Think back to the last thing you ate. What was it? Why were you eating it? How did it make you feel once you had finished? Most importantly: How would you classify this food?
Many of us try to avoid foods that we consider to be "bad" because they may not fall into the category of a healthy food. But why is a food that tastes so good and is emotionally pleasing, deemed to be bad for us? The truth is that when foods are labeled "good" and "bad" it sets the consumer up for failure because it is impossible to only eat "good" foods.
I used to be a slave to my scale, carefully considering any food before eating it, and punishing myself if I strayed from my strict regiment. As I scanned the menu in a restaurant I would mentally label food as "good," "bad," and "oh hell no." I felt like my very brain was divided; part of me demanded that I get grilled chicken with vegetables, but another part of me cried out for fettuccine alfredo. Sitting quietly in the booth as my friends chatted around me, I felt trapped, enslaved by my restrictive diet.
In a world where the ideal body is thin and toned, it is so easy to get caught up in the dieting frenzy. However, life is messy and imperfect and sometimes all you need is a doughnut to make it through the day. I encourage people to hit up the salad bar every now and then, and to maybe not have a Big Mac five times a week, but I would never stand in the way of a stressed college student and their Domino's pizza. Being healthy is not completely about putting food into your body for just physical fuel, but for emotional or mental fuel as well.
Dieting is only healthy if it is helping your mental health, too. Crazy fasts and restrictive portioning are not sustainable lifestyles, and often provide more stress than satisfaction.
Certain foods should not be off limits, and certain foods should not be labeled good or bad depending on their caloric density. Sometimes, you just really need to eat an entire plate of spaghetti, and this does not make you "bad." After learning to be more flexible with my diet, I learned that all foods have a purpose and provide some sort of nourishment. Take french fries for example. They are greasy, salty, and will not help you to run a marathon. They will, however, provide some very important moral support...it's called comfort food for a reason.
Often times "bad" foods are the best foods because they provide emotional sustenance, and these foods are just as essential to our diet as fruits and vegetables. A grilled chicken breast is packed full of lean protein, essential for building muscle, while fried chicken is packed full of flavor, essential for true happiness. Milk is a good source of calcium, which can strengthen bones, and a milkshake is full of sugar and is often shared with friends, which can strengthen friendships. Carrots are good for the body, carrot cake is good for the soul.
There is no such thing as good foods and bad foods, and we must remember this. All foods are "good," some are just better suited to a certain purpose than others.
