....or 0 calorie drinks
.....or 100 calorie packs
Or pretty much anything else that is marketed as a "healthier" (AKA more chemically saturated) alternative to common household items like bread, ice cream, soda, etc.
Today I'm going to step away from the medical and scientific reasons why you won't find me munching on low-calorie alternatives, because most of you already know on some level that diet foods aren't as healthy as eating the less modified version in moderation. I sure knew it, but I didn't really care until I was diagnosed with all these crazy things and forced to care. So rather than bore you with statistics, I hope to tempt you with joy. The joy of eating 100+ calorie bread, Ben and Jerry's ice cream rather than Arctic Zero, Swiss slices instead of 35 calorie laughing cow. That's not to say you're an unhealthy person if you enjoy these diet foods once in awhile or that they're not "real" foods. But if diet foods are the only versions you eat or rather the only you're comfortable choosing, I encourage you to keep reading.
"Why are you buying bread when the sorority house has bread stocked 24/7?"
"Um...this way I have some on weekends you know if we run out or something"
I lied, ashamed and unable to tell her the real reason. That I was afraid of the 110 calorie slices covered in seeds and boasting a soft, wheat center. I knew she wouldn't understand if I tried to explain that by eating this bread I could have two pieces (read: anorexia would let me have two pieces) instead of one of the other (read: instead of feeling guilty about having two of the other). Later that evening I passed by the meal our sorority house's chef had made for dinner: Grilled chicken in mushroom sauce with buttered vegetables and roasted potatoes. I proceeded to microwave some egg whites, spread a 35 calorie cheese wedge on a piece of 45 calorie bread, and sandwich it with another. Up in my room I bit into my sandwich and genuinely wondered, "Why would anybody choose 110 calorie bread when they could have one that tastes nearly as good for half the calories?!"
The ugly, sunken-in, lifeless, miserable result of that brand of "logic" |
I found myself thinking the same thing this morning. Just for a split second as I reached for my Rudi's gluten free, multigrain bread. Then I remembered exactly why someone would choose regular bread over low-calorie. - for taste - for a size big enough to hold sandwich fix ins - for a healthy weight - for a healthy relationship with food - to eliminate fear of going out to eat - to eliminate unnecessary chemicals from entering the body - to not be financially supporting an industry that encourages women to hate their bodies - to remind myself that my purpose on this earth is not to lose weight / be thin |
That's not to say I won't order a Skinny Caramel Machiatto once in awhile or buy a pint of Halo Top ice cream. But if I do it's because I like it! Not because I'm afraid of branching out from them or afraid of the higher calorie option.
This post is linked with Fit, Fashionable Friday & Foodie Friday