An emphasis on diet culture has made It easy to beat yourself up about what you eat. But if you’re spending time obsessing about eating that extra piece of pizza, it’s time to get over it. Saying goodbye to food guilt and eating what you want is one of the best moves you can make when it comes to healthy eating.
In the age of clean eating, detox diets and food phobias, it’s easy to see why there is so much guilt and terrible feelings about eating. This type of self imposed food-shaming will only lead to an unhealthy relationship with food which can result in more serious problems like binge eating. If this sounds familiar, it’s time to get rid of the guilt and dare yourself to enjoy what you eat.
Of course, developing healthy eating habits isn’t always easy, but it is the way to go. Remember, you can snack on those little indulgent meals and snacks – just remember everything in moderation. Keep in mind that this way of thinking about your diet may mean one thing to you and something completely different to your best friend. Explore these questions to help you process and let go of guilt from eating too much:
- Is it possible that your body needed this food? Sometimes we have hungrier days.
- Did you have an unmet need that wasn’t addressed? Perhaps you needed a break or basic self-care?
- Is it possible that you went too long since eating your last meal? In these situations, you become urgently hungry, and with this early hunger, it’s really easy to bypass comfortable fullness.
- Were you connected to your body and the experience of eating, or were you disconnected and checked out? Perhaps you believed overeating as “wrong” or “bad” and to bypass the feeling of guilt or shame you disengaged with the experience of eating.
- What can you learn from this experience? Learning from your experience helps you let go.
- Lastly, what would you say to a good friend who was struggling with a similar situation?
When you categorize foods as good or bad, you’re essentially categorizing yourself as good or bad, strong or weak, worthy or unworthy. The more you say “No,” to a certain food because it’s “bad,” the more you won’t be able to stop thinking about it. And lately that catalogue of “bad” foods has been getting bigger and bigger.
Sustainable Nutrition Goals
Letting go of food shame can be difficult. The dietitians at Behavioral Nutrition specialize in creating plans that can help support you in your nutrition goals and are sustainable long-term. Learn how to choose foods in response to your body’s needs and wants. The dietitians and at Behavioral Nutrition can analyze the foods you eat and identify problem areas to develop a healthy diet with foods you enjoy. Contact us today to schedule an appointment to learn more about how we can help you improve your diet for a healthier lifestyle.
