Everyday Systems

Hi Everybody-
Just wondering what people think about including salty snack foods at meal times. I am struggling with the fact that though NoS allows for snack foods with meals, they tend to contribute too many calories and too little satisfaction. Do you eat salty, crunchy things as part of your plate, and feel that they contribute to a sense of normalcy and freedom on NoS? Do they seem to ramp up a craving for sweets to sort of cancel out the saltiness? Do you find that they increase your energy intake a little too much? Just curious how others view this.

When it come to what my meals include, nothing is off limits. If I'm having a sandwich and want chips, I have them. And so on.

In regards to your other questions, I'm not analytical enough to pay attention to whether or not those things happen. Or I just don't eat enough of those kinds of foods for any noticeable "side effects."

Things that were part of my meals:

- fries
- chips
- pretzles
- breadsticks
- pizza-picos
- pringles

So yes, i eat salty foods as part of my meals, whenever i like them. I don't really care for calories.

Thanks wosnes and germanherman for your responses. Good for both of you. It's encouraging to hear that this salty snack issue isn't a thing for either one of you... makes me think maybe I can get over it, with time, at some point.

I will sometimes have chips or fries with a meal, but I try to be careful. There are certain kinds of chips that really increase my cravings, so I limit those (like Doritos and Ruffles). I allow the other salty snacks I like, but in moderation. Thankfully, there are not too many salty snacks I like (for example, I don't like pretzels or most other processed salty snacks), so it is not a huge issue for me.

I eat chips/crisps, pretzels, cheez-its and even popcorn as sides. Not every meal and not every day.

I do notice that some foods seem to trigger an almost irresistible urge to keep eating them, like a switch has been tripped somewhere. Generally, the more processed, the worse it is.

Sometimes I will eat those, just because I like them. I do fail, but, well, I really don't want to spend the rest of my life never eating chips. I'll go weeks and even months without eating them, then I'll buy a bag then I'm set for a while.

I'm perfectly happy giving up Doritos and Gardettos and so forth.

I watch my salt intake for health reasons but I eat chips as part of a meal occasionally. I love the brand Food Should Taste Good and also a local brand in the health food section. These chips are more expensive, but I eat less of them. I splurge on sweet potato chips, multigrain chips, and blue corn chips, etc.

I am spoiled now and do not even like regular chips that much.

PS. I know these are not exactly a health food, but the sodium ranges from 50-80 mg per serving and they are not greasy. Yet they satisfy my chip cravings.

As long as it is not a sweet and fits on my plate, I can eat it. I'm one of those who came to No S to avoid counting calories, which I've done a lot of in the past as I yo-yo-ed up and down. However, I've never been big on "off the shelf" snack things like potato crisps and my husband doesn't eat them. So, if I'm out somewhere and offered them, I'm fine with including them on a plate, but I'm not going to spend money to stock them in my house.

I have noticed that if my plate has more "real" food (some fruit and/or veg, some grains or dense bread, some protein, some fat) I am less likely to feel hungry before the next meal. But being hungry isn't the end of the world.

LOL, Sonya, I think chips provide great satisfaction. They definitely increase my pleasure with a basic sandwich lunch! Re: wanting more, well, just like any meal, when it's over, it's time for me to wait for the next meal.

I throw chips on a plate with a sandwich, Fritos on a burrito, croutons on a salad, bacon bits on a potato, sometimes peanuts/almonds/pistachios with something, dill pickles, they make my mouth happy. Texture items. Something to chew/crunch.

It can be hard to suddenly stop eating your favourite snacks. If you really want to start eating healthier, go ahead and have them as part of a meal but try to gradually cut down on them over time.

I used to be a crisp addict. Once I decided to stop snacking, I'd still eat a few packs a week as part of a meal. Eventually I stopped craving them all the time but I still eat them occasionally.
(Chips are known as crisps in UK).

Not sure whether somebody mentioned this already...I also eat salty snack foods with my meals, once in a while.
What I have been doing for years now, I pre-portion these foods, putting them into tiny bowls (1 or 2 handfuls) on the plate. After many years of overeating these foods (you can't eat just one chip..) I am now able to eat much less, most of the time.
I have found that, after eating smaller portions for a while, the body/mind tends to be satisfied with less, mind-altering substances or not. (just my experience)
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h