How to change your thoughts around food and diet culture
When we start making nutrition changes, I think we all start looking for “progress”, and that’s fair! Progress photos and measurements are so useful, but we CANNOT overlook our mental progress. We can't only feel good about ourselves when we’re eating all the “right” foods, or when we’ve seen progress in the form of a smaller waist. If we’re solely focused on eating “healthy” and “good” foods all of the time, and then hate ourselves the second we eat something “unhealthy,” I’d argue that’s not very healthy at all.
Diet culture can fill your mind with constant judging and policing of the food you eat. Mental progress involves seeing all foods without judgement or shame– NOT just the stereotypical “healthy” ones. Look– you’re not going to be tracking macros for the next 50 years. We HAVE to find a balance where we see all foods as just food. Of course we want to be mindful of what we put in our body to ensure positive health outcomes, but it’s important than we find a balance where we can LIVE without shame or fear.
Mental progress might look like:
honoring your hunger and eating without guilt
understanding your body’s response to foods so you can eat things that make you feel good physically
accepting that it’s not morally “bad” to eat a food purely for fun
creating a balance with food that not only honors your body, but also your mind, function, culture, joy, etc.
I know the mental side isn’t as exciting as progress pics, but it’s SO important. This is your life – it goes way beyond tracking numbers. You should feel empowered to make food decisions for yourself, what you need or want - not just out of a pressure to be “good” or “bad.” It can make everything about this feel less scary, less high-stakes – it lets you approach food as just food. And you can absolutely still use it as a tool to achieve a certain goal! But let the foods you eat be just another thing you DO, instead of it somehow defining the person you are.
This holiday season I encourage you to explore food just as food. Especially with holiday foods you might not see as often. Take the time to explore your mindset, and what “food police” thoughts you notice coming up in your mind. Don’t shy away from challenging where that is coming from. That’s the first step!
Written by: Sam Lazar, Nutrition Coach