We're used to talking about food with guilt—and often without even realizing it. Phrases like “it's filling” or “I'll work it off” create unhealthy attitudes about food and affect not only us, but also those around us.
How to break the habit of making guilty comments about food
Many are familiar with situations when remarks like: “Are you really going to eat all that?”, “How are we getting better?”, “I won't eat in the evening after that.” In other contexts, losing weight is often discussed without delicacy, with a note of approval or even triumph. Just as weight gain is usually discussed with a negative tone.
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In everyday life, talk about “effective” diets, what foods will “fill you up,” and how much better someone looks after losing weight is still common. It's part of a generational weight-focused mindset that doesn't focus on the quality of your relationship with food, but rather on how it affects your body and calorie intake. Taking care of yourself through nutrition is often overlooked.
The need to take care of yourself without being harsh
Today, the approach is gradually changing. Thanks to psychonutrition and research on emotional eating, it is becoming clear: it is important to learn to eat without guilt, to abandon the culture of diets and to perceive food as a source of pleasure and health benefits. As psychonutritionist Itziar Digon notes: “Guilt cannot be the starting point for self-care.”
However, even with these changes, the habit of thinking in terms of limitations remains. When meeting with friends or family, comments about the “harmfulness” of certain foods or the need to “work off” what you eat are still quite common. As a result, moments that should bring pleasure turn into analyzing calorie content, meal composition, or training plans. Judging food (your own or someone else's) through the prism of guilt and limitations continues to influence the perception of food and form a tense relationship with it.
How excessive control over food affects us
“People who are constantly judging what they eat often have a very strong internal critical voice,” explains Itziar Digon. This behavior also affects others: “When there is a person nearby who is controlling themselves at the table and vocalizing this, the emotional atmosphere can change. Judgment and the need for control can crowd out the pleasure of eating, even for those who previously simply enjoyed the process.”
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Such statements may indicate an unhealthy relationship with food and the need to change it. At the same time, it is important to understand that such comments affect not only the person making them, but also those around them.
“It's filling” and “I'll work it off”: how these phrases ruin our relationship with food
Psychologist Marta Calderero emphasizes: “Language is not neutral. It shapes the beliefs of the speaker and those who listen. We learn behavioral patterns through social imitation. Our way of eating depends largely on what we see and hear from others. When we hear phrases like “this is filling,” “it's not worth it,” “I'll work it off,” it's not just about food, but about the relationship with it. Often marked by guilt and excessive control.”
Children are particularly sensitive to these signals: they can begin to associate food with guilt and their bodies with evaluation. Research shows that this directly affects their self-perception and eating behavior.
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Weight is not the only criterion
It's not just about changing your habits, but also about how you talk about food. “Self-care is also about sitting down at the table and feeling calm. No guilt, no comparisons – just being in the moment and enjoying it,” concludes Calderero.
As nutritionist Asahara Nieto points out in her book “Guilt Makes You Gain Weight”: “Where are the other indicators of health? Sleep, hormonal balance, a healthy relationship with food, not feeling guilty about every bite, moving with pleasure, mental health, accepting your own body… All of this is not measured in kilograms.” After all, health and well-being are much more than just calories or numbers on the scale.
Based on material from: Vogue.es