We have all seen posts about what celebrities with perfect bodies enjoy for their cheat meals. Cheat meals are overly indulgent meals that break your regular diet. Many people believe having cheat meals helps them stay on diets. There are a million posts about how to make the most of your cheat meals. But we don’t question whether or not we should be having cheat meals in the first place.
Neurologist Sudhir Kumar recently talked about cheat meals on X (formerly Twitter). He talked about the ways they impact the body. He wrote that, for many people, occasional cheat meals can help them stick to a diet plan and are generally safe. But for people with blood sugar concerns, heart problems or obesity, a cheat meal can cause problems.
Dr. Kumar pointed out that cheat meals can cause blood sugar spikes if you usually eat a healthier diet. If you already have blood sugar concerns, that can make long-term management harder. Cheat meals can also slow weight loss for obese people by adding too many calories in one sitting. For people with heart concerns, fried foods often included in cheat meals may be an unwise choice. And, if you have a kidney concern, eating large amounts of salt and fat in one meal can impact kidney function.
There is also a potentially harmful mindset that comes with cheat meals. People can “over-rely” on the concept and overeat, believing they can eat what they like as it’s a cheat. It can also lead to disordered eating, where people deny themselves every single pleasure, promising that they will enjoy it later during a cheat meal that they keep putting off. And the cheat meal mentality can lead to a lot of guilt for some people that can cause them to quit diets.
Instead of cheat meals, it may be healthier to approach your diet with more of a “little treat” mentality. Allowing yourself little treats that don’t disrupt your flow and don’t throw off your progress can allow you to enjoy your life and keep working toward your goals.
If you love chocolate but the sugar-free version just doesn’t do it for you, let yourself have a Hershey’s Kiss very now and then. But put the rest of the bag in the freezer and move on with your day. By enjoying the foods you love in moderation, you can keep making strides toward your goals.
