The ‘Bad Food’ Fallacy:
What is a bad food anyway? There are foods which make us feel better when we eat it, nourish our bodies more, help us to grow stronger etc., but every food has its piece in the equation. Once you see something as bad, you connect emotion to it; it’s bad, so you have negative feelings towards it.
Be Mindful: When a person says a food is bad, it is often their overindulgence of it they refer to. It is excess of anything that is the true ‘bad’. Essential minerals have toxic levels, too much fiber without adequate hydration causes constipation, and a sweet treat gone overboard translates into conversion to fat in the body. It is only when we find a healthy balance that we can refrain from getting got up in this ‘good vs. bad’ food labeling.
Giving greater credence to one food over the other based on beliefs or the information out there is fine; that is our personal choice, but then you have to truly let it go. It becomes unhealthy when we practice disdain towards the food that has been labeled ‘bad’. You don’t become a healthy eater by constantly reminding yourself and others of the bad foods that are out of your life, or scorning those foods every time they’re within 5 ft of you.
And in my opinion, you can never truly embrace what you perceive as good and healthy, if your attention is always focused on what you perceive as bad. It’s like finally meeting the man of your dreams, and constantly bringing in the ill actions of a terrible ex. What kind of relationship would that be?
One way to start stepping out of the ‘bad/good’ food labeling and embracing more varied, enjoyable eating is to allow yourself to miss your food a little bit and to consume sensible amounts of it. Let’s face it, you appreciate anything less if you are having too much of it at any given time. As the phrase goes ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ and so it is with food as well.
One way to create such a ‘fondness’ would be to designate a day or time of month etc. around a food theme; for e.g. ‘Pizza Day of the Month’ or ‘Spanish Night Out’ to help curb overindulgence and make eating more enjoyable. Balance is the key concept here.
A truly balanced eating pattern is inclusive of all foods, but with a sensible mix that you can actually live with.
