Food As Moral Judgement
Good food? Bad food?
Stop labeling your choices.
So much of our thinking and conversations around food and eating are heavy with moral judgement, not only of ourselves but of others. Trying to be successful around your food choices while simultaneously judging every morsel can leave us feeling stuck, unsuccessful and frustrated. When we are in this space we are giving food, an external thing, all of our power - instead of utilizing the gifts and strengths we each have to change our relationship with food.
Diets do not work. We hear this all the time and the statistics bear it out. Why? Because one way of eating does not work equally well for everyone. What works for our bodies is based on age, culture, gender, environment and genetics. Most diets take a very one size fits all approach and do not teach us to trust ourselves or how to use our own best judgement. The very nature of many diets can leave us feeling like a failure when we cannot make them work for us. Maybe YOU are not the problem - maybe it is that these rigid programs do not give us enough tools/options/flexibility to figure out what works best.
Reframing our thoughts around the morality of food choices does not preclude the fact that some foods are healthier than others, and that some foods taste better than others. What if we acknowledged that, and simultaneously tried to shift ourselves, one small change at a time towards a new way of thinking about food?
Instead of viewing food as the enemy, or some project you need to address, how about looking at it as a partner in your health. What if we focused on its power to nourish, heal, and add ease and enjoyment to our lives?
When you think of it this way, cake is a treat for special occasions, not a bad food. Big salads fill us up with volume and nutrition, they are not a punishment. Potato chips are not off limits, they are a food that does not enhance our health. Eating pizza with friends is not frowned upon because doing it occasionally adds enjoyment to our lives.
I understand that this is not an easy task. But noticing how you think about and label certain foods, and understanding whether or not that is working for or against you is a great way to start to shift your mindset.
Long term success comes from taking a balanced approach towards food to begin with, and then experimenting with what works for your particular body. Play around. Do not be afraid to eat healthy fats, whole grains, or good carbs along with your vegetables and protein.
But maybe you think it’s not enough. That it sounds too easy. That it sounds too slow. Has dramatic and drastic worked for you over the long run? What if slow, small steps are the way to go?
