I couldn‘t imagine life without junk food.
Growing up, every hard-earned penny from my allowance went to buying bags of chips or chocolate bars after school. No matter what I ate, I stayed thin, so I never thought about my junk food habit in terms of it being healthy or not healthy, fattening or not fattening, I just enjoyed it without any strings attached.
At home, my mom always seemed to keep junk food around. Our cupboards were never overflowing with sweets and chips, but my father had a powerful sweet tooth and my mother would make his favorite treat—chocolate cake—often. I remember quite clearly my mom hardly ever bought sugary cereals or soda pop; they were treats to be had at friends’ houses, during the holidays, or on special occasions. And of course that just made my siblings and I want them even more.
But things changed as I got older and I began to reconsider my food choices. By my late teens I became much more body conscious, and thus began the obsessive “Fat Free” phase of my life. The amount of crap that was added to fat-free foods to make them taste good never dawned on me—what really mattered was that they were fat-free. I was still thin (which, frankly, I could attribute to nothing more than genetics) and was determined to keep it that way, so I denied myself any junk that didn‘t come in a fat-free variety.
When I hit my twenties and released myself from my ‘fat-free phase,‘ my relationship with food changed. I thought more about balance, and decided junk food was okay to eat, just notevery day.
Today, having a much better understanding of what I eat, my mindset has changed yet again. It‘s no longer about how much fat is in the junk I eat, but rather the good versus bad ingredients found in my beloved junk food. My philosophy is this: It‘s important to strike a balance between healthy food and junk food. I aim to feed my family as much natural and organic food as possible, but of course it isn‘t always in my control, so for times when I can‘t, like when my kids go to a birthday party where they serve a host of unnatural foods, I turn a blind eye.
While I’m still thin, as I get older, it’s no longer effortless. I exercise regularly, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and enjoy a treat whenever I feel like it (my favorite is a couple of soft chocolate chip cookies!). I hope after reading this book youwill enjoy your junk, too—just be sure to read the labels first.
Unjunk Your Junk Food shows you the best tasting, best-for-you junk food made with healthier ingredients. Check it out here!
