Why Do We Always Crave Foods That Are Bad For Us?

The thing is..I stop eating one "bad" food and go onto another one. I shall give you an example. I told John to stop buying me sweets, especially Fruitburst chews which I can become addicted to if I'm let loose on them. He does buy other sweets but not every single day so, obviously, I don't eat as many lol. Now, I have "discovered" a new crisp (chip) and they are called XL Cheese by Golden Wonder. Before this I only ate Walkers but I was noticing how greasy they were..and Golden Wonder's are much better taste-wise. Don't get me wrong, I don't eat loads of packs a day..it's just I thought I was getting somewhere with the sweets and now this with the crisps. I could ask John to stop buying them but he would bring stuff in for himself (like more pies, etc) so I don't like being left out. I realise this is stupid but I've already cut down on the booze (twice a week instead of nightly) so I tend to eat more now. Ironically, the booze is pilsner lager which doesn't have sugar in it. I don't want to turn into an "alky" either. If we went out now and again (at night) I wouldn't have these cravings. I guess it's boredom! Also, if there was decent stuff on the telly I wouldn't eat either as I don't eat when watching it..only when I'm on the computer. What a strange soul I am lol.

Its very good that you live a healthy lifestyle and you tend to eat healthy food and yes if the bad or junk food is available easily we tend to eat more and if is not then we won't eat that junk food.A very good idea.

I tend to be a person who craves the savory and creamy foods. My younger sister once commented that the reason our brother and I had a harder time with our weight is because he and I prefer mayonaise type dressings and she loved mustard.I like mayo and tomatoes as a sandwich. She would eat yellow mustard on bread. I think it is the texture that does it for me as well as the taste. Interesting tip I have read recently is to spread hummus where you would like to put mayo. I also am trying and enjoying a wide variety of mustards now.

mmm, i do like mustard, too, I admit I'm a mayo person as well, hehehe

Perversely, I am hungry now which defeats the object! Nah, seriously though, you guys talk a lot of sense and Masihi..don't think you're rambling..you're not as I was genuinely interested in what you had to say. I can tell you have done a lot of research and that's to be welcomed. Is it true that if we chew and savour our food for longer, that can help too? I tend to be a fairly fast eater (for a woman anyway) but John hoovers up his food and I'm glad he doesn't sit at the table. Actually, maybe he should because he'd put me off mine! My Mum is a very slow eater and she's rarely overweight but there again she has a physical job and she's always on the go at home, otherwise (she says) she can't sleep!! My Dad is overweight but that's booze related. He hardly eats anything at all..has extremely small portions. My brother is at an ideal weight because he has a physical job too. His son is overweight because he's out of work (like me) but DOES want to work. John is annoying in the fact he hardly ever puts weight on although he doesn't have the same sweet tooth I have..mainly savoury I would say. I've also read that sandwiches can be more fattening than take-away burgers due to all the fillings these shops insist on putting in them. I can honestly say I've never bought anything from Subway and I might try to twist John's arm in buying some ace bread (I love those soft croissants with bits on them) and see where it leads! John loves mustard but only English, never French!

What do you do at night-time? This is the worsed time for me.

I do just about the same thing at night, but sometimes I chew gum. I think sometimes I just want something in my mouth.

Eat some fruits! (in a non-ridiculous quantity) And yeah, water suppresses appetite and has zero calories! (as long as it's simple water and not sugar flavored :P).

Hi guys, thanks for that. Masihi, what's stevia?

Hmmm...that sounds like a lovely idea, I'll try that as well. I have powdered stevia so I'll also try apple with cinnamon stevia as well.

I have just always kept baking supplies/ingredients on hand. I suppose if I had to get them all at one time, it would be expensive. As it is I just have to restock one or two items at a time. I nixed the ricotta pie and mixed up some zucchini bread batter for two loaves. I'll give one of them away. Just got about 30 more minutes to go. When my loaf is gone, I may opt for the pie then. I stay right around 125# year round. Since I was so ill three years ago, I don't seem to have too much trouble staying below 130#. I only eat once or twice a day (not counting a few snacks here and there).

I really need to see a pic of your baking accomplishments! Yes, you hit the nail on the head; I don't have the ingredients to hand which is why it would be expensive to stock up, so to speak. Proper cooks stock up as they go along but I just have the basics and that's it. At least I don't eat TV dinners though..I'm not that bad!

I love apple pie or apple crumble, both of which I have made. Unfortunately, it's very expensive for the ingredients for baking. I know this is a poor excuse on my part but it would take "an arm and a leg" to stock up on stuff I would need..and we end up whizzing through the aisle in the supermarket without picking anything up! Compared to my formative years, I am overweight, no doubts about that. However, it makes no difference if the food is good for me or not, the result is the same..."excess blubber" lol. My husband can eat and drink what he likes but only puts weight on in the winter when he's out boozing whilst playing billiards or snooker..then it all comes off in summer. This is frustrating as my weight seems to stagnate and I'm not getting any fatter but there again, I'm not getting any thinner either! Life's a b*tch lol.

LOL it would want to be a very nice salad for a fiver. All you can eat salad for a fiver in a pizza place! Amazing

Hahaha! Mum was telling me on the telephone to go and try the salad bar in Pizza Hut as it's "free." Well, I checked the website and it ISN'T free at all..you have to pay a fiver before you can make unlimited pit stops to the salad bar. Damn cheek..oh, and mine's a boring Margherita thanks!

Erm...let's see.... NOPE!!

Thanks for that!

Fortunately, I don't crave salami..ever lol.

Are you saying that everybody who eats meat has parasites in their bowel? I'm shocked! So how come veggies don't have them, I don't understand.

Sorry Janey, should have expanded on that point more. Cultivated vegetables usually have much fewer parasites on them by the time they reach us than does irrigated / non-irrigated grass that sheep, cattle, etc eat - amongst other things. Sheep & cattle in particular eat a lot of grass in their lifetime which contain these parasites. These parasites are concentrated in the animal's flesh & fat that people then eat. Cooking does not kill them or even stop them from breeding, so they arrive on our plates loaded with these parasites in all stages from egg to larvae to adult. Rawbill1 has some lovely YouTube videos of the process demonstrated with before & after cooking close-up videos of bacon. I guess everyone is different, so some who eat meat will have more parasites than others, even some vegans will still have some. Certain herbs will eliminate certain parasites, as will certain fruits & certain vegetables. Other types of fruit & veg will also just encourage the parasites to grow & breed. The slow, but cheaper way to eliminate these parasites is to stick to a well-balanced plant-based diet for as long as possible. Alternatively, there are health centres, resorts & spas popping up all over Europe & the US that hook you up to a machine that flushes them out of you with purified water. I've had it done to me here & it's not very expensive, it's painless & you get to see the results! Hope this helps.

Is it true that China is become more westernised in its food choices? For example, rice has become less popular and being replaced by meat? I hope not because you're all gonna put loads of weight on if that's the case. You don't want to be like westerners!

Rice is still our daily staple food.Foods at sidewalk snack booth are mainly barbecue and spicy foods which suit young man taste very much.

Yes, it's like we only have chips (fries) once a week from our local fish and chip shop, so we don't eat greasy food prepared in the house. However, we use the grill occassionally as it's a really good one and cooks stuff like bacon to perfection. Fortunately, we don't eat that a lot either but..can you feel your mouth watering thinking about the smell?

Well,now that you mentioned it I can't even concentrate on Mylot when I think about a grill!

You've sussed me out already..I'm like that and you're right, BAD foods always looks more appealing than foods that are supposed to be good for us. I wish it were the other way round!

Even i wonder sometimes why all the junk and the bad foods are unhealthy and why can they not be healthy or for some reason i even think why are the healthy food not rich in taste?

Yes, you're right there. Junk food is still way cheaper (and easier to get around here, to be honest) than the healthier options. If the shop round the corner from us started stocking up on apples instead of sweets they'd get no-one in the shop so they stock the junk because people want it.

Haha! Good answer Trumpy boy lol.

I know what you mean. It's so hard training ourselves to eat healthier, especially when the bad foods are everywhere we look! We did buy 4 apples a few days agao. I reckon we should've bought more as I could eat those whenever I want something sweet. I shall mention it to hubby when he comes in..it's time to stock up on apples!

I'm like you, I can't eat when it's hot either! It's sunny here at the moment but only 14 degrees C! Don't tempt me about moving to Spain..the idea seems more appealing day by day.

Awww..I've never heard of that before..good foods not agreeing with someone. Must be hard to take.

You do have a point!

Unfortunately..lol.