{"id":101448,"date":"2015-01-30T11:31:44","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T16:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/?p=101448"},"modified":"2015-01-30T11:32:42","modified_gmt":"2015-01-30T16:32:42","slug":"cheat-days-only-cheat-yourself-why-healthy-eaters-treat-themselves-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/01\/cheat-days-only-cheat-yourself-why-healthy-eaters-treat-themselves-instead\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheat Days Only Cheat Yourself: Why Healthy Eaters Treat Themselves Instead"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cheat-days-cheat\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As a dietitian\/nutritionist, I am often asked if I recommend having a cheat day. (A “cheat day,” cheat meal,” or “cheat food” — is a mini-break from a calorie-restricted diet for weight loss.) My answer is that it all depends on how you define cheat. If a cheat day is a feeding frenzy that packs in lots of extra calories, then I\u2019m against it. But if it means making room for high-calorie favorite treats<\/a><\/strong>, then I\u2019m all for it. No diet should be so restricted that it doesn’t make room for favorite foods.<\/p>\n

Normal variations in day-to-day calorie intake may be in the best interests of health. Studies of intermittent fasting<\/a><\/strong> schedules in animals suggest that an intake pattern of highs and lows enhances the body’s ability to cope with biological stress and, maybe, to resist disease.* Variation is the natural course of events and evolution seems to make it work to an advantage.<\/p>\n

Consider that healthy eaters who maintain steady weights don’t usually eat the same amount of food every day.<\/p>\n