Changing the way we talk about food

Food is food. I think I’ve said that before.

This is a picture of dinner last night. A selection of foods that we cook, put out, choose from, and then eat (if you’ve never looked into Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility when it comes to feeding kids, you should - very insightful!).

No food in this spread is inherently healthy or unhealthy. Neither is any of it more “good” or more “bad” than another. What it is is this: rice, Mongolian-style lamb, dim sims, pineapple, tomato, corn, lettuce, snow peas, sugar snap peas, carrot and capsicum. With some sauces off to the side to choose from.

Just a selection of foods.

We don’t label food in our house except with its name. There is no need to give foods a morality - it cannot be clean or dirty, good or bad (unless it’s going off), toxic, addictive, naughty, cheeky, sinful, allowed/not allowed etc etc. You can’t cheat with food and it doesn’t need to be “guilt-free” because it’s just food (and yes, this includes hyper-palatable processed foods - they have no special abilities - while they probably aren’t the best choice as a dietary staple, they are still just food).

We also don’t use the terms “sometimes” or “everyday”. The kids understand what those things mean (obviously, as they are teens), but we have no need to use them. We use the food’s name and may describe something as “heavy” or “light” - in terms of how it makes us feel. Sometimes we want something light - just a snack or small meal, sometimes we might want something heavier - comfort food like a warm stew or soup. We make the choice from what is available depending on what we feel like, and how it makes us feel. Which is all completely individual.

The food we choose to eat does not make us better than another. We are still the same people if we tuck into a salad for lunch or open a packet of Skittles. Food has no power. It just exists.

And you don’t need to “burn it off”. Your body needs energy to live. That’s what food provides - it keeps us going and helps us to do the things we need to do.

Think about how you talk about food. Do you give it power, a morality? Is guilt a part of your eating experience? Do you (consciously or not) judge other people’s food choices?

Why not, just for today, choose not to describe the food or meal you are eating using any labels other than it’s name. Don’t refer to a food or meal as a ‘cheat’ or ‘naughty’. Don’t go for a walk to “burn off” your meal - walk because you feel like a walk and your meal has given you the energy to do it.

Pay attention to your food. Enjoy it. Savour it. Take the time to notice how it makes you feel. You might be surprised.