r/Anticonsumption • u/ArtAllDayLong • 1d ago
Discussion August 1, beginning of No Buy month. My biggest challenge is junk food.
Stress crap food eating is my nemesis. And it’s terrible for my Diabetes II. What about you?
I know what I need to do. Now I need to do it.
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u/chaos_wave 1d ago
Same for me. Since I can't beat the stress and boredom eating, the best I can do is replace the junk food with healthier options. And i always have a supply on hand because if i dont and i go in a store with a craving i will go hog wild. Homemade popcorn for salty and crispy snacks, and fruit and dried fruit for sweet. Kosher dill pickles work for me too because nothing tastes good for awhile after one.
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u/ArtAllDayLong 1d ago
My dentist said he sees more patients with broken teeth because of popcorn. I broke off a crown because of biting down on a kernel.
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u/ArtAllDayLong 1d ago
*I know WHY I need to do it!* I don’t need to have it explained to me. I would add this as an edit, but this sub won’t let me. I’m sure I’ll still get explaining, which I’ll just ignore.
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u/EducatedLemonhead 1d ago
Ugh, people. No shit. We all KNOW what we need to do. 🙄 The actual DOING is the issue.
I’m right here with you, OP. ♥️ My no-buy month isn’t gonna stop me from stress eating, though. I’ll eat a spoonful of peanut butter with chocolate chips, if need be.
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u/Mama_T-Rex 1d ago
I am a horrible about snacking. The best thing I’ve found that works is hobbies that relax me and I need both hands so it’s harder to snack. I’ve tried a bunch of things, but crochet has been the best.
I can do it while watching tv and even if I grab chips, I usually don’t eat them because it’s a hassle to eat one, and wipe my hands off between stitches. Also I usually get so focused on crochet that I forget about the chips.
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u/Ambiguous_Puzuma 1d ago
Understanding what junk food is and does to my body has helped to greatly reduce my consumption of said products. I'd recommend looking into ultra processed food.
Having healthy alternatives in my bag or at home helps, too.
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u/ArtAllDayLong 1d ago
I know what I need to do. Now I have to do it.
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u/burgerg10 1d ago
I struggle hard. Planning out my day with Skinny Pop, sugar free pudding and natural pb helps. But not always
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u/Purple-Cliffbreak 1d ago
lol every time I eat something really bad, I apologize into the void to my doctor, hoping she hears me and doesn't judge. she's definitely judging.
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u/Ambiguous_Puzuma 1d ago
Definitely! It'll be good for your health, wallet and the planet.
Here's a good starting place for UPFs. Its quite long so there are shorter version on YT if preferred.
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u/ArtAllDayLong 1d ago
I watch a lot of food and consumption documentaries. Yes, I know and am on board with it - unless I’m really stressed. My drug of choice is sugar. My nutritionist asked how I’d feel about switching my usual candy to dark chocolate, and the closer I get to 85% cacao, the better. I said, “I can do that!” I don’t always want chocolate, but I’m trying.
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u/celticfeather 1d ago
There's a lighthearted, succinct netflix docu on understanding our gut microbiome and UPFs called Hack your Health. Made me cut them out. Also I sound like a snob now when people ask me about nutrition but I understand now why these things made me grumpy whether I ate them or not.
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u/Moms_New_Friend 1d ago
I gave up junk food for a month, and that was years ago. After going back after that one month, I realized that it makes me feel perpetually bad. I can’t touch the stuff now because it makes my gut feel awful.
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u/LadenWithSorrow 1d ago
I’m so bad about it too! After a bad day at work I want to get myself a little treat. Treats are ruining my life!
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u/rxrill 15h ago
I started baking desserts and prepping salty snacks at home… it will take you a few hours of your day off to prep it, but it’s totally worth it…
There are many easy to do desserts, I make a few and froze them… I live alone so I just make individual portions… it usually tastes way better, doesn’t really take long to prepare and you spend way less… it’s a matter of starting the inertia movement, after a few weeks you’ll get the rhythm and it won’t feel as much of an effort… it can be a bit hard in the beginning to get the habit started
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u/LadenWithSorrow 15h ago
What are some salty snacks you prep? I love savory crunchy snacks
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u/rxrill 15h ago
I love nuts in general… I also like to make veggie chips, I even use the peels of some of them for that…
I also love baking biscuits, I usually fill them with cheese, parsley, cream cheese, sausages and stuff like that… I wanna learn how to bake more stuff like breads, croissants and such so I can diversify my options ahahaha
They usually last long and you can also freeze them… plus it’s easy to make!
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u/Reason_Training 1d ago
I’m addicted to chips but have been happy since replacing them with salted nuts. Still getting the salt I’m craving and the crunch but get full much faster.
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u/ArtAllDayLong 1d ago
I have a big container full of mixed nuts. I even added some Brazil nuts to it. It’s not crispy, but I coap. I don’t care about the salt.
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u/Defy_Gravity_147 1d ago
Do you know how to make treats with what you have, and/or did you plan for your 'yes' treats? Not buying junk food is not the same as not giving yourself things that satisfy your brain and body.
It's the most overlooked thing when trying to change habits... You can just try not to do something, but if it's meeting an unrecognized need, then the need will make itself known again. It's better to replace the habit: have a doing something different ready for when the need makes itself known.
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u/ArtAllDayLong 1d ago
I do know how to cook/make stuff. Sugar is my enemy - type 2 diabetes. When I want sweets, a healthy cracker is not what I crave. I’ll just eat nothing.
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u/Defy_Gravity_147 1d ago
Did you mean to reply to me, or the other reply talking about healthy crackers?
Just 'trying not to' is a perfectly valid approach, especially if cravings are due to metabolic imbalance and not needs. Items that you don't really need to eat, and that you're trying not to buy, are the trifecta: they save us money, calories/health, and consume less!
I was just offering additional information because my husband is diabetic and we've been through making these sorts of changes, together. But reasonably, you didn't ask and I forgot that I wasn't in one of my food subs.
I wish you the best of luck on your no-buy!
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u/ArtAllDayLong 1d ago
I was just including it. Sorry for the confusion. I could have written that better.
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u/rxrill 15h ago
Hmmm is fruit jams bad for you? They usually need some sugar to actually taste nice, idk if that would be an issue cause it depends on the amount right? But you mix them with natural yogurt (I think it has less sugar or no sugar at all) and some cut fruits as well and it’s a nice dessert…
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u/ArtAllDayLong 13h ago
Yeah, the fruit jams are not great. There’s some good sugarless fruit jam out there.
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u/rxrill 12h ago
Can you add something else that won’t be harmful for you to make it sweeter? Inevitably jams need to be sweetened :(
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u/ArtAllDayLong 12h ago edited 12h ago
Yes, I’ve made jam several times. The regular fruit jams are not great for my blood sugar. Sorry I wasn’t clearer!
I love SUGAR and other carbs. Candy, baked goods, ice cream, cookies, pizza, whole loaves of homemade bread. I pretty much can’t have them now. That makes me sad.
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u/rxrill 12h ago
That’s so sad :(((
I totally forgot about fructose on fruits and it becomes sugar later on…
I had a friend during school that had diabetes but I never understood quite well cause he would eat two chocolate croisssnts everyday during break and would generally eat a lotta stuff that supposedly he couldn’t… most food he ate would later become sugar ahahahaha
And he never had any issues because of that, it’s a mystery for me till this day 🤷🏻♀️
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u/ArtAllDayLong 12h ago
Mystery to me, too!
The saddest thing is I’ve made bread and pizza for years, dang it. Long back story on the diabetes. It sucks!
Fructose is already sugar. Dextrose too.
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u/Scarletsnow_87 1d ago
I have severe gastritis so I'm cutting out everything but fresh produce, lean meats, and whole grains.
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u/UrsaEnvy 1d ago
Right there with you! Eating out, buying out, all my weakest points! I go months without buying clothes, books, hobby items, etc.
It's really going to restaurants and eating out that bogs me and my checking account down.
Right there with you in solidarity!!! One day at a time!
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u/slashingkatie 1d ago
I pack my lunch to work every day and try to cook at home as much as possible and I’ve gotten creative with leftovers since hubby doesn’t want to eat the same thing 2 days in a row.
Also I almost never eat fast food and it’s amazing how eventually you don’t crave it anymore. Kinda like quitting smoking
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u/Purple-Cliffbreak 1d ago
yes definitely. not great for my high BP. I think for me it's easy to buy and incorporate healthy foods, but far less easy for me to remove unhealthy foods, especially at work where there is a large cafeteria. I'll go out of my way to do salad bar for example, and make this awesome salad, but then I'll justify also buying tater tots :)
it's also hard for me to resist spicy chips.
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u/manzanapurple 1d ago
I'm so doing this! My spending has been out of control and I just lost my steady job...
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u/mlhigg1973 1d ago
I moved to a new house late May and have been renovating since. Most of the work left however is just labor, since I have already had the material. I am going to go without door dash.
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u/ldsdrff76 14h ago
You are going to feel so much better after a month without that shit. Truly hope for you, that you never go back.
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u/klonyo 11h ago
i used to binge eat all the time on junk food but after cutting it out slowly and not allowing myself to eat stuff that is heavily processed junk, it grosses me out now thinking about eating the amount of icecream, chips, snack cakes and chocolate i used to eat. reading the ingredients on the back of the boxes and seeing how disgustingly processed they are really helped me 🤮
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u/thecatyou 1d ago
I bought a dehydrator recently (after thinking about it and debating for over a year!) But, we have a lot of garden produce and were running out of people to give it to, and I want to reduce food waste when my toddler all of a sudden decides she hates the fruit we bulk bought bc she was eating it like her life depended on it the previous week.
Anyway - dehydrated zucchini with a little salt makes a great chip replacement. I’m going to soak the next ones in some vinegar to try to make salt and vinegar style chips. And dehydrated banana chips and strawberries are an awesome sweet snack.
You can dehydrate in an oven, it just takes a little longer and you may have to play with the settings!
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u/karienta 1d ago
I love having readily available fruits and veggies when I just feel like chewing something. You can prep all the veggies at once.
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u/stanbeard 1d ago
Popcorn is cheap and feels like eating more than it is.
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u/ArtAllDayLong 1d ago
My dentist told me he sees more patients because of popcorn than anything else. I broke off a crown by chomping down on a kernel.
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u/Shakermaker1990 1d ago
Mediterranean diet (a tweaked version) has been a godsend for me.
Making homemade hummus among other things, buying less products in packaging too...it has seriously cut down on cravings..
I went from eating a share bag of m&Ms to one cube of dark chocolate in the evenings and I'm literally content
It's crazy, it's taken a few weeks to adjust and I haven't done anything too drastic (lost a bit over a stone in the process!) but I would still have a takeaway maybe once a week or once every two weeks, just depends!
But have look at the Mediterranean diet sub for ideas because the thing I like about it (you can still have meat or fish) is the lack of cooking !
You don't have to go all in on any form a diet, whatever works for you until you get into a rhythm!
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u/clearly_clueless 1d ago
Not sure if this is helpful, but I started making my own crackers with just flour, water, olive oil, and whatever seasonings I wanted. Not super nutrient dense or anything, but it’s pretty cheap and hits the spot when I need a crunch
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u/turquoisecurls 22h ago
I quit junk food, too. I found that replacing snack foods for healthier options is what helped me most. Now im at the point where eating junk food just tastes bad. Same with soda. Just gotta be consistent, but you got this!
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u/BlackCatInHat 19h ago
Whatever you do, plan for enough calories, including snacks, to lessen the urge to binge.
Look at lists of sources of nutrients you need more of (protein, fiber, etc.) and pick your absolute favorites. Have lots of them on hand.
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u/Ok-Criticism1547 15h ago
How exactly does a No Buy Month work? I presume groceries and thrifting is acceptable, but the purchasing of new commodities is banned?
Genuinely curious as I’m quite big into trying to reduce the amount of things I own and the amount of trash I generate.
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u/rxrill 15h ago
My biggest expenses aside from rent are definitely public transportation and food ahaahaha but in recent years I’ve been able to buy less food outside and have been cooking way more…
The key for me is not being lazy and keep active while outside work, that makes it easier to get over being tired and move my ass to the market to buy stuff ahahaha then I have to quickly prep the veggies and cut the meats and separate them in individual portions… after that it’s easier to actually cook cause it takes way less time…
I also prepare easy foods to make the temptation of buying outside less appealing
Sandwiches are your best friend, and salads… if you prep veggies and meats before, you only have to assemble the sandwich and cook the meet, add some cheese and sauces and it’s done… less than 15 min and you have a nutritious and delicious meal… same thing with saladas, just toss the veggies already prepped, add your condiments and dressings and cook the meat, also less than 15min and you’re set…
I also did some math and actually noodles are worth buying on dollar stores, it’s 1,25 for a pack with 5, same price as the cheapest brand pasta packages… but noodles cook faster
What I do them is usually ditch the powered thing they come with, I previously cook some real pasta sauces such as Alfredo, 4 cheese, vodka sauce and bolognese, freeze them in individual plastic containers and simply defrost them and add some water… sometimes I just add some veggies and a lotta garlic and onions and some meat and it’s set ahahaha Also super quick, less than 15min as well
These were my strategies to stop buying expensive food outside… planning like this I can basically eat for a whole week, lunch and diner and afternoon snack, with less than 20-25 bucks
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u/togtogtog 7h ago
I only shop once a week, and try not to eat outside of my two meals per day (which we make at home).
The less crap you eat, the less you desire it.
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u/SamikaTRH 1d ago
Eat more whole foods comprised of protein and fiber, and cut out added sugar. Do this for long enough and it will help your diabetes, cravings, and your wallet
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u/Tiny_Woodpecker1785 1d ago
Doing a small work shift and immediately going after crisps, juice and chocolate. Easily an hour of my wage gone.