If you didn't have to eat healthy...

[Ms. Chevious]

would you still? I know none of us is forced to eat healthy but let's just say hypothetically that health and diet were NOT connected (this is on my fantasy planet mind you) - that you could eat anything and everything and nothing had health consequences/benefits (though I admit this would suck if you wanted to lose weight and changing your diet wouldn't help!)...would you still choose to eat healthy things? Even if they had no benefit and you felt the same either way?

I can say for sure NO - I would honestly probably never eat another vegetable again (though I do like fruit!), probably never eat dinner again (the ONLY reason I eat dinner is so I can eat dessert - I simply DO NOT get excited about entrees, no matter how good), etc.

Of course here on planet earth I value my health and feel compelled to eat healthy. I make the best of it and don't feel too deprived, finding things I like and treating myself in moderation but for the most part I know I'm eating things I would never choose to eat if health didn't matter.

So I am the only one that feels this way? Would you chuck it all for a big bowl of Lucky Charms and a donut if health/diet weren't connected?

[sneezles]

You just let me know the name of your planet and give the directions and I'm there! :D :D :D

[ebobbitt]

Both of you scoot on over and save a seat for me! Veggies just aren't my thing although I eat them because I have to. I'd live on sweets, chips and dip. Now, is anybody still wondering why I'm going to WW?:rolleyes:

[Jill123]

I probably wouldn't eat AS healthy, but I certainly wouldn't binge on Cheetos and brownies all day.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE junk food, but I also love the wonderful main and side dishes in life -- pasta, enchiladas, market-fresh veggies, and a big ol' juicy steak! And I subscribe to Cooking Light for many reasons, (including DH's high cholesterol) but the main reason is for the satisfaction of being able to make food that's good AND good for you. (What can I say? My father was a health teacher! :D )

[aggie94]

Yes and no. I love fruit, vegetables, and seafood. There are plenty of CL meals that are so good that I'd eat them regardless. But I'd definitely splurge in more of my favorites, like ice cream, cake, french fries, and Cheetos. :)

But honestly, I couldn't eat like that all the time. I just wouldn't have to feel guilty about doing it more often. It'd be more of a mix, I'd say. I can imagine having a bowl of cereal for breakfast (maybe something not-so-great for you, like Froot Loops or Lucky Charms), a burger and fries for lunch, and maybe grilled fish and steamed/roasted veggies for dinner. Followed up by a big piece of chocolate cake. With skim milk. :D

[JennieL]

I actually love veggies, even as I kid I'd order the veggie platter at Howard Johnson's. Of course, on this mythical planet I'd like dessert with every meal. Creme Brulee for breakfast, Tiramisu after lunch and ice cream after dinner, until I can't stand them any more!! If price is no concern, I'd like sushi four or five times a week!

[beckms]

MmmmmmmKentuckyFriedChicken........andBiscuits.... ...:D

[Denise]

I would definatley still eat lots of fruits and veggies as I actually do like them. However every bite of veg would be followed by a bite of chocolate, ice cream, cake .....

[wallycat]

I would definitely splurge more often.
There are some healthy foods that I actually crave...but there are lots of junky foods I crave too!!!!!!
:D ;)

[JackieO]

Hmmm...even I might have to return to earth after a steady diet of cheese and crackers, chip and dip, and WINE, after a while anyway!

Seriously, I don't think I'd fall too far off the healthful wagon, but I sure would indulge in a lot more junk food than I allow myself now!

[Little Bit]

Well, no. Variety is the spice of life. :)

[beacooker]

I wonder if we wouldn't feel differently about veggies if there weren't the 'stigma' of them being good for us attached. My parents forced me to eat my vegetables when I was growing up, and as a result, I didn't really consider whether or not I actually liked them, I just thought of them as the enemy. Now that I am older, I am slowly learning to eat vegetables and enjoy them. Actually, tonight I had beets for the first time since I was a kid, and discovered that they aren't terrible after all. I think that many of our attitudes about what we like/dislike would be different if there wasn't a difference between the nutritional content of foods. Another example I can think of is that I would probably find it easy to resist cake from mixes that people tend to bring into work. I find myself eating them, because they are a 'treat', when in actuality I really hate cakes made from mixes!

[Little Bit]

I think beacooker is right. My parents reared us to believe that vegetables, prepared properly are, in fact, really wonderful.

I feel sure that my parents psyched us into eating/enjoying veggies. My dad, ever the student of history, loves to tell about the way the British Navy managed to get the sailors to eat sauerkraut, once they'd figured out that it helped prevent scurvy, or whatever it was. At first, ONLY the officers were allowed to eat it. Naturally, the sailors felt deprived and demanded the right to eat it. LOL! (Left to their own devices, they'd probably have rejected it.)

With parents who love THAT sort of tale, what chance did I have to wiggle my way out of dinner? :)

(I will note, however, that my mother rather quietly left certain things COMPLETELY out of our diets growing up: Beets, acorn squash and beef liver are the only things that spring to mind at the moment. Hmmm ... :) )

[little_bopeep]

I wanna be mayor on that planet of yours....

[Canice]

This thread is cracking me up!! :p
And the sad answer is no, probably not - much as I'd like to think otherwise. Sweets aren't a real problem for me, but I have a relentless love for dairy products - ugh. Cheese, cream, butter -- I can hardly say no. And rue the day my mother pointed out to me that healthful oatmeal is so much tastier with half-and-half and brown sugar on it! Noooooooo! Please don't kick me off the BB for it, but I'll tell you my very favorite super-quick meal (I'm sure there have been plenty of "true confessions" threads over the years!): Cappellini with a little sauce made of (ducking under my desk as I keyboard) a little butter, a clove of garlic, a splash of half and half. Then tossed with the cappellini, a generous dose of red pepper flakes, a couple of dashes of dried parsley and -- of course -- freshly grated Parmesan. So wrong, I know. But so tasty. :o

[Canice]

This thread is cracking me up!! :p
And the sad answer is no, probably not - much as I'd like to think otherwise. Sweets aren't a real problem for me, but I have a relentless love for dairy products - ugh. Cheese, cream, butter -- I can hardly say no. And rue the day my mother pointed out to me that healthful oatmeal is so much tastier with half-and-half and brown sugar on it! Noooooooo! Please don't kick me off the BB for it, but I'll tell you my very favorite super-quick meal (I'm sure there have been plenty of "true confessions" threads over the years!): Cappellini with a little sauce made of (ducking under my desk as I keyboard) a little butter, a clove of garlic, a splash of half and half. Then tossed with the cappellini, a generous dose of red pepper flakes, a couple of dashes of dried parsley and -- of course -- freshly grated Parmesan. So wrong, I know. But so tasty. :o

[ClaraB]

Actually, in an ideal world, I'd probably eat healthier, because I could get all the farm-fresh, perfect fruits and veggies I wanted - no more mushy, over or underripe produce that's three weeks old. I could eat like it was summer all the time!! Well, I'd probably have fresh strawberry ice cream for dessert :D ...

[Kahlico]

I would probably eat cheese 24/7. Cheese and chocolate. I would still eat fruit because I could eat fruit until the cows come home but I wouldn't eat a lot of vegetables, if any. I really don't eat or miss eating processed junk food such as twinkies and the like. Potato chips hurt my stomach so I don't crave those at all. I would probably stick with my cheese and chocolate, all in one meal.

~Emilie :D

[sneezles]

Originally posted by little_bopeep
I wanna be mayor on that planet of yours....

OK, give us your campaign slogan!

Truth be told, I love certain veggies but eat them because I like them, eat salads because I like them (I like them better when someone else makes them :D ), I don't eat a lot of chocolate (except for about 3 days a month), would rather eat fish than beef, the truth is I eat a more healthful diet because of the information out there but still would like to believe that ignorance is bliss!

[little_bopeep]

Originally posted by sneezles


OK, give us your campaign slogan!



"Life's a buffet...knock yerself out!!" or
"A Psycho Chicken in every pot!" or "Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry...come to think of it, I'm hungry--let's order pizza!"

I'd make such a great candidate... :D

[sneezles]

Originally posted by little_bopeep


"Life's a buffet...knock yerself out!!" or
"A Psycho Chicken in every pot!" or "Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry...come to think of it, I'm hungry--let's order pizza!"

I'd make such a great candidate... :D

Throw in a chocolate Sunday for dessert every night and I'll be your campaign manager (as long as there's glazed donuts in the campaign offices :D )!

[little_bopeep]

We're there, sister! Oh, and one rule during my administration will be that any oatmeal eaten for breakfast must be in the form of big, chewy oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies.

[Jewel]

Originally posted by sneezles
OK, give us your campaign slogan!

Hey! You got chocolate in my peanut butter! But hey! You got peanut butter on my chocolate! :eek:

Yes and no...for the first time in my life I actually enjoy some healthy foods, and can appreciate that feeling of not being all sluggy and bloated. I'm also kinda enjoying the feeling of blood running through my veins instead of the pepperoni grease that used to be there. :rolleyes:

That said, if elected Mayor of Planet PopTart I promise our weekly town meetings will begin with the ritual plunging of the face in the vat of warm chocolate... :p

[workinprogress]

It's not that I dislike fruits, veggies, and whole grains, but I know I'd eat a LOT more cheese and pizza and ice cream on Ms. Chevious' wonderful planet. ;) Gee, I wouldn't even have to hold my breath while driving past the Krispy Kreme... :p

[Chefzhat]

Since Mayor is taken, I'll campaign for Countess of Pasta with Much Heavy Cream. If calories were no object it would be pasta, pasta, pasta 24/7. And none of that "thin noodles with a light lemon sauce" - but wide, fat, fettuccini noodles oozing with cream, pinenuts, and roasted mushrooms.

Now for a campaign slogan . . . .

Debie

[greysangel]

I would give up all the chips in the world to have dinner three times a day :D I just love meals!!

That and p.b and chocolate :o

JeAnne

[AnnaC]

I love veggies/healthy food- I don't ever remember not liking them. Being of Greek background, we were raised with by the ever popular "Mediterranean Diet"- so we always cooked in olive oil (no butter), used lots of veggies, legumes, etc. So I guess when you're exposed to something at an early age, you acquire a taste for it and you learn to love it. I now see it in my 1 1/2 yr old daughter- since she started eating solids I would offer her a variety of healthy stuff to eat- now there isn't a veggies she doesn't like- brocolli ranks up there as one of the top ones! and you would never guess what her all time favorite food is......chickpeas! She calls them balls! hee! hee!

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by ClaraB
Actually, in an ideal world, I'd probably eat healthier, because I could get all the farm-fresh, perfect fruits and veggies I wanted - no more mushy, over or underripe produce that's three weeks old. :D ...

Now THAT is an excellent point! Imagine having wonderful, juicy tomatoes available year round??!!! Or fresh strawberries and blueberries! That would be awesome! :)

I would definitely indulge more often in this world where food has no negative consequences. More pizza, more cheesey baked ziti, more baked goods, and on and on and on...

However, even in the past when I have pretty much eaten whatever I wanted (in another life ;) ) I eventually came around to craving more nutritious foods. I guess my body just cried out for something healthy once in a while. So, I think I'd still be eating the good stuff too.