The Crap List

I really can't believe the amount of crap I used to put in my body. There are things I used to eat that I wouldn't dream of eating now. It used to be hot dogs and boxed macaroni and cheese were on the weekly menu. I can remember many nights per week that the husband and I would sit on the sofa chowing down on frozen pizza rolls while watching the tube. Midnight runs to Taco Bell were not uncommon. I've given all that up and I can't imagine turning back. But, there are still a few things that I hold on to that are still considered "crap" and you know what, I'm ok with that. . .for now.

I'm making a crap list. This list contains the current things I still eat that I consider to be poorer choices, but I'm not yet ready to give them up (and not sure I ever will be).

Coffee-Mate non-dairy creamer
I have no idea why I like this stuff, but I do. I know most coffee drinkers would say it ruins their coffee but I've tried other things and I just don't like the taste of anything else. I've tried regular half and half, I've tried fat-free half and half. I've tried mini-moos. I've tried milk (2% and skim). Nothing compares to that highly flammable, highly processed Coffee-Mate non-dairy creamer. I drink quite a bit of coffee so, coffee-mate stays.

Diet Coke
I know it's full of chemicals and artificial stuff. I know it's not good for me. But, I love it. I'm happy to say I've decreased the quantity I drink but I still require at least one diet coke per day. I don't see this going away anytime soon, but perhaps many moons from now I'll look back at this list and think, "wow, I remember when used to drink diet coke like it was water and I haven't had one for years." Until then, I'll take the one per day as a huge improvement.

Margarine
Yes, indeed, I use margarine. I use Brummel and Brown so it is made with yogurt, but nonetheless it still has hydrogenated vegetable oil (but no trans-fat, which I honestly didn't think was possible, hmm) but this means it's the bad stuff. However, the trade off is butter. I don't do butter. Real butter is so terribly high in saturated fat that I'll take my chances with the dab of margarine that I eat. I have greatly decreased what I use this stuff on. I don't use it on veggies, I enjoy those steamed. Once in a while if we have a baked potato I will use it on that or if I have toast. That about sums up my margarine usage, so I think it can stick around.


Sugar Free Red Bull
I don't drink this often but I do drink it when I need a pick me up on like final exams week or weeks where I'm short on sleep. I know this stuff flows down crap road, but alas, I still splurge on it occasionally.

Flavored Yogurts
mmhmm, I know, it's yogurt, why crap? Well, have you looked at the label? The amount of crap needed to make my yogurt taste like carrot cake, boston creme pie, wild berry crumb cake or any other dessert that natural yogurt does not taste like is a laundry list long. Yes, it is a better choice than say, the carrot cake, the boston creme pie, well, you get the idea. But better choice and non-crap are not exclusive. However, this little piece of crap keeps me from splurging on much larger pieces of crap - so it stays in the daily play.

Splenda
Artificial sweetener=chemicals=crap. Right? Probably so. But, I consider my obesity issue a health reason for which I need to avoid refined white sugar added to things like my coffee, tea or cereal. Certainly, I could adapt and learn to consume these things without the added sweetness, but for now, I choose not. I enjoy sweet coffee. I enjoy sweet in my oatmeal. So, for now it stays on the list, all the while I know it's crap. It's just better crap than say. . .the added calories sugar would pile on to these items.

The point of this is, living healthy is not an all or nothing thing. If the majority of our food choices are healthy and our "crap" lists are used in moderation - it's OK. Certainly if human beings ate in a lab and were only fed the best of natural ingredients day in and day out, in the perfect portions, at the perfect times - well we wouldn't exactly be human would we? Of course, unless the lab was air tight and we lived there 24/7, environmental pollutants would still put chemicals into our bodies. The point being, we LIVE! We live to the best of our abilities, trying to reduce as much crap as we can, within our control.

I'm thankful that my crap list is shorter. Can you think of items that you're not willing to give up so you just work them in your healthy diet?