I’m an avid dieter, but that’s really only because I’m an avid eater. My love for food is more passionate than I’ve been in some relationships, and that’s okay. Now I write about it and can share my concept of the Top Three.

The Top Three are the very three foods I would choose if I were given only that many to eat for the rest of my life with no detrimental effects on my health or waistline. Yes, I hypothesize random things like this on a semi-regular basis. Judge away. You can justify yours however you want, but here are mine and why I love them so:

1) Movie theater popcorn. I can’t say no. If I go to a movie and don’t overpay for that greasy, glorious popcorn, it’s not a real theater experience for me. I would substitute it for a meal. Clearly this is horrible for you, so my fix when I’m being calorie-conscious is to make 94% fat free and douse it in I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray. If this doesn’t do the trick, and I’m really craving the grease, I’ll sometimes melt light butter/something to the effect of the low fat buttery spreads in a bowl and drizzle over my popcorn. Yes, I’m adding unnecessary fat, but at least I know how much I’m putting in and I’m controlling it. I don’t have one of the oil dispensers in my apartment, and therefore have to behave a little bit.

2) Ice cream. I could probably eat myself sick on Moose Tracks or anything Ben and Jerry’s. But I can’t eat ice cream without guilt, and so have made an easy transition to frozen yogurt. For one, it’s ridiculously easy to find, in Manhattan alone there are at least three or four chains off the top of my head, not to mention stand-alone shops. For two, it does the trick. It’s light, cool, creamy, sweet, and satisfying. If I need something richer, I go for gelato, which is portioned smaller for you. If I need something fruity, I’ll go for sorbet, which is a healthier bet yet. Fruit clearly is better for you than anything tasting like fudge or caramel, but I can only be so strong.

3) Potatoes. Mash them, fry them, bake them, do what you will, but I could live off of potatoes. If, you know, I didn’t really need protein or anything. The best part of these guys is you can incorporate them in any meal without being detrimental to your waistline. In case there was any question, yes, fries are terrible for you. But a baked potato, or the little red ones (sometimes called “new potatoes”) boiled and served with butter/spray butter and light sour cream, a little salt and pepper, are delicious.

You can also cook potatoes with onion in non-stick cooking spray in a frying pan and eat with ketchup for a great breakfast or brunch side, or add them to your plate if you’re grilling. My dad’s trick is to grill potatoes along with whatever meat he’s cooking. Take a sheet of tinfoil and grease it (Pops has no concern for his health and uses straight-up butter, but you can use nonstick cooking spray and light butter/buttery spread), then adding cleaned, chopped potatoes and chunks of onion with a few dabs of butter/buttery spread to keep them from charring. When they’re done, they’re just roasted deliciousness that sometimes doesn’t even need ketchup.

How does my list size up? What couldn’t you live without?