What proportion of daily calories would you guess the average American “spends” on “grain-based desserts” (cookies, sweet rolls, pastries, donuts, cakes, pies, cobblers, etc)?
Grain-based desserts are actually the leading source of calories in the average American diet for all people over age two! Yikes, no kidding! They are also a leading source of solid (saturated) fats, sugar and refined grains (three things we eat too much of).[i]
There are two notable takeaways from these facts:
- If these “indulgence” calories were done away with we would see significant drops in overweight and obesity.
- The overall quality of the average American’s diet leaves us overfed and undernourished. That’s because we can not get enough of many nutrients when significant chunks of the calories we eat are spent on low-nutrient/high-calorie choices.
It’s no wonder that more than half of us don’t get enough magnesium, only about 40% of us get enough vitamin A, and only around 33% of us get enough vitamin C, etc., etc.[ii]
What do you think an appropriate amount of these kinds of (dessert and treat type) foods in your diet is? A good rule of thumb is not more than 10% of your daily calories should go to an “indulgences” budget.
For example, a women who needs 1,800-calories per day would have an 180-calorie per day (or 1,260-calories per week) in an indulgences budget. A man who needs 2,400-calories per day would have a 240-calorie per day (or 1,680-calories per week) indulgences budget. [See calorie budgets for weight maintenance, or for weight loss.]
It strikes me that what many of us need however, is a paradigm shift in how we think about food indulgences. Brain research of late indicates that the more we eat a “treat” the less enjoyment we derive from it. Like a drug addict, some of us eat more and more (unconsciously) seeking the pleasure level they used to experience.
There’s also the problem that culturally we’ve kind of thrown out any rules around eating—it’s pretty much considered normal to eat anytime anywhere these days. People who follow a 3-meals and 2-3 snacks per day pattern (a structure to eating that used to be the norm) tend to eat better quality diets. This is something successful losers usually figure out on their road to success.
The Bottom Line: Indulgences will be enjoyed more if you have fewer of them!
Actionable Advice: Replace some indulgences with healthy foods that you need more of. For instance: try things like apple slices with some nut butter, low-fat vanilla yogurt with berries, or whole-grain crackers with hummus. Do set aside an appropriate indulgences budget for the treats that you enjoy the most, and enjoy them!
All the best,
Dorene
[i] Food Surveys Research Group NHANES 2007-08
[ii] What We Eat in America