Splurging: the act of indulging oneself. This can be spending money on something luxurious or taking a break on one’s diet or health to consume something out of the ordinary or unhealthy. Guess which type of splurging we are going to talk about today?
If you guessed diet splurging, then you are correct. Splurging on chocolate cake, a big piece of steak or a milkshake can be detrimental to your diet. Not just because of the upshift in calories or the addition of certain artery clogging fats, but because it represents a mental let-down in your judgment.
When you splurge on the bad stuff, you lose sight of your goal. Most often, these splurges occur when you are overly busy, stressed or feel like rewarding yourself for a good day’s work, an accomplishment or a milestone. This, however, is bad.
Why do you mentally consider a piece of cake a reward, when it is nothing but a punishment to your body? Why is that a juicy steak is considered a break from the rigors of your diet, when it makes your body work overtime to break down the animal fats?
The answer is certainly, “Mind over matter,” just not in a good way. For years, you have mentally associated cake with a celebration, think birthdays, weddings, graduations. For decades, advertising has told you that after a day’s work, there’s nothing better than a tender piece of beef. We have been conditioned to make these associations.
When you drive by McDonald’s you think, “MMM, those fries smell delicious,” when it should really be something more like, “Wow, you can smell the processed food and trans fat from all the way over here.” But we don’t do that, well, at least not all of us.
Splurging is all mental. It is an attempt to satisfy a craving. So rather than telling you to overcome your own mental compulsions, we are saying, “Trick yourself.”
How do you do that? Here are a few ideas that will help you satisfy your cravings, while also changing your bad habits.
If you have a craving for chocolate, have a glass of low-fat chocolate almond milk. The rich, chocolatey taste of– we suggest– Silk almond milk should be enough to quell any push for a Great Wall of Chocolate from P.F. Chang’s.
Is your sweet tooth calling for candy? Try the little clementine oranges called “Cuties.” We’ve told you about them before, but in case you didn’t listen, here’s the scoop: they are overly sweet, a little bit sticky, and absolutely good for you. Grab a few for a no guilt after dinner dessert or between meal snack.
We have no suggestion for stopping you from eating meat other than asking you to Google the effects that meat consumption has on not just your body, but the global environment as a whole.
Ice cream? We have you covered. Almost always carried at grocery stores nationwide, almond/coconut milk yogurt mixed with a few of your favorite berries creates a luscious dessert that won’t pack on the pounds.
The point in all of these substitutes is not to lie to yourself. You want the real thing, sure, but you have the strength to avoid their pitfalls for your health, while still getting the satisfaction of enjoying our healthy helpers.
Do your body a favor and health-ify your cravings.
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