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The Forbidden Foods

Emily Haeussler

How often do you find yourself craving a piece of chocolate only to have an internal voice say "no, you can't, that's BAD FOOD?"


How often do you find yourself craving a piece of chocolate only to have an internal voice say "no, you can't, that's BAD FOOD?" Not too long ago (in the span of 300 years), humans have become so adept at manufacturing and producing food, many areas are in a constant food surplus. Biologically, our bodies evolved during times of famine, which means we had to get really really good at utilizing and storing nutrients when they were available. Think about early settlers crossing the Rockies to make it out west - they didn't have a surplus of food, so when they did eat, their bodies had to extract every single nutrient. There was no "bad" or "good" food necessarily, food was just that - food.


When you have a craving for something sweet, and your mind immediately says "no, that's bad," do you want it more or less? Usually, the allure of something forbidden makes us want it more. At the same time, there can be a lot of fear, guilt and shame about eating what we think are the right foods vs the wrong foods. Nothing ever tastes as good as it did when it was forbidden.

The most satisfying eating experience is one that tastes good and meets nutritional needs and one that we are present with. That means not in a constant battle with ourselves meticulously counting macros or calculating how many steps to add to the day's goal to "work off" a treat. When you neutralize food, its allure and grip on you goes away. It's a challenge to neutralize food with marketing messages bombarding our every shopping trip with cookies labeled as "guilt-free" or "sinful." But once you start to recognize that internal "food police," you will also start to relax and trust the body more and more, it’s like the body just pulls you in to the process—It’s just so natural. It’s so peaceful. And You, are in control. And then you truly have a choice. You can eat a brownie, or not eat a brownie. Or eat part and leave the rest.




Neutralizing food takes time. Even now, there are moments when I catch myself thinking in terms of good vs. bad foods and have to change the language around it. Neutralizing food really will help you regain control and remove the vice-like grip that food choices can have on your everyday life.


Here are three simple tasks you can do to begin neutralizing food when you eat:

1. Call it out. When you have a thought of "that cupcake is BAD." Pause and realize it - just acknowledging your thought process is a big step.

2. Change the language you use. Instead of "that cupcake is BAD," say "oh that's just a cupcake - it's sweet and delicious."

3. Ask yourself if you even wanted to eat the "forbidden food." Consider if simply the thought of the cupcake being "bad" is what's driving you to eat it in the first place. Align with your body and instead ask "am I really hungry?"


A client once told me, " I can’t believe it—I ordered a dessert, usually would’ve eaten all, but I only wanted a couple bites and left it." That's what happens when food is just simply food. You can be much more aware of your internal hunger cues, find satisfaction faster and find freedom from the food police.


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