Food is not Good or Bad, Food is Food
Let’s drop the guilt of food rules and be honest: food is just food.
For too long I equated food choices with positive or negative decisions. Now I’ve dropped the food rules, shed the guilt, and gotten back to basics.
Food is not good or bad. Food is food. Key to a healthy relationship with food is being intentional in how you view it. It can be very easy to get swept up in food trends without considering why you are participating in them. Most of us think we need or want to lose weight. And let’s be honest, for most of us that’s our only food goal (am I right?). But is that our only intention? And if so, where does that intention come from?
Food and fat and body image have gotten all mixed up and confusing in our current culture. Amplified by social media trends, we’ve lost sight of the fact that food is food. We are awash in a sea of cultural food rules that may or may not be healthy.
Our bodies need nutrients and energy from food to survive. I’d encourage you to reflect on how you’ve been viewing food. What are the intentions behind your meal choices? If you aren’t sure, or don’t have any, to take a minute to reflect on what they could be.
Intentions can change over time. In some seasons, budget and convenience are much more important than exercising creativity in recipes and trying new ingredients. Perhaps your doctor has provided specific guidance or dietary restrictions. Maybe budget friendly choices are the priority due to a job loss. Or kid friendly, easy to make meals are essential in your home full of little ones.
What season are you in now? How does that impact your intentions towards food? Knowing these answers will help you to be intentional in how you view food and will make meal decisions much easier. Personally, our food intentions have shifted over the years. Currently we have four goals that guide our food buying and recipe making decisions:
Healthy
Tasty
Easy to modify
Affordable
Keep in mind that our relationship with food is passed on to our children. This means we can pass on unhealthy eating habits for generations to come. Or, we can inspire our children to learn about what they are eating and make intentional decisions.
Food has the power to bring families together. Let it open doors to healthy dialogue with your children about making intentional food decisions.
Want more on this topic?
Check out the Lazy Genius Podcast episodes: Living Without Food Rules and Your Body is Not Flawed. When everyone was starting new diets at the start of 2020, she dropped these and became my instant hero.
Read Michael Pollan: In Defense of Food and Food Rules.
Watch Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix and/or buy the cookbook. Samin Nosrat encourages us to see food holistically and have a healthy relationship with recipes, culture, and ingredients.
