How to actually not assign moral value to food
As a child of the 90s, I learned that fat is bad. As a college student in the late 2000s I learned to scoop out the inside of my bagel to cut carbs. Eventually, as a 30-something in 2025, living in the same world as gentle parenting and intuitive eating, I am learning that food is neutral.
It’s not good or bad, it is just some combination of atoms. We can organize those atoms in terms of macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to understand them better, which can be helpful (though never complete). But, organizing those atoms into categories with moral value is, I have come to understand, not helpful. Doing so makes it harder for me to enjoy my mom’s mac and cheese on the rare occasion she makes it and makes me default to dessert on Friday night even if I’m not actually in the mood for it.
That being said, I still find it really hard to not categorize foods as good and bad. I still feel like I’m being good when I walk home from the farmer’s market with a basket full of vegetables and nothing from the bakery. And I still understand how this belief is causing me unnecessary suffering. But, a belief is just a thought you keep thinking. So, here’s what I’m practicing to actually stop assigning moral value to food:
1. Recognize It’s a Trap
Ever since that tantalizing apple in the Garden of Eden, assigning food moral value has been bad news. The tactic gets in our heads, adding negative stories and emotions to our food choices. This increases stress and reduces pleasure, which in turn leads to overeating, decreased digestive functioning, and increased preferences for more calorie-dense foods.1
Just think about the last time you ate something you thought you “shouldn’t.” Did you put it on a plate, sit down at the table, and savor every bite? Or did you shove it down as fast as possible because you felt guilty for eating it at all? Yeah, I feel you.
The opposite of the stress response is known as the rest and digest phase for a reason. We don’t digest well when we’re stressed because our physiology is designed to divert energy away from our stomach and towards the things we need for fight or flight, like our heart and leg muscles. Eating in a fast and stressed manner also makes us want to eat more because we miss the cephalic phase of digestion, which is triggered by the sight, smell, and taste of food. If we eat without really experiencing the eating, our body gets confused, feels unsatisfied, and continues to ache for the full experience.
Assigning food moral value also traps us in our heads and cuts us off from our body’s hunger and fullness cues. From here, our mind is free to tie itself into knots finding different ways to justify and then shame us for the choices we make. Have you ever eaten more sweets than you really wanted because you were about to give up sugar forever? 🙋🏻♀️ Or forced yourself to eat a small salad when you really were hungry for more, only to find yourself bingeing later on? 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️
Simply put: assigning food moral value doesn’t work. It complicates the task of nourishing ourselves and leads us further, not closer, to our health goals.
2. Think Critically
For the most part, we inflict these negative consequences on ourselves unconsciously. Our society is mired in nutrition misinformation and toxic diet culture. It’s no wonder that these negative narratives can easily infect our own internal chatter on our food choices. Our task is therefore to bring the unconscious into the conscious by asking some critical questions.
First of all, who says??? Who says, for example, that oatmeal is bad? Is it someone qualified? Are they citing legitimate science, and not taking that science out of context? Is it someone with a conflicting interest, like financial ties to an alternative product or a broader pattern of sowing distrust in science so that they can continue to make false claims? Or is it my doctor, looking at my labs or reacting to my symptoms?
It’s absolutely fine to take advice and learn from others, but it’s incredibly important in this day and age to be critical about who those people are. Dr. Jessica Knurick has an excellent piece about navigating nutrition disinformation here. I highly recommend her work in general.
Second, how does this judgement (like oatmeal is bad) align with my own experience? How do I feel after I eat oatmeal? Do I like the experience of eating oatmeal? When I don’t eat oatmeal, what impact does that have?
All these data points are equally if not more important than what the experts say about our food choices. Bodies are so different. Contexts are so different. Nutrition is a young science that is always learning and unlearning things. You are in the best position to assess what nourishes you well and what doesn’t.
3. Maintain Awareness
I do not believe that eating and nourishing ourselves well is a set is and forget it process. Who we are as eaters is so fascinating to me because I believe it is an ever present doorway into checking in with ourselves and understanding what we need - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So, instead of relying on moral judgements about what foods are good and bad, I instead choose to check in with myself for day to day guidance. I invite you to do the same, and trust that you hold the body wisdom to do so successfully.
Thank you for reading ❤️ I’m Anna, a certified mind-body eating coach who addresses challenges with weight, overeating, binge eating, and emotional eating with curiosity, compassion, and informed choices. I invite you to learn more about my work and reach out with questions, comments, or to receive support via my coaching offerings at annagordoncoaching.com.
O’Connor, D. B., & Conner, M. (2011). Effects of stress on eating behavior. The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health, 275-286.