Rethinking Food Rules

Notice the food rules you never chose, keep the ones that serve you, and loosen the ones that only add stress.

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One rule, rephrased

A rule punishes you. A guideline bends.

Rule

“I can never eat dessert.”

Fixed, whatever the situation. It punishes you when you cannot follow it.

Ask of any food rule

Is it true?
Is it kind?
Does it serve you?

Guideline

“I try to notice whether I actually want it, and let that decide.”

Flexible, and one you actually chose. It bends when life calls for it.

Your turn

Ready to try it with one of your own food rules?

Try this, step 3 ↓

Why it matters

Most food rules were never consciously chosen. They come from childhood messages, past diets and a culture that sorts food into good and bad. Noticing them is what lets you keep the ones that help and loosen the ones that only add stress.

What to know

A food rule is a fixed belief about what, when or how much you are allowed to eat, held regardless of the situation. Five familiar signs:

Labeling foods good or bad
Guilt after eating certain foods
Cutting out whole food groups
Needing to count or measure everything
Eating differently when others are watching

Question the rule before obeying it: is it fact or opinion, and if a fact, is it actually true; if an opinion, is it kind and does it serve the life you want. A guideline bends when life calls for it; a rule punishes you when you cannot follow it.

Try this

Pick one background food rule and run it through those questions. Then rephrase it into a flexible guideline that fits your goals.

Challenging even one rule is real progress.

Ready to notice something similar in how you move, not just how you eat? Rediscover the Joy of Movement and this month’s activity carry the same idea into a different habit.

Open Rediscover the Joy of Movement →

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