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This is a big one for many of us. Probably the most beneficial perception shift you can have is to stop perceiving junk food as food at all.
There are two big components to this:
  1. "Cheap"/"affordable" foods are neither cheap nor affordable if they are bad for your health. They are pure waste. Whatever you're currently spending on foods you don't think you should be eating can be reallocated to foods you do think you should be eating and it's wiser expenditure regardless of how expensive the new foods are.
  2. When you're looking for something convenient, it's better to eat nothing than to eat something bad. Again, junk food isn't food. Eating it because you're hungry isn't helping anything. You didn't satisfy any nutritional requirements, so you still need to eat the same amount later. On the other hand, fasting is good for you, so just do that until you find something that is food. Also, the first point applies here: instead of eating a lot of garbage, it would be better to spend the same amount on a small portion of food.
I was inspired to write this because I was proud of myself for putting back a package of discounted double chocolate chip muffins this morning and just getting a dark chocolate bar instead.
I keep telling my wife junk food is a double negative, but added not multiplied. You waste money and it is bad for you.
But she wants to fatten me up before swimsuit season. Classic mate guarding.
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Apparently, this is a thing amongst the women. My wife just responded with "Smart woman. Research shows that marriages are happier when the man's fatter than the wife. That's my strategy."
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What research? Cosmopolitan?
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Might not even be at that standard.
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Haha I was joking but maybe it's actually a thing.
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I asked why she isn't baking me cookies then and she whacked me with a stack of kids markers.
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My wife made cookies last week with the logic "at least they aren't as bad as the brownies".
I only had 2. I was proud of myself. My son ate most of them, which is ok because chocolate chip cookies is the only sweets or junk he likes.
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She is worried about other women targeting you lol
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Food?
I ask because recently I opted for one of these (instead of smoking another cigarette) when I was out and didn't have the time to stop and eat something proper.
Judge me, idc
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I don't want to make those determinations for people. We each have our own notions of what is and isn't junk. I'm just saying that you should stop even perceiving your "junk" as food.
I would say in this case it's not really important, because the point isn't nutrition. You're trying to substitute away from a bad habit. All that matters is that the substitute isn't worse.
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In this case I think it was both. I needed sustenance but I'm also aware that it's full of crap and not my number 1 choice.
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On the sustenance point, I'd suggest you consider this post, then. If you don't think it's adding to your health, don't think of it as food. It's fine to be a little hungry from time to time.
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don't think of it as food.
Thats where I disagree. In a food desert where nutritious options are scarce to nil, junk is sustentance.
Disadvantaged people cannot just fast until it becomes economically feasible for them to shop at Whole Foods.
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You're totally missing my point, then. Junk food is not sustenance, because it does not meet nutrient requirements. It's excess calories and harmful additives.
"Food deserts" sell crap, because that's what the locals buy. If the locals bought healthy food, that's what would be available. You don't have to shop at Whole Foods to get something with nutritional content.
I've been very poor before and I bought and cooked beans and produce from the grocery store, because it was cheaper than buying prepared foods. The cheapest foods are beans, rice, and root vegetables. Boil them in a pot and eat a cheap healthy meal.
Whole Foods is overpriced and overrated
Water curbs hunger. Sometimes your body confuses thirst with hunger and vice versa
35 sats \ 1 reply \ @ek 29 Mar
On the other hand, fasting is good for you
An interesting observation that I made is that intermittent fasting is not only good as you mentioned, it also helps me to focus on healthy food. The more I limit the time I can eat per day, the more it's obvious that what I eat matters. So naturally I don't want to waste this precious time with junk food.
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I noticed this, too. When I was being really deliberate about fasting, last month, I was less tempted to eat snacks during my eating window than I expected. I mostly just wanted to eat large quantities of healthy foods.
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I have a weakness for junk food. I needed to hear this :\
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It’s about moderation and balance
Are you going to give up pizza and ice cream?
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The point isn’t to not consume things you like. I’m saying that if you do eat junk food, you should think of it as something that you’re just doing for enjoyment.
Decouple being hungry and eating unhealthy stuff.
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Good advice
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You should never be sedentary
You should always be moving unless sleeping
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That's a good idea to remember. Not eating it, better than eating junk. It makes sense. I use to say we are what we eat. I don't want to be junk. ;)
My guess is that quality food is going to become more and more expensive. Health and wealth.
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I actually adapted this insight from a vegan saying something similar about how they avoid craving animal products.
Affordability of healthy food could go either way. Organic food is actually much more expensive than it would be if it were more popular. That's because all of the existing food infrastructure is for cheaply delivering non-organic foods and organic has to have it's own parallel infrastructure since it can't be mixed with the other foods.
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27 sats \ 1 reply \ @quark 29 Mar
As a vegan,(well almost vegan because the organic eggs from my ladies lovely hens are too good ;) I may be lucky that I barely remember last time I ate meat when I was a child. So no craving.
Organic should be more popular and less expensive as a consequence. But I've been hoping for that all my life and it doesn't seem to happen. Now I think if all good would be organic, we would not be able to feed the entire population. That's why my pessimistic message about good food being more and more expensive. I don't know. I've been very pessimistic lately.
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We'll see if MAHA leads to any surge in organic demand. I hope it will.
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Insight from a vegan? That’s like saying I have a unicorn as my service animal
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Sometimes it pays off when you don't completely dismiss everyone you disagree.
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At least I didn’t vandalize your car or property
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Neither did any vegans
"Cheap"/"affordable" foods are neither cheap nor affordable if they are bad for your health. They are pure waste.
<3
You pay for health now, or you pay with illness later!

also:
I was proud of myself for putting back a package of discounted double chocolate chip muffins this morning and just getting a dark chocolate bar instead.
THE SMALL VICTORIES, MY DUDE
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The single instance is a small victory, but doing it at all is a big one.
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A muffin is very filling lol
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Briefly, but thankfully there are three others.
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"Cheap"/"affordable" foods are neither cheap nor affordable if they are bad for your health. They are pure waste.
I don't agree. When you come to India and eat the traditional recipies (often people call them hunk food), they are all delectable, cheap and healthy.
When I first started teaching my lunch for years has been kadhi Kachori or Samosas. TBH I never had any medical or non medical issues due to eating them for years. I think saying every street food/quick recipe suggests a narrow perception about food. Food prepared with quality and fresh ingredients is never bad for health.
However I agree if you can't find/afford quality food, it's better to stay hungry.
In my opinion any good can be considered junk food if it lacks freshness, hygiene and quality.
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There might be a linguistic difference here.
I’m not saying that inexpensive foods are bad. People often describe junk food as being “cheap” or “affordable” and I’m saying that those are inappropriate descriptions because junk food is an excess expenditure. It’s not a substitute for healthy food.
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23 sats \ 1 reply \ @398ja 30 Mar
Great observations. Your second point is💡
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It’s true sometimes the healthiest option is to not eat at all
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