Where Did Your Food Rules Come From?
“No carbs after 6.” “Dessert has to be earned.” “I was good at lunch, so I can have dinner.”
At some point, food picked up an impressive number of rules. Some came from diets. Some came from family. Some came from a magazine cover in the grocery store checkout line that apparently had a lot to say about your bread.
Most of us didn’t sit down and decide, I’d like eating to become a complicated performance review. We heard a rule often enough, tried it during a vulnerable moment, and eventually it started to sound like our own voice.
How does a food rule take hold?
A food rule often arrives with a promise: follow this, and you’ll feel healthier, more in control, or more comfortable in your body. That promise can be especially tempting when you’re dealing with body changes, stress, or years of mixed messages about what you “should” eat.
And sometimes a rule seems to work for a while. Maybe it gives you a sense of structure. Maybe following it earns praise. Your brain remembers that, even if the rule later leaves you anxious around food or disconnected from your hunger.
That’s why questioning a food rule can feel surprisingly uncomfortable. You’re doing more than reconsidering what’s on your plate. You may be questioning advice you trusted for years—or a habit that helped you feel safe.
Start with curiosity, not another assignment
You don’t have to break every food rule today. Please don’t turn letting go of food rules into a new food rule. We have enough of those. 😂
Just choose one that comes up often and ask:
Where did I learn this?
Does it help me care for myself now?
What am I afraid might happen if I don’t follow it?
You may notice, “I don’t actually know why I avoid eating after a certain hour.” Or you may realize that the rule once gave you comfort, even though it no longer fits your life. Either answer gives you something useful: a little more understanding and a little more room to choose.
Last week, we explored how food can be nourishment, pleasure, comfort, culture, and connection without being a reward or punishment. If you missed it, read If Food Isn’t a Reward or Punishment, What Is It?. Today’s question takes that conversation one step further: Who taught you what you’re “allowed” to eat… and do they still get a vote?
You’re allowed to make food choices based on your needs, preferences, health, and real life. You’re also allowed to take your time figuring out what that looks like.
For now, notice one rule. You don’t have to obey it automatically, and you don’t have to fight it on the spot. You can get curious first.
What’s one food rule you’ve carried for so long that you forgot to ask where it came from?
Ready to put this into practice? Explore the Heal & Thrive Method™ 21-Day Journey. Click on picture above.