Why I Teach My Clients There Are No Good Foods or Bad Foods
There are only healthy or unhealthy eating habits and beliefs
Content Warning: This story contains graphic detail about binge eating and bulimic episodes. Additionally, various words are in quotations to represent disordered thoughts and phrases.
Ice cream, pizza, oil- and cream-based dressings and condiments, nuts and nut butters, cheese, burritos, fried anything, my mom’s monkey bread—these are just a few of the dozens upon dozens of “fattening” foods I deprived myself of for more than 15 years as I battled an eating disorder (ED).
Naturally, these “prohibited” foods presented themselves at nearly every turn I took—lunch dates with friends, visits home, birthday celebrations, group bike rides that ended with a happy hour, stops at the office break room, grocery store runs, and the list goes on and on.
Most of the time, I resisted any temptation to say “screw it” and treat myself to a serving of whatever sweet, doughy, salty, crunchy, creamy, ooey gooey goodness was calling my name.
Most of the time.
In the times I did choose to honor my cravings, my ED voice took over and berated me with comments like, “You are weak,” “You are disgusting,” “You are feeding your body poison…
