Nutrition is a huge part of training, but I think we can make healthy eating much harder than it needs to be.

When you are trying to train consistently, improve your performance, or simply live a healthier life, it is easy to focus entirely on what you should not eat. No chips. No ice cream. No pizza. No treats. No room for mistakes. I have taken that approach before, and I have learned that it is not always the most sustainable way to build a healthy lifestyle.

I believe there is room for foods that you might consider junk food, especially when you find better versions that work for your body and your goals. That does not mean I consider these foods healthy, and it certainly does not mean everyone should eat them. It means I have found some alternatives that allow me to enjoy foods I love without feeling like I am constantly working against my training.

So, here are my favorite junk food choices that don’t wreck my training, along with the approach I use to make them work as part of a long-term healthy lifestyle. I share these ideas in this post, as well as in the YouTube video linked here and podcast episode linked here.

Why I think junk food can have a place in a healthy lifestyle

I love food. I love soft serve ice cream, fried chicken, chile rellenos, burgers and plenty of other foods that would not exactly make a traditional list of performance foods.

There are times when I eat those foods and simply enjoy them. I do not believe that one meal or one dessert is going to determine whether I am healthy or whether I reach a training goal. At the same time, I pay close attention to how different foods make me feel. When I eat certain foods regularly, I notice the impact on my energy, digestion and training, so I have learned to make different choices for my everyday diet.

That is where healthier junk food alternatives come in.

For me, the goal is not perfection. It is finding foods I genuinely enjoy that also work better with the way I want to live. If I can replace a highly processed version of something with an option that has fewer ingredients, less sugar or ingredients that I personally tolerate better, that can be a worthwhile trade.

I also think there is a mental component to this. If you tell yourself that you can never have the foods you enjoy again, eventually you may become frustrated and fall back into old habits. Giving yourself some flexibility can make it easier to stay consistent over the long term.

Corn chips and guacamole

One of my favorite combinations is incredibly simple: corn chips and guacamole.

Corn chips are not what I would call a health food. Guacamole, however, gives me an opportunity to pair something I enjoy with something more nutrient dense. I make my guacamole with ingredients such as avocado, red onion, tomatoes, herbs, spices and lime juice.

I love this combination because it satisfies the craving for something crunchy and salty while giving me a food that I genuinely enjoy eating. Avocado is also a major part of why I like guacamole so much. It is a source of fat, and I enjoy incorporating it into my diet in different ways.

This is an approach you can experiment with in your own diet. Maybe you love pita bread, but you also love hummus. Maybe you enjoy crackers with a nutrient dense dip. Instead of thinking only about eliminating the less healthy food, consider whether you can build a combination that makes the overall choice more satisfying.

For me, I would rather have corn chips and guacamole than make another less helpful choice simply because I am trying to avoid every food that could be considered junk food.

Better potato chips

Potato chips are another food that I have a hard time completely eliminating from my life.

I grew up eating relatively healthy because my mom is a nutritionist. Then I discovered Pringles, and I remember thinking, "What is this thing?" They were a completely different experience for me.

As I got older, though, I started paying more attention to ingredient lists. When I looked at some of the chips I was eating, there were so many ingredients that I did not necessarily want to make them part of my everyday diet.

That led me to look for alternatives.

Two of my favorites are Kettle brand and Boulder Canyon, particularly the sea salt and vinegar varieties. I especially like Boulder Canyon chips made with avocado oil. I am not saying these chips are healthy. They are still chips. But I prefer options with ingredients that make more sense to me and that I actually enjoy eating.

That last part is important.

If you replace a food you love with something you hate, you may end up craving the original food even more. A healthier alternative only works for me when I actually enjoy it.

Tortillas, tradition and family

Tortillas are another example of why healthy eating is about more than nutrition labels.

I grew up with homemade tortillas. My grandmother would make them, and it became something that connected me with my family and my culture. My mom continued that tradition, and I still appreciate being able to make and eat tortillas with her.

Because of that, completely removing tortillas from my life would not make much sense to me unless I had a specific health reason to do so.

Instead, I look for better options.

My mom makes homemade corn and cassava tortillas, and I have also found store bought tortillas with relatively simple ingredient lists. One of my favorite options is the uncooked flour tortillas I can get at Costco. I prefer them cooked, and there is something about eating a freshly cooked tortilla that I absolutely love.

Sometimes food is about more than whether something fits neatly into a healthy or unhealthy category. Food can be connected to family, culture, memories and experiences.

That is something I want people to remember when they are trying to improve their diet. You do not necessarily have to eliminate every food that is not considered perfectly healthy. Instead, look for ways to make it work better for you.

Low sugar dairy free ice cream

Ice cream is another major one for me because I love it.

The challenge is that dairy does not always work well for me, and I also do not want to consume a large amount of processed sugar on a regular basis. When I started looking at some store bought ice creams, I was surprised by how much sugar could be packed into a single pint.

That motivated me to experiment with making my own dairy free ice cream.

My favorite versions use fruit, oat milk or coconut milk, vanilla, salt and a small amount of Manuka honey. I also like adding collagen. Bananas can help give the ice cream a creamier texture, and fruit can add natural sweetness and flavor.

I have found that fruit works particularly well with dairy free ice cream because the flavor of alternatives such as coconut or oat milk can be noticeable. Instead of trying to perfectly recreate traditional vanilla ice cream, I would rather create something that tastes great on its own.

The biggest lesson for me is that a healthier alternative does not have to feel like a punishment. If I can make something that tastes delicious while reducing the ingredients I do not want to consume regularly, that is a win.

A healthier pizza alternative

Pizza might be one of the hardest foods to avoid because it is everywhere.

Whenever I go to gatherings, there seems to be pizza. When I travel, there is pizza. When I was on a cruise, I ended up eating pizza multiple days because it was right there and it tasted great.

I love pizza, but traditional pizza does not always leave me feeling my best. I notice that when I eat a lot of gluten, wheat and flour, I can feel heavier. I also notice that traditional dairy cheese does not always agree with me.

One alternative I have been enjoying is cauliflower crust pizza.

The specific pizza I like is Milton's, which I can find at Costco. It uses a cauliflower crust and includes a combination of sheep and cow cheese. It is not a perfect food, and I am not claiming that it is the healthiest pizza available.

What I like is that it gives me a way to enjoy pizza while making a choice that feels better for my body.

That is really the theme behind all of these foods. I am not trying to turn junk food into health food. I am trying to find alternatives that let me enjoy foods I love while supporting the way I want to feel and perform.

Building a healthy lifestyle for the long term

The biggest lesson I have learned is that I am not training only for my next race.

I am training for life.

That changes the way I think about nutrition. If my entire approach depends on being incredibly strict until I reach a specific event, what happens afterward? If I cannot enjoy a meal with my family, have a treat or eat something simply because I love it, then I have not necessarily created a lifestyle that I can maintain.

I want my nutrition to support my training, but I also want it to support my life.

That means giving myself some grace while still being intentional about the choices I make most of the time. It means looking for healthier alternatives instead of assuming that everything has to be eliminated. It means paying attention to how foods make me feel and finding options that I genuinely enjoy.

One of the three pillars of healthy living that I talk about in my Healthy Living Guide is tracking. When you track your food and pay attention to what you are eating, you can start identifying patterns. You can learn which foods help you feel good, which foods leave you feeling sluggish and where you might have opportunities to make better choices.

Accountability can help, too. That could mean working with a coach, talking with a friend or simply having someone who can help you stay consistent.

You do not need a perfect diet

My favorite junk food choices are not about finding a loophole that lets me eat whatever I want.

They are about creating a realistic approach to nutrition that I can maintain.

Corn chips with guacamole. Better potato chips. Homemade or simpler tortillas. Low sugar dairy free ice cream. Cauliflower crust pizza. These foods give me ways to enjoy some of the things I love while making choices that better support my goals.

Your list might look completely different.

The important thing is to start paying attention to the foods you love and ask yourself whether there is a better version available. Could you find a snack with fewer ingredients? Could you pair something indulgent with something more nutritious? Could you reduce the amount of sugar you consume? Could you find an alternative that you enjoy just as much?

You do not need to overhaul everything tomorrow.

Pick one food. Find one alternative. Try it for a few weeks. Pay attention to how you feel, how you train and whether you actually enjoy it.

That is how I think we build healthy habits that last. Not by chasing perfection, but by making better decisions consistently and leaving enough room in our lives to actually enjoy them.

If you want more practical strategies for building a healthier lifestyle, you can grab my free Healthy Living Guide.

And remember, you are not just training for your next race or your next event. You are training for life.

DISCLAIMER: THIS INFORMATION IS MY OPINION AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER. PLEASE CONSULT A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER FOR GUIDANCE SPECIFIC TO YOUR CASE.