Intuitive Eating 101 Series - Principle #4: Challenge The Food Police

Learn how to deal with your inner food critic.

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Welcome to part four of a ten part series, breaking down each principle of Intuitive Eating, a non-diet and weight-neutral approach to health. If you missed the introduction about what Intuitive Eating is and the deeper dive into the first principle, read this post first. You can also read the last part in the series here.

This post is going to be all about Principle #4: Challenge The Food Police.

What is the Food Police? The Food Police is the inner voice that judges your food behaviours as either “good” or “bad”. It’s the culmination of all the food rules and beliefs you’ve learned, including from your family and friends, dieting programs, advertisements, health magazines, and society, that often induce feelings of guilt, shame, hopelessness and fear about your eating behaviours. Essentially, the Food Police is your harsh, critical inner voice, that is constantly judging your every move when it comes to eating and dieting. 

Examples of food rules that the Food Police would monitor, include:

• White sugar is toxic, so I should never eat it again.
• If I eat carbohydrates after 7pm, it’ll turn to fat.
• I was “bad” yesterday so I should skip breakfast today.
• I have to cut out grains to lose weight.
• I should burn at least 600 calories a day through intense exercise.

The list could go on and on. And your list of food rules will probably look different to someone else's, depending on the messages you’ve received about food, your body, weight, and dieting. The idea is that if you break any of these food rules, the Food Police speaks up (usually loudly) and will judge and criticize you.

The Food Police can sound like the following:

• I failed my diet again. I always fail. I’m hopeless.
• I have no willpower. Something’s wrong with me.
• I can’t trust myself around sugar. I can’t control myself like others can.
• I should not have eaten that bun with dinner. I totally blew it now.
• I should be able to control myself. I’m so weak.

The Food Police also praises you when you follow the rules. For example:

• I’ve been good all week, so I can have this donut today.
• I’ve burned 800 calories, so I can eat a big bowl of pasta tonight.
• I’ve been able to stick to my diet for three months. I’m so much better than my coworker who caved in last week. (The Food Police can also judge others).

Even though these may seem like positive thoughts, they still only feed into your rigid food rules and keep you in the good/bad dichotomy about food. The Food Police keeps you stuck in the food battlefield. 

The Food Police are not always obvious and can take other forms. Tribole and Resch (2012) identify two more voices that are variations of the Food Police: 1) The Nutrition Informant and 2) The Diet Rebel. Let’s get into each one briefly.

The Nutrition Informant is the voice that tells you nutrition information to help you stick to your diet. It often sounds like a headline in a health magazine or newspaper article. For example:

• A high carb diet will cause your insulin to spike and gain weight.
• All sugar turns to fat.
• Drinking green tea every day is healthy (and will make me lose weight).
• I should only snack on fruits and vegetables.
• Six almonds is a healthy portion of nuts and should be filling enough as a snack (seriously, who eats only six almonds!!).

The Nutrition Informant can be so sneaky that people may not even realize that it’s just another version of the Food Police. Especially since the whole “wellness” movement has taken hold, it’s very easy for people to truly believe that they are not on a diet, but instead they are basing their food choices in the name of “health”. And there is a place for being nutrition and health informed in Intuitive Eating, BUT if any of these “healthy” thoughts have the words “should”, “shouldn’t”, “can”, “can’t”, “must”, “must not”, “good” or “bad”, or induce any feelings of guilt or shame about food or your body, then these are definitely subtle forms of the Food Police. 

The Diet Rebel is often loud, angry and compulsive, and is in response to either a diet rule that was imposed on you from someone else, or from inside yourself. I like to think of it like your inner teenager who rebels against everything your parents are asking you to do. Here’s some examples:

• You’re worried I’ve gained weight? I’ll show you! I’ll eat all the cookies I please!
• I can’t wait to go home and eat the whole box of chocolates! (after going out to eat with a friend and ordering a very unsatisfying salad and chicken breast - or “diet” foods).
• I’ll eat all the cake I want once I get home where no one can judge me and I can avoid their nasty glares! (after a family dinner where maybe one or both of your parents often make comments about your weight or diet).

The problem with the Diet Rebel is that not only will it often result in hidden, lonely food binges, but it silences what you may be actually needing, such as compassion from others, feeling understood and heard, having a non-judgmental space, or just being able to be yourself.

So the Diet Rebel on the outside looks like its “rebelling” against diet-talk, but because it can cause destructive eating behaviours that induce guilt and shame, it’s still really just another form of the Food Police, keeping you stuck in good/bad thinking.

What it really comes down to is that the Food Police, in all its forms, is what is called in psychology cognitive distortions or negative self-talk. It’s just the Food Police are cognitive distortions and negative self-talk related to food, weight and diet.

Here’s some common types of cognitive distortions that can show up with anything in life (not just food):

• Dichotomous or Binary Thinking (a.k.a. “black or white thinking”). This all-or-nothing thinking is often associated with perfectionist tendencies and high expectations, such as: If you didn’t lose those five pounds by the end of the week of dieting, you’ve failed and you’re bad. If you only made it to the gym once this week, you’ve failed and you’re bad. You’re only doing good or succeeding if you’re doing 110%. If not, you suck. Get the idea? All-or-nothing thinking sets you up for unrealistic expectations that you will not be able to meet, and ultimately will end in you giving up all together or trying to be even stricter the next time.
• Absolutist Thinking (a.k.a. “magical thinking”). In the dieting world, absolutist thinking could look like this: “If I don’t cut out sugar for 30 days and follow the meal plan, I won’t lose enough weight for my high school reunion, and that will be the worst.” This is magical thinking, because you really don’t have any control how much weight you might lose in 30 days, yet saying that you “must” adhere to the strict rules, instills again, more guilt and probably destructive behaviours when you will ultimately break them.
• Catastrophic Thinking. This is when you really exaggerate and over dramatize certain thoughts. For example, “I’m a total failure. I can never do anything right”. Or, “No one will ever love me at this weight!” This kind of thinking can really keep you stuck in negative self-talk and possibly even hold you back from taking risks and leading the life you truly want.
• Pessimistic Thinking (a.k.a. cup half empty thinking). This is when people view not only themselves, but others in a very judgmental and negative view. They may complain a lot, constantly blame themselves and others for all their problems, and only sees the bad or “wrong” that they’ve done. If you only see all the “bad” things you’ve done all week with regards to your eating, you may be stuck in pessimistic thinking.
• Linear Thinking. This is when goals become very rigid and you only see one pathway to success. For example, “The only way to be successful on this diet is to lose 5 pounds every week.” Or, “the only reason I started exercising is to lose weight. If the scale doesn’t budge within a few weeks, there’s no point.” Linear thinking, especially when it comes to weight loss, will most likely only lead to feelings of failure and more harsh self-criticism when you ultimately don’t achieve your (unrealistic) goals. Intuitive Eating really encourages process-oriented thinking, which means you embrace the journey towards the goal, enjoying the process of learning, and see every “mistake” as an opportunity of discovery and curiosity- not self-blame and shame.  

The common theme in all of these types of cognitive distortions is just that- they are distorted thoughts. They are not actually true or accurate most of the time, and they can trigger a cascade of guilt and shame, often leading to self-sabotaging and destructive behaviours.

So now that I’ve brought your attention to all the ways that the Food Police and other cognitive distortions can show up in your head, let’s go over why it’s important to be aware of these thoughts in the first place and then, how you can start to challenge them.

First, the importance of being able to recognize these thoughts as distortions is rooted in cognitive behavioral psychology. Essentially the theory is, that your thoughts, emotions and behaviours are all interlinked. Moreover, your thoughts and beliefs will influence your emotions and then your emotions drive your behaviours.

THOUGHTS lead to EMOTIONS  which lead to BEHAVIORS.

So if you can change your thoughts, you can ultimately change your behaviours. 
Here’s an example of what this looks like:

Imagine you’re at a birthday party and you’re offered a piece of cake, that happens to be your favourite- chocolate cheesecake. If you’ve been dieting for a little while, you may have thoughts that go something like this:

• “I’ve been good for the past month following my meal plan - I should keep going and resist the cake!”
• “I’ve been so good for the past month, so it’s not a big deal if I have just a small slice.”
• “But if I have a slice, I’ll just want more and I won’t be able to control myself!”
• “OK, I’ll just have a slice. I can always just eat less tomorrow.”

So with all those food rules swirling around in your head, you end up having a slice of cheesecake. But then, as soon as you finish eating it, you have more thoughts like these:

• “I shouldn’t have done that. Now I want to eat the whole cake! “
• “I totally blew it. I’m so stupid. Now I’ll have to start all over tomorrow! “
• “Since I broke my diet, I might as well just go home and eat a pint of ice cream, because I’m going to make sure I don’t blow it again, starting tomorrow!”

So these are some possible thoughts a dieter may have in this situation.
Now imagine how you’d feel after saying all those things to yourself: Frustrated, sad, disappointed, out-of-control, lonely, and hopeless to name a few.

And these feelings will then most likely lead to self-sabotaging and destructive behaviours, such as:

• Actually going home and eating a pint of ice cream and a box of cookies and feeling not only physically sick, but also mentally sick with remorse.
• Before you pass out on the couch, you say to yourself that you will never let that happen again, and that you’ll have more control next time.
• The next day you purposely eat less food and ignore your hunger signals and end up overeating in the evening again, feeling out of control and like a total failure - again.

Now imagine the same scenario, except now you have thoughts and food beliefs that an Intuitive Eater would have, such as:

• “Wow! That cheesecake looks amazing! I’m going to start with a smaller piece and then see if I want more after that.”
• “I’m already pretty full, but I’d really enjoy having a piece of that cake, because it’s one of my favourites!”
• “It’s no big deal to eat a piece of cake because I know I can have a piece of cake anytime I want.”

You eat the piece of cheesecake and enjoy it without any guilt. The feelings you may have in this scenario would probably be: Pleasure, content, care-free, enjoyment.

These feelings will then probably lead to neutral or more pleasant behaviors, such as:

• You are satisfied with one piece of cake and don’t feel the need to go binge at home in secret, because you know you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want.
• You can focus on the party and enjoy the company of others because you’re not obsessing about breaking any food rules.
• You’re not worried about compensating for any extra calories eaten, as you trust your body will tell you when to eat and how much, when it’s time.

Both scenarios start the same, but end up completely different all because of the types of thoughts you had. Thoughts can be very powerful. And if you’ve been dieting for a while, maybe years or even decades, you probably have A LOT of thoughts about diets, weight and food rules. And that’s OK. Please don’t beat yourself up for having cognitive distortions  (that would just be another cognitive distortion i.e. “I’m such a bad person for having these thoughts”). We all deal with negative self-talk in some shape or form. But the more you can practice challenging these thoughts, the more space you create for self-affirming, non-judgmental, and self-compassionate thoughts. 

When it comes to food and eating behaviours, Tribole and Resch (2012) identifies four inner voices, called the Ally Voices, that all help you counter the Food Police, stop the food fight and help you become an Intuitive Eater. The four Ally Voices are: The Food Anthropologist, The Nurturer, The Nutrition Ally, and the Rebel Ally.

The Food Anthropologist is simply a neutral observer. This voice can be crucial to cultivate when you’re practicing Intuitive Eating skills, as it helps you stay open and curious about your experience instead of critical and judgmental. Examples of the Food Anthropologist could be:

• “I noticed I’m really hungry and feel out of control at night when I skip breakfast.”
• “I ate too much cake and now I feel physically uncomfortable” (no guilt or punishment, just observing).

The Nurturer is our self-compassionate voice. And this voice is crucial in your Intuitive Eating journey, especially when trying to practice Make Peace With Food. When you think you’ve messed up or feel bad, this voice tells you it’s OK and that you’re still a good person. And if it’s hard to talk kindly to yourself, imagine you’re comforting your best friend. Examples of The Nurturer could be:

• “It’s OK to have a piece of cake. It’s totally normal and part of celebrating birthdays.”
• “I still feel guilty when I eat sugar, but not as much as I used to and I don’t think or obsess about it the next day anymore. I know the Intuitive Eating process can be hard sometimes, but I’m doing OK.”
• I’m not perfect and my eating doesn’t have to be either.”

The Nutrition Ally is related to the Nutrition Informant, except it doesn’t have the guilt or harsh judgement of the Food Police. The Nutrition Ally can help you make food choices based in health and nutrition for the purpose of self-care and nourishment, not weight-loss or guilt. Examples could be:

• “I don’t really like many protein-rich foods, so I’ll add some protein powder in my smoothie to make sure I’m getting enough protein for all the activities I’m doing.”
• “I was told to eat more fiber to help lower my cholesterol, so I’m adding more vegetables and fruit to my diet.”

The Rebel Ally is related to the Diet Rebel, except again, without the Food Police barging in. The Rebel Ally is your assertive voice, helping you set boundaries with those who are pushing food rules onto you (usually without them realizing it). Examples could be:

• Telling your friends, co-workers, or family that you don’t appreciate them commenting on your body or your weight or your food choices.
• “Thank you Grandma for your delicious cookies. I’m too full to have another one, but I’d be happy to bring some home with me!”

OK so I realize that now this post is waay too long and that learning about all of these inner voices can be confusing. So let me sum it up this way: The Food Police and its variants are forms of cognitive distortions or negative self-talk about food and weight, that induce feelings of guilt, fear and shame, which often leads to destructive and unhealthy behaviours around food and exercise. One of the skills of becoming an Intuitive Eater and ultimately to get off the diet wagon is to cultivate more Ally Voices, so that you can stop the destructive behaviours and start making peace with food and your body.

So I’ll finish this post with an exercise on how to actually Challenge The Food Police:

1. The first step is to become aware of the Food Police and other negative self-talk (they are often so automatic, we’re not even aware of them). So grab a journal or your keyboard, and the next time you eat, ask yourself, what are your thoughts about this food? Are any of them food rules? Is what you eat dictated by the Food Police? If you answer Yes to this, then go to the next step.
2. Write down the food rules or diet talk you have about that food and try to ask yourself these questions: Are these thoughts actually true? Is it all-or-nothing or perfectionist thinking? Are they rigid rules with no flexibility? And is there an Ally Voice I can replace these thoughts with?
3. Write down at least three Ally Voices that could replace these thoughts.

Example: “I can’t eat past 7pm or else I’ll gain weight. I just ate a big bowl of pasta at 7:15pm, so now for sure I’m going to up in weight tomorrow!” - Food Police thought (cognitive distortion).

Challenge this thought by asking yourself, is this actually true? "No! Weight loss or gain is not dependent on what time I eat. If I do eat a big bowl of pasta, the scale might go up slightly tomorrow morning because of extra water retention from the carbohydrates, but that’s normal. Weight fluctuates daily.”

Three Ally Voices to challenge this thought:

• “I’m hungry and it’s OK to eat when I’m hungry, no matter what time it is.” - The Nurturer.
• “I’m noticing that I’m stuck with this rule of not eating past 7pm. I wonder where that rule comes from?” -The Food Anthropologist.
• “It’s normal to gain a little bit of weight after a bigger meal, especially after eating carbohydrates. But it’s impossible to gain fat overnight” -The Nutrition Ally.

Notice how all of the Ally Voices diffuse the Food Police thought? If you’re able to do this, notice how it will change your feelings and your following behaviour.

Now, I get that just replacing one thought with another is not always easy. And even if you do this exercise, you might not believe the Ally Voices yet. I promise you this is more than just “positive affirmations”. This is about exposing the Food Police for what they are: distorted, overly dramatic, perfectionist, and harshly judgmental thoughts that often lead to unhealthy and destructive behaviours, leaving you trapped in the diet cycle. So the more that you can become aware of them and challenge them, the more easily you’ll be able to distance yourself from these thoughts and start embracing the kind, compassionate and self-affirming Ally Voices.  
  
Next - Read about the fifth principle of Intuitive Eating: Feel Your Fullness.

References 
Tribole, E. & Resch, E. (2012) Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press

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