Healthy Living

Sunday, December 6, 2009

What Are Your Trigger Foods? Here Are Four of Mine

http://www.nuthealth.org/images/nut_splash.jpg
Hi Guys! Have you figured out what your trigger foods are yet? Body by Glamour nutritionist, Rachel Beller, R.D., suggests steering clear of foods with portion sizes you can’t control. I’ve identified mine.

1. Nuts
Remember when I first went grocery shopping and bought those individually-portioned packets of almonds? Many of you actually brought to my attention that there were two servings of nuts in those deceptive little bags. I LOVE nuts, so much so that I don’t know how to stop eating them once I start. Are there any fellow-nut-lovers out there with me? I gave them up, five weeks ago. I intend on eating them again, but for now, while I’m actively trying to lose weight, I can live without them.

Here's how to eat like Jennifer Aniston!

2. Peanut Butter
Rachel actually suggested I give it up for a little while to jumpstart my weight loss. I just started reincorporating it back in my diet after six weeks (except for that ice cream) without it. I managed to have a tablespoon with breakfast two days in a row without going overboard, but if I see myself struggling with it, I’ll give it up again!

3. Trader Joe’s Righteous Rounds Chocolate Chip Cookies These little cookies are anything but righteous in my eyes. Granted, they’re 130 calories per serving of 5, and they’re filled with lycopene and have a decent amount of fiber. Not bad for a treat, right? The problem is that I have never been able to stop at five cookies. I normally end up eating 10 before I can stop. And it doesn’t help that I hid them in my closet--away from my voracious 17-year old brother, who eats everything in sight. This means that I remember they’re at my disposal late at night. Really bad equation.

Portion Control: How Much Are You Really Eating?

4. Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal
OMG--this cereal is addictive. Supposedly, they’re “Honey-kissed seven whole grain cereal pillows”--but to me, they’re just plain evil. Just this morning, I poured out a bowl that was over the serving size (I’m really good about eyeballing servings--when I want to be…) and then poured myself another bowl right after. I literally had to get the box out of my sight or else I would have eaten the whole thing, right then and there. Now you must now that I totally set myself up for failure with this one--I've been aware of this cereal’s hold over me for quite some time, so normally I steer clear of it, but like I told you last week, I’ve been experiencing food boredom lately. But choosing this one was a mistake! I won’t be buying it again…and I’m leaving the box out in the open, so hopefully my brother will do me the favor of eating the rest of it tonight.

What are your trigger foods? Are any of you peanut butter or cereal-lovers like me? Have you learned to steer clear of your trigger foods, or are you still struggling with them? And if you’ve been successful, what are your tactics? Let me know!

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Comments 1-10 of 129
  • mnrawker's Avatar
    Posted by mnrawker Fri May 15, 2009 11:22am PDT

    Oatmeal raisin cookies. I will eat hundreds of them in a sitting.

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  • sche's Avatar
    Posted by sche Fri May 15, 2009 11:49am PDT

    Peanut M&Ms and Doritos. I don't buy them often anyway, but Doritos aren't as much of a problem as they used to be because they give me headaches now. The recipe might have changed, I guess, since I didn't used to have that problem. The M&Ms, though, I have to steer far clear of. I will eat gobs of them any time they're around.

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  • Kelly's Avatar
    Posted by Kelly Fri May 15, 2009 12:11pm PDT

    Wavy Lays dipped in Helluva Good french onion dip. I am addicted. I buy the 12 oz. dip container and sometimes eat the whole thing in 1 sitting!

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  • tiffany's Avatar
    Posted by tiffany Fri May 15, 2009 12:53pm PDT

    I'm right with you there on the peanut butter and cereal! But to add to that: Nutella, crackers and jarlesburg cheese, and sugar cookies.

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  • Brianna's Avatar
    Posted by Brianna Fri May 15, 2009 1:33pm PDT

    quaker rice quakes in ranch or BBQ, they are better for you than chips so i let myself indulge thinking 'why not!?'... and before i know it i ate the whole bag which was like 7 servings... not good... guess its better than eating a whole bag of cheetos tho...

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  • Lucky's Avatar
    Posted by Lucky Fri May 15, 2009 3:02pm PDT

    Pie, cookies, cake and ice cream. All the fun food groups that will blimp you out.

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  • SFCA's Avatar
    Posted by SFCA Fri May 15, 2009 3:36pm PDT

    I agree on peanut butter! And I have no portion control on popcorn. I will eat the whole bag!

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  • Lizbeth's Avatar
    Posted by Lizbeth Fri May 15, 2009 3:54pm PDT

    Yes, peanut butter, cereal and nuts-me too, so I just don't buy them. Also Cheetos; orange crack that I avoid, but give in to on rare occasions.

    My lifestyle eating is whole foods in their simplest form, steamed veg, egg whites, whole fruit and two slices of wheat bread in the morning, plain non-fat yogurt. When I eat simple foods, I enjoy it, feel 'safe' and am not prone to eating too much because it's about fullness and nutrition instead of getting too involved in taste. Nuts are a whole food, but they're too easy to eat alot of so I keep my organic, dry roasted almonds on the high shelf and count them out if I eat any and I eat the right before a healthy meal so I change the taste in my mouth to something else.

    The best tactic for any food addiction is to just not buy it. "When in doubt, leave it out (of your cart)"

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  • smallone's Avatar
    Posted by smallone Fri May 15, 2009 4:50pm PDT

    I only eat my "trigger foods" when I'm with other people. I get too embarassed to eat a whole pint of ice cream, 8 tbs or peanut butter or 4 slices of cheese in front of someone. It helps me learn what is a good amount and when enough is enough. It also helps me not to eat until I feel sick!

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  • Amy H's Avatar
    Posted by Amy H Sat May 16, 2009 4:25am PDT

    Absolutely with you on the cereal- milk and cereal is probably the best pairing in history. Have had to make myself buying any cereal at all to avoid an all-out binge.

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