Killer Cravings...Should You Feel So Bad? Let's Talk Ice Cream
My first real post, on a partial health and fitness blog, is about ice cream. (Ironic, I know) And not about how horrible it is for you either... If you're anything like me, your sitting around at night, possibly somewhat bored, and more than likely trying to avoid entertaining the screaming appetite for junk food in the back of your mind. It's not a huge secret that girls suffer more from the bittersweet comfort food love affair in general than guys, and that it's harder for the gals to lose the pounds. But men suffer too, and all of us are prone to giving in every now and then if not every time. On top of that, our plunge for the sweets usually ends up being extremely detrimental to our diets and our health, because we figure, "Oh, I've already screwed up, it's a lost cause, I'll start again tomorrow" ...or something of the like, you get the picture. And that, my friends, is what keeps all of us from losing weight physically and from gaining strength and confidence mentally (which is what usually leads to success). If we keep on this cycle of healthy eating and exercise then the dreaded nights of binging and guilt, we can't begin to believe in ourselves and believe that we can really make progress. Healthy living is 98% mental. First comes the knowledge, then the determination to put it into action, then the most important part, the confidence in yourself. The unhealthy binge cycle takes away the confidence in yourself, and eventually, your determination, and a lot of people just give up. Don't give up. So what does this have to do with ice cream? I'm getting there. Whether your cravings are the healthy kind, (ex. you've been eating healthily all week and being active every day without any reward) or the unhealthy kind, (you have insulin resistance, you have a sugar addiction, you're eating to cure emotional extremes) we all need to learn to make the best choices we can even when it comes to indulgence. Stay positive, look for the nutritional value even in the desserts you eat, calorie content, serving size, everything. Don't beat yourself up because your human and you have weaknesses. Just be smart about it. If you are living a healthy lifestyle for the most part, it is actually helpful to give yourself a "cheat day" to up your morale and reward yourself for all that hard work. If you have a junk food or sugar addiction, you need to start incorporating healthier foods into your diet (obviously!) while weening yourself off of the bad foods. If you try cold turkey depletion diets over and over again, you're just going to relapse and gain back the weight most of the time, which is incredibly bad for your body's metabolism (the last thing you want).
Ice cream. This is my personal weakness when it comes to food cravings. Even though it's obviously not great for your diet to gorge yourself with fat, cream, and sugar, there are good choices on the creamy delicious aisle. Ice cream contains calcium and sometimes vitamin D, which is good for your bones and so much more. It is smart to sometimes choose the frozen yogurt varieties, sometimes called "froyo", because of the live and active cultures that are present and help keep your digestive system on track. It's also quite easy to add nutritional value to your ice cream treats by adding nuts or fruit. Always consider how you can increase the nutritional value of your desserts and do your body a favor. I'll even list for you a few of my favorite ice cream combinations...because I like you that much.
1. Breyer's Ice Cream has an entire "CarbSmart" line of products with the chocolate ice cream containing only 90 calories, 6g fat, 13 carbs (4g fiber, 4g sugar, 5g sugar alcohol), and 2g protein per serving (1/2 cup). 8% daily intake of calcium and 4g of fiber makes this treat worth trying. I compared it to a heavy cool whip when I tried it! Very fluffy and satisfying, with no diety/fake sugary aftertaste. (Compare to leading brand of chocolate ice cream: 160 cals, 9g fat, 5g saturated fat, 17 carbs, 0g fiber, 17g sugar)
breyers
Try it with...
2. Newman's Own Organics Peanut Butter Creme Filled Chocolate Cookies. If you crave sweet, crunchy, peanut buttery, cookie-like, or Oreo-like snacks, this is the better choice! Newman's Own has an awesome line of snack foods and this one in particular tastes even better than it's corn syrup, refined sugar, preservative-filled counterparts. 130 cals, 5g fat, 18g carb, 9g sugar, and 3g protein per 2 cookies. (Compare to leading brand of peanut butter sandwich cookies: 140 cals, 6g fat, 20 carb, 11g sugar, 2g protein per 2 cookies). Not a huge difference in nutrition facts, but the quality of the ingredients is what matters in this cookies case. Everything in the ingredient list can be pronounced, and all of it is organic.
Note: Organic doesn't necessarily mean it's always the better choice, but when it comes to things like sugar and peanut butter, it's definitely best to have the most natural version possible. In Nabisco's brand, you'll find things like partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup, which is an absolute red flag. Stay Away from those ingredients.
3. Chuao Spicy Maya Chocolate Bar: Any health food guru will tell you that a piece of dark chocolate (70%+ cocoa content) is just fine if not good for you every now and then, on occasion, in moderation. For those of us that are reaching for the sweets often, this is a good choice to reach for instead. Dark chocolate contains copious amounts of antioxidants that helps keep skin looking young among other things. This brand contains cayenne pepper, known to spike your metabolism and curve cravings, a hint of Pacilla chili, and cinnamon, which curves cravings as well and promotes sugar metabolism in your body. Let it melt in your mouth to cure your chocolate craving, and enjoy the unexpected spicy finale. (Around $3.50 at your local grocer.) Pair with a glass of red wine for a post-workout, anti-aging power pair.
I will update later with more "better choice" desserts and snack foods, but for now I hope that you gained a little insight on the things to look for even in the diet-sinful foods out there that we all crave. Practicing good habits even on your weakest nights will help you kick-start, continue, and fine-tune your healthy lifestyle.
Peace!