there are no bad, good, right, or wrong foods
There's a well-known Registered Dietitian who wrote a book. She advises readers to call ahead to hotels while traveling and request the removal of all snacks from the mini fridge. According to her, indulging in those snacks would be deemed as a negative thing. I was so disappointed by this perspective that I immediately threw away that book.
The interesting thing is, when we tell ourselves that we can't have something, like chocolate for instance, we start fixating on it. We begin wanting it, and it feels like we lose control around it. It's as if we regress into a toddler-like mentality. The more we place certain foods on a pedestal and out of reach, like those enticing mini fridge snacks, the more alluring they become.
Sure, we can resist, at least for a while. But it becomes an exhausting battle. It makes us question our own self-trust.
"But if I allow myself to have one Snickers, I'll end up devouring all seven!"
Yes, initially, that may be the case.
But there's a natural process called habituation at play here:
We want the chocolate
↓
We deprive ourselves of the chocolate
↓
We want the chocolate even more
↓
We finally eat the damn chocolate
↓
We eat the chocolate often and a lot
↓
The excitement wears off
↓
We're able to enjoy chocolate when we want it, without feeling deprived or "out of control"
Granting yourself unconditional permission to enjoy the foods you love paves the way for a harmonious relationship with food.
Many individuals become fearful during the "we eat chocolate often and a lot" phase and start depriving themselves again. However, if we allow the habituation cycle to run its course, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Suddenly, that mini fridge in the hotel room won't seem so intimidating after all.