Negative Ways You Need To Stop Talking About Food

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When it comes out our most basic needs, food is up there with oxygen and personal space, and yet we’ve come to talk about it rather disrespectfully. After the age of the industrial food revolution, we stopped seeing food as a valuable, useful and even rare commodity. Instead, it became this grossly mass-produced thing that we now have to work to avoid eating too much of, rather than work to make sure we get enough of it. We’ve forgotten that food is fuel. Instead, we see it like so many other things– a problem. And that’s a shame, because (and not to sound like your mother when you wouldn’t finish your food as a kid) there are a lot of people in this world who would love to have the food that you talk so much smack about. It’s also a shame because we shouldn’t feel or perpetuate negative feelings about food. So here are ways you should stop talking about food today.

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This is my “cheat day” food

We need to stop associating foods that we love with negative things like infidelity and philandering. Your burgers and your salads should be able to live harmoniously together–don’t look at one as your main squeeze and one as your side piece.

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Here’s to another 30 minutes on the tread mill

If you force yourself to workout extra every time you eat what you perceive to be a “bad food” you can get into a dangerous cycle of binge eating and then purge exercising. Eat it and forget about it; exercise like it’s any other day. Because it is.

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I’ll eat this and then I just won’t eat for a day

This is another form of binging and purging. Eating one hearty, calorie-heavy food should not mean that you starve yourself for a day after. That’s a form of punishing yourself, which is mentally and emotionally quite unhealthy.

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My trainer would kill me

Don’t look at your trainer as some nasty kindergarten teacher who will make you wear a dunce cap. Your trainer is there to help you be fit within the lifestyle you want to lead. You can tell her you want to eat burgers, and she can help you work with that.

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This is my addiction

Here’s another incredibly negative word that we often associate with food. To say that something is your addiction is to say that it destroys your relationships, it causes you to do irresponsible and reckless things and so much more. Don’t say that about something as harmless as pizza.

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I ruined my diet

When you say things like you “ruined” something or you “dropped the ball” it can make you feel like all of the other good, healthy meals you ate were for nothing. That’s not fair–give yourself some credit.

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This food is like porn

Well, that can be a huge compliment to the chef. But it also makes you feel like that food is your dirty little secret, and when you indulge in it, you end up feeling like you did something bad.

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Don’t tell anyone about this

If you’re saying this, it means you care far too much what others think, and you’re concerned with living up to societal expectations. The food happened, whether people know about it or not, you shouldn’t feel the need to hide it.

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I deserve this because of x, y or z

To say you deserve a cookie because you aced a presentation is to say that you don’t deserve it at other times. You don’t want to create a relationship with certain foods that makes them feel unattainable because that can lead to binging and purging, or make you feel incredibly guilty when you do eat that food without “deserving it.”

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Diet starts tomorrow

If you say this, it means that tomorrow you plan on beginning a completely new way of eating–a way that is drastically different than your current way–and that’s not sustainable. Healthy living should start today, and that can include nachos sometimes.

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I’ll only eat it if you will

Don’t try to get a partner in crime on your pasta carbonara. This still indicates that you feel guilty about the food.

I don’t deserve this because of x, y or z

Just like you shouldn’t say that you deserve some food, you shouldn’t say that you don’t deserve it. The things you do outside the kitchen–like go to the gym or do well at your job–should not affect what happens in the kitchen.

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I was bad with food today

This sounds like you misbehaved at school. Get rid of the concept of “good” or “bad” with food. There are just varying degrees of good, and on some days you reach higher ones than on others.

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That’s off-limits

You’re a grownup. Who is putting these limits on foods? You want to avoid making all-or-nothing rules about food because you set yourself up for feeling terrible if you have just a small bite of one of the nothing foods.

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I bet so-and-so never eats this kind of thing

Don’t worry about what so-and-so eats–whoever that may be for you–if you start comparing your eating habits to the eating habits of others, you’ll never be happy. Compare your habits to your own habits.