Fitness and healthy habits are a lifestyle. There are no good or bad foods. Feeding our bodies is about balance.
What does ‘guilt free’ even mean? Why should food induce guilt? Food, and exercise, aren’t punishments or rewards.
There are no good foods or bad foods. Diet culture elevates certain foods and demonizes others. It creates shame when we eat ‘bad’ foods, which only increases our guilt. Over time it can dominate thoughts and destroy our relationship with food.
Diet culture values size, weight, and shape over well being.
Some labels on food are helpful. Sugar free labels can be informational for diabetics. Gluten free labels are helpful for those with celiac disease. Allergen friendly labels are necessary for those with nut, dairy, or other allergies.
But, labels like ‘guilt free’ are not informational, and attaching guilt, or guilt free, to a food is certainly not helpful.
Drink your gallon of water every day, exercise, and eat a slice of cake all in one day.
We don’t win when we skip dessert and we don’t fail if we enjoy a piece of chocolate.
There Are No Bad Foods
Feeding our bodies is about balance.
We have to stop using words like good and bad to describe food. Food isn’t good or bad.
Food can be
- nourishing
- energizing
- nutrient-dense
- delicious
- fuel
Even serving sizes are have diet culture connotations. Restaurants offer ‘skinny’ or ‘petite’ versions of dishes and desserts.
Your worth is not tied to your size.
You don’t have to exercise to earn your food. You don’t have to excuse a delicious meal as your ‘cheat’ meal. Food has no moral value.
Make peace with food. (I’m still working on this) Respect your body. Cope with your emotions.
Eat food that makes you feel good and allows your body to function the way that you want it to.
Looking for more? Strong not small, setting exercise goals that aren’t related to weight loss and Progress NOT Perfection, how focusing on progress can improve body perspective and put you on a path to success.
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