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I Stopped Feeling Guilty About the Way I Eat
Somehow, this put an end to other guilt trips, too
“Comfort food.”
“Guilty pleasure.”
“Treat yourself.”
The way we talk about food in our society is often emotionally charged, with guilt being at the forefront — the guilt of eating a chocolate ice cream because it will make you fat, or the guilt of having frozen pizza for dinner because it means you’re not able to make time to cook for your family.
When my friends ask me how I’m doing at the moment, sometimes my answer is: “I’ve been eating shit for two weeks” and they all get it.
Eating properly is a measure of well-being, balance, psychological stability. When you prepare a green salad with steamed rice and fish, you’re being good. No wonder we speak about eating clean, as in “clean conscience.”
Every week that starts with avocado toasts and ends with cookies for dinner tells the tale of tired, overwhelmed people doing their best to stay afloat.
All of this seems reasonable to us because we’ve been told that we are what we eat, and we know that a balanced and nutritious diet is vital for our health.
But you know what? So is our peace of mind.
