Good for What? Changing the way you think about food

"good" food/"bad" food

Is this a useful construct?

Whenever I say something about "food" and "health" in the same sentence, the responses overwhelmingly identify certain foods as "good" and others as "bad".

Ice cream, hamburgers, mac and cheese, and all things salty or fatty = bad.

Carrot sticks, salad, celery juice, raw apples, and all things green and/or raw (except meat 😂) = good.

The problem with this mindset is that "good" foods tend to feel like a punishment and "bad" foods like a reward. It's a recipe for longterm failure.

What if, instead of thinking about food being good or bad, we would instead think about whether this food will support our goals? For example, I mostly make food choices based on what I know will make me feel alert and energetic for the rest of the day.

This means deliberately including protein, prioritizing complex carbs over simple carbs, and choosing real food over fake food. Ice cream, cheesecake, pretzels, candy, chips, coffee, wine, and pretty much anything else is included. The only question is whether it will leave me feeling my best, and if not, whether that is worth the pleasure of eating it.

Since practicing this mindset, I feel more alert, and more energetic, more of the time. (I also accidentally lost 10 pounds. That wasn't the goal, but I'm happy with it.)