Dictionary Ditch

• Cleanse
• Detox
• Clean Eating
• Cheat Day
• “Bad Food”

It is time we take some time to ditch some unhealthy words from our vocabulary. I can bet that most of you have used one of these at one point or another without even thinking twice about it. You may ask, “What’s the big deal?” Well the big deal is that by using these words we may be setting ourselves up for failure. These words can suggest that we don’t trust our body or what it is telling us when it comes to eating.

Cleanse and Detox: Did you know doing a food cleanse or detox is completely unnecessary? Our bodies are equipped with their very own special “detox/cleanse” system. THE LIVER! The liver has many functions but one of its main functions is to clean our blood and send any wastes and toxins to be eliminated from the body. When the liver receives particles in the blood, it removes the nutrients which can be utilized by the body from the wastes, and sends the wastes to be further filtered in the kidney to be eliminated from the body as waste. So instead of doing a cleanse or a detox, trust that your liver has it handled and focus your energy on something more positive like fun things you have planned for the weekend or reading a book you’ve always wanted to read.

Clean Eating: This phrase is becoming one of the most popular trendy phases of food talk lately. If you’re not clean eating, does that mean you’re eating dirty? And what is dirty eating? I can understand the intention behind where this phrase came from; however, I think instead we should say we want to eat more whole foods and less processed foods.

Cheat Days and Bad Food: It is important to have a healthy and open relationship with our body. This means there is no such thing as a cheat day because all foods can fit. Sure some foods are more nutrient dense than others but once we label something as bad or tell ourselves we cannot have it, we just want it more! Have you ever gone shopping and found a really cute top and then looked at the price and realized you couldn’t afford it. All the sudden the top looks even cuter and you want it even more because you know can’t have it. Well the same thing happens when we tell ourselves we cannot have certain foods. This can lead to a buildup of temptation and feeling unsatisfied from avoiding the “bad” food.  And then what happens when we do indulge in the “bad” food on Cheat day, we eat way more than we would have in the first place. Also, it can be unhealthy if we feel guilt or shame from eating a “bad food” or having cheat days. This creates an unhealthy relationship with food. So instead of labeling food as bad and having cheat days, practice your mindful eating skills to eat less nutrient dense foods in moderation. Listen to what your body wants to create a healthy relationship between you and food.

I challenge you to ditch these words and using positive words when speaking about your health. Trust yourself and your body with the foods you are putting into it. Try to challenge your friends to ditch these words as well and spend time talking about foods that you enjoy and how you feel after eating them instead.

What words do you think we should ditch from our nutrition related dictionary?