taken up paleo as their cry because I find them super annoying myself. And a lot of them are spouting misinformation, which doesn't help the 'cause' at all. Plus, it's not like they invented the concept at all...the idea of eating based on what our paleolithic ancestors ate has been around for decades. Crossfitters used to be all into the Zone diet...so what happened to cause the change?

But, I can't help but be thankful for some of the hoopla because it's these people who are putting out the cookbooks that I'm having so much fun with!

Selkie - I have learned to agree with you. I don't believe in 'diets' anymore either (in terms of a temporary change). Temporary is good for testing food allergies or for certain medical conditions, but when it comes to weight loss or health, only permanent change works.

[ny biker]

I don't know what Crossfit is, and I'd never heard of a paleo diet until recently when I read about it on this forum.

I gave up discussing diets with people back when Atkins became popular. Too many people thought it was the best thing ever because they'd lost so much weight. Of course they admitted that they had gained it all back and more when they went back to eating "normally," but that didn't stop them from singing its praises. It made no sense to me. And then I read that many people had bad problems with constipation when they first started the diet, and that just seemed like a deal breaker to me. But if someone wanted to insist that eating a stick of butter and a pile of bacon for dinner was better for them than eating bread, I saw no point in arguing.