How many times have you not eaten what you really wanted and then eaten a whole lot of something you didn’t want
instead? Wouldn’t you have been better off eating what you really wanted in the first place?
Many of us have food divided into two categories: good and bad foods. This sets us up for feeling good and virtuous when we’re eating the good foods and feeling guilty when we’re eating the so called bad foods. By the way, I personally can’t stand the term “clean eating.” What’s the opposite of
clean? Dirty. As far as I'm concerned, it’s just another way to make you feel bad about your eating.
Food isn't a moral issue. What you eat doesn't make you a good or bad person.
When we tell ourselves we can’t have something, we often engage in self-sabotage and rebel against our own too
strict food rules. This sets us up for bingeing and compulsive overeating. We're then filled with guilt and shame and then diet trying to undo the damage, then more overeating, dieting, etc. Many of us have been in this diet/binge or on a diet/off a diet cycle for years.
Because the diet mentality is so firmly entrenched in our minds, it takes some time to let go of it. We need to ditch the
idea of good and bad foods and embrace the concept that there is a place for all foods in a healthy diet. Some foods are best eaten every day, others once or twice a week, and some are fine as an occasional treat.
Let’s face it, eating a Big Mac as a regular dietary staple isn’t health promoting but nobody got fat or unhealthy eating one once in a while. As long as you’re eating a healthy diet, a
burger or some fries occasionally won’t harm you.
I recently came across a study of centenarians (people who live to be 100 and over) and one of the things most of them shared in common was enjoying a piece or two of bacon every day. Many also had ice cream or some other dessert every day! Of course, these people weren’t overweight and they did everything in moderation, and that is what seems to
be most important.
Giving ourselves full permission to eat what we really want may scare us. We might be afraid that we will never stop eating if we allow forbidden foods into our eating plans. We might fear gaining weight. The question to ask is “How has it worked by not allowing
them?”
