This past weekend I went to a bridal shower/bachelorette party and spent a decent amount of time with some girls I didn’t know. We had a pretty good time chatting and talking about the bride-to-be, and of course eating. However, when the mother-of-the-bride came around handing out plates of whoopie pie desserts, I found it interesting that the thinnest girl at the table stated “No thanks, I gave up sweets.” She then went on to say that she has found she drinks more since giving up sugary foods, and often has a glass of wine as dessert. Somehow, this all didn’t add up to me, but no one else at the table found anything contradictory about it. She also went on to say how much she missed sweets, and for a while it was almost torturous to deny herself everything sweet. I would certainly have a problem if I tried to do what she’s doing, and so I’m a firm believer in eating sweets, just not too many. I see no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy something absolutely yummy; life is way to short not to! This isn’t the first time I’ve heard someone who is weight/calorie conscience talk about essentially substituting wine or alcohol for the “bad foods.” The last time I heard this from someone, I believe she stated that she didn’t believe that calories from beverages count the same way calories from food did. Again, this sounded completely absurd, and was a complete rationalization. Beverages can be loaded with calories, and have very few healthy attributes, and so can be detrimental to any diet. Of course there’s the argument that red wine offers some healthy benefits, however too much of that can also be detrimental. In the same way I’m all for eating sweets, I’m all for having a drink with friends. If enjoyed in moderation, not only are both enjoyable, but consuming these have helped me stay on a healthy diet. As the girl last night stated, denying herself of it only made her want it more.
i almost did that last night – had a glass of port instead of the giant turtle brownie with pecan gelato. I briefly considered having *both* but decided I was still hungry and ate the entire giant brownie. Still kind of wish I’d had the port, too…
Timely post. It is tempting to think of making alcohol one’s “treat.” Too bad it just doesn’t satisfy…