Is food good or bad?
We often hear about the big scary word “DIET” but what does it really mean? Diet, put simply, is just a way of eating. It isn’t one particular way of eating, the word in and of itself is benign and represents all ways of eating.
The perpetual problem we find ourselves asking is whether or not a food is good or bad, especially after bariatric surgery. And I have an answer.
Food has no morality. Food is just that, food. It is neither good nor bad, regardless of how much protein, carbs, or fats it contains. Our bodies run on all three, we need adequate intake of all three of these macronutrients in order to function properly. They help us build muscle, have proper brain function, and have healthy bodies. They give us energy.
Food is fuel. Sure, we can enjoy our fuel, but ultimately it is only meant to help our bodies function.
Something that has always been at the core of my bariatric journey has been my relationship with food. Before surgery, I was diagnosed with Bulimia, and I struggled with food addiction. I knew that the diet culture and mentality I had grown up with was toxic, that it had led me down the path of disordered eating and metabolic ruin.
So I decided to break up with diet culture.
Diet Culture is TOXIC. It is so prevalent in our society, and it can really wreak havoc on our mental and physical health.
What does toxic diet culture look like? It’s excessive weighing (weighing daily or multiple times a day, an obsession with the scale). It’s working out as punishment for overeating/gaining weight. It’s eating something you feel you shouldn’t have and feeling guilty about it. It’s constantly putting ourselves and our bodies down for not being the way we want. It’s giving food power over us, causing shame. It’s hiding food or eating in private. It’s so many things.
When we chose to do this surgery, we were choosing ourselves. We are choosing to put our health first. And this should include our mental well-being as well as physical. Toxic diet culture destroys our relationship with ourselves. And that’s the farthest thing from what we want.
The bottom line. FOOD HAS NO MORALITY. There is no good or bad food. There is no shame in eating… period. Donuts are no better or worse than veggies. There are only foods that nourish you, and foods that don’t as much. It is your choice which food you choose, but if you choose a donut, then you shouldn’t feel bad about it. Don’t punish yourself for it. Instead, enjoy your treat and move on.
EXERCISE SHOULD NEVER BE A PUNISHMENT BUT INSTEAD A CELEBRATION. Never use exercise as punishment for choosing less nourishing food. Never use exercise to make up for eating. Use exercise as a celebration of your body and what it can do. Use it to train for a marathon or competition, but don’t do it to punish yourself.
You are worth joyous movement.
Taking care of yourself is paramount. And this means reinventing your relationship with food and your body. Focus on making decisions that either nourish you or bring you joy. And if you instead choose something you didn’t plan or you don’t feel helps you achieve your goals, then tomorrow is a new day to take care of your body and treat it with respect and deep love.
I’d love to hear one way in which you’ve worked to combat your own toxic diet culture habits, and how you’ve instead worked towards loving your body this week!
