Delaney Mes: 'I'm sick of people feeling guilty about food'

Why do we feel bad about what we eat? Photo / 123RF

Now I'm no psychologist, and I appreciate that there are some pretty hefty issues at play when it comes to emotional eating, and guilt associated with food. I know that everyone is on a very individual journey in life, and health, wellbeing, fitness, and eating come into that. But one thing I do know, is that I'm sick of hearing people are riddled with guilt, every time they eat. This is primarily something you hear from women: "I shouldn't be eating this." "Lucky I went for a walk this morning otherwise I'd feel so bad." "Let's just be naughty together and share." It's a perverse need to justify anything that goes in your mouth, heaven forbid someone is judging you for it.

Not only do I overhear this kind of language just about daily - at cafes and restaurants and in people's homes - but we're also being bombarded by messages from advertisers and marketers nearly every time we pick up a fork. It's not just sweet treats either. Poor carbohydrates are constantly a target too. I overheard someone feeling guilty about eating a potato recently. Guilt has crept into just about every type of eating. And I, just like this eloquent writer for Rookie, am sick of it.

I know that a billion dollar diet industry exists, and that marketing teams need us to feel guilty so that we buy more of their stuff - whether it be low fat yet highly processed foods, expensive gym memberships, or fancy sports gear. And I know also that there is an obesity epidemic, and that we're more overweight than ever. But have we got it all wrong? Getting stuck in a cycle of hating ourselves, feeling we're not ever thin enough, buying into all the rubbish we're fed, and then feeling guilty every time we eat, is no way to live.

Think about it on the flip side. Say you have a balanced diet, and you eat foods that make you feel good - whole foods, lots of vegetables, unprocessed stuff. You also probably exercise, again, doing what makes you feel good. Whether it's hiking up a mountain, smashing out a kickboxing class, running along the waterfront. Why should you then feel riddled with guilt if you find yourself at a French bakery eyeing up a croissant, possibly one of the most delicious things ever created?

One friend actually suggested maybe we should feel guilty eating a biscuit. He said it came down to willpower, and that you will just be disappointed in yourself if you give in. He spouted off the evils of sugar, and said everyone is on a different journey - whether it's weight loss, or increased fitness, or whatever. He said if we're in biscuit-craving turmoil every afternoon at 3pm, we should change something in our diet or lifestyle. Maybe he's right. But even if everyone is on some sort of self-improvement journey, can't we give ourselves a bit of a break in the meantime? Can't we just be happy with how we're doing right now? People are absolutely all on a different journey, but it really does come down to loving ourselves. Self-worth isn't going to magically appear if the number on the scales goes down. We have more to offer the world than just a number on the scales, or even just on how we look.

I received a press release recently telling me that, because of the 'low fat' doughnut recipe the company had attached, I "no longer had to feel guilty eating doughnuts." Ahem. I didn't feel guilty eating doughnuts before. Have you ever had a really good doughnut? They are incredible! I don't eat them often, but man, when I do I'm going to enjoy every bite. Life's too short to hate yourself afterwards.

If it's part of a balanced diet, and a generally healthy existence, then shouldn't we enjoy it? Food is so much more than just fuelling our bodies. There is a joy in the preparation of a meal, and in knowing where your food comes from, and in the sharing of a meal and the social aspects of eating. All those are some of the best things in life, and being riddled with guilt about what goes in your body shouldn't be a daily part of it.

- www.nzherald.co.nz