11 Reasons To Indulge In Your Favorite Foods

If you do a quick Google search of something along the lines of “tips for losing weight,” most of what you’ll see is everything you can’t eat and that’s no fun! In fact, constantly thinking about what you “can’t” eat or do may actually hinder your progress.

“Have you ever heard of the French Paradox? How does the capital of decadent food only manage to have half the obesity rate of the United States and manage to stay so slim and healthy?  The answer is not the deprivation of foods, it is simply eating less of a good thing,” says Eric Paul Meredith, a Chicago-based registered dietitian, chef and founder of Health Heroes.

According to Meredith, “Many people think that eating healthy means they have to deprive themselves of some of their favorite foods, which is definitely not the case. Depriving yourself of your favorite foods can generally only lead to unhealthy thoughts and habits.”

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I decided to switch things up and give you 11 reasons why you should go ahead and eat that glazed doughnut, ice cream, blueberry muffin, hamburger and fries (not all in one day, of course!) and whatever else your taste buds desire every now and then.

1. Life is short.
2. Because it tastes amazing.

1. There’s always tomorrow to work off that slice of cheesecake or peach cobbler.
2. You work your fingers to the bone every single day, run after the kids (and sometimes your spouse), put dinner on the table and still manage to keep it all together – honey, you deserve it!
3. If you deprive yourself of eating a small (the key word here is “small”) amount of what you want when you want it, then you’re more likely to overindulge later in the day and you don’t want that.
4. Because one chocolate chip cookie is not going to hurt you. Trust me on this one, OK?
5. Certain sweets like dark chocolate (and even milk chocolate) can actually be good for you.
6. It can help put an end to your cravings…for today at least!
7. Because you finally lost those pesky 10 pounds, because you recently got promoted, because you had a great first date – I think you get the idea!
8. Makes losing weight a little easier because you’ll be more motivated to eat healthy during the week if you can look forward to having a slice (or two) of pizza on the weekends.
9. Did I mention that life is short?

Meredith’s expert advice is simple: “You should eat a wide variety of healthy and wholesome foods the majority of the time, but you should also never deprive yourself of a few decadent treats every now and then.”

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Oh, and don’t forget: a healthy diet should also be complemented by physical activity!