You have been trying your best to ‘eat clean’, to fuel your body with quality foods.
You order grilled and baked over fried any day.
You’ve replaced your sodas and juice with fruit-infused water.
You now prefer eggs and bacon for breakfast, rather than your non-satiating breakfast cereal.
However, try as you might, you still find yourself savoring for that ice cream or chocolate post-dinner, salivating for a juicy Whataburger with salty French fries instead of chicken and broccoli for lunch, wishing you could have some creamy mac & cheese or pasta with big ol’ meatballs for supper instead of trying to substitute it with butternut or spaghetti squash.
Sigggh.
What gives?!
It almost feels like…denial.
Refusal to your inner sweet tooth, or old habits that die very hard.
You know by eating ‘healthier’, you feel better…but there is something somewhat comforting about those ‘guilty pleasures’ that you know are just not that great for you.
And you have no idea really why.
Why it is you seemingly neeeeeed your favorite ‘cheat’ foods. Or why it is you can’t shake those thoughts around deprivation vs. satiation.
…Except for the simple reason that it…Tastes good.
Like really good.
In that 1-2 minutes those bites of juicy Whataburger goodness, savory cheesy macaroni or sweet chocolatey Rocky Road heaven are in your mouth…ahh…all is at peace.
And it’s not just a taste-bud thing…there is an actual psychological and physiological reason WHY you need (or think you need) certain foods that ‘aren’t that good for you.’
It’s called dopamine.
The brain knows that when we eat, we’re doing something “right,” and it in turn releases a bunch of feel-good chemicals in the reward system, including the neurotransmitter dopamine, interpreted by our brains as pleasure (Our brains are hardwired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine). When we experience that feeling dopamine brings (pleasure), we like how we feel…and end up wanting more (or knowing we want that cheat or treat feeling again that the ice cream or pizza brought to our tastebuds).
Over time, with repeated exposure and practice…food can easily become addicting—affecting those chemicals in our brains, much like alcohol, drugs, sex, computer time, exercise, etc.—can affect ‘feeling good.’
For many, then, the distinction between wants and needs (when it comes to foods) becomes blurred.
I talk to a lot of people, clients, about food on a daily basis—about their habits, their relationships with food, their goals around their food and nutrition.
They come, sit down in my office, and say, “I want to feel better”… “I want to get over this eating disorder”… “I want to stop obsessing about food or get ahold of my cravings”…”I want to tone up”… “I want to be healthier”…“I want to look good naked”—there are a host of motivations for looking further into nutrition.
And 9 times out of 10…when I ask them what steps they could potentially take towards the changes they desire to make…the statement most often heard is: “This is hard.”
No doubt that it is!
9 times out of 10, there is some deeper or emotional (addictive) connection around food that is preventing them from making the ‘necessary changes’ to see the results they want, or attain the goals they want to attain around their nutrition…
- That Diet Coke fizzy is irreplaceable—Topo Chico just does not do the trick.
- Wine, cheese and crackers help them relax after work—every night.
- A bag of popcorn in front of the tube while watching an episode of the “New Girl” or “Grey’s Anatomy.”
- Chicken and broccoli, or turkey sandwiches with mustard on whole wheat bread, or fat-free yogurt and fruit are ‘safe foods’ and if they are unavailable (due to travel, poor planning, eating out), then eating just can’t happen.
- Saturday and Sunday mornings are ‘reward’ days for ‘good behavior’ during the week, and a pastry with coffee and the morning paper do the trick to get them through the next week.
- When stress strikes, Ben & Jerry’s comforts
- A tough workout equals beer and pizza
- And on and on
Simply put: Food is something in life that brings us pleasure.
Couple this emotional and physiological needs food meets with our psycho-social selves (such as: times of celebration, holidays, vacations, events, rituals, gatherings and weekends) and we have a totally different, uniquely complicated relationship with food: Times when food is definitely part of having a good time…so much so that it is either (a.) uncontrollable (Must eat XYZ), (b.) anxiety provoking (What to do? What to do?)
- Going on vacation means healthy eating goes out the window
- Happy Hour means you are going to have to order cocktails and queso
- Restaurant menus are all too ‘tempting’ to order the fried shrimp tempura, chicken tenders and fries, or pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and gravy
- Friday nights are pizza nights, Saturday afternoons equal Sonic slushis and tater tots, and Sunday mornings equal chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup
- And, Labor Day boat outings are equivalent to chips, queso, beer, trailmix, cheeseburgers and brownies
Phew!
As you can see…that relationship status with food can be ‘complicated’—
So what’s the deal with ‘cheat meals’—those meals…or foods…or even days that you eat whatever the heck you want and don’t care about it?
Are they necessary? –particularly when you are of the mindset that you truly want to fuel your body with the best fuel you can and/or want to ‘get over’ the obsession or ‘control’ food, at times has on your life (and your “lack of self-control”)?
Are cheat meals motivators to ‘keep at it’?—Whatever ‘at it’ means to you, such as:
- Following a healthy meal plan in recovery (but occasionally needing your ‘cheats’ or ‘comforts’ of a fast food run on which you used to binge, or the diet foods you’ve come to know and love because they feel safe?)
- Sticking to meat, veggies and healthy fats for the bulk of your meals (but every Friday night, making it a ritual to go out for Home Slice pizza in order to ‘keep your head in the game’)
- Cutting sugar, for the most part, out of your daily diet (but ‘allowing yourself’ one treat per day in order to quell that sweet tooth)
The answer, quite honestly, is completely up to you.
Eating is NOT a game of perfect, and when it comes to ‘eating clean’ or ‘eating healthy’—[really just eating the foods your body was designed to eat, know and recognize (like, real food people)], it works BEST when you are NOT ritualistic around your food, or a boot-camp drill sergeant towards yourself.
I like to coach up others around the 80/20, or even 70/30 philosophy—particularly when it comes to making any change.
After all life happens!
Whether you are super militant with your diet (strict about ‘eating healthy’)…choose to eat real food because you know you feel amazing… OR it’s like pulling teeth to ‘make yourself stick to a healthy diet’ (when all you really want is pizza, sandwiches, ice cream and queso)…life is GOING to happen.
- You are going to go out to eat and not be able to “control” if they really cooked that meat in olive oil or vegetable oil
- You are going to be in an airport, with an extra long layover, and the only food in sight some crappy fast-food options
- Or, you are going to go to a party, and yes, may try a cookie (or two or three) and then later realize, whoops I goofed
- Or, you are going to want to ‘partake’ in dipping a chip into that cheese dip or guacamole on the table at the restaurant with your friends
Yup, life happens.
The DIFFERENCE in those that have a healthy relationship with food (and their ‘cheat meals’) and those who do not (those who emotionally, psychologically, physically neeeeeed cheat meals or comfort foods) is that a healthy relationship with food and cheat meals plays out in the ability to mindfully enjoy that treat and then…move on.
They don’t view food as a ‘treat’ or ‘reward’—but instead, as something to enjoy…and then…move on.
The food does not control you, or have any greater power over you, than simply being one meal, or one bite, or one taste.
You eat the food (the ‘cheat’) you don’t typically eat…then go about nourishing your body the majority of time.
You have a healthy control over it.
- Fridays are pizza nights because you do like pizza gosh darn it; but you don’t spend your whole day—or week—planning and salivating for that pizza.
- You are not ‘addicted’ to needing your diet sodas, fat free frozen yogurt, Kashi granola bars anymore, but for whatever reason, you know you still enjoy those foods that you turned to for years (even though you have worked towards not making them staples/the bulk of your diet).
- You can go to a restaurant, and sure, order whatever the heck you want, but not plan out that meal, hours, days, weeks in advance because you just know it’s going to be ‘oh, so good.’
Food is food.
Food is meant to fuel us for life.
Quality, nourishing, nutrient-dense foods are going to do a whole lot better job at doing just that for your body (fueling it) than any cheese, ham and egg croissant sandwich, donut, pepperoni pizza, chocolate chip cookie
So…are cheat meals or foods necessary?
Nope.
You don’t neeeeeed ‘cheat meals/foods’ vs. your ‘non-cheat meals/foods’ for survival or necessity.
But you can most certainly want them…and make them an occasional part of your diet simply because you like them (you don’t even have to see it as a ‘reward’ or ‘punishment’).
You can have your cake and eat it too.
Meal Prep Friday: Labor Day Recipes
It’s Friday…it’s a holiday weekend…and more likely than not, you are already in vacation mode.
In light of this post today, here are a few fun recipes to give a whirl this weekend, compliments of some of the best of the best on the blogosphere of the world of food:
Fall Off The Bone Easy Ribs by PaleOMG
Ingredients
- 3 pounds baby back ribs
- 2 tablespoons Primal Palate Barbecue Rub
- a bit extra salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- ¼ cup beef broth
- ¼-1/2 cup BBQ of choice (PaleOMG Recipe#1 and #2)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 235 degrees F.
- Remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs. Pat dry then cover the meaty side of the ribs in Primal Palate BBQ rub and a bit of salt and pepper. Press into meat to coat. Then top with yellow mustard and spread/press the mustard into the meat.
- Place 2 large pieces of heavy aluminum foil on top of each other on a large baking sheet. Cut the ribs into 2-3 racks. Whatever you need to get the ribs to fit on top of the aluminum foil with meat side up. Turn the sides of the foil up to create a boat then pour beef broth in the boat. Cover with another piece of foil on top and pinch to fold the sides and create a packet.
- Place in oven to bake for 4 hours. Yes, 4.
- Remove from oven. The meat should be fork tender and ready to fall off the bone. Turn on the broiler. Use a brush to top ribs with however much BBQ sauce you prefer then place in oven and broil for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce begins to brown.
- Cut ribs however you prefer and eat up!
- Serve with coleslaw (below)
Coleslaw with Apples & Poppy Seeds by Paleo Leap
- Ingredients
- 2 cups green cabbage, shredded;
- 1 cup red cabbage, shredded;
- ½ cup shredded carrot;
- 1 red apple, cored and chopped;
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped;
- 2 green onions, finely chopped;
- ½ cup orange bell pepper, chopped;
- ¼ cup homemade mayonnaise; or Primal Mayo
- 3 tbsp. olive oil;
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar;
- Juice of ½ lemon;
- 1 tbsp. poppy seeds;
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;
Directions
- Combine the green cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, green onion, bell pepper, and apple in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, poppy seeds, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and stir until well combined.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour and serve cold.
BBQ Chicken Thighs by Primal Palate
Ingredients
- 8 skin on Chicken Thigh, and bone-in
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/4 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
Directions:
- Mix all of the spices together in a small mixing bowl.
- Rinse the chicken thighs and pat dry so that the skin is still just slightly moist (it will help the spices adhere).
- Liberally dust the chicken thighs with the spice blend, just on the skin side.
- Prepare your grill to moderate heat with a cool spot (indirect heat). If you have propane, keep a burner on low flame or off completely.
- Cook the chicken bone side down for 25-30 minutes, until it is cooked completely. Do not flip to the skin side for more than a moment or two (and closely monitor if you do), because the spices will burn.
- Serve with grilled summer squash and juicy watermelon
Fish Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb cod
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 whole Lime, juiced
- 2 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
- 2 cup Kale
- 1 whole Avocado
- 1 tomato
1 whole green leaf Lettuce
Almond flour toritllas
Directions
- Heat a pan over medium heat with coconut oil.
- Cut fish into sections.
- Mix spices in a bowl.
- Rub mixture onto fish and place in oil.
- Cook 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Spritz with lime while cooking.
- Remove from heat and cut into small pieces.
Assemble tortillas with a lettuce leaf, kale, fish, avocado and tomato.
Bison Burgers
Ingredients
1 lb. grassfed bison
1 TBSP coconut aminos
garlic powder, sea salt, pepper to taste
Directions
Mix all ingredients together
Heat pan on stove with 1 tsp coconut oil or fire up grill
Roll meat into 4 patties
Cook on stove or grill until desired ‘doneness’
Serve with avocado on top and homemade sweet potato fries
Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes (I like Garnet or Japanese)
- 2 TBSP olive oil or melted coconut oil
- Salt to taste (Optional)
Other seasonings (I like cinnamon)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease 2 cookies sheets, or line with parchment.
- Peel your sweet potatoes, but do not rinse them, you need them dry so the oil adheres.
- Slice your sweet potatoes into french fries: between ½” and ¾”
- In a large bowl, toss the fries with the olive oil, and any seasonings if you so choose. I wait to sprinkle salt when the potatoes are on the cookie sheet.
- Spread the fries out in a SINGLE LAYER on a baking sheet
- Sprinkle the fries with seasonings
- Place no more than two cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove cookie sheets and using tongs, flip the fries over, they should be golden on the flipped side. Return the cookie sheets, flip flopping the cookie sheet positions.
Cook for another 10-15 minutes until the fries are golden and crispy.
Chicken Herb Kabobs
Ingredients
- 2 -2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- Large handful fresh parsley
- Large handful fresh cilantro
- 1 small orange, juice and zest
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions
Cut chicken into chunks or strips for skewering. Juice and zest the citrus and blend all ingredients (except for the chicken) in a blender or food processor until well blended.
Place chicken in marinade in a covered dish or plastic bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours (don’t marinate for longer than 2 hours).
Remove chicken from marinade and thread on skewers. Discard marinade. Salt chicken before cooking if desired.
To grill: Preheat grill and cook for about 3-6 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through
To cook in oven: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken skewers on a baking sheet and cook for 8-12 minutes per side or until cooked through.
Serve over coconut cauliflower rice.
Sides, Dips & Treats
Some other ideas for your barbecue festivities:
Bacon Deviled Eggs by Civilized Caveman
Veggie sticks with Guacamole
Raw kale salad, tossed with lemon juice, dried cranberries and pecans
Grilled asparagus & summer squash
Grilled peaches or nectarines (slice and place on grill for 15 minutes, flip half way through)
Coconut-milk ice cream (with no ice cream maker)