Food Guilt and How to Overcome It.

We all have been there. We eat something that is considered unhealthy by society and we sit there and have an internal argument “Why did I eat that, I shouldn’t have eaten that, I am so gross for eating this much, WHY CAN’T I STOP EATING THIS!!!”

Things I learned about food guilt:

1. We need to stop the food shaming. What is food shaming? Let's say you are out at a restaurant and they serve your favorite dessert. You look forward to this dessert every time you go to this restaurant, you planned your day around this dessert, you order you dessert and someone goes “Are you really going to eat that?” “That’s so fattening!” That my friend…is food shaming! People may think they are being helpful, preventing you from making that “bad” choice but in reality, they are creating more damage. This is how fad diets come into play. (Don’t worry we will talk about fad diets in a later blog!) We start looking at food as “good” vs “bad” when in reality all food is good for us. There is nothing wrong with having your chocolate cake in moderation!

2. Start to think about your relationship with food. Just because someone doesn’t agree with the level of “healthiness” of your food doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat it. When we give into food shamers, we are also giving into disorder-eating patterns. Disorder-eating patterns are where we exclude certain food groups in our day-to-day meals. Each food group plays an important part. Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy and complex carbs have fiber, which aids in digestion and keeps you fuller for longer. Fat also gives your body energy but it also protects your organs and keeps your body warm. Protein is important because protein is the building block for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Each group plays a part in our body’s day to day function.

3. Practice intuitive eating. Fun Fact- intuitive eating is not a diet- it's part of a lifestyle change. When practicing intuitive eating do not look at calories. Think about how that food made you feel- did it bring you pleasure or discomfort, would you want to feel like that again? Begin to listen to your hunger cues, if you are hungry at 10 am, eat at 10 am! By listening to these cues you are more likely to eat in moderation and not overeat. Part of listening to your hunger cues also includes listening to your body when you are full. Once you are satisfied stop eating!

No one is perfect. We are all going to have good and bad days. We need to take control of our own health journey and listen to our bodies' wants and needs and not have other people dictate what we should do.

-Theresa