I like to think there are people in the world who’ve been able to elude the conditioning that makes some of us label foods as good or bad—that there are people who just eat what they crave and feel pleasure, or even absolute indifference. Knowing these people exist makes me feel at peace, but also extremely envious.

If you’re anything like me and thousands (er, millions) of others who have been taken hostage by diet culture, your mind has been trained to identify good foods and bad foods, and to only allow yourself the good foods while completely avoiding the bad ones. There’s even a whole book dedicated to helping you spot and say no to the dietary demons, one that I will not mention because, well, you probably already know it by name.

But what if I told you that food actually has no intrinsic value? That food is just food, composed of molecules and organic matter? That the sole purpose of food is to provide nourishment to our bodies, bodies that need food in order to survive?

For me, breaking food down into simple terms helps remove some of the stigmas my eating disorder has whipped up to prevent me from enjoying foods I might actually like.

So to make it less scary, let’s break it down even further.

The basics of food

Like it or not, our bodies need food, and we need our bodies to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and release nutrients to do something as gentle as getting out of bed.

Due to the rules of this site and the arbitrary nature of calories, I won’t pontificate on the number of calories each individual body needs per day to perform basic metabolic functions, but let's just say it’s a lot higher than you think.

But then I learned from treatment providers and my recovery mentor that for the most basic of bodily processes, I needed to not only eat more food but also eat more calorie-dense food, two concepts that were a punch in the gut for my eating disorder.

Breaking down the bad

For those of us in eating disorder recovery, we may have a mental list of foods that we do everything in our power to avoid, and the thought of actually eating those foods fills us with dread and doom. Similar to a strict diet, our eating disorders thrive on this fear, pushing us to limit ourselves to a few “safe” foods and cheering us on when we turn down the food we’ve learned to label as forbidden.

But we know from as early as childhood that when we’re not allowed to do something, we only want to do it even more. And another tip I’ve learned: If our bodies are craving something, it might mean that we actually need that thing we’re craving.

Let’s dive into some of the myths about the value of food.

Can food be bad?

There is one way food can be considered bad: if it is rotten and/or past its expiration date. End of section.

Is there such a thing as ‘empty calories?’

Diet culture has drilled into our minds that some foods are just “empty calories,” meaning they don’t provide any nutritional value.

So I am here to debunk the myth and tell you there is no such thing as empty calories.

Why are some foods so hard to resist?

Some diets go as far as to build their platforms around the idea that entire food groups are considered bad and should be completely eliminated, like sugar, carbs, or fats. When we deprive ourselves of these necessary nutrients, our bodies tend to “crave” these substances because, as it turns out, they’re vital to bodily processes in ways we might not even realize.

Sugar

Sugar (sucrose) is actually a form of carbohydrate. Sugars can occur naturally in foods (like in fruits and vegetables) or they can appear as the extracted and crystallized form in most other foods. Sugar helps metabolize fats and can be stored as energy reserves when your blood glucose levels drop.

Carbs

Carbohydrates are macronutrients that include starches and sugar, and they’re the primary source of energy for the body. The body breaks down carbs into simple sugars (glucose) which fuel the body. Carbs also help deliver vitamins, minerals, and fiber to the body.

Fat

Fat helps the body absorb essential nutrients, like Vitamins A, D, and E. It also helps protect your organs—especially the brain—and helps keep blood pressure and cholesterol under control.

The next time you’re craving a certain food, think about whether you’ve been depriving yourself of that food group lately.

How can I allow myself to enjoy food?

At mealtime, I’ve fallen into a habit of plopping down in front of a screen while consuming whatever I’ve prepared, but every now and then, I try to slow down and focus.

• Engage your senses.

  • Look at your food. What color is it? How do these colors make you feel?

  • How does it smell? What does this smell evoke in your memory or emotions?

  • What’s the texture like? Is it hard or soft? Does it melt or is it crunchy? Pay attention to how your mouth processes each bite.

• How does your body feel after each bite?

• After you finish the meal, how do you feel?

Tip: During the early days of my recovery, I would grab a notebook after each meal and write how I felt in terms of fullness, how it felt to nourish myself, and how I could apply these learnings and feelings to future meals.

This exercise doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll learn to love food overnight, but it will help you start to understand the purpose of food in nourishing our bodies, and how each bite can be a pleasant experience, instead of a terrifying one.

I know for some, all of this can feel really scary. The freedom to be able to focus so intently on food is not always possible depending on where we are in recovery and in life. But if you’re able to take these tactics for a test drive, I hope you’ll find that food is not dangerous. It’s not the enemy. And it’s not going to destroy your day or your life.

With practice, patience, and time, you can learn to enjoy food again, and maybe—just maybe—you’ll become one of those people for whom food is a completely neutral concept.