Cheat Days: Good or Bad?

What if everything you thought about "cheat days" is actually sabotaging your health goals? That's the question at the heart of this eye-opening exploration into our complex relationship with food. Drawing from real patient experiences and scientific evidence, Dr. Jules reveals the psychological trap many fall into: eating "clean" during the week only to binge on weekends, ultimately erasing any progress made.

The problem isn't just caloric, it's psychological. Labeling foods as "cheats" creates a moral framework around eating that breeds guilt and shame. One patient couldn't understand why they weren't losing weight despite eating "just salads" most days, while weekend indulgences with wine and restaurant meals completely eliminated their weekday calorie deficit. This all-or-nothing approach represents diet culture at its most harmful, creating an unsustainable cycle that damages both physical health and mental wellbeing.

Instead of this restrictive approach, Dr. Jules advocates for the evidence-based 80-20 rule: aim for 80% of calories from nutrient-dense whole foods (primarily plants) while allowing 20% flexibility for treats, social occasions, and less nutrient-dense options. This balanced approach ensures nutritional adequacy while creating space for joy and celebration without guilt. By focusing on adding nutrient-rich foods rather than restricting "bad" ones, we naturally crowd out less healthy options while building a sustainable relationship with eating that can last a lifetime. Most importantly, we learn to enjoy food mindfully, because the healthiest diet isn't the most restrictive one, but the one you can maintain with joy and consistency for years to come.

Join us in challenging the conventional wisdom around "cheating" on your diet, and discover how changing your food mindset might be the missing piece in your health journey. Have you struggled with the restrict-binge cycle? Share your experience and let's build better food relationships together!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Cheat Days
• 2:16 The All-or-Nothing Trap
• 9:03 Reframing the Concept of Cheating
• 14:13 Creating a Sustainable Relationship with Food
• 19:41 Key Takeaways & Building Better Habits
• 24:20 Final Thoughts & Conclusion

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:11

Hey everyone, welcome to Season 2 of the Dr Jules Plant-Based Podcast, where we discuss everything from plant-based nutrition to the main pillars of lifestyle medicine. Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the podcast. Today we're going to be talking about cheat days or, as some other people might call it, maybe treat days or the binge days. Basically, I'll be talking about what I think about these days and if they could or should or can fit inside of a healthy dietary pattern. The goal for me is always to build balance without the guilt. Maybe have a different opinion on how I see cheat days. That for some people helps them label foods or days of eating as good or bad, so for a lot of people it actually creates guilt around food. That's really something I'm trying to debunk and work on and help people recognize that sometimes this can actually backfire. Every single person trying to eat healthier will run into this concept at some point. Should I have a cheat day? Can I treat myself and still be healthy? Dr Cormier, you're telling me to eat as less processed foods as I can. Can I eat some ultra-processed food once in a while? Or I messed up? I ate very unhealthy on Sunday. Can I just restart on Monday. Now, if any of those ideas sound familiar, this episode is for you, because the truth is that the way we think about food matters just as much as what we eat.

Speaker 1: 2:16

Let's start with what a cheat day actually is Now. Typically, it's a day when someone takes a break from healthy eating or from their structured or more restrictive healthy eating plan. Now, maybe on that day you decide to have pizza, donuts, ice cream, or maybe you just decide to dive into all three. Now, for a lot of people, the idea of a cheat day is well, I'll eat clean all week and then I will go wild on Saturday. Now, I do understand the appeal of that Now who doesn't like a guilt-free snack? But this type of mindset can actually backfire. Why can actually backfire? Why, well, because it sets up a good versus bad food dynamic and it reinforces that healthy food is punishment and junk food is reward. And, as I would say to any patient of mine, that's a slippery slope. The concept of labeling food inherently good or bad can create guilt and shame when you're eating the so-called bad food. I really do think that all foods can coexist on a healthy dietary pattern. Is what you're doing most of the time over the long term that counts. And maybe if you want to eat a chocolate bar, just eat a chocolate bar, and I do understand that for some people that's easier said than done.

Speaker 1: 4:01

Let's talk about the all or nothing trap. Now I don't know if you've ever heard of this, but typically it would sound like I already had the muffin, so might as well have fries too. Well, I was doing so well on this diet, I was rocking it, but then I had cake and I blew it and I just went all out for the whole weekend and I'll start again on Monday. Now, just a few weeks ago, I saw this patient. We did a body composition analysis on him with the InBodyScan 580. This basically measures the composition of your body in terms of its proportion of water, fat and muscle. It's a fantastic tool to really break down what you're made of. And during one of these conversations my patient said well, it's funny, I don't eat more than 1300 calories per day, but still I'm gaining weight.

Speaker 1: 5:01

Now I know it's a very difficult subject to talk about, but no one here is defying laws of thermodynamics. Calories in, calories out, with some nuance, is actually basically the foundational pillars of how we maintain energy balance. If you are in a negative energy balance, meaning that you're eating less calories that you're burning, um well, then you're losing weight, and if you are eating more calories than you're burning, then you are gaining weight. Now I do understand that this energy expenditure part of the equation is made out of four things your BMR, your non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or incidental exercise. Your foot thermogenesis, meaning the fuel needed to burn and to break down and digest and to absorb calories from the foods and beverages you consume, and also the actual exercise you're doing. Now certain medical conditions like Hashimoto's or PCOS, might impact some of these energy expenditure types, like, for example, your BMR, but not to an extent where, over time, it would do anything to defy these laws of thermodynamics. So over time, over the long term, if you are in a negative energy balance, you lose weight. If you're in a positive energy balance, you gain weight.

Speaker 1: 6:37

Now that patient said I eat super healthy. All week I just eat salads, I'm for sure in a calorie deficit, but on the weekend I drink wine and I eat maybe out with friends, and can't understand why my visceral fat is at 220 centimeters squared and I have a 46% body fat percentage. This patient was overweight and dealing with all sorts of conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, sleep apnea and fatty liver, and didn't understand why he was in a calorie deficit but not losing weight. Now, the reality of it is is that he's not in a calorie deficit and that's why he's not losing weight, because on the weekend he tends to go all out. Now, if you're in a 200 calorie deficit from Monday to Thursday, which means four days of deficits, which means about 800 calories, and then on the weekend you drink 12 beers, eat three takeout meals and eat chips before going to bed, you are absolutely going to annihilate that 800 calorie deficit.

Speaker 1: 7:59

And for a lot of people, the fact that they ate healthy during the week justifies going all out on the weekend. And this definitely creates some kind of all or nothing trap, or good versus bad or healthy versus guilty type feeling. Now, this type of mindset is everywhere and it's toxic. Now, one slip won't ruin your health, just like one workout doesn't make you shredded. You cannot eat broccoli once a month and think that it makes you healthy, much in the same way as eating one chocolate bar here and there is not going to make you unhealthy. Health is a long game and you do not have to be perfect. So here's a way to reframe this Now. Imagine your progress, like brushing your teeth. If you miss one night, do you throw away the toothbrush and say, well, nevermind, I guess I'll stop brushing forever? Of course not. You just pick it up back the next day, right Now. The same goes for eating well.

Speaker 1: 9:08

Now what if, instead of calling it a cheat day, we maybe call it something more productive, maybe a treat day or, even better yet, a treat mindset? Not a binge, not a guilt trip, just intentional enjoyment. It's okay to enjoy food that isn't nutrient packed. Now, I love a good vegan cookie and I do eat plant-based vegan cakes when my kids have their birthdays. But the difference is it's not a secret rebellion, it's not done in shame and it's not a reward for being good. Treats are actually part of a balanced, flexible way of eating, and when you allow them mindfully, you actually avoid the restrict and binge cycle.

Speaker 1: 10:01

Now, most of my calories are super healthy. I really enjoy feeding my body with healthy, nutrient-dense food. I eat whole foods for 99% of my calories, but I do not feel guilty at all when I overindulge, and when I do, I just go back to eating the same way the next day. I know that if I eat vegan cakes and vegan cookies and ultra processed junk, that's a normal part of life. It's a normal part of enjoying food and enjoying culture and enjoying the traditions of celebrating with family.

Speaker 1: 10:46

The issue is that most people eat ultra-processed foods for over 60% of their daily calories, whereas we should probably try to limit these calories to about 5 to 10%. So the reality the average Canadian consumes 60% of their calories from ultra-processed foods, 30% from animal products and 5 to 10% from whole plants whole minimally processed plants like fruits and veggies and legumes, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. Now, if we look at the scientific literature and try to find what probably is a healthy balance, you'll probably run into the 80-20 rule 80% of your calories coming from minimally processed plants in a state as close as the way mother nature created them, basically eating foods that grow in the ground, from a tree or from plant, and trying to limit animal products and ultra-processed foods to less than 10% of calories each. So 10% coming from ultra-processed foods or 10% coming from animal products or 20% from whatever the heck you want. If you are eating 80% of your calories from healthy, nutrient-dense foods, that very likely will compensate for the nutrient-poor foods that make up the remaining or the rest of that 20% of calories.

Speaker 1: 12:23

When we look at calling something a cheat day, we have to be real and they do have downsides. Now, after restricting all week, the floodgates tend to open and people tend to eat way past satiety, meaning way past their fullness cues. They end up overeating just because they are restricted all week and they're craving. These foods also set off an emotional roller coaster where they eat, they feel guilt, then they feel shame and then they start over just giving up and eating ultra-processed foods or calorie-dense foods as a part of their routine and, honestly, for your body and your health. There's a little bit of a metabolic whiplash that happens when you flood your body with salt, sugar, fat and alcohol and it's basically just not great for digestion, for blood sugar stability and definitely for mental health. Eating these foods will probably impact your sleeping, impact your mood and increase likelihood that you'll consider increasing the amount of calories that are coming from ultra-processed foods on a regular basis. And also, if you're labeling foods as cheat meals, what message does that send to your brain and to you and to your family and maybe even to your kids? It's like you're doing something wrong, that you should feel bad because you're cheating. That's diet culture. In essence, that's the harmful message of diet culture.

Speaker 1: 14:12

Now here's what I teach my patients and try to model myself. I eat for nourishment most of the time, so I eat whole plant-based foods, a lot of fiber. In terms of quantity and variety, I count colors and not calories, and so I make sure to have at least three colors. I aim for five now at each meal to have the widest range of micronutrients possible. But you already know that drill. Variety is the spice of life. Make sure to eat as many different colors of whole foods coming from plants fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, nuts and seeds herbs and spices.

Speaker 1: 15:00

Second rule of healthy eating is belief. Space for joy. Now, if a birthday cake is on the table, enjoy a slice, mindfully, slowly, with gratitude, intentional enjoyment, and zoom out. One meal is not going to make or break. You Think in weeks and months and not in single days or, even worse, in single meals. What we try to do here in the family is to avoid moral language when it comes to food. So we don't call foods good or bad. We call them health-promoting or less nutrient-dense. But you're not bad for having a bag of chips. You're human and you're still worthy of health, even if you eat ultra processed foods here and there.

Speaker 1: 15:54

Now, another rule that I have for myself is I try to learn my triggers. Some people can moderate anything and others do better having stricter rules or avoiding certain foods completely. There's no shame either way. Just make sure to know yourself. Now for me, going on a whole food, plant-based diet, I have guardrails up. The rules are clear. I eat whole, minimally processed plants for 99% of my calories, and these rules help guide most of my dietary choices. I'm the happiest when I'm eating healthy. My medical conditions are at bay, my digestion is great. My mood can't be better. I'm performing athletically at my peak and so, for me, having this rigid rule of eating a whole foods, plant based diet, it serves me well. That's why I understand that this diet is not for everyone.

Speaker 1: 16:53

For a lot of people, they don't want to be plant-based, they don't want to restrict certain food groups, and I respect that. That's why the 80-20 rule is so important to consider, because in this way you enjoy all of the food grooves that you want, but you try to eat most of your calories from whole and minimally processed plants. Also, we need to get rid of that last supper mentality. You don't need to eat all the things now, they'll still be there tomorrow. And that scarcity mindset creates overeating. And there's actually a book on that by Michael Easter. Go, go check it out. I think it's called Scarcity Brain or something like that. He also wrote Comfort Crisis Great books, go go check them out. And the last rule, and probably the most important of all I've talked about it multiple times Aim for about 80% of your calories coming from nutrient dense foods and 10 to 20% can come for or from treats and experiments and flexibility. It's not all or nothing. Play the long game. That's what will determine your health outcomes in weeks, months and even years. Now, when it comes to choosing your own dietary pattern, it's a mindset shift that you need Now.

Speaker 1: 18:32

Healthy eating or plant-based diets are a lifestyle, not a test, and the goal isn't to pass some nutrition exam, it's to feel good and to live long and to love your life. I personally really enjoy eating this way because my identity revolves around health and revolves around trying to avoid the medical conditions that once made me sick, and so, for me, adopting strict, rigid rules around whole food, plant-based eating for most of my calories have served me well, but I do understand that that won't resonate for some of you. The 80-20 rule probably applies to most people here, where you're not going to have to restrict or block out certain foods. You can just enjoy ultra-processed foods and unhealthier foods in moderation. But you need to know what moderation means, and moderation means a certain quantity or a certain dose, and the dose depends on the food. So certain foods are so unhealthy that the dose is close to zero is probably better, for example, trans fats or saturated fats. But some foods are just unhealthy because they're calorie dense and nutrient poor, not inherently bad. So these foods, they simply need to be consumed in moderation and making sure that you're getting most of your calories from whole plants will ensure that you're getting all the nutrients you need to be healthy, as well as your fiber. And then if you indulge and explore ultra-processed foods inside of a calorie-controlled diet, well then so be it.

Speaker 1: 20:15

The goal is to build a relationship with food that's flexible, sustainable, forgiving, really focused on the long haul, and ask yourself if I had to eat like this forever, would it work? Would I be able to sustain it? For me, I went plant-based in 2012, and at the time of recording, we're June 2025. And so this diet works for me, and if you answer no to that question, then you're not building habits. You're basically white-knuckling a diet. Now, willpower will work for a lot of people, but for most people my career as a doctor would say willpower is a finite resource, and if you fight biology long enough, biology usually wins. So if you're really really trying to restrict yourself and go against your identity, consuming a diet that you really don't like, it is likely not able to be sustained over the long term. So let's wrap this up.

Speaker 1: 21:24

My key takeaways are that cheat days they create shame cycles and treats can be mindful and guilt free and enjoyed by people even on the healthiest of health journeys, and one off-track meal doesn't ruin everything. Progress is about consistency and doing health most of the time over the long term. Now, sustainability over the long term means being flexible and choosing with intention. Intentionally enjoying an ultra-processed meal is okay, and I'd say it's probably healthier for your brain and for your mood. You don't need to be perfect, you just need to not give up, right?

Speaker 1: 22:16

The most important thing is on that spectrum of health that goes from 60% of your calories from ultra-processed foods, 30% from animal products and 5% to 10% from whole, minimally processed plants the way the average canadian eats. Try to maybe make some swaps and modify the recipes you already eat to add more whole and minimally processed plants to it. Focus on what you're adding to your plate instead of what you're removing or restricting, and the healthier foods will naturally crowd out the bad ones and you see me using the language of the bad one. We really need to try to change it towards having healthier, nutrient-dense foods replace the more nutrient-poor, hyperpalatable and over-consumable ones, right? So if you're eating chili, maybe consider throwing a can of black beans or lentils in there in order to crowd out the red meat. If you're consuming an ultra-processed yogurt, well, maybe make sure to add berries or even seeds to it to just increase the nutrient density. The moral of the story is to reduce ultra processed foods and animal products to a dose that has not been deemed dangerous or unhealthy, and for most people that would be about 20% of daily calories and keeping 80% of your calories coming from nutrient-dense foods. If you look at the 2019 update of their Canadian food guide, 50% of the plate is fruits and veggies, 25% are whole grains and the other 25% focuses on protein, making sure to put emphasis and to focus on increasing the amount of plant protein in your diet, and if you do that, you are, by default, on a very healthy diet Right on.

Speaker 1: 24:26

I hope you enjoyed this episode. I hope you saw the nuance and the pros and cons of calling diets cheat days or cheat meals, or restricting and shaming yourself into eating in a certain way. When someone says I eat really healthy during the week and I really go all out during the weekend, it makes me question the relationship that they have with food, and for a lot of people, it's not the food that they need to change. It's their mindset and their relationship with the foods they eat Right on. I hope you enjoyed this episode. I hope created some reflection on the relationship that you have with food. Definitely reach out on my social medias or on my website, plantbaseddrjulescom, if you have any comments or things you want to add or subjects you want me to cover Right on. You have an awesome day. We'll see you in the next episode. Peace, hey, everyone, go check out my website plantbaseddrjulescom to find free downloadable resources and remember that you can find me on facebook and instagram at drjulescormier, and on youtube at Plant Based Dr Jules.