I believe that most people who have tried to diet will ask themselves, “Why do I feel guilty after eating?”
This is a question that almost everyone has asked themselves at some point or another. This is a frequent problem that anyone might have, especially after consuming sweets, carbohydrates, snacks, or large meals.
This may be the case if you are on a tight diet, but chocolate cake is always enticing when it is available. Alternatively, some people go on a diet one day and then indulge in a large container of popcorn or a large bag of chips the next.
Perhaps you’ve been focusing on avoiding the original diet and are attempting to consume fries or chocolate, but a sense of guilt will arise. Food guilt can be traced back to the distinction between healthy and bad foods.
This guilt can ruin the pleasurable mood connected with food, leading to binge eating and preoccupation, followed by regret and worry.
To stop feeling guilty after eating, understand that this is due to established societal constructs of food, not a result of one’s own faults or decisions. Continue reading to find out why you’re experiencing food guilt and how to get rid of it.
Understanding Food Guilt
Food guilt occurs when one gets uneasy after eating something For example you take a certain food and feel that you should not have taken it. This can be due to the fact that you believed the food to be unhealthy, too fatty or excessively sweet, or had over indulged yourself.
These feelings of guilt often make one to have other feelings like shame and self-disgust due to the feeling that one was weak and could not control his/her self. You might also feel that you are out of the diet or your health goals; this will create a negative thinking process about yourself.
Breaking Down Food Guilt
Food guilt has three main parts: regret, shame, and fear.
- Regret: This is when you second-guess your food choices after eating.
- Shame: This is when you take that regret and turn it into a feeling that you have failed personally.
- Fear: This is the anxiety about what might happen because you ate certain foods.
When food guilt becomes a regular feeling, it can make you tie your self-worth to your eating habits. It’s crucial to remember that feeling guilty about food doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. Often, these feelings come from the unrealistic expectations that diet culture sets, which make you think you need to eat perfectly all the time.
Realizing this can help you start to build a healthier relationship with food.
Sometimes, ongoing food guilt can be linked to eating disorders like binge-eating disorder. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), binge eating often comes with intense feelings of guilt.
However, feeling guilty after eating is also a common experience for many people trying to diet and doesn’t always mean you have an eating disorder.
Why Do I Feel Guilty After Eating?
It is normal to feel bad after eating; this is only natural. It’s so normal that your mom, sister, or friend might discuss it without the least conscious of the implications.
Guilt associated with food most often arises from the consumption of foods which one knows are not suitable for him or her. Or, you have a notion that it is bad for your health or that could add pounds. However, that is not all.
Here are some reasons why you might feel bad after eating:
- You have rules about food: You almost certainly wouldn’t even know it, but you likely have rules about certain foods in your mouth at certain time. These rules can be from the diets you have ever attempted to follow or from other recommendations received from other people or from the internet. These make you believe that some foods are forbidden or should not be eaten at all.
- You see food as good or bad: You can probably sum some foods as good and some as bad in your mind. This kind of thinking may lead to you start feeling guilty after taking a particular food that you consider as bad.
- You don’t eat certain foods: I believe when you state that you cannot eat these particular foods you are likely to crave them. Lastly, you may surrender and eat them, and that feeling is not pleasant at all.
- You eat more than you think you should: You may feel a little guilty if you usually attempt to adhere to a certain portion size and then accidentally eat more than planned. This can be true even when one is not feeling stuffed.
Ways to Overcome Guilty of Eating Food
Eating is not meant to be a personal affair that one has to feel guilty about later.
1. Question your food rules
Consider the nutrition standards you have set for yourself. Who are they? Do they really help you?
2. Eat enough
Make sure you’re eating enough to fuel your body. Eating regularly and choosing satisfying foods can help you feel better about eating.
3. Find your triggers
Figure out what makes you feel bad about eating. It might be social media or people around you talking about food. Once you know your triggers, you can avoid them or find ways to deal with them.
4. Be kind to yourself
Instead of being hard on yourself, try to be kind. Positive self-talk can help you make better choices and feel better about yourself.
5. Accept your body
Your body is unique, and that’s okay! Instead of trying to change it, focus on taking care of it and appreciating what it can do. But If you feel to criticize yourself, try to comprehend why you eat the way you do. So, anyone out there thinking that they cannot indulge themselves with the foods they love, let me remind you that it is perfectly alright.
Last Words
Many people feel food guilt, but this doesn’t have to stop you from eating. By learning the reasons behind it and developing a more tolerant attitude towards oneself, a person can really free oneself and start eating without the constant pressure.
Just bear in mind that food feeds not only your body but your soul as well. It should be a source of joy, relationship, and health, not conflict riddled with blame.