Why Do We Place a Moral Value on Food?

A few minutes ago, a client showed me pictures of the well-balanced meals she had been preparing and eating.

She said, “But I am just showing you the good stuff, not my bad days.” Then she showed me a picture of a plate of Trader Joe’s vegetable spring rolls and said she felt guilty after eating spring rolls.

Why are we so stuck on good and bad food? Why are we using guilt as a way not to eat as much or what we truly want to eat? Are we successful in this?

I asked her what purpose guilt served for her. She replied, “It keeps me from buying the pint of ice cream at Trader Joe’s.”

Next was a picture of this fantastic fruit tart that a chef made for her while in Italy. She thoroughly enjoyed that tart and didn’t feel any guilt. So why do we sometimes feel guilt and other times we don’t?

I often hear, “I didn’t exercise enough, so I feel guilty if I eat a ‘treat’ or ‘junk food.” This is when she showed me a picture of Trader Joe’s vegetable spring rolls with a sweet chili dipping sauce (you probably know the one, and dang, is it good). She stated she felt guilty after eating this. I asked if she felt content after dinner or needed something in addition. My client told me it wasn’t that great, but the sauce was good. I suggested adding broccoli, and she said they are vegetable rolls.

Yes, they are. Sometimes, the veggies in certain processed foods don’t provide enough bang for our buck (nutrients). This means we absorb more nutrients or get different nutrient amounts from some vegetables than from others.

Again, I asked, “What if you had added broccoli to that plate and dipped the broccoli in the sweet chili sauce you love so much?” My client stopped and thought about that. She replied, “Actually, that would have been a great idea because the sauce is what I liked, not the rolls.”

I suggested that when eating a meal, she stop and check in with herself. Ask...

• What do I like on my plate?

• What am I not liking on my plate?

• What am I just tolerating on my plate?

• What is excellent, and what is awful?

• What adjustments can I make, if any, to enjoy this meal better?

We won't be completely satisfied with each meal. Some meals are just about nutrition. Imagine, though, what it would be like to be mostly happy with each meal.

Try and enjoy as many meals as possible without any guilt attached to them. Try making a list of your favorite vegetables, protein, starch, and fat, and devise ways to combine them.

Here is an example:

• Roasted broccoli, Brussel sprouts, or asparagus

• Roasted sweet potatoes or brown rice

• Halibut (really any fish), chicken, pork, steak, or tofu

Just add olive oil, salt, and pepper to start. Or grab a sauce from your grocery store and add that on top of your meat or vegetable.

Afterwards, contact me and let me know what you do.

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