Bad Food is a Myth

I’ve talked before about the idea that there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” food. That “good” and “bad” imply moral reasoning, of which inanimate objects such as food have none. That “good” and “bad” is a judgment we impose upon food. That “good” and “bad” are subjective: I may consider almond milk ice cream to be “bad” because it has sugar in it and another may consider it “good” because it doesn’t have processed sugar and cream in it.
The thing about labeling food as “good” or “bad” is that we then absorb that judgment upon consumption. We consider ourselves “good” when we eat foods we perceive as being “good” for us. We say, “It’s been a bad day,” when we eat foods we perceive as being “bad” for us. This can be unhealthier than just consuming food that isn’t beneficial to our wellbeing. When we judge ourselves as “good” or “bad,” we act accordingly. That’s why once we “fall off the wagon,” we go gung-ho on all kinds of decadent foods. We tell ourselves we are “bad” and then we do what a “bad” person would do: Eat “bad” foods, then become grouchy, irritable, and regretful as a result.
How can you remove the negative association you may have with food? By remembering to treat yourself with compassion. It is ok to eat whatever you are eating, even if it is unhealthy foodstuffs. Focus on generating health, pick healthier choices, and let go of all judgment and regret around food. If you’re going to eat a piece of candy, you might as well do it and enjoy it instead of beating yourself up over it. Beating yourself up is just adding insult to injury. You can’t take back what you’ve already done.
Also, listen to your own body. There are so many diet books out there, they can’t all possibly be right. Each diet is based on what worked for one individual, it’s the author’s opinion of what will help you lose weight. There are a lot of factors in weight-loss, research that shows that it’s not just about calories and calories out, that the quality of your food matters, but that’s all useless to you if you’re not listening to what your own body wants. Your body can tell you the things that your brain, a book, a doctor, or a nutritionist cannot.
The thing I love about being a health coach is that I’m not telling people what to do. I’m not creating a strict regimen of diet and exercise. I’m making suggestions based on what I hear people telling me. My advice for someone with Crohn’s would be drastically different than someone with a thyroid problem. It’s about getting YOU to get more in tune with your body so that you don’t miss the clues it’s giving you. A stomachache in one person will signal something different than a stomachache in another person. You just have to figure out what it means to YOU. Your body tells you what it needs to be healthy, to lose weight, to rid itself of disease, and it will do all of this without your even needing to ask it.