5 Tips To Get Over Food Guilt.

5 Tips for Getting Over Food Guilt

Food should fuel your body and bring you pleasure. Here are few strategies to help you have a guilt-free relationship with food:

1. Don’t food-shame yourself

Stop mid-sentence when your inner critic says, “That cupcake is going to go straight to my [insert body part].” Take the cupcake or leave it, but avoid being judgmental. Watch your words or else they may tinge your buttercream frosting with regret.


Related: What To Do After A Binge To Get You Back On Track. Part 1

2. Commit to enjoying your food

Once you decide to eat a food that otherwise would make you feel guilty, start focusing on the positive. That means giving your full attention to what makes those fries so crave-worthy! Relish in the crunch of each bite. Savor your food slowly as you engage all the senses related to food (think: taste, smell, texture, color).

Food Guilt? What Is It?

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “chocolate cake?” Do the terms “bad,” “decadent,” or “sinful” come to mind? If so, you’re like the countless Americans who link this sweet treat with guilt.

A hard truth I learned as a dietitian is that knowing more about my food doesn’t mean I won’t crave (and eat) my fair share of chocolate cake. Knowledge also doesn’t spare your guilty conscience.

It’s important for us to learn how to manage our attitude toward food because it can work against our weight-loss goals.

Consider this: A study in the journal Appetite found that people who felt guilt-ridden by chocolate cake were less successful at losing weight compared to those who associated chocolate cake with celebration.


Related: 5 Easy Tricks To Outsmart Cravings

But enough about chocolate cake. Let’s dig into the guilt part so we can help you understand why having a guilt-free relationship with food can help you hit your weight-loss goals.

What is Food Guilt?

Feeling guilty about what you just ate, right? Duh! Not so fast. Feeling guilty is a symptom of a bigger root cause.

Food guilt is grounded in your beliefs of which foods you should or shouldn’t eat. Many of these beliefs take the form of “food rules.” These rules are subconsciously planted in your mind by your culture, those around you, and that very fit friend you have.