Chocolate cake is never just delicious; itsdecadent.
Popcorn cant be merely tasty; itsguilt-free.
But there is no such thing as good or bad food, at least according toDr.
Below are some common words and phrases that equate fueling yourself with some kind of character judgment.
Guilt-free
Enjoying a pint of ice cream is not a moral wrong.
You will not have to stand trial in calorie-counting court.
Im having secondsdont judge me.
/ I deserve these.
An extra helping of food is not grounds to have other people judge you.
You deserve food for simply existing.
Clean eating
Blegh.
Im cringing at the visual of getting my mouth washed out with soap.
The word choice is at best confusing and at worst puritanical.
Like with describing something as artery clogging, its problematic and dismissive to condemn certain foods as wholly unhealthy.
Sinful
This one isnt even subtle.
Im not Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Im a hungry writer helping herself to some chocolate almonds.
Lets stop whipping out the biblical language to judgeor more accurately,temptvarious food choices.
Honorable mentions:indulgent, decadent, dangerous.
I cant believe I ate that, Im so fat now.
Fat is a body shapenot a synonym for uncomfortable or bad.
Whether or not you are fat, it wont be because of the one meal you just finished.
Well, youre skinny, it’s possible for you to eat whatever you want.
This language reinforces the belief in thinness as the ideal to strive toward.
Lets stop using each others body types as shorthand for who gets to enjoy food without guilt.
Somebody stop me.
/ Take this away from me.
No, I will not take your nachos away from you.
This one just makes me sad.
Ive been bad.
/ Im being good.
So simple, so elegant, so damaging.
Diet culture places thinness as a sign of achievement, freedom, and morality.
No matter your physical goals, its unhealthy to associate the act of feeding yourself with guilt.
Assigning morals to your food is arguably worse for you than any sugary dessert could ever be.
