In everyday conversations, we hear the phrase ‘Mmm that’s a bad food’ being thrown around constantly. Usually, followed by ‘oh and I feel so guilty about eating it too…’. We see it in movies, on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook; the constant proposal that certain foods should be removed from our diet completely in order to achieve vitality and overwhelmingly better health. Our friends and family are constantly bringing up the new diet they’re trying, that removes whatever ‘bad food’ that this particular diet deems off limits, and whenever we eat a piece of pudding at Christmas Aunty Linda asks us ‘should you really be eating that darling?’.

So it’s no question as to why you view food in such a black and white nature, it’s possibly all you’ve ever known. However, it doesn’t have to be the way you continue to view food, and I’m going to do my very best here to change that thought process for you.

So, we know that when looking at the nutritional profile of food, we have nutrient rich foods, and less nutrient rich foods. Nutrient rich foods include your wholegrains, nuts & seeds, fruits & veg, meat & seafood, legumes, dairy & fortified manufactured products. Your less nutrient rich foods can include your packaged ‘hyperpalatable’ products such as Ice Cream, Cakes, Pastries etc.

Now nutrient rich products can provide our body with the essential nutrients it requires to function optimally and decrease our prevalence of illness. Most of us understand that eating nutrient rich foods is good for us right? But that doesn’t mean that including less nutrient rich foods into your diet is inherently ‘bad’ for you. One particular food isn’t going to cause ill health singularly, nor is eating one vegetable going to provide impeccable health.

Now, let’s consider the social aspect of eating. We as a society come together during certain times of the year to celebrate various occasions, and we do this by sharing food. It can be an expression of love and care, a symbol of condolences or an act of kindness. Less nutrient rich foods are usually quite prevalent during these celebrations because… well, they taste good, and when things taste good we experience joy, which is good, right? Good experiences and memories can be moulded around this exchange, so, I would argue that if you deprive yourself of the ability to consume foods that taste good to you, based merely on the thought that ‘this food is less nutrient rich’ then you are decreasing your quality of life. Is a piece of cake bad when shared with loved ones? No. This is where a lot of people go wrong when ‘dieting’ but I’ll leave that discussion for another time.

Next, let’s look at the emotional impact and influence of eating. Sometimes, things in life occur that just plain suck, right? Sometimes, we need an outlet to cope with our emotions. Now this is NOT me condoning continual emotional eating and/or attempting to numb your emotions through food. However, if you feel like some ice cream because you’ve just been broken up with by text, then I say you should be able to go and eat that ice cream and enjoy every mouthful without a feeling of guilt hanging over you.

Lastly, to bring home my points… we can look at eating ‘less nutrient rich’ food from a performance perspective. A common pre workout snack that I recommend to my trainers is chocolate milk. Why? Because it provides a quick hit of carbohydrates (for energy) and a decent protein hit (for recovery and muscle growth/maintenance). Now chocolate milk is probably one of those foods regarded as a ‘bad food’ right? But what I see is a perfect combination of the right nutrients to optimise my trainers performance and recovery. PLUS nutritionally is a good source of Calcium, Vitamin D, Phosphorus and Riboflavin.

Deciding whether a certain food should be consumed or when it should be consumed is contextual and dependent on numerous factors. Further, placing morality around a food choice is probably never a good idea. You are certainly not bad for eating something that tastes nice. You are not a bad person for eating a donut.

So, when that little voice begins to peak its head again during that first mouthful of birthday cake, I want you to remind yourself of everything discussed here. No one food is inherently ‘bad’ for you, unless spoiled or dropped on the floor, orrrrr spat on by the waiter.

There are no good or bad foods, I promise you that.

Written by Bronte Williamson
Check out her website: https://www.nourishednotdeprived.com/
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