21 Jun 2014 Are you the food police?
by Kellie Dye
Organics, non-GMO, locally grown, no MSG, no food colorings, no preservatives, paleo, gluten free, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial sweeteners . . . Does this make your head spin?
If it doesn’t, then you may not be the food police. If it does make your head spin and you try to aspire to many of these practices, then you may be a member of the food police, especially if you try to get your friends and family on board.
As a licensed nutritionist I get so many questions that begin with “What about . . . ?” “How bad is . . . ?” “Should I avoid . . . ?” My answer almost always disappoints because it involves the boring theory of all things in moderation. If you haven’t noticed, there are so many blogs about food.
There are recipe blogs, which often involve too much information about the bloggers, their children, health history, pets and peeves before you can actually get to the recipe that you were looking for. There are blogs about how bad certain foods are. And there are many blogs about miraculous foods and fad diets that cure just about any ailment or make you feel and look younger and have more energy.
Allowing yourself to get wrapped up in all of the do’s and don’ts of food and diets can only lead to fear, disillusionment and confusion about food. This takes most of the pleasure away from eating, which is supposed to be a nourishing, pleasurable experience. Being a member of the food police can suck the joy out of eating for yourself and for others around you.
Preaching to people about what they should and shouldn’t eat most often backfires. Trust me, I know. Eating is a personal thing. People shut down when they are made to feel guilty about their food choices. Guilt never leads to a change in behavior. You can tell your husband, wife, children, parents or friends how bad a certain food is, but your well intentioned advice will go on deaf ears.
When people are made to feel bad about certain foods, this only increases the importance of that food. We often want what we shouldn’t have. Remember the anti-smoking campaign that featured scary photos of people ravaged with wrinkles, or cancer or worse? The number of smokers did not decrease as a result of that campaign. Increasing the cost of cigarettes and no smoking in public areas made the biggest impact.
If you want to make an impact and encourage others to eat well, the very best thing that you can do is to be a good role model. Make healthy foods available to those around you. Let others see the good choices that you make, however don’t make an issue of it. Model the health behaviors of what you would like to see in your loved ones, no preaching necessary.
Kellie Dye, a registered and licensed dietitian, is the wellness coordinator at the Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center. Send your diet and nutrition questions to Kellie at [email protected]. Frequently asked and pertinent questions will be addressed in future articles in 501 LIFE.
