What is a sensible amount of crisps, chocolate and biscuits to be eating?

[PuzzledObserver]

How much is a reasonable amount of chocolate and biscuits to eat - per day or per week?

And how much is too much?

This is for a man in his 60’s with high blood pressure who is obese

The salt content is very important too. So I'd cut the crisps right back and don't add salt to cooking and don't eat ready meals as they are high in salt.

If he's attached to his crisps and biscuits, it can be factored in to a weight loss plan, as planned snacks. He needs to work out his TDEE, plan three healthy balanced meals and see how many calories he has left over, and then he can 'spend' them on crisps, biscuits or chocolate. Unlikely to be able to fit all three into a day if we are honest.

Ideally none since he doesn't need it. If he would struggle to give them up altogether then 2 biscuits a day, one small packet of crisps a day and chocolate once a week. But that's still too much.

Might be best to see if a referral for healthy eating support from GP is possible. He could also try keeping a food diary.
Agree with others that none would be best but it's his choice.

….and then use up a bigger share of NHS resource than he needed.

In a system where health care is publicly funded people need to recognise that their poor choices have implications for others.

Hard for you to advise if you don’t know how much he views as ‘not a lot’

It also depends on the rest of his diet.

Good quality dark chocolate (not expensive in Lidl / Aldi premium ranges) isn’t a problem in modest amounts (2 squares a day?), OR one small KitKat can feature in a calorie controlled diet, alongside loads of veg etc

The Nairns oat biscuits are lower sugar and high fibre, I like the ginger ones.

Could crisps be replaced by a small bag of popcorn? Not Butterkist - The sweet and salty mix is 63 cals a bag, high fibre.

It’s hard for people to go ‘cold turkey’ on a new healthier diet.

One thing I really noticed when I moved to the U.K. was that sandwiches are often served with crisps in cafes, and most lunch “mean deals” include a packet of crisps. I think this has created an idea that one bag of crisps a day is part of a normal diet. It really isn’t - or at least shouldn’t be. To me, crisps are a treat you have at a drinks party or BBQ, maybe once a month or so.

If the person loves them, maybe one packet a week while watching a favourite sporting event or TV show, or when out at the pub with friends?

As much as he chooses.

Sensible? Zero. They are ultra processed empty calories and do nothing to satisfy hunger. I view them as an occasional treat in the same way some people might use drugs as an occasional treat! Ill often offset the calories but skipping a meal or substantial cutting back on a meal. They are not needed at all.

I don't have biscuits in the house (can't be trusted), not crisps (not interested) and eat a square of dark choc most days so a bar lasts about a week and a half. So of course I think that is reasonable.

However, I am still obese and have HBP.

Obviously none if you take your health seriously, in moderation if you are a bit more relaxed, and lots if you don't give a toss about your health, however this is also dependant upon the rest of the diet and activity levels and lifestyle.

I think some of the responses here wouldn't reflect the most common dietary habits in the country. The reality is a large proportion of people do have chocolate, biscuits or crisps daily. And therein lies the problem- it's cultural.

I think to make it sustainable this man would be best to make some healthier swaps for now. Instead of a chocolate bar have 2x squares of good quality dark chocolate. Instead of crisps opt for lentil crisps or roasted chickpeas. Instead of biscuits with tea go for a small piece of homemade cake. Swap fizzy drinks for sparkling water with a slice of lemon/lime. As their palate changes they can continue making tweaks.

As a rule of thumb, I try and stick to whole foods. It is a very simplistic way of avoiding processed, nutritionally void foods.

Er, none!
But if they have to then maybe one biscuit per day?
I have to eat totally from scratch due to health issues and have one homemade biscuit per day. Much healthier than shop bought - less sugar and not refined. If I dont have any baked I’ll have a couple of dates.

Someone obese shouldn't really eat more than like one biscuit per day. If they want to lose weight.

But to maintain a very heavy weight they can probably easily polish off several packets. But it doesn't mean they should.

Sensible is not a definitive criteria. Frankly he could eat all those every day in moderation, along with healthier foods. How much does he eat? As suggested upthread, ask him to keep an accurate food diary for a week, what he’s eating and amount, at the time he’s eating it (otherwise he’ll forget how much). Tell him not to change what he’d normally eat, but he must write it all down, including any ‘tastes’ of food while cooking, that pint down the pub and handful of nuts… tell him there’s no point in doing it unless he will be honest - he either wants to improve or not and cheating in the diary is cheating himself.
Then sit down with him and go over it. I imagine if he’s been honest he may be surprised! Small adjustments to start. Then he can build on it. Walking is also the best exercise for anyone overweight. He can start slow - a walk around the block. Get him a pedometer (or there may be one on his phone) and challenge him to add 500 steps every week to his daily count. He certainly should not think he’s going to walk for miles on the first day! If he’s only walking 1000 steps a day now that’s fine. Next week it will be 1500, the following 2000 so he’ll be walking twice as much in two weeks! You get the idea. Be gentle, be supportive but be firm. He’s the one that has to make the changes. And if you live with him or do the shopping then try and keep fewer high calorie low nutrition foods in, but do not cut them out completely! That will only make him feel deprived. Good luck!

Does he know how much he actually eats? I would suggest keeping a food fairy, including all snacks, even a biscuit he takes passing from the sitting room to the garden via the kitchen. Knowing how much he actually eats, rather than thinks he eats can be two different things (and again different from what he tells people.)

None is obviously best. Cutting down is a good starting point. Healthier alternatives also good. Cutting out snacks entirely would be helpful. It's easier once you've got used to it, but the path there is the hard bit.

There's no point in replacing one source of sugar with another. He needs to be weaned off sugar hits.

@PuzzledObserver He sounds at high risk of developing T2 diabetes, has he been tested for that?

In answer to your question, this would be reasonable:
1 or 2 biscuits a day with a cup of tea.
2 or 3 small packets of crisps a week.
A few squares of (ideally dark plain) chocolate a day.

We humans are so good at denial aren’t we. I know a chap in his 70s, who doesn’t understand why he’s so overweight because he ‘really doesn’t eat much’. I see him a few times a year, and every time, he has ‘just cut out’ his (at least) daily Magnum habit, never has pudding but recently had Sunday lunch with friends who ‘insisted’ he had 3 helpings of pudding….

A square of dark chocolate a day. Skip the crisps and biscuits as much as possible.

if He’s not being honest with you will he put his food log into chat gpt? Then ask it to assess and make suggestions.

To me it sounds like he is in denial so you’ll be wasting your time and energy.

I find MN is completely unaligned with reality on topics like this.

The idea that someone who loves biscuits, crisps and chocolate is going to stop eating them overnight and just have "a square of dark chocolate a day" or "one small bag of crisps a week" is just massively unrealistic.

The vast majority of people will eat all those things as part of a healthy, balanced diet - there's no need to cut them out completely unless you want to or have other health issues.

Tell him to forget about crisps. Pretend they don’t exist. Nobody needs crisps. Biscuits?
actually I can’t answer this thread, I don’t eat crisps or biscuits other than occasionally, like Christmas time.
why not forget about them entirely?! They aren’t actually food, after all. I’m Aware this answer will be greeted with incredulity.. but, it’s what I’d say to my dad if he was snacking in this way.
focus on real food and stop eating like a kid at a tuck shop.

If food addiction could be solved by "just forgetting about x" then nobody would ever be overweight.

He’s addicted to crisps and biscuits, I see. Is there an AA type organisation that could help him with a 12 step programme type thing, perhaps.

It is good that they are starting to at least think about their diet. But maybe look at the entire picture rather than just the treats to see what they can cut out. For high blood pressure high salt foods are bad - so cheese and anything highly processed. Also dh was advised to stop drinking as much tea or at least swop to decaffeinated. His blood pressure though has really only got under control with three different types of blood pressure tablets - one of which I am convinced increases his appetite so of mixed blessing.