8 Ways to Challenge the Food Police
Do you listen to the food police? Have you ever labeled foods as “good” or “bad”? Have you ever wondered at what point these negative internal thoughts around eating and food became ingrained in your psyche? Today, Christine Soviak, RD is talking all about the food police and sharing 8 ways to challenge that voice. Take it away, Christine!
Who Are The Food Police?
We are all born as intuitive eaters, but as we grow and comprehend the world around us, our eating habits become less intuitive. We start to listen to new “rules” that are inherited, taught, and learned by diet culture.
There are two types of food police, your inner food police voice, and the external food police. Food police scrutinize every eating action, keeping your food choices and body in ongoing conflict.
The Inner Food Police voice is that critical inner dialogue that judges your food choices, often promoting guilt or shame around eating. It tends to enforce rigid rules about what is "good" or "bad" to eat, leading to unhealthy relationships with food. This voice can stem from societal pressures, past experiences, or personal beliefs, making it difficult to enjoy food without self-criticism. Learning to recognize and challenge this voice is key to developing a healthier mindset about eating.
The External Food Police typically refers to societal pressures and regulations surrounding food choices and eating behaviors. This concept encompasses various influences, including government guidelines, social norms, media portrayals, and health campaigns that dictate what is considered healthy or unhealthy. These food police voices can come from anywhere – family, friends, co-workers, health care professionals, or even total strangers – like social media influencers!
These internal and external forces can lead to feelings of guilt or shame about food choices, creating a culture of scrutiny around eating habits. This phenomenon can impact individuals' relationships with food, often fostering anxiety or restrictive behaviors rather than promoting a balanced and enjoyable approach to eating.
Common rules by which the food police may judge eating actions:
Don’t eat after 7 pm
Don’t eat processed foods, make everything from scratch
You should only eat organic foods
Never eat simple carbs like bread or pasta
No sweets in the house!
If you didn’t exercise today, you don’t deserve dessert
All sugar is bad for you
8 Ways to Challenge the Food Police
Challenging the food police, and the internal and external voices that criticize food choices can be empowering. We do this by shifting our mindset around food and nutrition, pushing back against the internal and external beliefs that have been ingrained in our brains through dieting and diet culture. Here are some key strategies:
Recognize your inner critic: Acknowledge negative thoughts about food that come from societal pressures or personal beliefs. Identify your triggers, and recognize situations or comments that provoke negative thoughts about food.
Practice self-compassion: Treat yourself with kindness rather than judgment when you eat. Understand that everyone has different dietary needs and preferences.
Embrace Intuitive Eating: Focus on listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues instead of adhering to strict rules around when you “should” eat, how often you “should” eat, and what you “should” eat.
Set Boundaries: You cannot control the external food police in your life. You can, however, set boundaries. Ask them not to comment on food choices or your weight. Let them know you are not comfortable with diet talk and change the topic of conversation.
Reframe Language: Replace restrictive language (like “good” or “bad” foods) with more neutral terms. This helps to reduce guilt and anxiety around eating. Try to see food as fuel, pleasure, or a source of nourishment.
Challenge Diet Culture: Educate yourself about the flaws in diet culture and the benefits of a balanced, varied diet. Pseudo-nutrition advice is rampant. Are the food police telling the truth? Ask for the facts! Is it a proven fact that if you eat a bagel, you’ll gain 10 pounds? Absolutely not!
Surround Yourself with Support: Create a more encouraging environment by engaging with people who have a positive attitude towards food and body image. Clean up your social media accounts by unfollowing individuals who only promote trendy new diets, detox strategies, cleanses, and “miracle” weight loss plans.
Seek Professional Help: If the food police voices feel overwhelming, consider talking to a therapist or registered dietitian trained in intuitive eating who can offer personal support to help you work through these negative intrinsic thoughts around food, body, or health.
Moving Forward
We know it can be difficult to challenge the food police. Take it slow and reach out to the Collaborative Counseling and Nutrition Team today for more support. And, feel free to check out the links below to other blog posts!
Learn more about Ally vs. Dieting Voices
Learn more about What Kind of Eater You Are
Learn more about How to Become an Intuitive Eater
Collaborative Counseling & Nutrition is an outpatient nutrition and body image counseling center, with locations in Indianapolis and Carmel, that provides compassionate, holistic eating disorder treatment. Through practicing mindfulness, intuition, and Health At Every Size, we are on a mission to help you find a true state of well-being! We take an anti-diet, weight-inclusive approach with all our clients and work to help guide you towards a way of healthy living designed by you, just for you! This post is for education purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for treatment for an eating disorder. If you are looking for a registered dietitian or therapist to assist you on your recovery journey, please reach out today!
