Dear Reader,

I am not usually one to “quit” foods, as my general philosophy is that no food should be off-limits. Rules of deprivation tend to make people more anxious and fearful of making healthful choices, than to help establish any long-term or sustainable living habits.

But there are five foods that I have quit — or only enjoy very rarely — for no other reason than that it has transformed my health for the better, and made my life so much happier:

1. Soda
2. Potato chips
3. Crackers and pretzels
4. Candy bars (the exception is dark chocolate)
5. Plain cereal

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What do all these foods have in common that other food doesn’t?

It is not so much that these foods are the unhealthiest kinds of food to exist, as I can think of many more decadent and deep-fried foods that have much more sugar, sodium, or fat. Yet why would I have cereal on my quit list, but fail to list donuts? Why are crackers and pretzels listed, but not french fries?

There is solid reasoning behind these choices, but I’m looking at something more psychological than calorie count. For no matter how much information we receive about the health effects of deep-fried foods or the dangers of sugar, the solution to building a sustainable and healthy lifestyle is not in a food pyramid or MyPlate infographic — the core problem was never really a lack of information — but our environment, our experiences, and our emotions tied with food.

The core problem was never really a lack of information — but our environment, our experiences, and our emotions tied with food.

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The 4 things to look out for in foods to avoid

I have seen more people gain weight picking up a light soda habit than I have people who regularly eat baked goods. But the difference is not whether soda is worse for you than cookies, or if the kind of sugar used in soda is worse than the kinds found in pastries, but in fact lies in four factors:

Non-filling, but calorie-dense.

There are just some foods that we feel like we can “eat forever”. Tasty yet light in volume, they usually never let us feel those important cues of fullness.

Ever notice how you can probably finish a box of dry corn flakes in one sitting if given the chance, but if you were to have it with yogurt or fruit, you would probably struggle to have more than two servings?

Processed food is not necessarily dangerous in itself, but when foods are manufactured to have a perfectly designed balance of flavor and satisfaction, this combination leaves us reaching for more without any clear sign of when to stop.

Watch out for foods that pack as many calories as a small meal, but won’t weigh half as much as a pencil.

Emotional reliance

It is normal to want to eat when we feel sad, especially foods that are tied to pleasant or loving memories, and are known to bring us comfort. Maybe it was a snack that your mother would always put in a lunch box as a child, or a treat that you’d look forward to after school. Whatever it may be, food is not just fuel, but it is closely tied to our emotions and memories, which we need to consider when making healthful choices for ourselves.

The need for comfort eating is instinctual and unrooted in anything rational, but that doesn’t mean the need we feel isn’t real. The problem with this kind of emotional dependency however, especially with foods that are non-filling and calorie-dense, is that it finds us in vulnerable moments when we are not in a position for great self-control. When we are not in a position to be mindful, the last thing we need is something we feel too emotionally attached to.

This doesn't mean we can't ever enjoy a cathartic snack (read more on my take on cathartic snacking), and enjoying something "bad" will never make you a bad person, but a little mindfulness can go a long way in how we self-soothe and look after ourselves.

A flat experience

The foods I listed earlier are often wrapped, shelf-stable, and require no preparation to eat. You don’t even need a plate or utensil — you can start eating it straight out of the packaging with your hands. But sometimes when food is too accessible, it can make us prone towards endless eating.

Things like cake or fries are not the best for my health, but there is a process involved if I want to enjoy it — I can’t just store it in my pantry for a month, I need to put it on a plate of some sort, and it needs to be chilled or warmed up beforehand.

Small steps, but enough to encourage me to slow down and experience the eating rather than munch without thought, for I’d be willing to sit down at the dining table for chocolate cake but it would be difficult to say the same for a candy bar.

Little joy

We may be encouraged to believe that a bowl of pretzels or potato chips can bring us joy, but when we really think about it — how many memorable moments are there with these foods? I will love and remember a beautiful, high-quality bar of artisanal dark chocolate, but with a Snickers bar, I may only really think about how I scarfed it down on a road trip one time because I didn’t have enough time for lunch.

There exists higher-quality and better versions of all the foods I had listed on my quit list — I would prefer to have crispy golden hot fries than flat room-temperature potato chips — and so it is much more helpful to focus on maximizing joy and enjoying something filling, than it is to munch away on pleasure-less snacks.

When given the opportunity, choose to indulge in something that brings satisfaction.

The foods I quit forever which made my life so much happier

I don’t think we need to be going through life avoiding unhealthy foods all the time. Yet while I believe in the general principle that no food should be off-limits, we should be thinking in terms of balance, and if there exists a food in your life that throws you off this balance, then maybe we should take a moment to consider its impact on our wellbeing.

Food is closely tied to our psychology, and to build a healthy and sustainable lifestyle it is necessary to think beyond the science and take a look at what makes us human. It is from this point that we are able to make decisions that make our lifestyles healthier and happier — and you’ll find that you never miss those foods you quit again.

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What narratives around food growing up have influenced your relationship with it?

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Warmly,

Kaki
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