What do you think of when you hear the word “indulge”? If you are like most you will think of lavish foods that are high in fat content such as creamy desserts and rich chocolates or deep fried foods. This is what the media and society has conditioned us to think. This is the one word that we should all stop using when it comes to eating food. Call it what it is, eating, not something else that leads to food-shaming.
When you see a news story about a celebrity like Heidi Klum eating a cheeseburger from McDonald’s you will undoubtedly see the word indulge somewhere within that story. This is a way of saying that all foods that aren’t leafy green and fresh are “bad” and all of the healthy foods are “good”. In reality what you are doing by labeling foods as “good” and “bad” is making people insecure and shaming them about their eating habits whether you realize it or not.
Look at this from the perspective of someone who has an eating disorder. They already have issues with proper nutrition but if they eat on single thing that isn’t deemed a “good” food it can lead them to binging in private later because they are too ashamed to eat that foods that they want to and instead feel forced to eat the healthier foods. While fried foods and desserts may not be healthy for your body, stating that they are bad implies that the foods are part of your morals. If you eat a food that people say is a “bad” food that implies that you are bad as well for eating it.
Having to see this type of food-shaming every day in the media can be especially hard on young women who are trying to figure out who they are and trying to have the “perfect” body that they see in Hollywood. Unfortunately this is what leads to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. They feel guilty for eating food and that is not what should be happening. You should be able to eat the foods that you love and when kept within moderation there is nothing wrong with it.
