My Top 5 Favorite Guilty Pleasure Foods, Drinks, and Habits
This post is sponsored by Omission. All words, opinions, and lack of willpower are my own.
About six weeks ago, my wife and I stopped cooking with oil at home. I don’t go out of my way to avoid it when I’m traveling or just out to eat — just another example of the “small steps” approach to change I’ve used ever since I first started thinking about going vegetarian, about seven years ago.
I can see how this latest twist might appear overly restrictive. Trust me — not that long ago, it looked that way to me, too.
But like every other step on this journey, eating oil-free is one of those things that, over time and after several brief experiments, started to seem more and more workable. And which, so far, has been incredibly easy (except when it comes to popcorn, which is no longer what they call “good”).
But this post isn’t about restriction. In fact, it’s about the opposite.
My Favorite Indulgences
Lest you think I live like a monk, today I want to highlight several of my favorite indulgences that remain in my diet and life — those drinks, foods, and habits that I hang onto, out of the belief that a “healthy” lifestyle that’s completely restrictive — to the point of causing stress — isn’t healthy at all.
(Oh yeah, and also out of a belief that these things are delicious and wonderful and that I’m completely powerless to give them up.)
But as you’ll see, there are easy steps I take — and that you can take, too — to mitigate the negative impact these little, almost-daily pleasures might have.
1. Coffee
Is coffee actually a health food? Maybe. Or maybe not. I’ve seen so much research on both sides that I’ve thrown up my hands and given up trying to decide.
But I do know that it’s delicious and gets me fired up to do good work and make a ruckus. And that my life is better with coffee than without it. (This after going months without any, enough time to be fully free of any caffeine dependence.)
I keep it extremely simple — one 320 mL cup of locally, small-batch roasted coffee each day. No sugar, no milk. Why exactly 320 mL? Because I’ve gone off the deep end and gotten really into doing pour-overs at home, with a scale and hand-crank grinder and all. It takes me 10 minutes or so to make that single cup, so it certainly ain’t Keurig … but those 10 minutes are heavenly, just as serious Zen people will tell you is the time spent making tea.
2. Beer
Beer, and alcohol in general, is another one with no shortage of arguments over whether it’s good or bad for you. My excuse recently has been this article, which points to a New England Journal of Medicine study linking moderate alcohol consumption (even beyond what’s typically recommended) to longer lifespan.
I go back and forth between beer and wine, but since (a) my hometown of Asheville, NC is a craft beer mecca, (b) it’s easier to determine which beer is vegan, and (c) I’m a sometimes-homebrewer, I tend to favor the bubbly, hoppy stuff.
So how do I keep it healthy? I stick to one a night, with rare (but legendary) exceptions. And as much as I enjoy a good 8% ABV double IPA, I try to stay in the 5% range most of the time so as not to let it affect my sleep.
Omission Brewery is a healthy choice, because not only are its three styles vegan and relatively low ABV, it’s also crafted to remove gluten. Unlike typical gluten-free beers, though, Omission is actually brewed with barley (the gluten-containing ingredient in beer), then treated with an enzyme that breaks down the gluten. Although the use of barley prevents the beer from being certified gluten-free, you can look up your bottle on their website to ensure that particular batch is below 20ppm gluten. Of their three styles, Pale Ale is by far my favorite.
I don’t have much of an issue with gluten, but my wife does, and it seems only to have gotten worse as our diet gets better. So, especially as the weather warms up, it’s nice to be able to share a beer with her out on the porch while our kids play in the sandbox (and without exception dump sand on the 2-year old’s head). As shown, sans kids, in my artful picture below.
3. Chocolate
chocolate is yet another food that can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on how you do it.
Although I used to throw back the dark chocolate we used to get at Halloween, I’ve come a long way. Nowadays, I like the really dark stuff, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s packed with anti-oxidants and lower in sugar and (usually) fat than milk chocolate. It’s also an anti-angiogenesis food.
So a few times a week, I eat a few squares of dark chocolate. (See No Meat Athlete co-author Matt Ruscigno’s book all about cooking with cacao, if you haven’t yet.)
One warning that my friend Leo gave me when we visited Dandelion Chocolate in his then-hometown of San Francisco: not all 70, 80, or even 90 percent cacao chocolate is created equal. The percentage measures the amount of cacao compared to other ingredients (sugar, mainly), but it doesn’t tell you how much of that cacao is from cacao butter, which is pure fat. Expensive chocolate is often made by removing most of the cacao solids so that what’s left is a large amount of cacao butter. Rich tasting, sure, but not the most complex of flavors or the healthiest way to eat chocolate.
The distinction to look for is “whole bean,” so that the cacao is made up of the natural proportions of cocoa solids to cocoa butter.
4. Nuts
Nuts are becoming more universally accepted as a health food, as a preponderance of research (including the landmark Adventist Health Study) has linked them to health and longevity.
But some people, including Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, maintain that nuts increase the risk for heart disease because of their caloric density, and I agree that it’s easy to go overboard with nuts if you’ve got weight to lose.
A simple solution is to eat them raw and without salt (or only a small amount of salt if none seems impossible). This drastically reduces their addictive properties, because hey, they don’t taste as good! But they’re still enjoyable, and more of the healthful properties of the fat stay intact without high-temperature cooking.
Almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, and walnuts are the big ones in my house, and we eat them in smoothies, as cashew cheeze, plain, or in trail mix.
5. TV
Just in case you were beginning to think that all my “indulgences” were actually just thinly veiled health foods, this one will change that.
I don’t think there’s anything healthy about TV. Pure enjoyment, and a lot of times it’s not even that, instead just a mindless activity to help you decompress after a hard, stressful day. So how do you limit the damage?
Easy: cancel cable! We did it a few years ago, and it’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Our TV time plummeted, and our do-things-that-matter time soared. Not to mention, it’ll save you 133,369 bucks.
I still watch some TV, via Netflix and Amazon Prime. Particularly entire series of sitcoms, like The Office and Parks and Recreation — because if the goal is to unwind, for me these are preferable than admittedly more high-brow dramas. But I don’t want to get addicted or spend that half hour stressed out, so I don’t watch The Wire or Breaking Bad or True Detective, despite everyone’s saying that “you have to.”
Giveaway Time! (this giveaway is now closed)
The folks at Omission, who sponsored this post, are giving away a swag bag full of … well, swag! I’m told it includes Omission beer, a neoprene six-pack carrier, men’s and women’s Omission clothing, and a bottle opener!
To enter:
1. Be 21 years old.
2. Leave a comment here telling us all about your favorite indulgence(s).
That’s it! Then I’ll randomly choose a winner next Wednesday (el seis-o de Mayo), and announce his or her name in the comments section.
Leave a Reply
Oh, fun! Aside from beer and coffee, I really enjoy reading popular books intended for teenagers. Not very highbrow, but fun from time to time 🙂
I would say my worst one (and I am working on this) is fast food, namely burgers and pizza. I’ve cut back on soda though, if that counts for anything!!
My indulgences mirror much of yours–especially the chocolate and beer–but my other indulgence is random days of annual leave. Not for vacation, the beach, hiking, or other recreational activities, but just to spend my “workday” doing all the work that gets pushed aside: cleaning up, fixing things, running errands, and the like. An indulgence? Sure. I don’t need to use the days of leave, but it allows me to relax and unwind more on the weekends, instead of running non-stop between work and errands and the upkeep on life.
My top three indulgences:
1. Vegan baked good with my coffee – I usually pick up a sweet potato scone from Whole Foods or a GF scone from Bob’s Red Mill. There’s nothing quite like the coffee and scone combo!
2. Tv marathons. Yes, I’m totally guilty of killing an afternoon watching 5 episodes of Orange is the New Black on Netflix.
3. YA Novels. I love reading all genres, but I admit to enjoying a mindless, simple love story every once in awhile.
Well, I share a lot of the same ones as you – beer, dark chocolate, and coffee (which I have more than one cup a day of, but I’m not planning to change that ever – I love coffee, and there’s nothing wrong with that, not for me). I have been having problems with gluten lately, and Omission beer has been a life-saver. It actually really tastes good – no one could tell the difference between this and a gluten-full beer!
At the same time, I don’t see what’s wrong with healthy oils like olive oil. It’s been solidly shown by scientific studies that the “Mediterranean” diet including high amounts of good quality olive oil is the ONLY diet proven to extend longevity. I don’t eat the 4 Tbs of olive oil recommended in the the diet, but I do put good-quality olive oil on my daily salad at lunch and I am not convinced that there’s a reason to change that. (Now the occasional potato chip, fried in low-quality safflower oil–yes, that I should avoid!).
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This line about olive oil and the Mediterranean Diet have been touted long and loud in the media and I used to believe as you do. Reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Eat To Live opened my eyes to what was actually going on. If you are interested to see what he found when he checked into the research then check out this link:
http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/cat-mediterranean-diet.html
It’s also definitely not the only diet shown to increase longevity as a quick consideration of the china nutrition study or Adventist health study will clearly show. Basically longevity correlates with micronutrient consumption which increases with consumption of whole plants and some plants more than others (dark leafy greens densest, grains & potatoes low).-
Hey thanks for the link! I’ve been wondering about the oil issue, what with the MD being so praised for health. This helps explain! Thanks!
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Definitely booze! It’s my only vice… well that and running.
Redvines. Much better than Twizzlers.
Dark chocolate
My daily latte with home-made chocolate whipped cream on top. 🙂
1. Homemade vegan sweets. All of them. I’m the only vegan in the family, and they subscribe to the “vegan junk food is rare” myth and let me go nuts.
2. Fresh fried potatoes. Chips, fries, bajia. I can’t stand bagged chips, but fresh, yum.
3. My phone. Instead of trying to think things through, I just look it up.
4. Fan fiction. I hate when a TV series or book ends, so it’s my way of not saying goodbye to a character.
5. Wikipedia. Self explanatory.
Baked goods and alcohol. I do try to limit sugar, so I’ve been experimenting with dates. It’s just not the same as a good old piece of cake or chocolate chip cookie! 🙂
We stop in Asheville nearly every summer on our way to the beach. We love all the great food (vegan/vegetarian) food choices and the craft beer is pretty amazing too. The one drawback is only being there 1 night greatly limits how many different breweries you can try! I’d love to try this one!
I’d say my top indulgences are french fries, bagels, and wine. I rarely have French fries but sometimes they are just so good! Bagels because I live in NYC and I can pretend they are okay because they have whole wheat bagels and tofu cream cheese. And wine because, wine.
My indulgences:
1. Beer – beer shouldn’t count. Nothing is better after a hot day on the trail.
2. Bourbon
3. Scotch Whisky
4. Sweets
A tie between beer and coffee. I come from Wisconsin and live in Seattle, so I’m spoiled by all the craft beer options. As far as coffee, Seattle (and the PacNW) has some of the best. Kuma coffee is the best, in my opinion!
#1 I share in common with Matt, coffee! I follow the 1 cup a day rule unless that day is Saturday and it may end up being 2, 3 cups. Shame, shame! #2 is a lemon Lara Bar. After a run, before a run, midday, late at night…I just can’t have them around or they WILL BE eaten.
My favorite indulgences also include beer and coffee 🙂
My favorite (and probably not healthy) indulgence is M&Ms. I have tried forever to give them up, until Mars introduced DARK chocolate mint M&Ms. Ugh…Cannot live without. So, I limit myself to about 20pc a day. Delicious, savored and complete indulgence.
PS I would love to win the beer for my celiac husband that had to give up beer. Maybe Omission would be a brand that would taste good to him. We’ve tried everything and he is currently on one type of Vodka…no fun.
French fries, wine, and Sour Patch Kids. Oops.
My favorite indulgences are ice cream and cookies!
Beer, of course!
Mine are red wine and horror books – not the literary kind but the pulp, cheap horror!
Mine are pretty similar to yours, Matt… coffee, beer, and (non-vegan) icecream.
I have a major sweet tooth and I do love a high quality beer.
In order of how they are enjoyed throughout the day: coffee, dark chocolate, red wine. And repeat! Oh and at any time popcorn .. The normal kind cooked in oil.
Great post! My favorite indulgences are chocolate and wine (preferably together) and sometimes craft beer.
One of my indulgences that I can’t seem to get away from is definitely beer! I was listening to a couple of your podcasts this morning when running and heard the specifics on the cacao vs. cocoa butter…thanks for the explanation and I love dark chocolate and want to be sure I’m getting all of the benefits!!
Definitely enjoy a few beers on the weekend. Besides that, the occasional breakfast pastry (boo refined sugars!) and I love my coffee. I agree with you Matt, I really enjoy the process of grinding my own beans and brewing with the pour over method. It’s nice to have at least one routine (besides running) in my otherwise unpredictable day.
my favorite indulgences are beer & wine (this counts as one, right?!), netflix, and trail mix 🙂
Matt, I have a suggestion for you to enjoy popcorn again. Pop the kernals in a microwave popcorn bowl (available on amzon.com). Add Braggs Aminos to a Misto sprayer and spray the popped corn…makes it salty but stays crunchy.
Chocolate for sure!
My Friday chocolate covered cherry smoothie! I look forward to it all week.
Just finished consuming red wine and chocolate moments before reading this post…busted!
My indulgences are much like yours….coffee, chocolate, champagne, and TV… you HAVE to watch The Wire…there is no better TV Show!! 🙂
Pizza, definitely pizza! I make it from scratch to avoid eating it more often. 🙂
1. Binge-watching shows on Netflix (usually comedies like 30 Rock and The Office)
2. Craft beer. I go through phases, for example I’m just coming off a big porter/stout kick and am now venturing into the small world of blonde ales. Or pilsners. I’m sure I’ll be all about IPAs again come summer.
3. Snacking when I’m not hungry. Sometimes it can’t be helped! My current favorite snacks are dark chocolate raisins, banana chips and salted almonds. :-/
I have a big sweet tooth and anything chocolate I will probably eat. I make several vegan treats a week and probably eat more sugar than I should. My favorites are cookies and just plain dark chocolate!
my favorite indulgence is actually reading blogs!
My indulgences are dark chocolate and coffee, both of which I have twice a day, and the occasional cocktail or glass of wine (maybe once a month). Since going gluten free for autoimmune reasons, I haven’t had a beer, but I’ve heard of Omission and I’d love to try it!
As a health nut and vegetarian athlete, my top two indulgences that I fear I will never be able to give up in this lifetime are beer and pizza. I just moved to a suburb of NYC and there is a microbrewery 1 mile from my house which doesn’t help. Limiting myself to 1 growler per week helps me stay moderate. And, pizza is pizza! I try to tell myself that it isn’t that bad when I get slices loaded with vegetables on them.
I’m a ditto on the reading blogs indulgence. Sometimes I just get lost in the blogs. Enjoying your posts!
My coach is big on the occasional ‘treat’:
Before my biggest ride of the week I have a scoop of locally made frozen custard – I look forward to this all week!! If she messes up and leaves a long ride off my TP plan for the week, there is an instant message… I need a ride… I need a scoop!!
Breakfast tacos, hard cider, and true crime TV … together or individually!
A frozen banana, almond milk, a spoon full of peanut butter blended.
My favorite indulgence is peanut butter out of the jar, sometimes with honey on top.
My favorite indulgence is the mock chicken salad from Whole Foods Market. I’m giving it up this month though as I try a 30-Day Raw Vegan Challenge!
English Premier League soccer. We overpay for cable so I can spend Saturday mornings glued to our TV watching European football. Its so fun and gives me something to look forward when the afternoon gets long on Friday.
Reading a real book is an indulgence. I am so busy that even unwinding for bed means sudoku or reading on my Kindle. I try to carve out an hour or so on the couch sometime over the weekend.
Favorite indulgences: a great bottle of pinot noir with some aged cheese (and, occasionally, reality tv)!
Definitely really delicious red wine, Malbec is my favorite.
Dark chocolate anything from Trader Joes!
Noting like a wonderful glass of red wine on a winter night or cold beer after a summer run and ride!
Peanut and banana milkshakes. I know how to make them super healthy but every once in a while… Ice cream, peanut butter, and whole milk, here I come!
Awesome giveaway and post! My top indulgences are: vegan cheese, the whole foods salad bar (I have spent WAYYYY too much money there) and binge watching Netflix. (I could keep going, but 3 seems like a good place to stop).
My indulgences are:
1. Brownies – I love them so much. I can’t keep any in the house and only allow them as an occasional treat. My husband and son don’t care for chocolate, so I would eat the entire thing every time.
2. Reading – love to escape in a good book.
3. Binge watching TV – I don’t have as much time to chill out as I want so I like to binge watch
4. Sleep – love it! I nap anytime I am able. I napped an hour before working out yesterday.
I couldn’t just pick one indulgence. I definitely go for salty snacks, preferably popcorn or pita chips, and beer!
Indulgences:
1. Beer (as well)
2. Nutritional yeast and popcorn
3. Baked goods from any number of the delicious places in Chicago
4. Biscuits and gravy
5. Dried fruit (like nuts, good for you, but definitely calorie dense and high in sugar)
80’s sitcoms…Never get old.
Beer
Best mixed together!
My guilty pleasures are wine, baked goods and binge watching tv show seasons!
Great post! Indulgences, I have a few…
– Olive oil popped popcorn
– An imperial stout
– Carrot cake
I love vegan nachos. Especially just plain tortilla chips covered in Teese Nacho cheese. Reminds me of ballpark nachos from my youth.
Avocado on a toasted baguette with a beer followed by dark chocolate (and maybe a glass of red wine).
I agree nothing like an ice cold brew after a long run in the desert of Arizona.
I must try Omission I am tempted by this gluten free version which I feel is hard to come by.
Thanks for the info!
Jacqui
Great post! I’m glad I’m not the only one. 🙂 My biggest indulgences are alcohol and, on occasion, simple carbs. They’re just too yummy to give up forever!
1. Vegan donuts
2. Vegan cookbooks
3. iTunes
I spend way too much time and money on all three. 🙂
My guilty pleasures are reality TV drama, and long soaks in the hot tub at the gym.
1. Peanut Butter
2. Cookies of any kind. (vegan of course)
3. Video Games- even though I’m almost getting too old and don’t have really have time to play. It’s my go to on the rare weekends the wife is out of town and I have some extra free time.
My favorite indulgences are…
1. Coffee! The best way to wake from a musician’s hangover.
2. Star Trek, any series – I binge watch it when I fold my clothes, wash dishes, make dinner, clean the bathroom, even while reading.
3. Dried fruit and candied ginger- is this an indulgence? Perhaps when you eat it in large quantities.
4. Vegan mac n’ cheese
5. Seitan wings
I just started a 30 day clean eating challenge sponsored by my gym. I thought it would be impossible (it’s basically Paleo, I’m vegetarian) but it’s been easier than I would have ever imagined. AND, it’s given me a “new” indulgence: Apple, sliced and dipped into Almond Butter. Pure heaven!
Coffee coffee coffee! I’m sure my adrenal glands are a mess but I every time I try to quit coffee I feel a void in my life that no amount of tea or lemon water can fill.
I also loooove good beer, gin and scotch. Not together obviously because that would be gross.
crack cocaine and Thunderbird wine….wait, what are we talking about again?
oh…I mean a giant warm chocolate chip cookie and a cup of espresso
Peanut butter. Grinding fresh peanut butter at Whole Foods is about as good as it gets. Forget about the celery and bread, just hand me a spoon and the jar!
My (secret) guilty pleasure is watching Hart of Dixie on the treadmill. Shhh…Not even my husband knows of this!
It’s so funny you posting this, because just the other day I was thinking how I just don’t WANT to give up coffee, beer, and chocolate. I’m a whole foods no meat athlete, too. And, I really like eating raw nuts, but I do try not to go overboard. I just saw an awesome quote posted the other day, “Don’t listen to people who tell you to limit the amount of peanut butter you eat. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life!” Lol
Bonk Breaker bars! I don’t run any marathons, am in no danger of bonking, but I love, love those bars!
peanut butter!!!
favorite indulgences – potato chips!
Raw cashews, almonds , raisans, raw honey and no fat plain greek yougurt 🙂
Hands down, it’s ice cream. Oh, and peanut butter….
Ugh peanut butter (and really any nut butter for that matter) is just too good. I like to rationalize eating it out of the jar as getting my healthy fats for the day. 😉
My list is very similar to yours but I also like to read comics to decompress. I grew up on Calvin and Hobbes and when I start feeling lost or stressed, I’ll open up on of my old books or find something online. Something about his attitude towards life and always questioning boundaries puts me in a better mood. And yes, I’m 28 years old and atill read comics.
For whatever reason, the first thing I reach for when I get home is a spoon and the almond butter! Just a spoonful satisfies me until I can get dinner on the table. And, since I live in Wisco, (non-vegan) cheese and beer are always acceptable – 365 days a year, and especially on Badger/Packer game days.
Haha we’re similar:
Coffee
Wine/beer
Chocolate
Homemade baked goods
TV
Of all the things to indulge in, I would say my worst is salty, cheesy chips or crackers. Put some Doritos or Cheez-Its in front of me and it’s over. 🙂
My indulgence are…
Starbucks–vegan style!!!
TV marathons with popcorn
Red wine
I’m with you Matt, I love a good hoppy beer at the end of the work day. I’m also a chocolate + peanut butter addict. Going so far as to scoop out some PB and sprinkle some dark chocolate chips right on the spoon. BOOM!
Great post!
Wine and pizza. Together or separate. I just Loooooove them both:)
Beer. But it has to be a good beer!
My favorite indulgences are coffee, chocolate, and beer. No doubt about it. If you’re looking for a true guilty pleasure, try chocolate chips cookies and beer. Yum! I haven’t had it since giving up grains. But I may have to try gluten-free options. 🙂
Chips. Specifically tortilla chips paired with some good guacamole. Beer is another but I have celiac so I’m limited to the gluten-free variety.
1. Beer. If it’s in my fridge I drink it, so I try not to buy anymore than a 6-pack at a time.
2. Fake Meats & Fake Cheese. I know they’re over processed and not the best thing for you but I can’t get enough of Tofurkey beer brats, frozen veggie burgers and Daiya.
3. Soda but I keep it to no more than 1 20oz bottle/day
My all time favorite (along with your favorites) food indulgence is peanut butter (well all nut butters, but peanut is the #1). Yes I know it can be like crack it is soo tasty. I grind my own peanuts on an as need basis for freshness and maximum taste.
My favorite relaxing indulgence is listening to live music, especially the blues.
Every morning I have two cups of good coffee with a little bit of raw sugar. It’s the only sugar I have during the day, and it makes me happy.
If I need a really special treat I take one square of very expensive dark chocolate and just let it melt in my mouth. That is all I need and it’s instant happiness!!
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and TJ’s Dark Chocolate covered Espresso Beans. A bit embarrassing to say this….Candy Crush!
1. Brew from local brewery.
2. Frozen yogurt!
Definitely coffee. Though I also do not have cable and indulge in Netflix or Prime for some decompression.
red wine sipped slowly in the back yard by candle
I enjoy a daily cup of coffee in the morning, and a glass of beer, wine, or other frosty adult beverage (I do live in Hawaii, so an occasional margarita seems just right) several nights a week, and cocoa nibs anytime I can justify putting them on something. Yum!
Coffee, for sure. I don’t like it black, though – I always add a Stevia packet or flavored agave nectar (hazelnut is my fave) and some almond milk. I like the occasional Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi, but usually only when eating out.
I share many of your indulgences; chocolate , beer ( & I don’t limit how much when I feel like indulging). I have not given up cable because we watch sports all the time. And occasionally ( although I try to maintain a sugar free diet), I indulge in Swedish Fish!
Dark chocolate and red wine for me!
cottage fried potatoes slathered in ketchup!!
Beer, chocolate, coffee and fancy homemade vegan cupcakes usually flavored with beer/chocolate/coffee
I love cookie dough and ice cream. Barely cooked.
And I do spend every free moment not working, volunteering , cooking, cleaning or running watching all my favorite shows on Hulu and Netflicks.
Peanut butter and jelly is my indulgence! I drink coffee daily…but a PBJ sandwich feels more like a treat when I have it.
Awesome post, the TV comment made me chuckle! Coffee and Beer go together in taste so not surprising that I love to indulge in!
Favorite pleasure…………..shopping and being outside with my dogs!
Vegan Pizza!!
Mine has to be natural peanut butter. Straight from the jar, with the occasional addition of chocolate chips or spoonfuls of strawberry jam. I know some is good but I go nuts over it. I like to dump out most of the oil when I open it, refrigerate it to get it really dense, then sppon away.
Speaking of spooning, my other indulgence is “bed time” activities. The other kind of endorphin rush 🙂
I’ve run a few Ironman races and I still don’t think I’m a “runner”. In the same vein, I haven’t been eating animals for a couple years now but I still don’t call myself a vegetarian. Regardless, I’m working more and more towards whole plant-based foods, hoping to eliminate cheese someday. (And giving up oil at home has just recently entered the realm of “someday, possibly”.)
That said, my favorite indulgence is Sugar. I love it in coffee (decaf).
Beer—ahhhhhh 🙂
I have far more indulgences than I’d like to admit, but the main ones are chocolate, red wine and TV.
Great post. We share many of the same indulgences EXCEPT TV.
Dark Chocolate – semester to always have some around the house. Pairs great with my second indulgence.
Single Malt Whisky – just the right thing to unwind on the back porch (with the dark chocolate of course).
Coffee – yeah, we’ve got a Keurig but have considered the pour over ritual at some point.
Vegan “Cheeses” – recently got into different nut & tofu “cheeses”. Goes with my next indulgence.
Wine – gotta have a nice Caverns with my grilled portabello mushrooms, right?
That’s enough for now.
Tater Tots! (and wine, of course)
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Haha. Those still around? We’d have tater tot fights at summer camp back in the early 1980s…!!
The vegan chocolate mousse I can buy at my local co-op. I have to restrict my visits to the co-op so I am not tempted to buy it. I also restrict my visits because another vice is to go shopping at the co-op. I can get lost in there for hours just looking at all the great vegan food options.
1/2 cup of coffee, red wine and chocolate <3
pizza and wine…
Definitely chocolate! – 86% is my fav. Oh yeah, and a nap (tough to do with a toddler!)
Vegan White Russians! I’m usually a beer drinker but lately I’ve been indulging on vegan white russians. Just layer some vanilla almond milk, vanilla vodka, and Kahlua is a cocktail glass, throw some ice & a straw in and enjoy! (Yes Kahlua is vegan!!!)
Macadamia nuts! I love the little balls of fat and eat far too many. Also avocados. I still indulge in stinky dairy cheese.
Really good olive oil that’s so pricey it is used in very small amounts, Vodka, Chao Cheese, Facebook.
Soda seemed easy to kick, but coffee and beer are definitely hanging on as my liquid indulgences! French fries top the food indulgences, or maybe it’s the salt factor with those. Sports on TV rounds out my Indulgence Group
Life just is not full without a good cup of coffee. 🙂
I do have coffee pretty much every single day. My AeroPress is one of my very favorite things. And I’m a little embarrassed to admit that when I walk into our lovely local coffee shop, they just start my Americano without me having to say a word.
My only other real indulgence is the comfort food that people bring to our monthly vegetarian society potlucks! I don’t make that kind of food at home, so when I go to these get togethers and see vegan mac and cheese, cookies, brownies, and all – I have to try every one of them.
definitely beer! i downloaded the barnivore app and use it very frequently. and maple bacon kettle brand chips – their popcorn is to die for!
A spoonful of peanut butter in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other, preferably outside…..Heaven. Just try it.
I live in another craft brew Mecca, San Diego. So I love to indulge in a great beer. I really enjoy porters and stouts, but am starting to appreciate a good IPA especially the ones with grapefruit undertones. I plan my beer to pair with my meal and savor just one (most of the time) per night.
Coffee and beer. Red wine…..but really, my favorite indulgence has to be chips an salsa. I can’t bring the stuff home or I will eat the entire bag…..limit my consumption to eating them while out to dinner. And that’s hard enough. 🙂
Pizza gets me every time!
Thanks for the blog Matt!
I share a lot of your same indulgences, but when I want to treat myself, I’ll grab a bag of vegan junk food (ie “cheese”puffs). Just about as bad for you as the “real” stuff but it’s nice to have an option every once in a while to satisfy that childhood craving 🙂
Unfortunately, my weakness is golden birthday cake flavored Oreo cookies. I also like flavored vodkas, not together with the Oreos but I probably could come up with a yummy concoction if I wanted to. I am relatively new to the plant based lifestyle, and I am trying. Hey don’t judge me Rome wasn’t built in a day 🙂
My biggest indulgence are raspas, Mexican snow-cones with chamoy (sweet-spicy syrup-y stuff), fresh fruit, and gummy bears (when I can put aside the fact they’re made with gelatin). They’re just soooo nice when it’s a million degrees here in South Texas (which is like, always).
I choose to think of coffee, nuts and dark chocolate as healthy-enough foods, not indulgences 😉
Coffee…..definitely coffee…although I admit that this might be more in the territory of addiction rather than indulgence. That doesn’t make me love it any less though!
One of my favorite indulgences is to picnic with my husband and dog at one of our favorite view spots. We have tasty vegan sandwiches from a local market, and some yummy treat like dark chocolate. We then walk the cliffs afterward so we “earn” another visit out! I’m recovering from knee surgery so being able to enjoy this again is huge. Win/win
My biggest indulgence is probably corn chips – my preferred salsa and hummus delivery system. Others in close pursuit are alcohol, coffee and chocolate. A nice Jameson and ginger during the summer (or any time) is refreshing.
My top 3 indulgences are chocolate, wine and lazy Sundays.
Peanut butter (without any additives), mini pretzels, pizza and BEER
Vegan pizza!!!!!!
My favorite is dark chocolate, thank you for the tips. I was unaware that even though it has a high percentage of cacao that it may not be as healthy as I thought. I will make sure to look for whole bean now. I also just finished parks and rec and am working on wean ing myself from tv again
E’s top 3. :-/
1) chocolate (although, i do prefer dark. that must give me a little more credit, eh?)
2) chai tea (loaded with sugar, but smells like thanksgiving dinner. oh cinnamon and cloves how i love you…)
3) running (even though it hurts sometimes…the rush afterwards cannot be explained in words.)
Beer, chocolate, coffee, good crusty artisan bread
Chocolate is one of them. Usually something 75% and higher. A small piece dipped in almond butter is truly amazing.
I agree with the tv indulgence. I tend to only allow about 1 hour every few days. Those ddays are spent for netflix.
Lastly, there is a vegan bakery close by that has the best blueberry muffin. Id say once a month i stroll in a grab one.
I love dark chocolate, Quest peanut butter cups, and a diet coke once in a while. Life is too short not to love your food, your body, and your life, no matter where you are on your journey! Thanks for the inspiration Matt.
oh, my…. indulgences? Home-made dressing atop lovely greens from my greenhouse… Fresh vegetables from my 20x30m. garden… good bottle of beer mid-day whilst cleaning tack… Oh, and while listening to Zac Brown, of course:-) Superbly toasted home-made bread, with a glass of red wine… These are a few of my favorite things… (remember the song, eh?)
My guilty pleasure – FROZEN Grapes, Salsa, Diet Dr. Pepper, & a hike in the mountains!
1. Beer! I love beer. I normally only allow beer once a week but I’ll have 3 or 4…lol
2. Whole Foods prepared foods: I could live off of the vegan cookies and potato samosas!
3. Olives! I can down a whole carton or can in one sitting
4. Costumes! I love buying expensive costume pieces… I am set now for any theme party, RenFest, and Halloween!
My indulgences are typically coffee, wine, beer but also some of the fake meats like Beyond Meat or Gardein. Sometimes life is crazy and I don’t have time to make a homemade meal so we go for the quick fill.
Also, if none of you guys have tried it, Chao cheese is amazing. Way better than any other imitation cheese I’ve tasted.
Coconut whipped cream. It’s too good.
Definitely wine and dark chocolate.
Favorite indulgence…..
long runs
reading
making and eating clean desserts (they taste indulgent).
I am very practical eater. I eat what I need whether there’s something better tasting right next to it. If I don’t need it, I don’t eat it. I follow that rule 90% of the time. The other 10% are my indulgences and I’m as serious about those as I am the others! If not more so. So in no particular order, here we go:
1) BBQ Pizza from Pizza Shack (Jackson, MS). This is the official 4th leg of my triathlons. Leading up to the race I’ll monitor every gram of fat, carbs, and protein. After the race I eat BBQ pizza until my vision blurs and I seriously consider making Xbox golf my new obsession. If there’s a way to undo months of training in one sitting, this is it. My goal when I sit down is to seriously question my ability to walk to car when the meal is over. And if you’ve never had this BBQ pizza, sadly, you’ve never had BBQ pizza. I’m willing to put that to the test though. I’ll be competing in Austin 70.3 this November so if you think there’s better BBQ pizza in that area, lemme know.
2) Chips and Salsa. Every now and then I have to have them and I don’t mean a few. I’ll eat the entire bag of chips and an entire (big) jar of salsa. The hotter the better. My family has learned that if you want some you better get in there early and you better have your timing down. Stick your hand in there too soon or too late and you’re pulling back a nub. It won’t be intentional but there is little I can do to stop it. On-the-Border chips are my go to favorites and I rotate through different salsas. *On a side note, I recently learned that this is not a good thing to eat prior to training. Let’s just leave it at that.
3) Beer is definitely one. I enjoy craft beer and like trying beers I’ve never had before (I’ve never had Omission. Just saying). But don’t label me as a beer snob. I recently bought an 18-pack of Bud heavy because it was on a crazy awesome sale at Kroger. I honestly thought if I didn’t buy it I would be losing money. I’m not sure how that would have worked but it made sense at the time. It also made sense later that night when I was well into the 18-pack. By the way, I also figured out how to solve the whole ISIS thing during that time. The White House isn’t returning my calls though. Weird. You’d think that would be a top priority of theirs.
4) Psych. The TV show. It’s corny, it’s unrealistic, and it requires very little metal effort to enjoy (also goes well with beer). But that’s why I love it. I’m not into these TV series that stress you out. My sister begged me to start watching “Dexter” because it was so good she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. Uh, no thanks. I have enough stress in my life to where I don’t need to voluntarily import more. If I wanted more stress in my life I’d mention Gloria from Modern Family to my wife. She thinks I have a thing for Colombian women but I’m all like, “no, she’s ugly”. I don’t get it.
5) Cereal. Cold cereal, nothing fancy. When the craving hits nothing can stop it. I am to an unopened box of Honey Bunches of Oats and a half gallon of milk what an Abrams tank is to a mobile home. Complete devastation awaits. We’re talking scorched earth. When I’m done the only thing remaining is some torn cardboard floating gently to the ground, an empty jug spinning on the table, and the faint smell of sugar hanging in the air. And you’ll be able to find me lying on a couch nearby emitting sounds of complete satisfaction combined with gastrointestinal discomfort.
These are the things that make it worth getting out of bed in the morning.
I do love an Omission from time to time. The pale ale is my favorite, then probably the lager. Dark chocolate and nuts/seeds are my weakness, but it’s too easy for me to go overboard on the nuts and nut butters. Any suggestions for other high protein snacks to substitute would be appreciated!
Coffee, wine, and once a week, a Mexican Coke made with cane sugar instead of HFCS.
Small batches root beer! Nothing better.
Beer and alcohol are definitely the biggest indulgence followed by TV. Netflix can draw you in sometimes for longer than you want to be watching.
I’m glad we’re all putting our indulgences out there! Makes me feel less guilty. Doritos (in the red bag) and TV, for sure.
I share many of the same ones as you, though I’m not quite as serious about my coffee making. One of my big ones would have to be pizza, and unfortunately lately it’s become more of a habit and less of an indulgence!
Thanks for the post though, it’s a good reminder that we still need to enjoy life and have our guilty pleasures occasionally!
My favorite indulgence is dark chocolate with cocao nibs or expresso beans. Popcorn with coconut oil is also delicious! A vegan cupcake once in a while might find its way to my welcoming mouth, too!
Pizza and chocolate.
My favorite indulgence would have to be french fries. If I am not careful (and the fries are good) I can go through a whole basket while out to eat. Also, as others have said, pizza is something that I also really enjoy
We have most of the same indulgences! Mine include:
Coffee- I’ve noticed the more artisan, high-quality you get, the less you need and there’s no reason to use any sweeteners or creamers! I stick to one 12oz.-16oz. mug per day, only in the morning.
Alcohol- Mostly in the form of a single glass of red wine. Sometimes a Unity Vibration Kombucha Beer or another Michigan craft beer. And sometimes a cocktail (Moscow mules are my favorite)
Dark chocolate- I love Trader Joe’s or Endangered Species brands
iPad and TV right before bed- I know the light is supposed to disrupt sleep but I love reading various articles/books on my iPad and I’m really into Game of Thrones right now.
Mine are easy:
french fries
fizzy water (which I know is no-cal but I could drink it nonstop)
beer
wine
and then…
(sometimes I might accidentally order cheese on my otherwise vegan sandwich and I pretend like it was a mistake by the people who made the sandwich)
Desserts! My grandfather-in-law told me I’m not actually a vegetarian but a dessertetarian.
You got me – coffee, chocolate and beer!!
My favorites are the same plus TJ Cookie Butter!
Chocolate, nice dark chocolate. Trader Joes and Nugget have some good choices. Sorbet . My horses.
I haven’t added any oil to food since I was diagnosed with a cardiac artery blockage 4 years ago (reversed by the no animal products, no sos etc diet) and I make every effort to avoid it when eating out – it’s shocking how much trouble that is.
I love chocolate bananas and peanut butter together. Any way to mix those three flavors is definitely my favorite indulgence.
Reading all these comments are making me hungry! My favorite indulgence would have to be tater tots. They’re usually a reward for my weekend long run but every once and awhile they’re the reason lol
I’ve been cutting back on coffee during the week, and I try to only drink organic when I do have it. I don’t think I could ever give it up completely! I love to bake, so vegan desserts are definitely a weakness of mine too 🙂
I think we have identical indulgences! The only thing I would add is pure maple syrup… Beautiful 🙂
I concur with all of your indulgences, though replace TV with podcasts. I ended my Internet subscription a month ago (and cancelled TV back in 08). Although sadly I can’t listen to podcasts at home, especially some of the longer ones, so I find myself at a coffee shop, drinking lovely black coffee, drawing, and enjoying a good podcast. I, too, enjoy craft brews. Sometimes I’ll drive out of my way to check out a microbrewery.
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Love the podcasts – it’s pretty much all I listen to when i’m running. Like you, I don’t have the opportunity to listen at home but the 30-60 minutes each day that I run, it’s Podcast Central!
My latest indulgence is the new So Delicious cashew milk ice cream. Snickerdoodle is my fave so far!
Indian food, thai, halvah, big red Columbia Basin red wines, sex.
My top three induglences are red wine, dark chocolate and watching Friends on netflix! I too canceled cable over a year ago and it was one of the best things I have done..my tv hasn’t been on in weeks:)
Right now, I am currently hanging out on the couch full time while recovering from hip surgery for pretty severe FAI and a labral tear. So, my biggest passion…..running……is on hold for a while! However, coffee and reading have continued to keep me going. A nice cup of dark roast in the morning while reading about marathon training is keeping my spirits up. Once I get off the pain meds, my other indulgence, craft beer from a few places in MA, will probably make a come back as well!
Dark Chocolate and Red wine… two best things ever… oh and a nice hot bath,
Chocolate chip cookies- which I now make vegan and gluten free and tell myself are healthy
Netflix- trying to become a professional at this
Nut butters- all day, everyday
Maple syrup popcorn – what?!
Pistachios
Frozen banana chopped up and covered with homemade chocolate sauce (non-fat almond milk w/cocoa and a little real maple syrup if I want to sweeten it up), raisins, and chopped walnuts. It’s total heaven!!
Other than those you mentioned (which I also indulge in…), I’m going to say my Saturday or Sunday sleeping in. Heavenly… zzzzz
1. Records – As soon as I got my driver’s license (in 1994) and started venturing into the U-District and Capitol Hill in Seattle to flip through dusty used record stores, I’ve never looked back. The first records I bought were Neil Young & Crazy Horse ” Rust Never Sleeps” and R.E.M. “Eponymous”.
2. Coffee – When I read this post, I thought he was describing me! I have the same zen-like practice every morning so hand grinding my beans and making coffee with a pour over.
3. Beer – I too enjoy and favor a good IPA, and I may get slaughtered for this…but with ice! Yup, I said I drink my beer with ice. Don’t knock it until you tried it.
4. Rock bios – my guilty pleasure reading indulgence. I consume probably half a dozen of these memoirs or bios a year. From the lowbrow (Motley Crue’s “The Dirt” is probably the most entertaining book I’ve ever read) to the highbrow (most recently, Alex Chilton’s bio that came out last year).
5. NBA podcasts – I probably spend (waste?) 6 hours a week listening to NBA podcasts. At least I listen to them when I run, so I guess I’m being somewhat constructive with my time.
I share several of the same indulgences. And as I have recently began to cut out oils I would have to say those are my indulgence!
Also Gardein and Boca products. Sometimes you need the “junk.”
🙂
Excellent post, thanks for reminding everyone that you don’t need to restrict completely!
Naps! I know some folks might not see a nap as an indulgence, but I do! Especially when I know I should be cleaning or working . . .
We have some of the same indulgences. Dark chocolate, beer or wine, nuts, tea and recently I have discovered essential oils–this is becoming an expensive indulgence. And lastly chips, if we get some locally made salsa I have to have tortilla chips otherwise I can devour me some potato chips. That is why they are rarely in the house. Since eating better I too have noticed I have a serious intolerance to gluten and wheat.
I feared being labeled part of a “food cult” when I went WFPB so I eased up on the restrictions. I also wanted my family to ease up on me for my decision. I still am adamant on no meat and dairy, but like you if we are out and there is some oil I try to let the anxiety go about having to eat it. I agree with you on being too restrictive that it can cause stress, especially when not everyone is on board. Thanks for everything you do! Still lovin’ it all!
Almond butter! For me, just thinking about that decadent stuff is like opening a can of Pringles: it’ll stay front-of-mind until I open the jar and lick a spoon clean.
For me, my indulgences are beverages — coffee, beer, and a good whiskey. The first is a daily indulgence, the beer and whiskey are usually weekly (and not mixed!). Before changing my diet, it was BBQ, but after ditching meat and dairy, my body feels better than it had in years.
Oh, this is easy. Beer (craft, and not a lot), strong coffee (not a lot), dark chocolate (not a lot), running (as much as possible), and vegan home-baked goods more often than I really should. So lots of yummy salads to make up for that. And I’ve also been noticing more sensitivity to gluten since eating better, which bums me out. I’m not yet ready to let go of my already infrequent bread products.
I have many vices, vegenaise on everything, dark chocolate with salted almonds, french fries, cupcakes, and nut butters, among others!
Wine and beer! Wether a crisp beer after a hike or a glass of wine after the kids go to bed, it’s nice to have little indulgences!
Peanut butter! Not even the hip, trendy, healthy kind. Straight up JIF crunchy is where it’s at.
We also indulge in TV on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Probably too much though. It really does help you unwind and check out from the stressful day.
We enjoy wine/beer sometimes daily. The more I’m reading about how grapes are grown, I’m trying to find affordable organic wines.
Chips are probably the worst indulgence. I do buy organic though. 🙂
Thanks for all the tips and encouragement!
cheese…mostly pepper jack, but I love most cheeses
chocolate with nuts in it or chocolate covered nuts
tv and I do watch too much of it
pc = perusing vegetarian recipes and low carb recipes…any recipes
my boy dog…he’s my little king of the house and he’s spoiled rotten
I love a good cup of coffee, trail mix, granola and a beer after a long run or race to celebrate! All things that I believe are pretty healthy, in moderation. Which is pretty hard to keep at times.
You covered the most frequent of my indulgences , alcohol and chocolate (red zin and 72% dark chocolate with raspberries).
On top of that, you can include:
-Pizza with jalapeños and mushrooms (total cheat for 95ish% GF/vegan).
-Red licorice (the box with a panda on the front )
-Falafel burger and fries with spicy sauce.
Go all the way or no way, right?
Dark chocolate, for sure, and coffee….french press and fresh ground….only one cup once or twice a week but nothing as specific in measurements as you get…its still a bit-o-heaven for me!
Here are my favorite food indulgences:
1. going out for breakfast every morning, even if it’s just for an almond milk latte
2. anything potato, but especially french fries (from in-n-out!!), lay’s plain potato chips, & potato salad made with vegenaise
3. a glass of prosecco, ice cold lager beer, or white wine before & during dinner
4. peanut butter straight from the jar, & Whole Foods’ organic salted peanuts
5. tortilla chips with lots of salsa & guac
It was fun reading everyone’s posts!! Thanks for the opportunity to add to them!!
Be health & safe everyone!!
Great post Matt! Biggest indulgence would be my daily almond milk latte…would love to cut it back to plain coffee, but there’s something so indulgent about that froth!
Coffee, beer, and potato chips (in that order). I used to drink coffee twice a day until I went 100% plant-based. I just didn’t need it anymore, however, I still enjoy the taste of a good coffee. So once in awhile I treat myself for a cup of black coffee or a pint of beer or a bag of chips (after a longer had workout..of course).
My list is basically the same as yours, but in the chocolate category I would include some very decadent brownies (made with black beans and oil free !) I refuse to give up my coffee and beer because if you can’t have some of the things that you really love, then what’s the point? We’re here to be healthy AND enjoy life.
I have to have my coffee. Mornings are not the same without that first cup of strong, black java. I probably overindulge in almond butter. I love slicing a banana in half lengthwise and making it into an almond butter sandwich….and of course there are those middle of the day dipping the spoon in the jar indulgences.
Top two indulgences:
Not coffee- that’s a human right as far as I am concerned.
1. Having more running/trail shoes than days of the week.
2. Binge watching violent dramas when my 13 year old stays at a friend’s house. Nothing feels more indulgent than watching rated r TV during the day.
My top indulgence which is probably a no-no like you stated is popcorn. I really can’t function, live, or breathe without it. Hahaha ok, that was dramatic. But really I think I eat it at least daily. not good I know, but I justify that the other 90% of me makes the right choices. Or so I aspire too…..
When I gave up soda Wine became my drink of choice at night. Just one glass of wine, sometimes I don’t even finish it.
Dark chocolate is delicious.
I enjoy oreos every now and then, but my sensitivity to corn is pushing that further away.
VEGAN DONUTS!!!!!!!! SAY NO MORE.
French fries!! It’s a party every.time. 🙂
Indulgences are cheese, tortilla chips, and alcohol. Nothing beats a few beers and a plate of nachos for me, though I rarely indulge in both that way.
My girlfriend is a vegan baker – forgoodnesscakesny.com, so my indulgences are always sweet treats! Pumpkin twisty doughnuts are the current sin of choice. Goes great with french press coffee (the most oily of coffee, so I guess that is two more indulgences).
Sorry Matt, as a Portland resident, I have to set you straight. You might like Omission (brewed by Widmer in PDX), but that’s only because you haven’t had Ground Breaker, also from Portland. Their IPA #5 is awesome. http://www.groundbreakerbrewing.com/year-round-beers/ It it seriously good beer, made from chestnuts and lentils. 🙂 Ask a local store to order it. But I don’t know if their beer vegan – the tasting room isn’t. How can you tell if the beer isn’t vegan? If you can’t get it locally, you’ve got to visit the brewery next time you’re in Portland. (Or maybe I can get them to send you some, so you can do a taste test against the big O – ha ha ha ha)
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I guess I’m not goign to win the giveaway!
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I checked your post about vegan beer & their website. All Groundbreaker beer is vegan. Yay!
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You can order it here: http://www.bringonthebeer.com/Ground-Breaker-Brewing.html St Denny is particularly awesome.
I promise to stop commenting now. Thanks for the great podcast and blog posts!!
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Mine is coffee, I have tired many times to give it up and cut back but when I get up in the morning I crave that cup of coffee!
My indulgences are doughnuts (LOVE them, but hate how bad they are for me), ice cream, and nachos. Dang I love me some nachos. Pretty much the only reason that I’m not vegan. And I do love the ‘heavier’ offerings for Netflix – Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Dexter.
I agree heartily with you, Matt – cutting the cable cords was one of the single best things that we have done as a family.
Sleep–8.5 hours/night
Reading for pleasure–at least 30 minutes per night (cut the cable TV cord 4 years ago)
Roasted sweet potato chunks, which I make with a smidge of olive oil + some salt. My hubby & I fight over these.
1. First one is an iced tea at Starbucks, I do sweeten it with pure maple syrup, so its natural, but I cannot go without it, so much so that they know me by name at two locations (at least), its a real problem. As a matter of fact, I did the #100happydays challenge, that is when I realized that I had a problem (that made my day more than I care to acknowledge). I take all natural supplements and I don’t even need the caffeine anymore, but I still must have my tea every morning.
2. Nuts as well (making vegan cheese, using them in recipes, etc..) I LOVE cashews, and I do eat them roasted and salted (not a lot but still)
3. Smucker’s Crustables (this one I am embarrassed of), so how do I justify it? I go to Disneyland A LOT (I have an annual pass and live like 20 mins away, so yeah A LOT) and its hard to find plant based options, so I found these one day like 6 months ago and “figured” its better than eating junk (though if you read the “ingredients” that’s exactly what it is), but I turn a blind eye, cuz I eat one once a month (even typing it makes me feel like a pb&j loser). But man are they good!
4. Essential Oils, but this is the best indulgence in the world! They go right along with my plant based life and have actually changed my life! This is also where I get my supplements (who couldn’t use more Frankincense in their body and life?!?!?!). I’m totally going the Rick Astley on this one, I am NEVER gonna give them up!
So I need to get a handle on that Crustable thing….
I love strawberry ale and adore drinking my kombucha by Buddah’s Brew! I love a good chocolate and love eating whole, fresh foods!
I hope I win this. Thank you!!
It has got to be chocolate. I have gotten to the point where I don’t over indulge too often, but I still can’t keep it in the house!
And the other indulgence is reading novels. Which is somewhat healthy, but not when you ignore everything else to finish that book!!
As a newbie to the plant world, I must admit my current indulgence is early morning iced espresso with freshly made almond milk. In addition, I am currently obsessed by avocado toast on gf bread. Mushing up the avocado, adding a few organic cherry tomatoes, sprinkling red pepper flakes and adding a smidge of flaxseed oil makes me so happy:) I know its a naughty amount of oil and so I pinky swear that I will be giving it (the toast) soon. Just not quite yet……
Ha, so fun to read everyone ‘s indulgences. I’d like to be original but dark chocolate and beer are mine too. I also love a vegan dark chocolate peanut butter cup. And dark chocolate covered honey comb is good too(not vegan I guess but yummy).
Dark chocolate with dates. Unfortunately I eat more than a couple of pieces a week.
I too love coffee, dark chocolate and beer, but I also love some good red wine. Other indulgences are marathon watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. I’m addicted!
You pretty much captured mine as well – chocolate and beer! Chocolate and Peanut Butter is a particular challenge. I can never seem to get enough of that combination. As for beer… Being a snobby craft brew kinda gal myself (PNW, thank you! :)), I have had a hard time finding a GF beer I can even tolerate! I guess I need to try OMission…
Hey Matt, I share two of your indulgences. Although I’ve mostly given up coffee I can’t resist the occasional mocha from our local coffee shop. I also enjoy the occasional dark chocolate, although I’ve discovered Primal chocolate which seems like less of a splurge health-wise, but more cash-wise. I’m planning on indulging in both tomorrow after I run my first marathon,with plans for bigger and badder trail races to come.
Daily cup of coffee and always a great dark beer
Beer, hands down. I’d much rather indulge in a delicious beer that I can enjoy outside with friends, than a piece of chocolate that’s gone in 10 seconds!
I match yours pretty closely Matt, though I go a little heavier on the beer than 1 a day (more like 1 22oz a day) and zero TV. And I’ll tell you, of all my life changes (running, vegetarian, gave up soda, etc.) this one had the biggest positive impact.
Cocktails! I would say beer, but I feel like there are SOME health benefits to it, and some nutrition. No not the best thing to be having. But cocktails are probably 100% not good as I can’t see any health benefits to hard liquor. I tend not to like really sugary drinks, and I usually have it with fresh fruit, herbs.
My favorite guilty pleasures hhmmmm…….
Vegan Cheeses…….Vegan junk foods (ie- Pizzas, chips, etc)
Rice and beans……
I like my Vega smoothies as well with bananas and other fruits……
Nuts, especially spicy flavored ones, and dried fruits, especially prunes, raisins and cranberries.
My favorite thing to indulge in lately are the new cashew frozen desserts from So Delicious. The snickerdoodle flavor is amazing!!
French fries! I would eat them all day every day if I could. I will not turn them down if offered. And I can’t even pretend there are hidden health benefits!
Top 3 indulgences are white bread, chocolate cake and scifi/fantasy novels…usually at least 2 of these go together 🙂
Baked goods (especially if they come from an old fashioned mom& pop bakery!), coffee, Splenda
dark chocolate with almond butter – yummy!!
My favorite indulgence is sugar free almond butter, I pour out all the oil that accumulates on the top and just eat with a spoon. Yum
Cookies! And coffee. And then more of both.
My indulgences are baked goods and chips. I hate seeing that in writing!
Chocolate croissants!
I’ve been a vegetarian for over 30 years and almost vegan for three. I say almost because one of my indulgences is goat cheese. I seriously love the stuff, can’t get enough. I’d put it on everything if I allowed myself. My other indulgence is sriracha hot sauce. I’ve been known to drink it straight from the bottle, and since I’m also a long-distance runner, eating hot foods is not such a good thing, lol.
Wine, for sure, is #1. I am very sad when I don’t like myself have it, like now when I’m trying to lose a few lbs. The rest of my indulgences are pretty healthy, but I just eat TOO MUCH – love pasta, good bread, avocado… and I can go way overboard. Hence the “no wine” right now 🙁
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Oops, that should say “let myself have it”
I’m going to have to say, wine and dark chocolate!
I totally agree! Coffee, chocolate, beer, nut butter.
My indulgences: coffee, Facebook, and escaping into good mystery books!
Dark Chocolate is #1…then there’s coffee- real, roasted in our neighborhood , organic and fair trade ….and ice cream, which I would like to eat everyday but cannot for a variety of reasons, most of which are just common sense. But that doesn’t stop my daughter and I from traveling far and wide looking for the really good stuff!
1- coffee! I indulge in a locally roasted cup of joe every once in a while. Light/medium roasted, Ethiopian, Naturally Processed is my favorite!
2- Beer- I also like to indulge in some local craft beers. My friends and I like going to breweries and doing flights, or bringing over a new beer for us all to try. IPA are definitely my favorite. I love the grapefruity (hoppy) taste 🙂
Vegan white russians! Vanilla almond milk, kahlua & vanilla vodka. Yes kahlua is vegan. So delicious!
Coffee, peanut butter, and facebook. I could probably count reddit too, but at least some parts of it are educational.
Definately similar to your indulgences: Coffee…not going to give that up, though I have cut down on the morning brew. Nice organic wine and home brewed beer, my husband brews some dang good beer. My chocolate choice is from a company called “Coconut Secret” delicious bars with no cane sugar, no dairy, GMO free, low glycemic, sweetened with coconut crystal…mmmm try them you will LOVE them. I always love nuts and we do not have TV or Cable…but I love “Indie” films that I can get from Netflix…yea, I am in the boonies and have to do it the old fashion way with discs in the mail. 🙂
My favorite indulgences are Ritter Sport Alpine Milk bars (complete junk food, I know) and reading fiction in bed way, way later than is good for me the next day.
I’ve been on a chocolate chip cookie spree lately. And what about whiskey? Anyway to pretend that’s a health food?
Popcorn! I went back to popping my own in a hot air popper. Love it!
Taking a day off from running or other exercise and sleeping in on Saturday mornings!
Definitely a good craft beer and a good glass of wine!I will never give those up!!
Oh, my favorite indulgences – Nut butters!! I love them. We usually have a few open jars in the house, they just don’t last long. When they are almost empty, I love making overnight oats in them. Mmmmm good!
Raw almond butter, dates, dark chocolate (often all mixed together) and coffee. I also love the occasional vegan cookie/ baked good. And WAFFLES! I almost forgot. My favorite breakfast on days I have time to cook and enjoy them, which happens a few happy days a year.
And more than TV, I love a good novel, especially when I have time to sit and read for hours.
I enjoy beer. I also love coffee. I do indulge in a little too much social media from time to time.
Wow! No one has ever asked! Ok, so, favorite indulgences……. got it:
1) Beer (I live in Seattle and we have amazing craft beer!!)
2) Wiine….my wife is half Italian so, when in Rome…..
3) John Stewart, The Daily Show! I am notorious for not keeping up on current events and he fills me in marvelously on the important stuff.
4) Salt!! This may be THE big one for me. Salt sends me to find/eat crackers, chips, yes….every thing and nothing.
My favorite indulgences that I look forward to everyday are air popped organic popcorn with almond butter & Himalayan salt ontop. I also love dark chocolate. The darker the chocolate the better for me too.
Mango, pickled green mango and those ripe off the tree! When i was pregnant and on the mainland for school, i dreamed of big, ripe, juicy mangoes hanging from the tree. Eating them right from the tree with the juice running down your chin! Soon it will be mango season and neighbors are kind enough to share if you donʻt have your own tree. My neighborʻs tree hangs over in my yard, so by the law of mango over the fence, they are mine! Keep your indulgences, itʻs what makes the world go round.
Well, my indulgences are not so different from yours, Matt!
My top 3 indulgences:
A really good cup of freshly roasted coffee;
Sleeping in (my 5 a.m. run gets me out of bed, but I sometimes allow myself a late morning each month);
Corn on the cob- thankfully, we only buy it in season in our area (once a year in August!).
My indulgence is napping. Even at 37 there is nothing better than getting a 15 minute power nap in the middle of the day. Even if I get one in during the week I’m a happy gal. It is refreshing and gives me a boost.
Coffee, dark chocolate, and almond butter!!
1. French Press Coffee
2. French Press Coffee
3. French Press Coffee
Potato chips are my number 1!
Tofutti is vegan… But not healthy and sometimes have to many and not to mention expensive
To much screen time! Mainly Internet, sometimes TV
I know there are more but those are the top ones I think.
Dark chocolate, peanut butter, ice cream…preferably mixed together in one very over-sized bowl.
mine are nuts, nut butter, dark chocolate, coffee, and frozen yogurt!
Disclaimer: I’m not a vegan, but I am a runner working towards a more plant-based diet. I love this blog because it inspires me to eat better and that works for me. So I don’t know if my guilty pleasers really count on this site.
1. Good wheat beer, because life’s too short to drink bad beer.
2. Sushi, as I work away from my animal based dependence and toward a plant based one, I cannot imagine ever giving up seafood entirely. Maybe I will, but a good sushi roll is a special thing.
3. Coffee, I have tried to switch to tea. It is supposed to have all the same health benefits but at lower calorie intake (I drink my coffee with milk or soy milk) but it’s just not the same.
As I said my lack of veganism might work against me in the validity department for this blog but really appreciate this community.
My husband and I just moved from Minneapolis, also a micro-brew mecca, so good beer is definitely one of our indulgences! And maybe a little too much guacamole!
My indulgence is deep tissue massages. I pinch pennies so I can get one every other week. It resets my intention for healthy living. I’ve been going to the same massuese for 2 years and she can sense imbalances or tightness that I can’t. Working on being able to get one weekly.
Mine are beer, wine, popcorn (with vegan butter) and cake. Maybe not all at the same time.
My indulgence is home brewed Kombucha. 12 ounces each day. Lately ice been adding ginger to it. I also grind and press my coffee beans each morning. I won’t drink it any other way.
I tried the Omission beer that’s pictured a couple of summers ago and was so, so impressed. It’s good in it’s own right and is merely a bonus that it’s gluten free! My favorite indulgence is sugary cereal. Sigh. It’s true.
Indulgences (and looking forward to them) are what keep me on my best behavior the rest of the day)
1) That first cup of coffee in the morning (when the smell of it brewing has filled the house);
A serving of baked quinoa and oats, with walnuts, apples and berries, with a splash of plant milk, to accompany my morning coffee. Of course, having some good reading material helps the both the enjoyment of breakfast, and the process of gradually waking up.
3) Chocolate anything, I used to say. But these days, I confine it to a little, fine quality dark, or some cocoa nibs sprinkled on yogurt.
4) Frozen yogurt. I love the places where you serve yourself and can choose from about 100 flavors! But in the interest of telling myself I haven’ been TOO bad, I choose two, keep the serving small — then fill the cup with fresh fruit. Love the leechee nuts!
5) Cold unsweetened cereal with plant milk and a sliced banana. OK, it’s processed. But you can’t beat it on a hot morning!
My favorite indulgence is a decaf soy mocha. I consider it a health food, since all the ingredients are good for you in one way or another.
Newly gluten-free, I am also looking for good GF beer (does Omission ship cross country?) and pizza dough recipes. For years, we have been making our own pizzas, which are far better than anything you can get from a standard pizza chain. But gluten-free pizza dough just doesn’t cut it. However, last night I tried a variation of Fuel Your Run Pinole Chia Waffles with less milk and without the sweet stuff. It worked great as a pizza dough!
My favorite indulgence is ice cream!
Indulgences????? Plenty!!! Beer…in all forms! Wine, whiskey, tequila, and chips and salsa. Seriously, I’ll eat a whole bag before I know what happened!
My indulgences:
– Buying colorful workout clothes (I can’t help it if the clothing is on sale!)
– Eating sweets (cookies, ice cream/sorbet)
– Watching “One Piece” anime since the very beginning. Some of my weekends have been cooped inside the housing watching the episodes!
Oreo cookies and coconut ice cream.
Frozen yogurt, pizza, and beer!
We’re on the same page! I have the same list of indulgences except, I go wine (rather than beer) and nut butter (rather than nuts). Yum.
Beer and nut butters. Breakfast just isn’t the same without a big glob of PB!
My indulgences have been narrowed after quitting alcohol, but here goes:
Small brand root beer comparisons are a definite indulgence…always searching for the perfect recipe.
Vegan desserts would have to be on the list, although with Spring, this is changing.
Some tv shows, mainly Game of Thrones at the moment, qualify.
Once a month the comic version of The Walking Dead has my undivided attention. Indulgence.
Playing Ingress into the wee hours some evenings, although technically exercising, is an indulgence.
Brookside dark chocolate berry clusters
mine is dark chocolate baking chips nibbled out of the bag
Great summary of life’s indulgences that are to good to give up and make life a vegan lifestyle happiest!
Ice Cream!
I go for sugar-vegan sugar of course. I crave the sweetness especially when my monthly visitor is near. I want sweet hot tea, vegan cakes, cookies. But I know it’s my body telling me to increase my greens intake. So I hike to the store purchase local organic greens and juice and make salads. Thanks.
Two words. Vegan mayo! So bad, but so good.
I am in love with sugar-free chocolate pudding. It was really great when I had 200 pounds to lose in 2005. It satisfied cravings for things that would be worse for me. The love affair continued as I beat cancer, started triathlon, finished my first IronMan, beat a colon tumor again, finished IronMan 2, got my USAT coaching certification, retired from journalism, and started to deal with AVN in my hip. Somewhere along the way I started to add peanut butter. God help me I love it so much and with the pudding, I had a bowl full of a mix that tasted like a big bowl of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Sugar-free and peanut butter, health food, right? Not so much. Very calorie dense. When I decided to try a vegetarian diet earlier this year after reading your book and becoming convinced I could manage serious workouts on plant-based eating, I also found Georgie Fear’s Lean Habits. She pushes 3 to 4 meals a day and no snacks. So out when my nightly bowl of pudding/peanut butter love. I honestly will say I am loving the response my body is having. And after a new hip on Wednesday, I will get into rehab and then triathlon training again to return to the sport in 2016. Thanks for your help.
When I indulge, it’s generally on dry roasted almonds or mixed nuts – absolutely love them! Usually I try to eat a small amount of nuts and/or nut butter a day, but every once in a while I’ll get a craving and eat several servings worth. I also get the super dark chocolate or individual squares of raw dark chocolate and let a square slowly melt in my mouth, chased by sips of good dark coffee. If I need a really decadent treat, a bit of melted dark chocolate mixed with a bit of peanut butter does the job.
JellyBelly sours and Kindle. I have to buy the jellybeans from their website in individual boxes, or else I would eat the whole bag in 1 sitting, and feel guilty afterwards and sad that they’re all gone at the same time. The Kindle let’s me read trashy novels without anyone else seeing the title, or cover.
Wine and TV!
1. Bean dip with all the fixings.
2. Oreos. It’s vegan, but SOOO bad!
3. Tacos.
4. Muffins. They all taste good.
5. Copious amounts of bruschetta.
1) Beer
2) Energy Drinks
3) Taylor Swift
4) Gum
5) Mario Lopez
Mmmmm chocolate and French fries. And Thai food. I love food. 🙂 Beer is high up there too and for my healthy indulgence, avocado.
My favorite indulgence is avocado with barbecue sauce. I’m pretty sure the sauce negates the healthfulness of the avocado, which is why I try to save it as a treat. Throw in some tortilla chips and I’m good to go!
Definitely peanut butter. No, red wine. Wait, coffee (with vanilla almond milk). OK, all of those. But the best ever indulgence: peanut butter and jelly on a waffle – holy Heaven.
Our indulgences are very similar! I love Omission, dark chocolate and dark coffee.
Has to be Coffee, chocolate and binge reading
Peanut butter, espresso porters and mint chocolate ice cream
Funny thing I thought I had an easy list until I read so many on here:
1. Reading books or too much time on Pinterest – I can get lost in them and lose track of time.
2. Cookbooks – vegetarian, vegan , gluten free or searching online for recipes – I also like to look at conventional recipes as I like a challenge on how to vege-tize them.
3. Anything with chocolate! I need to cut back on the sugar.
I like your blog and motivational emails it’s getting me to resume my interest in running.
i have two indulgences – milkshakes and sleep-ins!
My indulgences mirror yours pretty closely. Although, my coffee habit is a great deal heavier than yours at 3-4 cups a day. And I tend to go for wine over beer because of all the great local wine where I live.
My favorite indulgences are Good Earth Sweet & Spicy tea with soy milk, Trader Joe’s dark chocolate with almonds, and anything covered in peanut butter!
Oh my gosh CHEESE only quality cheese, not the junk wrapped single in plastic, Fresh ripe a Strawberries with a bit of cream poured on top and then sprinkled with curls of dark chocolate and best of the best champagne the glass rimmed with sugar and a shot of Gran Mariner added oh and ice cold grey goose dirty martinis
My top 2 indulgences are dark chocolate from Trader Joes and Magner’s Cider coming in a close 3rd would be the rare occasion I get to sleep in. I have 4 kiddos, work full time and go to school full time.
A few of my indulgences are wine, coffee, baked treats and coconut milk ice cream!
I wish my indulgences were as good as yours! 🙂 Hands down, peanut butter and TV. I only really watch TV once my kids are in bed, but like you said, it is really to mindlessly unwind after a long day. I could do that with a good book just as easily and save money! But mmmmmmmm, peanut butter.
A nice cold one is always a good indulgence — but the worst offender for me is Oreos and Twizzlers. They’re vegan and I kind of wish they weren’t, because if they weren’t vegan then I wouldn’t eat them! If I keep them in moderation, once in a while on a weekend, it’s not so bad — but if I go overboard I quickly regret it.
#1. Wine #2. Chocolate #3. Watching The Voice #4. Ginger chews- so good. #5. Cheese
Tacos! Definitely tacos! Best made with homemade tortillas 🙂
Pre-Veganism: taco bell and reese’s peanut butter cups
Now: corn chips & hummus or peanut butter spread on a banana, dipped in vegan chocolate chips.
Mmmmmm
My favorite indulgences are french fries (with lots of ketchup), wine, and chocolate. Thanks for the giveaway.
Chocolate… majorly. And I wish I considered coffee an indulgence – I think of it more as a necessity 🙂
My roommate got some Omission beer for a potluck we hosted, it was delicious!
I definitely have most of those same indulgences, except for coffee! Could spending hours looking for the best deals when online shopping for running/triathlon stuff count as an indulgence?
Definitely chocolate chip cookies!
My favorite indulgence (but by no means my only) is definitely beer… but I’m whole foods, plant based, no oil so I’m hoping it all cancels out!
Very thought-provoking – thanks. Two of my favorite indulgences are an afternoon nap and a spoonful of peanut butter!
My absolute favorite indulgence is an ice cold glass of v8. Not whole food and way too much sodium. But a must have.
My favorite indulgence is coffee with cream AND sugar… so good and yet so bad
My biggest indulgence is alcohol in general, beer, wine and spirits, usually good drinks made with few but real ingredients! I am obsessed with spicy drinks made with jalapeno vodka and pineapple juice or rum and coconut water:)
Indulgences for me would have to be beer and sweets and sometimes in that order!!
1. Coffee
2. Oreos (usually combined with #1)
3. Wine
4. The bachelor/bachelorette (I know I know!)
100% I’m also posting beer, wine and a good cup of coffee. Delicious deliciousness!
1. All vegan sweets :/
2. Chocolate
3. Peanut Butter I know it’s a good source of fat and protein in moderation, but I tend to over do it
Looks like beer is a pretty common answer here, and I’ll have to go with beer as well! Another favorite is those Xocolatl Energy Balls from Scott Jurek’s book Eat and Run.
Favorite indulgence is potato chips and sour cream. NOT HEALTHY. So I only do it rarely. My “healthy” indulgence is about 1/4 cup of cold coffee topped off with about 1 cup of cold home-made almond milk.
My favorite indulgence has to be chocolate! Preferably dark yet smooth-tasting, and if it has whole almonds or hazelnuts in it, all the better!
Thanks for all the comments! The (randomly selected) winner is … Sheri, who had a little trouble deciding, but eventually chose PB&J on a waffle as the ultimate indulgence (gotta try that one …).
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Thank you! I’m so excited! You completely made my whole week.
PB&J on a waffle should be its own food group :-).
I’ve always loved drinking coffee while smoking when hanging out in a coffee shop but I haven’t done that in almost a year because I used to feel palpitations. It was really weird because even right after waking up in the morning, I could feel it LOL. Since then, I’ve consulted our family doctor and he suggested that I try and quit smoking.
Sweets….Any and all sweets. You can keep the alcohol, but give me donuts.
Donuts and beer. Really any sweet pastry, but donuts are kryptonite to me.
Plant based eating has encouraged me to roast my own coffee and share it with others. Presenting the coffee, paired with great plant foods, to friends and family that are unfamiliar with what it is supposed to taste like is eye opening for them. After that, they come straight to me for home roasted coffee and plant based recipes! COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE…
Without a doubt my favorite indulgence is Ice Cream. Nothing else even comes close. Gifford’s Grapenuts with Vanilla Ice Cream … or Moose Tracks … or anything by Ben and Jerry’s … or Peanut Butter Cup … *sigh* now I want a bowl.