Moving Away From Dieting: Neutralize Food Rules
Challenge the food rules that limit your food choices.
Food Rules are external messages that influence or dominate decision-making around food, drowning out the innate cues of hunger and fullness, appetite, and satiety.
Examples of food rules:
it’s bad to eat after 7 PM
saturated fat is bad
saturated fat is good
carbs are bad
plant-based is best
It is true that the quality and quantity of foods an individual eats can impact their health and sense of well-being.
However, the translation of this message is overly simplified and sanitized by categorizing food as good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, best and worst, green-light food vs red-light food. By giving food a moralized label, our hope is to help us control food and our behaviors around food.
A first step to moving away from dieting and restriction to a more connected way of eating is to neutralize food and our behavior around food: Remove the “good” and “bad” labels. Take moral judgement out of your vocabulary.
“I failed at my eating today” becomes “I noticed that I was eating in a disconnected way today”. Also, “My blood pressure is elevated because I cheated and ate too much salt” becomes “I notice my blood pressure is elevated - could it be related to eating more salt than usual? Was I having a hard time coping with stress? Was I tired?” Or, “I was good today” becomes “I was able to act on my intentions today. What were all the things that supported me in doing this?”
By editing out the “cheating”, “failed”, “good” vocabulary, we create a bigger, truer story for ourselves. We nurture an environment for curiosity and instill a mindset of permission for trying. When there is no fear of failure, we are more likely to make another attempt. When there is no criticizing judgement, we can more easily hear and accept the invitation for meaning making and discovery.
”I ate a gallon of ice cream. I’m such a disgusting pig” becomes “I ate a gallon of ice cream”. PERIOD. Removing the disparaging commentary (I’m a disgusting pig) on a circumstance (I ate a gallon of ice cream) opens the door wider for “the bigger picture” or “the real issue” to find its way in. Being kind (the opposite of critical) and compassionate (the opposite of cruel) doesn’t just open the door wider, but it extends a hand of kinship and connection for more understanding.
Harsh judgement and criticism will not set you on a path to healing. Sharpness and pain do not draw us nearer to ourselves.
This work of moving away from dieting and life-sucking food rules is the work of reconnecting to ourselves. It calls for creating observational distance (neutralizing judgement), radical acceptance, and self-compassion.
Are you looking for support in moving towards reconnection to yourself with food and body? Could you use a partner who can help open the door to the bigger picture and the real issue? Reach out for more tools and connection.