These two lovebirds should have a Halloween costume like Peanut Butter and Jelly do.
Food and fear are two peas in a pod cozied up in our brains. They link hands and walk through Kroger with me. They head out as besties, ready for parties and family gatherings.
These two are practically inseparable.
I am starting to think they need to spend some time apart.
How did they become inseparable? Surely as a toddler I wasn’t looking at food as some sort of devil in disguise with frightening consequences, right?
But as the years chugged along, I read more and heard more scary stuff. First, it was the food pyramid which at first was helpful nutrition advice. Then the plate. Then high school science class. Then friends comments about their diets and about being “too fat.” Then comments from aunts, uncles, and pretty much anyone who spoke. In a world where I felt so much pressure to be a certain size, the unresearched and unhelpful nutrition advice I received was easy to remember and internalize.
And somewhere along the way, food fears that once never existed started to blossom like mid summer weeds in my brain.
By the time I was 18 I was generally quite curious (read: fearful) about nutrition for the sake of getting thinner. I’d read an article title (not even the whole article- let’s be real). I’d listen short interview on NPR that I started half way through on my drive to work. I’d overhear a scary story about how kids everywhere should be concerned about type 2 diabetes.
By my mid 20s, I was convinced that 95% of all foods Americans ate were somehow, someway bad. And I was kinda sorta gross for participating in the land that eats toxic food.
Then I became a mom. If you are not a mom- let me just tell you- Mom world is downright FRIGHTENING about food (think about the last scary as crap movie you watched to get an idea)
The vitamin gummies you are giving your kids will kill them because of xyz dye and xyz ingredients. Dyes cause autism (I’ve heard this at least a dozen times). . Never feed your kids fruit pouches, they are fillllllled with sugar. Sweets will make your child act insane (btw research shows sugar has zero impact on children's behavior).
Here’s some more interesting fear food moments:
“If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.” oh, crap.
“Did you know that sugar causes autoimmune issues? I just read blah blah blah.” ok, no sugar.
“Obesity is killing people in the United States.” I've never been to someone's funeral after they died from obesity, but yes ok.
“You should buy all organic food because pesticides ruin your gut health.” expensive!!!!
“ Most people have undiagnosed gluten sensitivities. You should get your kids tested.” oh no.
“No one is getting enough fruit and vegetables.” if I ever hear "leafy green vegetables" again
“Do you know how harmful the preservatives in fast food are for your kids?” no but I do now.
This is just a sampling of inaccurate statements shared mostly anecdotally that I have internalized and stored in my “you should be afraid of this and ashamed you aren’t making radical behavioral changes right away” brain file.
What have people shared with you that has gone in this brain file? What statements, informed or not, are now snuggled up next to foods you enjoy eating in your head?
What is your relationship between fear and food? Do you judge people for eating a certain way or think they should change their habits based on the latest nutritional study that you read about in a mindful eating blog? Do you judge yourself for your “horrible” eating habits?
Exposing yourself to fear mongering nutritional information ( that's often based on extreme doses of common foods) will probably NOT make you choose healthier foods and it definitely will not make you a fun person to be around.
So, here’s some simple advice.
Next time you scroll through a Tik Tok claiming to have a magic cleanse for all those harmful processed foods you’ve been eating- switch out of the app and waste your time doing something meaningful and fun like playing “Tetris.”
Fear and Food absolutely do need to go on a break and never get back together. I am not sure they are growing as individuals while being together. In fact, I’m happy to label their relationship as downright toxic. But I still think it would make an awesome Halloween Costume.
What do you think? Is any of this true for you?