A cheat day essential means you eat “clean” for 6 days so you can “cheat” on the 7th day. Is this good or bad? Well, a good diet is one you can stick to.
What is a “Cheat” Food Day?
The idea of a “cheat day” has been around for awhile now. What it essentially means is that, first, you eat “clean” for six days, meaning you stick to your diet and anything that could be classified as “junk”—like fast food, dessert, and processed snacks—is off the table.
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Then you “cheat” on the seventh day. You can eat whatever you want!
According to BBC food the concept of a cheat day emerged around the same time as clean eating. The Guardian notes that the “clean” food movement started in 2007, when Tosca Reno, a Canadian fitness model, published a book called The Eat-Clean Diet.
How do Cheat Days Affect Us?
- Physically
Actually, nothing too scary happens. BUT there are some interesting fallacies out there in regards to cheat days enhancing your metabolism. - Hormonally
There are other theories that suggest that having a cheat day could increase your leptin levels. Although, most researchers agree that more needs to be studied in this area. - Mentally
There are many yay’s and nay’s to this argument, most agree though that a diet that one can stick to is the one that works. Learn more on different theories published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology here.
Our Personal Takeaways on Cheat Days
We agree that any ‘good’ diet is the one you can stick to! That being said, the word cheat does have a negative connotation. Changing the word to ‘celebration’ or ‘treat’ could make it seem more positive.
Should you practice intuitive eating? Again, this is personal choice, but one we believe should only be practiced after years of refining your own diet.
We would love to hear your opinion though! Message us on and let us know your thoughts!
