The food ‘should’s…
“I should be able to eat like a ‘normal person’”
“I should be able to eat in moderation”
“I should be able to have a little and move on”
“I shouldn’t want food that isn’t good for me”
Sound familiar?
They are sneaky as heck, and they make you feel like crap.
Either you feel bad because you aren’t eating the food you have been told you ‘should’ be able to, or you feel bad because you are eating those foods and not reaching your goals.
This thinking is something I call Food Entitlement, and it is what I am sharing on this week’s podcast.
Food Entitlement is something that we are raised on. We get it from advertising. We get it from food packaging, and we even get it from our food guidelines.
Everywhere you look, there is messaging that everyone should eat everything in moderation (with ease and while smiling and laughing with friends 😉)
So what do you do if moderation doesn’t work for you? Does it mean something is wrong?
Not at all. Everyone is different in how their brain approaches food and what way of eating works best for them.
If you have these food entitlement thoughts, recognize that they are programmed beliefs from our societal norms and expectations. That doesn’t mean they are right for you.
Pulling these beliefs out and examining them to decide if you actually want to keep them is a worthwhile exercise.
And for the ones you decide to keep… Try changing the wording from “I should be able…” to “I chose to sometimes…”. This simple switch will allow you to hold the power of the food decisions you are making and will make it feel much better whether you choose to eat the food or to leave it for another day.
Be sure to check out the full episode in this week’s podcast.
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