Do bad foods exist?

What we should be saying instead of bad foods and why they have such an important place in our eating.

We could bet that if we asked you to name 5 bad foods off the top of your head, you’d be able to list them quite easily.

For as long as you can probably remember, you’ve classified food into categories - good or bad, healthy or not healthy, clean or not clean, and the list goes on. We’ve been told that we need to minimize these bad foods as much as possible and because of that, you may experience some guilt when you decide to have these foods. We’re here to tell you that you are not alone. Diet culture has made us believe that we need to eliminate these foods in order to pursue a healthy life and that self-control and discipline is the key to doing this. 

You can probably also remember a time when you chose to eat one of these bad foods. Did you fixate over that decision and feel guilty about it? Did you overeat that food because you felt like you already ruined your progress so you may as well enjoy it to the fullest? Did you commit to working out the next morning for an extra 20 minutes to make up for it? If you did or felt any of these, then we’re here to tell you again that you are not alone.

Let’s unpack why this happened in the first place. Although diet culture has told us that restriction is the key to keeping those bad food cravings under check, it is quite the opposite. Restriction is the cause of bingeing or overeating. What is causing you to feel out of control when you have these foods is the guilt or fear kicking into high gear. When we have such strong beliefs ingrained into our thoughts about whether a food is good or bad, we start to believe that we’ve done something bad when we eat them. Our beliefs have such a strong effect on our behaviours. 

Although it can be scary, giving yourself unconditional permission to eat all foods (yes, all foods) is how to make sure you’re living the most healthful life. When it comes to Intuitive Eating, these bad foods are referred to as play foods and the name describes them perfectly. These foods are meant to be eaten for enjoyment and pleasure. Just because they may not be nutrient-dense does not mean that they are not good for you. What this means is that they serve a separate purpose in our diets. Although diet culture has made us believe that pleasurable eating is usually a sign that you’re eating something wrong, eating for pleasure is a core principle of Intuitive Eating. 

Other than the consequences we mentioned in terms of the guilt and the overeating when it comes to bad foods, being scared of food is sure to have you missing out on so many joys in life. For example, choosing not to go out for dinner with friends because you’re worried about eating something bad. Or getting so worked up before big family dinners that you can barely be present during the meal because you feel so guilty about the food you’re eating. When you realize the categories of good and bad food, you can start to enjoy all the moments in life that involve eating. Not to mention, you’ll be saving yourself a ton of time stressing over what you should and shouldn’t be eating.

If you’re struggling with categorizing your food as bad and feeling overwhelmed with guilt, you can download our free Intuitive Eating Workbook. It includes assessment tools to help you uncover other diet culture BS lingering in your thoughts, as well as some small exercises to get you started on your Intuitive Eating journey. 

All foods fit in our lives. Whether it’s play foods or nutrient-dense foods, they’re all equally as important!