ceeboo wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 4:27 pm
Jersey Girl wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 4:18 pm
Cutting back is a good first step. So...I have a couple of replacement foods for you but tell me first, do you like nuts or seeds at all?
Yes - I am a huge fan all kinds of nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds)
Okay! Let me say this. There was a time when I could kill off a whole bag of Cheetos or Ranch Ruffles by myself in one sitting. I've never been much of a candy person, but I get it. I do like crackerjacks so that is close to candy I guess. I like popcorn which I still eat but only
real popcorn that you pop in a pot on the stove. Plain and simple. No butter, no salt, just popcorn.
When I started making food trade outs for a heart healthy diet, I went through my lists of heart healthy foods one of the first things I did was that I started eating almonds for a crunchy snack (20 almonds, yes I counted them) and then...I had to take my first heart healthy airplane trip and devised a snack that would get me through any trip so I didn't have to eat airline crap foods. This will get you through a flight, a layover, you can eat it as a snack, breakfast, or a replacement for any meal. Now the entire tribe refers to it as...
Airplane Snack®
Walnuts
Craisins
Dark Chocolate Chips
Put a bunch of that together and take it with you on your way to work. No salt and the dark chocolate chips are heart healthy. Keep it in your car and eat it for breakfast!
Here's another thing that I eat every single day for snack. If I run out (supply chain issues) I start to get squirrely.
You get these at Walmart and if the supply chain messes up, you can order them on the Amazonian but they gouge you for them.
If I were you, I'd drop just one thing that you like and make a trade out. Use some of the above ideas or devise your own. Make your own snack mixes from those good nuts and seeds you like and keep containers of that on hand. I buy
no salt added everything.
You can always trade out for baby carrots or a piece of fruit. When I started out, I thought in terms of making
trade outs.
Giving up one thing and replacing it with a suitable more healthy substitute. That's what worked for me.
Food is for you to enjoy. Don't be afraid to widen the lens and introduce new foods or new ways of eating into your daily life. For the most part, I eat clean. I primarily do not eat processed foods and if someone offers me something--the rumors you hear are true--those old foods lose their luster and they taste like crap to me now.
I heard my husband say to his sister on a call...
Jersey doesn't eat like anyone else. 
My whole family knows that. I don't push what I do on anyone, I quietly take what I want when we're together, but they respect what I do or at least have learned to live with it. My Thanksgiving plate looks like a little sampler plate! Ha! But I get to try everything!
p.s. If you eat cheater foods, just enjoy it knowing that you eat overall a healthy diet. Then get back on the horse and ride again. I've gotten to a point where I don't have to even think about what I eat much though I do need to remember to eat small portions and spread them out because if I eat too much in one meal I stand a chance of it triggering my heart. My diet and altered recipes have changed enough to where I feel comfortable and I never feel guilty if I eat a cheater food---found mini ice cream sandwiches this summer! They were really good!
Did the same thing with pasta salad. Traded out the deli meats for beans, went low on the pasta and higher on the veg, kept the broccoli, tomatoes, etc. and...the Ranch!