Cheat Days, Clean Eating, and Other Food Phrases We Need to Stop Eating
Chocolate cake is never just delicious; it’s decadent . Popcorn can’t just be delicious; it’s no fault . Your friend didn’t help himself for seconds; they feel the need to talk about work tomorrow at the gym.
I know I spent a lot of my life on it to be the other, those who have always undermined good food as “sooooo bad” (I, too, so to speak). And it’s not about the food itself – it’s actually bad (from a moral point of view) that the food is good (in terms of taste). When we feel that food is in some way harmful to us, we take the unsettling step of declaring ourselves bad for having eaten it.
In past articles, we’ve discussed the pitfalls of food shame and why you might not equate tasty snacks with serious addiction . Assigning food a moralistic language – from guilt to innocence – is a dangerous path. Good Housekeeping spoke with Claire Mysko, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), to describe the widespread vocabulary of dietary culture:
[This is] when we say we need to “burn” or “replenish” the cheese board we shared with friends; when we skip the dessert we want and wonder whether it is even worth biting off a piece of our partner’s dessert; whenever we attribute virtue to our food choices, giggling that it is naughty when we choose what we crave or comfort us, or good when we choose low-calorie, low-carb, or other foods that the food culture considers healthy.
But there is no such thing as “good” or “bad” food, at least according to Dr. Alix Timko , a psychologist specializing in eating disorders in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Food is food,” Timko told us, “and we shouldn’t use moralizing language that only sets us up for failure.”
Below are some common words and phrases that equate fueling yourself with a particular judgment of character. You can give up this kind of expression and start rebuilding your relationship with the food you “deserve,” no matter who you are.
“Without guilt”
A pint of ice cream is not a moral evil. You don’t have to face a calorie-counting court. At the very least, I believe that this sexualized slender cow owes me financial compensation for dominating the grocery aisle with her “guilty” and “innocent” decisions. Moreover, this kind of moralistic marketing is another price of dietary culture – financially, when we are forced to buy more expensive alternatives because of the guilt-free choice ploy.
“I have seconds – don’t judge me.” / “I deserve it.”
- An extra meal is not a reason to be judged. (Unless we’re talking about hot dog eating competitions where the judges will judge you on that basis alone.)
- You “deserve” food just because you exist. Of course, our calorie and nutritional needs depend on many factors , but food is not something you need to “earn.”
“Clean food”
Bleg. I cringe at the rinsing of my mouth with soap. “Clean?” The choice of words is confusing at best and puritanical at worst. Usually “clean eating” refers to foods that are not over-processed, but this wording has lost its meaning and has become nothing more than a trap for the dietary culture .
“Unhealthy food”
Like “clean food,” the idea of what qualifies as “trash” has become too ambiguous to be a useful term. As with describing something as “clogged arteries,” it would be problematic and disparaging to condemn certain foods as completely unhealthy. Such language prevents us from enjoying so-called “junk food” as a treat they can and should be.
“Sinful”
It’s not even subtle. I am not Eve in the Garden of Eden. I’m a hungry writer treating myself to chocolate almonds. Let’s stop using biblical language to judge – or rather tempt – different food options.
Honorable Mentions: Forgiving, decadent, dangerous.
“I can’t believe I ate this, now I’m so fat.”
“Fat” is the shape of the body, not a synonym for “uncomfortable” or “bad.” Regardless of whether you are fat or not, it will not happen because of what you just ate. The consequences of fat-phobic statements are themselves a pressing issue, but for now, try not to equate fat bodies with shame or failure.
“Well, you’re thin, you can eat whatever you want.”
As in the example above, someone’s body type (thin, fat, etc.) should not be used to deny themselves or allow themselves to eat. This language reinforces the belief in thinness as an ideal to strive for. And if we assume that being thin is a pass that allows you to freely enjoy your food, what are we talking about being fat? Let’s stop using each other’s body types as shorthand for someone who can enjoy food without feeling guilty.
Cheat days / Calories don’t count when you ____
A calorie is a calorie: an ethical unit of measurement. When we say that calories are not counted on special occasions, we are reinforcing the food culture that counts / monitors / limits them on non-cheating days. In fact, calorie counting is misleading for a number of reasons , and they shouldn’t be the lens through which you judge your food (or yourself).
“Someone stop me.” / “Take it away from me.”
No, I will not take the nacho away from you. It just makes me sad. Food is about trying new things, sharing experiences and taking care of yourself – I won’t take that away from you!
“I was bad.” / “I’m fine”.
So simple, so elegant, so amazing. Call me dramatic, but it’s important that we take the food we eat casually and make harsh statements about who we are: someone good or someone bad.
In food culture, thinness is considered a sign of achievement, freedom and morality. Anything that threatens this ideal (read: food) must be joked, excused, or punished as a misdemeanor.
Regardless of your physical goals, it is unhealthy to associate feeding yourself with guilt. Ascribing morality to food is perhaps worse for you than any sweet dessert.
And if you want to start building a relationship with food, you can try intuitive eating to practice approaching food with kindness and impartiality.