Splurging on sinful food is actually good for you

Last night our family had a mango fest. Our dinner was mango, some more mango and then some more. Basically the dinner menu looked like this - Hubby: just mango, lots of it. Son: mango sandwiches (nothing fancy, just thick mango slices between two slices of bread). And I had mango cubes with parathas. Basically, we did everything wrong. The meal was not balanced: it was all carbs, there was nil protein and it was without doubt steep in calories too.

So why did we do it? And how did I, as a nutritionist, harbinger of right eating rules okay this? The thing is that mangoes are very dear to all of us and their season is about to get over. So we all wanted our fill of this delicious and juicy fruit. Secondly, no one was in the mood to cook. Thirdly every one needs these cheat days every now and then to stay sane and happy. Yes, even a nutritionist and her family!

It’s okay, really!

I believe it is important to just let go at times, and dump the rules, so that the thrill of wanting to do "the wrong stuff" reduces substantially. The more we forbid something, more our mind obsesses about it; and when you know that you can splurge sometimes, you won't need to cheat daily. That’s human nature! And that’s why this mango splurge had my wholehearted approval.

Secondly, like I never tire of repeating: no food is intrinsically bad, it is only bad if you have it in excess. So it’ll obviously be wrong if we make it a habit and have plenty more dinners like that. But a meal like this (food that gives us pleasure) occasionally is actually good for our soul. And the soul needs to be fed too.

Actually this dinner netted us lots of goodness too (in addition to pure pleasure); mangoes are not just nutrient-packed and bursting with colour and flavour, but have powerful polyphenols which fight inflammation and help keep cancer at bay. Plus you get over 20 vitamins and minerals and lots of fibre... But all that is besides the point. The crucial point here is about breaking the food rule, and doing it while keeping control. This is called structured, sensible cheating (more about it below).

Finally, if you need proof, this viewpoint apparently has backing from research too. According to research done at the National Institutes of Health that humongous piece of chocolate cake (or anything else equally decadent) you had at a birthday party won’t necessarily go sit on your waist. According to scientists, our body’s feedback system is so tuned that it is most likely to compensate later resulting in a negligible net gain. According to them, our body's feedback system doesn't tally up calories in, calories out quite as precisely as most experts will have us believe. According to them, it is the long-term average (calorie intake) that determines our body weight, not how much you have in one meal or one day.

This is exactly what I am trying to say too: as long as you eat sensibly most of the time, you don’t need to stress about an occasional splurge. In fact, it might actually be good for you. According to me, calories in any case are too overrated (more about other calorie myths soon).

Splurges can be very satisfying!

I seriously suggest you splurge too. But:

Splurge strategically - ideally plan when and how, so that it is not spontaneous or emotional and there is some semblance of control.

Splurge on food you really, really like. For example I never splurge over chocolates as they are not my poison, but mangoes... well... So basically the point here is: choose your splurges well.

Understand the difference between cheating and "structured cheating". Between enjoying your favorite foods occasionally versus eating everything wrong that you adore all the time, opt for the earlier.

When you splurge make sure it's 100 per cent worth it! And please don’t feel guilty. That’ll spoil the party!

Be prepared to balance out the splurge soon enough. For example, if you had a carb/fat fest, then cut down on these the next day or exercise a little extra.

Finally, splurging is a tool to be used sparingly and smartly.