"Wait... so, you're majoring in nutrition, but you're eating THAT?!"
Yes, and it's delicious.
It blows my mind every time someone comes off with something like, "You shouldn't be eating that, you're supposed to be healthy," or "you know, pizza isn't good for you." Yes, it may not be the most "nutritious" thing for me to put in my belly, but I enjoy it. And in all honestly? It's healthy for a person to treat themselves to a nice treat every once in a while. It is especially healthy for some people's mental state.
Now, if we were to get down to the basics, the amount of calories one should consume depends from person to person.It is all based on an individuals TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). They will consume from 1500 calories for a less active person, to even 2300 calories for a more active person. However, many people look at calorie consumption as a whole, rather than parts. Calories come from macronutrients, which are carbohydrates, proteins, fats and water. The total amount of calories an individual should consume is made up of these four things. So, really, if a person more or less tracks their macros instead of their calories, weight loss (or gain) will be a whole lot more effective.
And now we're back to getting to eat that awesome donut sitting behind the counter of your local bakery.
Cutting out your favorite foods will not help you lose weight or become more lean or healthy overall. Sure, processed and sugary foods are not the best for your body or digestive system, but these are the foods most people crave the most. When people "give in" to their cravings, they are more likely to binge, thus causing weight gain.
Which most are trying to avoid.
The more you avoid the foods you love, the more you'll crave them. And more than likely, these foods will be in front of you at some point. The longer you avoid the foods, the worse the binge will be. The worse the binge is, the worse your diet will be that night, and could possibly ruin your entire outlook on food and snacking. It could turn into a cycle of avoidance and binging.
In the long run, having pizza one day during the week or grabbing a sugary donut before work every once in a while is not going to ruin your diet or make you "unhealthy." Mostly everyone has heard the phrase "everything is okay in moderation." When it comes to snacking, this phrase is true. Moderation is an important part of any diet, and even any healthy lifestyle. As long as these unhealthy and processed foods are being eaten in moderation, the effects will almost be unnoticeable. If you could even fit these sugary foods into your macronutrient goals, as I talked about before, it's not even like your diet is even "ruined," as your brain may tell you. Some of these foods could even have high amounts of protein or fiber you were unaware of!
Therefore, treat yourself every once in a while. Spoil yourself with a pint of Ben and Jerrys, and don't stress. Your diet isn't ruined, you're not going to gain weight automatically: you're going to be okay!
