Do We Focus Too Much on the Impact of Food?

Yesterday we shared a study on how purchasing healthier foods has become a status symbol; today we want to discuss what PopSugar calls a "Sad Trend That's Ruining Our Relationship With Food." 

Constantly guilting yourself over food choices can spiral into something more dangerous than just some offhand comments, according to the column. The post goes on to say that what can start off as something lighthearted, even funny, can turn into a truly negative relationship with food. 

As one recovering anorexic woman told PopSugar, "I innocently thought that I was just exercising and eating healthy, but over time, I continued to take it to extremes." 

The concept of "healthy" is relative to each person. Domique Astorino, the article’s author, says that to her lactose-intolerant friend, a Greek-yogurt-based smoothie isn't healthy, but to her, it's an excellent source of protein. She goes on to write that there are no hard and fast rules or lines between what is or isn't "healthy." So, by arbitrarily making up rules, we subject ourselves to guilt, confusion and negativity. 

Astorino asks, “Is a life of obsessively counting and restricting calories, second-guessing choices, and feeling guilty and sad at every single meal time something you want to deal with”? Astorino also writes that she wonders why we're in a competition with ourselves and the universe to "out-healthy" one another, so much so that we shame our otherwise healthy choices? 

And if you need help in food shaming, there's a German firm that's starting to sell here in the United States a new kind of fortune cookie. “Misfortune Cookies” are naturally colored black with carbon, and contain more than 1,000 messages, including nuggets like:

“Life is a symphony – and you’re playing the kazoo.”
“At least I believe in you. Me, a piece of paper.”
“Things will get better. Sometime. Maybe.” 

The company says the product is for "doom-mongers."  Not surprising that the cookie won the innovation award at the ISM Cologne Trade Fair New Product Showcase. The suggested retail is about $1 a cookie.

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