Let’s be honest. The “no bad foods” philosophy can be really scary, especially for people who’ve spent years moralizing food.
Good foods: Vegetables, meat, and other minimally-processed, nutrient-dense foods.
Bad foods: Sweets, chips, crackers, white bread, fries, and other highly-processed foods.
Many of the so-called "bad" foods, in high amounts, can raise the risk for a variety of diseases. They're also incredibly hard to resist. But are they bad?
Here at Burgers To Beasts, we don't use that terminology—for four major reasons.
#1 One single food does not define your entire diet
You’ve heard that cautionary tale. You know, the one where that 40-year-old male experienced severe chest pain and landed up in the hospital. Oh, and just so you know, he ate just four foods – fries, chips, bread, and bacon.
But guess what? Most people don’t just eat four foods. They eat a variety. What matters for good health is balance.
#2 No single food is bad for all people, all the time
Cake – sugar, refined flour, and butter. Seems like quite the recipe for disaster. But cake eaten at your 3-year-old nephew’s birthday? Those memories matter. The celebration is unparalleled. Likewise, most people would consider spinach to be a healthy food. However, if eaten in isolation in copious amounts, it can also be problematic – given that it contains oxalates, which in excess can hinder mineral absorption as well as lead to the formation of stones. Food has no moral value. But the context in which it’s eaten, matters.
#3 The heart wants what the heart wants
If I told you that you cannot eat bread ever again starting tomorrow, what would you eat tonight? Bread. Lots of bread.
Some people can indeed restrict certain "bad" foods for a while. But, for a lot of people, cravings eventually overwhelm their ability to restrict themselves. And when they eat something "bad"—they feel guilty. So they eat even more—and may even stop trying to reach their goals. This can create a vicious circle. To put it simply, we only tend to binge on the foods we restrict.
#4 It’s really okay (and normal) to eat because food tastes good
Some foods aren't necessarily loaded with nutrients, but they taste amazing, help us connect with loved ones, offer a sense of belonging, and make celebrations worthwhile. In other words, food isn't just fuel. It's also love and culture and pleasure—and a whole lot more. Rather than a list of foods you can or can't eat, you instead have choices. You have foods you choose to eat for energy, pleasure, health, and many other important reasons.
The point: You may find that liberating yourself from the good vs. bad mindset frees you to see more possibilities than ever before.
And, along the way, you may also discover that this broader, more flexible mindset allows you not only to enjoy every meal a heck of a lot more—but also to reach your goals more quickly.
We've found that once our clients welcome the foods they love back into their lives—without fear and without guilt—they struggle less, enjoy eating more, and, finally, can overcome obstacles that stand between them and their healthy eating goals. You can get there too!