Is it ‘Food Neutrality’ or just ‘Pro Junk Food’?
One of the assumptions I think people make when they come across a nutrition professional with a ‘food neutral’ perspective is that they are ‘pro-junk food’. What kind of big-food-sponsored propaganda is that about, right?
Yeah, I’m totally cashing in a cheque right now from all of the fast-food and ultra-processed snack companies that want me to keep telling my clients to eat all of their products.
Lol - if only.
Even though I love a biscuit, and I won’t say no to a cheeky burger or a pie once in a while - I’m not eating these foods because I think they’re the most nutrient-dense, health-promoting option I could make in that moment.
At the end of the day, I’m also a human who likes the taste of good food (don’t we all?), and I will eat things purely because they’re damn delicious. But I’d have to willfully ignore all of the evidence to suggest otherwise to tell people I think those are foods everyone should eat more of.
I just think that life’s too short to miss out on good food. Plus, the more conversations I have with clients, and the more I learn about nutrition in general, the more I think that it’s actually ok to eat for reasons other than meeting a nutrient requirement.
But when I say that, people seem to run with this idea that I’m telling them that they should just eat however they like and not worry if it’s good for them or not.
Guys - we’re lacking nuance here.
I’m a nutritionist, I’m here to help people learn to eat in alignment with their health goals. I’m just trying to help people shift away from the diet culture that’s been rotting their brains since they were 10 years old.
Here’s the difference between the diet culture and eating for health:
Diet culture is the fixation and subsequent economy that we’ve manufactured around thinness being a primary marker of beauty and wellbeing, as opposed to actual markers of wellbeing. It’s a reference to the trillions of dollars spent yearly on weight loss medication, surgeries, diet plans and other protocols promising weight loss.
But bodyweight on its own is not a marker of health, and diet culture has not worked to create a healthier society. This is because diets typically focus on the short term - rapid weight loss by radically changing how a person eats - instead of looking at the big picture of behaviour change and overall healthy habits.
Diet culture tells us that our eating choices should mostly align with fat loss. It encourages people to chase fat loss even when it’s probably not the right choice for them. If you don’t have a good relationship with food and focusing on fat loss sends you into an emotional spiral, then you shouldn’t pursue fat loss.
Diet culture paints this blanket statement that everybody should be thin, regardless of genetics, regardless of whether it would be healthy for them, if they’ve got a lot going on in their life at the moment or whether they have a terrible relationship with food.
In short, diet culture is definitely bad (and I don’t tend to label things as good or bad).
But eating in a health-focused way isn’t diet culture, in fact - I think it’s the antidote.
If we eat in a health-focused way, we’re still nourishing our bodies and showing ourselves that we care about our well-being.
We’re also acknowledging that eating in a health-focused way allows us to include foods that might not be particularly nutrient-dense – but they might offer us other kinds of benefits in the form of pleasure, comfort, connection with other people or a way to self-soothe. These are also beneficial for us, and if the alternative is anxiety and stress about eating ‘perfectly’, I’d argue that’s less healthy for us anyway.
So - how does eating in a health-focused way look like?
In short, it means:
Eating enough food for your activity level and energy requirements
Eating a balance of macro and micronutrients, with a basic awareness of how to make sure you’re getting enough of everything across the board
Getting enough fibre from plant-based whole foods (most of us aren’t)
Being mindful of your intake of saturated fat, added sugar, sodium and refined carbs (white flour foods in particular)
Within those guidelines, there’s no set way of how to do it perfectly. But there’s certainly room for flexibility if you do want to keep your favourite foods in there. You’re also probably not going to eat like that in every season of your life either, which is also ok.
I’m a ‘food neutral’ nutritionist, which doesn’t mean I want you to only eat junk food - but it means you’ve got the permission to if you feel like it.
And it’s amazing how sometimes having that permission is what can take the novelty away and make us crave those foods less. That’s what’s worked for me, and for many of my clients too.
If you haven’t already, feel free to check out my most recent podcast. We chat about snacking, whether it’s really an issue, and how to work through it if you feel like it is. Let me know if you have a listen.
That’s it from me!
Lx
