I’ve finally given up “fake food” for good. I hope.

I’ve vowed before to give up fake food. It was one of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2007, in fact.

But I fell off the wagon pretty quick. I did manage to give up the fakest of fake foods, my beloved Nutritious Creations chocolate-chip cookies.

Nevertheless, I was still eating tons of “food” that came in crinkly packages from corner delis. One-serving packages of Apple Jacks or Sugar Pops, Snackwell’s cookies, Nutrigrain bars…I didn’t kid myself that this “food” was healthy, but I ate a lot of it.

Somehow, reading Gary Taubes’s Good Calories, Bad Calories a few weeks ago finally convinced me to stop, cold turkey. And I haven’t had fake food in three weeks.

I know myself well enough to know that I had to give up all fake food, cold turkey. I’m in the same camp as Samuel Johnson, who remarked, “Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.”

Now, to be honest, I don’t consider diet soda a “fake food.” And I still eat Tasti-D-Lite, the yummy frozen “yoghurt” treat. And I use tons of artificial sweetener. I still eat candy and other sweets. But no more crinkly packages.

I haven’t noticed any change in my body. I haven’t lost weight, I don’t have more energy, I’m not any more or less hungry.

But I feel much HAPPIER. I hadn’t realized that I got a prick of conscience every time I bought those items that I knew had no nutritional value and that I was substituting for healthy food. Or when I read an article about the importance of eating right. Or when I reflected on what I’d eaten in a particular day.

The First Splendid Truth holds that to think about happiness, we must think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth.

My bad eating habits were giving me a lot of “feeling bad.” Now those bad feelings have been removed. Such a relief.

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One subject that fascinates me is the presentation of information. The way that you shape and display information makes a huge difference to the way it is received. So a place I like to visit is Presentation Zen. I'm slowly working my way through the recommended reading list, as well.

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Comments

[EAC]

"Your intention is only as strong as your ability to remember it in the moment"

I heard this recently, and it really resonated with me. I have so many good intentions regarding healthy eating, but too often I foget them in the moment that matters: when faced with unhealthy, processed junk.

It's so funny how hard it is for us to continuously, uninterruptedly remember what's best for us!

[Taylor @ ImprovLifestyle]

"Now, to be honest, I don’t consider diet soda a 'fake food.' And I still eat Tasti-D-Lite, the yummy frozen “yoghurt” treat. And I use tons of artificial sweetener. I still eat candy and other sweets. But no more crinkly packages."

I've been away from fake food for years. And I'm telling you: cut out "chemical" food as well. Diet Sodas and Artificial sweeteners are evil. There are some great alternatives to artificial sweeteners: xylitol, and a root that I forget about.. they both avoid sugar, and add a sweet flavor.

If you see those chemical foods as rewards, you're in a better class than regularly using them.

After going off of processed foods and chemicals, I feel GREAT, and I hardly ever get sick. Mind you, I also am a health nut...

But good for you. This is a great step.

[Ella]

Okay, you inspired me. I was in a terrible mood and, after reading this post, decided to tackle an annoying work-related task that I'd been procrastinating about all week. Of course, it took 15 minutes. (Don't all such things take 15 minutes?) I feel much happier. I need to get on this removing-sources-of-feeling-bad train.

[stephanerd]

Oh lordy, I was going good with this for awhile, but then I began to creep back into the danger zone when I started going to the Jack's 99-cent store around the corner from my office. Fluffy Stuff and Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies were the biggest culprits.

::sigh:: You're so right, though. That little pinprick of guilt makes me feel gross after every single binge.

[Kelly]

I love your blog, Gretchen, and that Samuel Johnson quote is one I can relate to well.

Great for you for giving up "crinkly" packages. I'd like to do the same. I'm with Taylor, though, who encourages you to give up the sodas and the sweeteners. Sodas are horrible for you, particularly diet sodas. Did you know there's a real link between diet sodas and diabetes? That means something is not right with the artificial sweeteners and how they work with our bodies.

[Michael Melcher]

I just read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "Mindless Eating" (the latter on your recommendation), both of which were fascinating, disturbing and inspirational in different ways.

My main discovery was how artificial our eating and purchasing habits have become over the past 30 years, and how a huge amount of this is related to agricultural policies that encourage the over-production of corn ... which is then used in animal feed (thereby turning grass-feeding cows into enslaved factory farmed animals needing antibiotics to digest their food and survive the muck they live in), and as far as people go, the insertion of high-fructose corn syrup into everything. I didn't realize that Coke used to actually be made from sugar, whereas now its from high-fructose corn syrup, which has all sorts of negatives associated with it.

So my current avoiding-fake-food policy is avoiding high-fructose corn syrup. Sugar, fine. But HFCS, no thanks. It's amazing how this simplifies shopping. (This by the way is why I am fine drinking diet Coke but would never touch the regular stuff.)

[Alex C.]

I work at an animal shelter. When I first started as an employee there, I was a big meat-eater. However, I became increasingly uncomfortable with the contradiction between taking care of dogs and cats on the one hand, versus eating cows, pigs, and chickens on the other hand. It just didn't make sense -- it was illogical. And it was inhumane.

I've been a vegan for three years now. I don't eat animals, and I don't wear them (my belt and shoes are fake leather). It makes me happy to think that I am not contributing to animal cruelty or exploitation. If I accomplish nothing else during a day, at least I haven't caused any direct harm to sentient creatures.

Sorry if this sounds preachy, but it's something that I'm passionate about.

[Albert]

Heya, just wanted to say I love this blog. Just came across it, but an entire blog dedicated to happiness is awesome. My goal is very similar, to explore everything possible in finding happiness. Thanks for the additional voice.

Cheers,
Albert | UrbanMonk.Net

[Aman Batra]

Gretchen,

Avoid the artificial sweetners. They do more harm to your body than sugar ever could. Either use real sugar and use less of it to save calorie intake. Or try no sugar if you're very particular about not having sugar.

I see other people have commented on the same thing with a lot of technical details and information. I just wanted to tell you plain and simple. :)

By the way , you have an amazing blog and i promise you it inspires us all to be happy. Thanks a lot!

[KCCC]

I've gotten really serious about "faux foods" (my term) and find that I'm MUCH happier. I won't say I'm 100%, but I do think "real food" constitutes most of my diet, and I keep trying to improve on that.

In a similar vein, having better treats less often make me MUCH happier. Sounds contradictory, but it's true.

I still eat sweets, but I home-bake them, or buy high-end bakery stuff that is made from real ingredients. THAT will make you turn up your nose at the fake stuff pretty quickly!

And since I'm following the No-S diet, sweets are weekend treats, or special days. That's really good for me, since I can spiral into sugar addiction rapidly.

Okay, I've hijacked this and made it "all about me" - just wanted to say "you go, girl!"

(PS - I do agree with other posters about soda... but give yourself a pat on the back for the "crinkly packages" and face that one when you're ready.)

[Alicia]

Does this include Pirate's Booty? It has cheese in it which is "natural" and popcorn...

[EAC]

Re: Pirate's Booty - if you have to ask...

:)
I have been following a diet policy based on that line - i.e., if I have to ask myself, or convince myself it somehow fits, or anything of the sort, then I'm better off just leaving it alone.

[Ann Teliczan]

Your blog makes me happy... but I think you'd be happier if you cut out both sugar and the fake sweeteners too. I recently cut both out and only use honey now (sparingly). Within a few days I noticed a big improvement in my concentration, energy and mood.

[Gretchen Rubin]

Well, I have to say, Diet Coke (and Fresca, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Tab) are among the joys of my life. Maybe one of these days I'll try to get off the artificial sweetener...but for now, just not eating Apple Jacks is a step forward!

[Christy]

Congratulations for taking the first step to giving up fake foods. It can take a long time to get them all out of your diet, and it's great that you recognize that some of your bad eating habits were contributing to your bad feelings.

I was a diet coke addict for years, but once I finally gave it up I noticed a huge difference in my health - especially my moods and energy levels. I've never gone back.

Keep up the good work.

[Shira79]

Hey Gretchen!

Your post has been CPP'd! Hope to raise the awareness of others to your blog on my new site.

[sld]

Good for you! Too often I find myself playing the pro/con game of buying fast food as I get off the freeway on a rainy cold night, grouchy from a bad day at work and not in the mood to prepare dinner. It's tough work driving past the promise of a warm, greasy meal that provides immediate gratification (but always a feeling of deep regret afterward), versus going home to a cold stove and having to spend time preparing something infinitely healthier... but every time that I don't stop (and I stop rarely) feels like a victory and even though I'm still tired, grouchy and cold -- I'm not beating myself up over having succumbed to instant gratification and having given up another bit of my health to these nutritional wastelands.
Stay strong! :-)

[Mary]

Hi Gretchen,

I'm really enjoying getting these emails, and they always give me food for thought. With 9- and 5-year old kids at home, we are guilty of buying granola bars or those string cheese tubes for after-school snacks when the kids have sports and other activities, and I never really considered them that bad, just a convenience food when they're en route and a pbj might be messy. But I'm curious how you can possibly justify diet soda as NOT a fake food. Really?

I'm not saying this to sound morally superior; I have a serious coffee habit, and would never give it up. The smell of good coffee in the morning is one of my great pleasures. So I surely wouldn't rag on you about one of your pleasures. But for heaven's sake, own up and call a fake a fake! And I hope you continue to enjoy it with no guilt attached.