Table of Contents
Last updated on February 4th, 2024 at 09:58 pm
What Is Food Neutrality
Food neutrality is the idea that no single food holds superior nutritional or moral value over another.
This idea often receives pushback in a world of diet culture, a system which advocates for foods that change the body weight, shape or size.
Practicing food neutrality is achieved through:
- identifying and dismissing food rules
- developing a relationship of trust with our bodies.
- dismissing rules about moderation
- identifying and exposing ourselves to fear foods to decrease anxiety around specific foods
- purchasing, prepping, and enjoying all types of foods
Healthy Food Vs. Unhealthy Food
I have a single pet peeve. And it’s the term “healthy.”
When it comes to the term “healthy” food- there are SOOOO Many things that could mean! Here are a few things about food that people could consider “healthy”:
- It has protein
- The food contains carbs
- There are calories (or energy) in the food
- The food has fats which give us energy
- The food has vitamin A. Or C. Or B vitamins.
- The food contains zinc or iron.
- The food has calcium
The list is actually infinite! The reality of it is- all foods have at least two (and probably many more) of these quote on quote healthy ingredients.
One thing I can assure you about healthy foods is this: no food on the planet will contain all of the macronutients and micronutrients you need in your body!
So the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods is REALLY just a subjective experience! Most of which is rooted in diet culture and can destroy our relationship with food at best, or leave us severely malnourished at worst.
All Food Has Nutritional Value
There is no such thing as unhealthy food. There I said it! With my patients I like to play a game where they pick a food, and I point out all of the nutritional value in it.
Try it! This is actually an excellent way to ease into food neutrality.
Look up the details if you need to! You can be certain that every food:
- provides energy the body needs to stay alive
- provides macronutrients the body needs to maintain its cells and vital organs
The Truth About Superfoods
The idea behind something being tagged as A “superfood” is that it contains a high level of what us nutrition junkies call “nutrient density.” What this basically means is there is a high variety of nutrients to a low number of calories.
Here’s the thing about nutritional value. Nutrition (any nutrition) IS value!
Here are a few things to consider about superfoods:
- Enough is as good as a feast (your body can’t use heaps of “additional nutrients” it doesn’t need).
- Too many nutrients can be TOO MANY ( for example, calcium blocks iron absorption, so a food loaded with both actually minimizes the health benefits)
- For some nutrients, our bodies might actually absorb more when LESS is consumed (this is true for calcium). So eating a ton of that nutrient at once actually offers NO health benefit and can actually be harmful.
Now I am certainly not bashing on superfoods! I love a great kale salad or coconut milk soup! It’s is simply important to remember that a slice of chocolate cake is equally as valuable as kale.
But even if a single food contained every nutrient we needed in the world- they wouldn’t always be available in a way that your body could use them!
Find Food Freedom
In order to have peace with food, you must practice food neutrality.
You have probably noticed yourself labeling foods in ways like:
- Good foods = Apples and kale. If I eat apples and kale, i’m good.
- Fast food is bad= If I go to fast food I am lazy and sloppy. I am bad if I eat fast food.
But it’s more powerful than just “labeling food.” You have likely started to take on the way you behave with food as part of your identity. For example you might think “If I eat apples more often I am good and if I eat fast food all of the time I am bad.”
To become food neutral, check yourself every time you hear yourself say:
- This food is good or bad
- This food may impact my body weight/shape/size in this way
- I can have this food, but I can only have X amount of pieces
- This food can only be eaten at certain times of day
- I should only eat this food X amount of times per week.
All of these food rules are red flags we are not practicing true neutrality with foods.
Raising Kids With Food Neutrality
To raise food neutral kiddos, discuss and explore all foods with the same enthusiasm. When teaching kids that no one food is superior to another, kids are allowed to connect with their body and determine their own physical and emotional needs surrounding food.
- Don’t label foods “good, bad, healthy, unhealthy.”
- Avoid using language like “this food will make you strong”
- Practice the division of responsibility
- Don’t reward children with food
- If child moves between family members (e.g. split custody) have a discussion about allowing food freedom and not rewarding with foods.
Your kid actually knows what they’re doing when it comes to what their body needs better than you do as a parent.
If you don’t interrupt your child’s natural cues and take on the job instead of providing a variety of foods for your kids, they will have no problems being food neutral.
What If I Start To Feel Out Of Control With Food
When you first start practicing food neutrality, it is very common to:
- Eat more than your used to eating
- Feel like you need to eat certain foods all the time
- Feel guilt and shame because you are eating a food that you were told was bad
- Feel like you can’t stop eating your formerly forbidden foods
If we’re feeling out of control with food, it’s likely the result of restricting in some way. The more off limits you convince yourself a food is- the more likely you are to over-indulge. This can lead to a binge restrict cycle.
Moderation in Food Neutrality
No.
The idea behind “eating in moderation” is just another food rule.
If you are eating intuitively, your body will naturally tell you when to stop eating a certain food because it has physically and emotionally met its biological needs.
At first, it will be difficult to feel like our bodies know when to stop with foods that have been off limits. You will feel like yo have to force ourselves to moderate the food. Don’t do this!
Think of it this way- If pizza is an off limit food and you have it for lunch we will want to consume as much as possible!But what if I told you it was also going to be dinner and lunch for the next week? I’m guessing it wouldn’t take long for us to get pretty sick of pizza!
That’s your bodies natural way of eating in moderation. Trust it to know what it’s doing!
Your body has literally been evolving over thousands of years. It’s got billions of metabolic enzymes and reactions we as a society haven’t even discovered yet! Not to mention the thousands of genetic variations in the way that our bodies metabolize food.
7 Tips For Going Food Neutral
Here are some tips for being food neutral:
- Challenge fatphobia
- Stop counting calories
- Cover your food labels
- Challenge your fear of weight gain
- Practice body respect and listening to your body
- Take time to mindfully eat and enjoy your food
- Use a hunger scale to help you know when it’s time to stop eating
Food Neutrality Affirmations
These mantras can help you stay on track for becoming truly food neutral.
- Listen to your body, it’s smarter than you
- Healthy is an outfit that looks different on everybody
- Nourish your body without starving your soul
- Say goodbye to your inner critic
- I trust my body to figure out what I need
- The only thing I’m on a diet from is diets
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