Intuitive Eating Principle #4: Challenge the Food Police
We live in a world full of internalized and externalized voices, beliefs, and societal norms that dictate strict rules and judgments about what and how we should eat. These rules are often rooted in diet culture and can lead to harmful behaviors. The “Food Police” can manifest in different ways, such as individuals criticizing themselves or others for their food choices, promoting unrealistic body ideals, or advocating for restrictive diets. The concept of challenging the food police is about breaking free from these negative influences and instead embracing a more intuitive and compassionate approach to food and eating.
Take a moment, and think back to how you felt the last time you ate something “bad”. Maybe it was a cupcake, a chocolate chip cookie, or a few slices from the bread basket at dinner. If you felt guilty you are not alone! Polls have shown that when individuals are asked if they felt guilty after eating foods that they liked, 45% said YES!
Every day, different thoughts about diet culture flow into our minds. Negative thoughts that are so strong they morph into knowledge or facts, with the potential to lead to self-sabotaging behaviors. But have you ever paused and wondered where these negative thoughts come from? Self-awareness is the practice of examining your thoughts, and is key to challenging the negative voices in your head, aka the food police.
Self-awareness:
- the capacity to recognize and understand one's thoughts, emotions, beliefs, motivations, and actions, as well as
their impact on oneself and others
- key component of emotional intelligence and personal growth, facilitating deeper understanding, informed
decision-making, emotional management, empathy, authenticity, and self-acceptance—essential for fostering
healthy relationships and personal development
Who’s Talking?
Depending on how you are feeling, you may encounter positive or negative inner food voices in your head. Recognizing and identifying each food voice will help you quiet the destructive voices and embrace the supportive, powerful voices, leading to more informed decisions about eating.
Powerful Ally Voices
The Food Anthropologist
A neutral observer making non-judgmental observations about your food-related thoughts and actions
The Nurturer
A loving, compassionate and reassuring voice that lets you know you’re going to be ok
Provides the most positive self-talk in your mind
The Nutrition Ally
A very neutral voice that will provide you with information so that you can make decisions on what to eat based on your energy needs, health, satiety and satisfaction
The Intuitive Eater
A collection of nurturing ally voices, grounded in your inner wisdom, guiding you to make the best choices for your body's unique needs.
Destructive Dieting Voices
The Food Police
Created from diet culture
lets you know if you have been “good” or bad” with your eating
Examines and judges everything you eat
The Nutrition Informant
Provides nutrition evidence to keep you in-line with dieting rules
and culture
The Diet Rebel
Very loud, angry and determined and self-destructive
Expresses rebellious comments that might make you feel powerless
in making your own choices about your eating habits
Replacing the Destructive Dieting Voices with Powerful Ally Voices
Be gentle with yourself as this may take time. Some of your food rules have been in your head for years and The Food Police can be very loud and controlling. However, by becoming self-aware, and recognizing any negative voices that appear when you are eating, you will be able to have more control over the destructive saboteurs while embracing and listening to your powerful allies. All of this will lead you to becoming an Intuitive Eater and healing your relationship with food.
