Letting Go of Food Rules

Lots of us make rules for ourselves to keep us on top of our responsibilities or to keep ourselves healthy. Brushing your teeth twice a day, cleaning the bathroom once a week, or washing the dishes every night are all examples of rules we might do our best to follow. Oftentimes following these self-made rules gives us a sense of identity and security. 

Can you think of any rules you have made for yourself? Sometimes we don’t consciously make a list of the rules we want to follow, but we know that following them serves a purpose. Brushing your teeth keeps your mouth healthy, cleaning keeps your family safe from germs, and washing clothes and dishes ensures you always have clean things to use. All of these rules serve a purpose.

Some rules we make for ourselves don’t serve a purpose. In fact, they may be harming us. Food rules are an example of rules we make for ourselves with good intentions of improving our health, happiness, and wellbeing, but may actually be harming all of those things! Only eat sugar once a week, no carbs after lunch, only eat “safe” foods, no dessert unless I ate enough x... the list goes on and on of what rules about food we might create.

When we follow arbitrary rules about food, what we are doing is listening to outside entities to make our food choices for us. Family members, friends, coworkers, the media, or the newest trendy diet all influence our perceptions of food. But the truth is, none of these outside sources know you, your body, or your food preferences! When we listen, our bodies tell us what foods don’t make us feel good and which ones make us feel great, and when we are hungry, full, or stuffed. A future Healing Streams Counseling Blog post will explain how to start connecting physical feelings and moods with food choices.

Think about what food rules you may have made for yourself. Challenge those rules by deciding if they serve a purpose for you, or if they are merely something that gave you control over what you eat. Letting go of food rules is hard, but tuning your mind to listen to your internal cues will lead to much more satisfying eating experiences in your life!

If it doesn’t serve you, let it go!

Blog post written by Amelia Stone, Dietetics Intern