Tip Add a Buffer Food to Your Diet Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating Tip Add a Buffer Food to Your Diet Why super-strict diets backfire and how to prevent that from happening with buffer foods by Dr Jade Teta October 17, 2016April 5, 2021 Tags Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips A buffer food isn't a "cheat food" but rather a food you love that doesn't derail your goals in the gym. This is a food that satiates and satisfies in the moment. More importantly, it's a food that takes the edge off and allows for more beneficial, healthy foods to be eaten later – one that helps you reach your goals. Don t Make Every Bad Food Off Limits For most, this is counterintuitive, yet is a critical understanding. Many people think to themselves, "I will only eat foods that are healthy, fat-loss or fitness oriented foods and avoid anything else." Of course this works for a time (usually a very brief time), until you find yourself bingeing on all the off-limit foods. Setting foods as "off limits" is like the psychological experiment where you tell someone NOT to think of a white elephant. Once you say that, it'll be all they can think about. The same thing holds true for food. Set something as off limits and it will soon become "on limits" in unlimited quantities. Instead, think about which foods you like that keep you balanced and stable. The Banana Fix An example, for me, is banana. When I eat it, it gives me just enough sweet, fills me up and provides good quality, stable energy. So much so it makes eating better foods later much easier. I used to avoid bananas because they had "too many carbs." As a result of avoiding them I ate even more carbs than I would otherwise... fat and salt too. For some, two squares of dark chocolate will do the trick. For others, it's avocado, a little nut butter or sour cream, sparkling flavored water, or even a piece of bacon. Just make sure your buffer food isn't a trigger food that you just can't stop eating. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Eating Another BIG Reason to Avoid Coffee Pods There are several reasons to avoid single-serving coffee pods, but here's one that might finally make you reassess your habit. TC Luoma September 19 Diet & Fat Loss Chanko Can’t seem to put on any quality weight? Try this strategy borrowed from sumo wrestlers. And don’t worry, you won’t get fat like a sumo! Check it out. Diet Plan, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements TC Luoma June 12 Eating The Hard Body Manifesto - Part 1 Fat loss is a hot topic. Every month there are thousands of articles and dozens of new books telling people how to eat, how to exercise, and how to supplement to lose their flab. Now's my turn. Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements John Berardi, PhD November 23 Supplements Tip Don t Take Advil for Sore Muscles Advil, aspirin, and other common pain relievers inhibit muscle growth. Here's what to do instead. Building Muscle, Curcumin, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips TC Luoma October 23