The pressure to be *healthy* is everywhere. In nutrition, this pressure to eat some foods and avoid others to fit a health ideal is strong. But is this all-or-nothing mindset harming your relationship with food?

Despite good intentions, labelling foods as good or bad can do more harm than good.

This blog will explore how a black-and-white view of food may harm your relationship with it. We’ll also dive into some tools to help break out of an all-or-nothing mindset.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH LABELLING FOODS?

Labelling food as good or bad gives us only two choices. It’s either a perfect diet or an unhealthy one. We believe it’s all down to willpower.

This creates an all-or-nothing mindset. That *bad* mid-week slice of cake will ruin your week. But, it won’t matter in the long run.

The problem arises when we try to eat the *perfect* diet. We then cut out anything deemed unhealthy. But instead of living that perfect life, we obsess over forbidden foods.

For a time, we might stave off those thoughts. But, they will become overwhelming. Instead of just eating one thing, we end up overeating because “I’ve already ruined my diet anyway”.

WHEN ALL-OR-NOTHING BACKFIRES

After we overeat, we often feel guilty. We blame a lack of willpower for it. In reality, it’s actually our body’s natural response to deprivation!

To cope with guilt, the pendulum swings. It seems a good idea to skip a meal to balance things out.

Instead, we swing between the extremes of restricting and overeating. Each swing keeps the cycle going.

Just like any habit, the more we continue this cycle, the harder it is to break. Each cycle only deepens our distrust of our bodies’ signals.

This cycle of overeating and restricting can ruin our lives. Its effects go beyond our meals and food choices.

We end up worrying about social events and the food choices that will be available. We choose the menu item that has the lowest calories when eating out with friends. We choose the salad even if that burger sounds really good!

But, more importantly, this cycle brings negative thoughts and feelings about our bodies. We use restriction as a way to feel better about ourselves, when in-fact it does quite the opposite.

This negative body image can make simple things a lot more difficult. Trying on ten different outfits and not feeling comfortable in any of them. Steering clear of the beach in summer to avoid being seen in swimmers.

Labelling foods has a huge impact on other areas of our lives.

WHAT CAN YOU DO INSTEAD?

Here’s the conundrum: how can we stop the swings between extremes and keep our eating balanced? We want to avoid both all and nothing. Here’s a few steps to take to start finding the balance… 

1. Gently correct yourself when you catch yourself categorising foods

The first step in breaking a habit is to bring awareness to it. Next time you want to restrict a *bad* food, be curious instead of judgemental.

How else can you frame these thoughts that don’t assign moral judgement to the food? Is this food bringing you an opportunity to connect with friends, or a way to spend time with family?

2. Resist the urge to restrict after a period of overeating

It may be tempting to compensate after overeating. But restricting will only worsen the overeat-restrict cycle. This will make it harder to break free.

Hold some space for these thoughts. Write them down, tell someone, or connect with a practitioner. Most importantly, allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling now.

3. Incorporate all types of foods in your day

All-or-nothing thinking can be appealing. It makes it easy to feel rewarded when eating “healthily.”

The thing is, though, food has no moral value. A slice of watermelon is not good, nor is a piece of cake bad. The more we assign these labels to food, the more we will be stuck in this all-or-nothing mentality.

Instead, eat all foods. This will break the illusion that you can only have one or the other. In the end, you can enjoy all foods!

4. Give yourself time

If you’ve been off and on the *healthy* bandwagon and want to quit it, remember that this process takes time.

Be kind to yourself. Just because the change isn’t immediate, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. If you still find yourself overeating, that’s okay!

Be curious. Instead of restricting, slow down. Check in and listen to your body.

It’s tricky to trust your body again. You must also leave behind the all-or-nothing mindset. But no journey is more rewarding.

If you’re looking to take the next step and want support along the way, book a Sweet Spot Strategy Call with us.

Melissa Joannou, a Nutrition & Dietetic Student, collaborated to write this blog post.