When it comes to food, how do you weigh healthiness over taste?

It’s a balancing act that you are constantly engaged in. I agree with you about dessert. Sometimes substitutions make no difference to taste; sometimes they ruin something.

I think there are healthy ways to eat tasty food.

I eat what I like, regardless of how healthy it is. I’ll try substituting some things for healthier options, and if I like it, I’ll keep eating it, but if I don’t like it, I won’t do it again. I pay attention to the portion size and enjoy whatever it is I’m eating.

Moderation,baby!
Have something yummy every once in a while:)

I think the less prepackaged and processed foods one eats, the less of a sacrifice one has to make between taste and healthiness. I mean, don’t slather everything in butter, but at the same time, grilling some veggies with olive oil and a bit of fresh seasoning is going to taste good and be good for your body as well.

I don’t eat much in the way of processed foods. I like fresh vegetables, dairy products, and occasionally meat. I cook pretty simply so I don’t need to look for substitutions. Guess I’m fortunate that this is the way I prefer to eat.

I agree with @aprilsimnel. I rarely find I have to choose one or the other.

Everything in moderation. If I want dessert, I want it made with real sugar, butter and eggs. I happen to think that’s the healthier way too, as long as it is balanced with plenty of other real food such as fruit, vegetables and protein.

Micheal Pollan’s dictum is one of the best: “Eat food. Not too much. Plants mainly.”

I go by health first, then taste. But by doing that, I usually end up eating things that taste just as good anyway.

Instead of white bread, I’ll eat rye, flax, or some other bread. If I really want a white bread taste, I’ll mix a whole wheat slice with a sourdough slice.

Instead of candy, why not eat raisins, goji berries, or dried pineapple? Don’t those things taste just as good? I think so.

Instead of coke or pop, I’ll drink Juicy Juice, which is 100% juice and water. And I’ll throw in some green powder. Suddenly, a drink that tastes just as good as Coke or Sprite, is as healthy as a salad. (Still high on sugar, but not as high as soda, and in a more natural form, plus it’s combined with all those antioxidants of the juice. Coke has zero antioxidants.)

Instead of meat, i’ll eat veggieburgers, burritos, or Indian food.

When in a supermarket, there’s no reason to buy trashy foods. (Coke, candy, hot dogs,etc)., when obviously there are so many good alternatives.

Sometimes people are stuck, though. Like in a work meeting, where the employer feels they are being “nice” by providing donuts and candy. They could be buying Juicy Juice, raisins, dried apples, dried pineapples, bagels with ghee and preserves, and small slices of cheese on wheat crackers.

But no, the culture that brings us Gray Square Buildings With Windows That Don’t Open, is also happy to provide us with Donuts and Candy.

I try to do things in moderation.

The low fat cheese my husband eats tastes like plastic to me. I prefer thin slices of ‘real’ cheese. For dessert, I prefer a slice of whole grain bread with ¼ cup of cream poured on it, and some walnuts and chipped chocolate sprinkled on top. I don’t like cake, or most sugary things.

I once watched a show where a woman, who was a personal trainer and a health nut, only ate one meal a day. For breakfast she had a andful of vitamins. For lunch she had more vitamins and a protein shake.

Her way of thinking was that if she consumed only what her body need to function (i.e. vitamins and minerals and such), she didn’t need to eat. She only ate dinner with her family and everything had to be uber healthy.

I found this to be very disturbing

Healthiness wins – we’ve figured out how to eat healthy but delicious food – it is possible if one is interested.

Naturally made foods taste much better.

It weighs pretty high. I also don’t cook with or add salt to food and will accept lowered fat options for many foods. Desert though? Forget it, like you I’d rather eat smaller portions in order to enjoy a dessert. Same thing with restaurant food, I don’t go into one with the intention of following my regular diet, it’s a treat and I’ll treat myself even if I have to eat smaller bits.

I agree that it’s probably not necessary to eat the healthiest options ALL THE TIME. Of course the more you do so, the better for you, but still. I know what i should eat, but most often i choose the tasty option (well in my case, healthy means steamed veggies and fresh fruits and salads and such, not fat free and sugar free etc options, i don’t buy “diet” foods ever). So my idea of healthy food is still tasty, but i’m still more in the mood for foods that are less healthy, for eg where i could have eaten steamed veggies, i choose to eat vegetarian hotdogs (where the bread would be the unhealthy part).
So my point is, healthy food can be very tasty, and in fact IS very tasty with little effort. Buying substitute foods for eg no sugar are probably even more unhealthy than the versions containing sugar, because the sugar substitute is more unhealthy than sugar. So i’d say limit the sugary fatty foods as much as you can, but never buy the replacement stuff, i don’t trust them.

@NaturallyMe—That’s how I feel for the most part. I don’t like substitutes. I’d prefer the “real thing”. And I’d rather have a smaller portion or eat it less often. There are plenty of healthy foods that taste good—but if you try to make replacements, they simply remind you of what you’re missing.

@keobooks – exactly. :) So instead of missing out entirely on the foods that you love, just give yourself a break every now and again and indulge. When it comes to changing your diet, it helps having something to look forward to.