The Dangers of Subscribing to the Morality of Eating
When I first started out as a naturopathic doctor in 2007, I was in a new field where most people didn’t even know what the heck I did. Since nutrition is one modality that I use, I found myself spending a lot of time teaching my clients how food could affect their health and how to make nourishing choices.
With so many experts touting dietary advice (often contradictory), the “clean eating” and “wellness diet” trends, and healthism and diet culture sneaking its way into medicine, I am finding that more and more clients are afraid and confused as to what they can eat! Any food that doesn’t fit into a narrow category of “good,” is viewed (in almost a religious or moral undertone) as “bad.”
The problem with viewing food as a moral issue is damaging emotionally and relationally. It is a subject I previously reviewed in detail. Furthermore, demonizing food types and placing them into categories of “bad,” “the devil,” or “evil” is restrictive and can lead to eating disorders, body shame, and binge-eating.
Beyond the psychological damage of assigning morality to decisions made around food, a one-size-fits-all approach to diet is not even accurate. It does not consider biochemical individuality.
Save Yourself Some Time: Diets Don’t Work, They Never Have
It is sad when something so instinctual has been programmed out of us. Unlike other bodily functions, appetite is viewed as something to control and overcome, not something to honor and listen to.
Promises of weight loss are either (1) misinformed good intentions based on the biases of weight stigma or (2) a genius marketing ploy to ensure that the consumers feel they are failing the diets so they will continue to invest in something that is perpetuating the problem.
Diets don’t work.
The more experts and doctors continue to push for unrealistic body ideals and food restriction, the more the weight-rebound, emotional harm, and social stigma that has led to this “obesity epidemic” will continue.
Rather than jumping onto the diet-weight loss trap, why not try a different approach that is kinder and saner? What about finding what works for you based on your own genetic and emotional needs?
Click here to read my latest post to discover more on personalized diets.
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This material is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any illness. You should check with your doctor regarding implementing any new strategies into your wellness regime. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. (Affiliation link.)
Disclaimer: This information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic quality essential oils. This information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been tested for purity and standardized constituents. There is no quality control in the United States, and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only to contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin. The studies are not based solely on a specific brand of an essential oil, unless stated. Please read the full study for more information.
