Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Don't Blame the Food

If you find yourself describing your recipes as "guilt-free," you probably have a bad relationship with food.

Food doesn't make you svelte. A "skinny" dish will not melt away the pounds. You have to eat; it's a requirement for being alive. But a healthy diet involves portion control as well as excellent ingredients. And if you convince yourself your food is guilt-free, you're just going to eat too much of it, and you will have overeaten.

It makes me sad that some people use the word "guilt" when describing what they eat. Food is not guilty for your flab; you are.

15 comments:

breeamal said...

I just finished recording a podcast on choice and the importance of taking responsibility for your choices. I didn't talk about food, but you are making me think I need to soon!

Go Team Free Will!

cookiecrumb said...

Breeamal, good to see you. Yes, I'm a bit intolerant of magical thinking. Choice is a hard job for some people, I get that. But arm yourself with the truth, and it becomes inevitable.
GTFW!

Zoomie said...

While i mostly agree with your premise, Sometimes the food is the problem. Processed foods are specifically designed to make one overeat, adding flavors that people are hard wired to crave. Good for you that you have strong self control.

cookiecrumb said...

Zoomie, yes! That's why, in my middle paragraph, I said we must use excellent ingredients. I'm not really sure if it's self control on my part, or if I just have a tiny appetite (which works to my advantage). But ultimately, it is the responsibility of the eater to eat responsibly. Some people like to eat until their tummies hurt, and... That's pleasurable?

Zoomie said...

Some people were not taught to listen to their bodies and to stop when they have had enough - you obviously had good parenting regarding food. Bet you weren't forced to clean your plate.

cookiecrumb said...

Zooms, We weren't allowed to listen to our bodies back then. "Children are starving in China! Clean your plate!" (And, how did that feed the children?)
But I always wanted to stop eating when I was sufficiently fed. Hell yes, I was forced to clean my plate. I always won, though, after sitting for a few hours in a darkened dining room.

cookiecrumb said...

I should add after sitting for a few hours in a darkened dining room, never once taking a bite.

Zoomie said...

Cookiecrumb, my mother would give up after a couple of hours in the darkened dining room - but then serve the same stuff for breakfast. Sheesh! It was a power struggle, not a family meal.

cookiecrumb said...

Zooms, oh, gad. Totally power struggle! I bet she just thought she was following the rules of parenting, but that can be damaging.
If my mom ever served my leftovers for breakfast, though, I probably would've eaten them. I didn't resist certain foods as a child, just didn't want to keep piling it in if I wasn't hungry.
Oh, wait. I remember you saying your mom could really mangle some foods. Yeah, I might not have wanted to eat that. :)

Kris said...

I've been seeing this horrific trend amongst some of my friends on FB, where they're posting/saving these awful processed recipes their "walls". I don't think they realize those things are sponsored by major food cos. like Kraft. If you ever read through one of those things you'd be like... there's no food in that food!

cookiecrumb said...

Yay, Kris. Hi.
Jeez, the horror of sponsored recipes! I hadn't actually thought of that. Anyway, it just shows that people don't know (or care) what they are putting in their mouths. And if they can convince themselves that it's "healthy," open wide!

Greg said...

Change the game..don't let the game change you.

cookiecrumb said...

Greg, very well put!

Unknown said...

Yes I agree, dont blame the food if you are mad.. Its not a proper diet anymore.

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cookiecrumb said...

Hey, Christian: First, I apologize for your comment on tarsiers disappearing. The whole post disappeared!
(Did you ever call them magmaw? I been googlin'.)
You have a sensibility about food (duh, personal chef) that I admire.
Thanks, dude.