EPISODE 88: Why You Need to Drop the 'Good' and 'Bad' Food Labels

03/08/21 • 40 min

The problem with labeling foods "good" or "bad" is now they've been given life. It stops being a neutral food choice and starts having a moral implication.

In other words, as soon as a food is labeled "bad," we begin to feel bad for making the decision to eat it. And often that guilt spirals into eating MORE food to self-soothe or numb the emotional response. Join co-coach, Steph Miramontes, and me as we discuss why it's so hard to drop the food labels when they feel true. Other topics covered in today's episode:

The differences in how children and adults label food and the role diet culture has played in manipulating society to their benefit
How food labeling continues to perpetuate the all-or-nothing mentality
Why the moral superiority of food labels can cause us to judge others and ourselves harshly
Actionable steps to help you dismantle this toxic belief system so you can begin to approach all foods in a balanced and healthy way

Dropping the food labels can be hard work. In fact, not having the safety net of limiting rules and restriction is the harder path. It’s easier to live life in the black and white because it seems safer than gray. We often don’t trust ourselves around food, hence the need for rules and labels in the first place.

But, I'm encouraging you to develop more awareness around the labels that you put around foods. Notice how your thoughts and interactions with the food changes as you rewrite the narrative and drop the food guilt.

Sometimes I ask clients to write down a list of foods they consider to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Then, see if you can come up with other words to describe them that have nothing to do with their moral value.

Focus instead on how the various foods make you feel. From there, see if you can try such foods with a different, non-judgment label. How does the experience change?

The problem with labeling foods "good" or "bad" is now they've been given life. It stops being a neutral food choice and starts having a moral implication.

The differences in how children and adults label food and the role diet culture has played in manipulating society to their benefit
How food labeling continues to perpetuate the all-or-nothing mentality
Why the moral superiority of food labels can cause us to judge others and ourselves harshly
Actionable steps to help you dismantle this toxic belief system so you can begin to approach all foods in a balanced and healthy way

Focus instead on how the various foods make you feel. From there, see if you can try such foods with a different, non-judgment label. How does the experience change?

Previous Episode

EPISODE 87: How to Create a Life You Love

This week on the Fat Murder Podcast, co-coachi, Eileen Trujillo is back to talk about how to create a life you love, right now. NOT 10 pounds from now, but TODAY.

In this episode we discuss why innate talent, intelligence, and external circumstances only accounts for 25% of our success while the other remaining 75% comes from just a few things. Tune in to hear us talk about:

your mindset and outlook
how to perceive difficult situations as a challenge rather than a roadblock
the value of a solid social support system
the importance of "dating" new or old hobbies and interests
the lost art of having fun and how to reconnect with your inner child

Everyone in your life wins when you bring your best to everyone you interact with. It’s not selfish to prioritize your wants and needs. It’s attractive. And you’ll definitely be someone everyone wants to be around.

Next Episode

EPISODE 89: Why the BMI is an Inaccurate Predictor of Health

Though it has been used for decades as the go-to measurement for health based on your size, in recent years, the BMI has been widely criticized for its oversimplification of what being healthy really means. Join co-coach, Steph Miramontes, and me as we discuss why the BMI is outdated, inaccurate, and needs to be drop kicked as a reliable tool for measuring health. In today's episode, you'll learn:

The history of the BMI (body mass index) and how it's been used to measure a person's height and weight ratio to assess whether they're underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese to qualify for certain healthcare benefits (or lack thereof)
Why the BMI has become a controversial hot topic in recent years and how this relates to racism and sexism
Why the BMI is a poor predictor of health and often creates more problems than it was intended to solve
If we know the BMI is an inaccurate measuring tool for health, why are doctors still using it?
If the BMI is a 200 year old outdated model, what else can be done affordably and efficiently to determine one's health?

Dr Spencer Nadolsky (obesity specialist) in a recent instagram post:

“Saying the BMI is a useless indicator of health is like saying cholesterol or most other markers we measure are useless indicators of health. We must still evaluate the Whole individual and look at it all in context.”

“Body Mass Index” is NOT a worthless measure. It’s a quick screening tool that should be used correctly and assessed on an individual level before diagnosing overweight/obesity vs. muscular athletes vs. non athletes or elderly with sarcopenia)”

"A lean young male with a BMI of 27 is very different from an abdominally obese post-menopausal female with the same BMI. BMI doesn’t take many things into account, such as muscle mass. If everyone could get their body fat measurements taken via DEXA, doctors would just use that, but that isn’t always feasible."

What has been your experience with having your BMI measured at the doctor's office? I'd love to hear your story and how this practice was harmful or helpful to you. What are your thoughts on BMI for determining one's health?