Food Guilt

Why is there so much guilt involved with food? People will apologize before eating a cupcake, "Oh, I am sorry, I shouldn't be eating this!". People will apologize before requesting food that doesn't make them throw up, "I am sorry but I am allergic to strawberries". Why do we put so much pressure on the food?

There's a conversation on my Facebook wall this week about being fat and happy. I fully agree that finding a weight and body shape that feels good and doesn't make you nuts is completely independent of a number on a scale or in a waistband. Your happy weight is just that, YOUR happy weight. It belongs to you, not to other people. What works for one person could result in a completely unhappy and psychologically unhealthy situation for another. Some people just can't be thin and happy. Their bodies won't let them. Being thin may mean 20 hours a week in a gym and eating only 1000 calories a day and instead of enjoying your family, being trapped in a tiny world of your own obsession. For some people, being thin is easy. But for some, being fat is easy. Easy without the trauma of hating yourself. Easy without the self-inflicted diet and exercise obsessions. Easy compared to being thin.

So now that we have decided to stop feeling guilty about how we look, let's stop feeling guilty for what we eat. Whether it's dessert, or gluten free, or a salad at a pizza party, let's not aplologize for it. Let's eat what we want, when we want. If a brownie makes you happy, eat it! If a brownie makes you sad (I have a lot of issues with eating chocolate - it makes me crazy when I eat it), don't eat the brownie. You don't have to feel guilty that people are judging you. Eat what you want, when you want.

This includes eating on a special diet. I am a much, much happier person when I avoid sugar and grains ( and don't get me started about chocolate). Those things make me feel sick to my stomach and very tired when I eat them. So I know they are best avoided. I shouldn't feel obligated to eat cake just because it is a birthday party. I shouldn't feel guilty that I am not eating it, either. My food is my food, so who the heck should I apologize to? Why should I feel guilty?

The same goes for if I decide to eat the cake, or pizza, or chocolate. I shouldn't feel guilty (regret, yes, especially when I am curled into a ball from carb-induced tremors). I shouldn't apologize either. No one forced my hand. No one made me put it in my mouth. I did that and it's okay.

P.S. The food doesn't care if you eat it or not, so don't you dare apologize to it or feel guilty because of it!