Pursuing pure food? No matter how obsessed you are, it won't make a healthy, non-dieting life better.

Purity does not exist

When I was fourteen, I was diagnosed with PCOS, a hormonal and metabolic syndrome often associated with insulin resistance and weight gain. Basically, no one knows what causes it and there is no cure, so doctors usually ask patients to diet and lose weight. So I followed the advice and told myself firmly: If I could do it perfectly, I could make my polycystic ovary syndrome go away. I would lose weight, eat perfectly, and be healed.

I thought I had to purge my body of carbs, junk food, and get rid of body fat that was clearly unhealthy. And if you're wondering what the outcome was, the answer is a decade-long disaster. Dieting led to frequent overeating and low self-esteem. I am extremely obsessed with the concept of "purity". Nothing can satisfy me. I always feel that the food is not pure enough and my body will never be pure enough.

This is medically known as "orthorexia," and it often occurs with calorie control and an obsession with weight, but the condition itself is tragic enough. Health food obsession is common and can easily be mistaken for living a "healthy life." When you have this condition, it's easy to convince yourself that you're just being health-conscious. But obsession is not healthy in any way.

What if you're not sure if you fit this symptom? Here's a quick way to tell: if your actions are causing stress, panic, or obsession, then it's not worth it and won't be effective. Eating junk food on the "Fuck It Diet" is particularly effective for people who are overly obsessed with health food.

Giving yourself permission to eat junk food is like psychological medicine, like cognitive behavioral therapy for health food obsession. You have to raise your tolerance level and view the foods that once scared you more neutrally. Until then, your health food obsession will continue to cast a shadow on you.

Being afraid of "junk food" (whatever that may be) will only make your life filled with unnecessary suffering. And it's also very unrealistic because in the outside world, you'll always have to deal with all kinds of junk food. Unless you don't mind having irrational fear at every step, it's worth putting in the effort to overcome it. Purity does not exist, so such thoughts are not only misleading, but also reflect control and fear.

If you have chronic health issues, I can relate. Some people's bodies are simply less able to tolerate heavy metals or chemicals than others, and everyone has their own weaknesses. But there is no use striving for purity because purity does not exist and that is not how our bodies, health and food work. Instead, we should rethink the way we view health.

If someone had put their impure corn flakes in my pure avocado before, I would have felt like they were ruining all the hard work I had put into my already miserable, dedicated, pure, perfect diet. I try so hard, maybe I can improve my bad symptoms and become healthy soon, but their unclean corn flakes will ruin everything. A little corn flakes is enough to send me over the edge, filled with panic.

At the time, the all-or-nothing diet seemed to promise me that once I fixed my body through a pure, perfect diet, I would never again be obsessed with food. Purity will cleanse me, will heal me, will erase all my cravings, and my gluttony and appetite will disappear.

This will not work and it shouldn’t work. Because cravings and appetites are part of human nature, just like all emotions. Trying to suppress the craving will only trigger a backlash and make us more obsessed.

We don’t need green juice to detox

My acupuncture master once told me, "Forget 'detox'. Why not change your idea of ​​health to 'support' your body? Or your liver? Or your hormones?" We all need to change our view of health: support and nourish the body, not cleanse it. If we start supporting our body's function, circulation and recuperation, our bodies will improve dramatically and our natural detoxification systems can function naturally.

Eat foods that nourish you, foods that truly fill you up, foods that satisfy your cravings, and foods that make you feel happy and satisfied. Sure, sometimes it might be cookies, but other times it might be soup, pasta, spinach salad, or anything else.

With a restrictive mindset, “eliminating” specific foods or ingredients can quickly lead to an eating disorder. The answer is to add nutrients, not remove food. Remember, listening to your cravings can help you decide what to nourish yourself today. For example, if you feel like you need help with your digestion, maybe instead of restricting your diet, you could add in foods like probiotics to help with the healing process? If you need or want more fruits and vegetables, don't try a vegetable juice cleanse. Instead, add more green foods to your meals!

The truth is, you can eat whatever you want, however you want. You can add or remove any foods of your choice. At every meal of every day, you are the boss. If a food doesn't make you feel right, you certainly have the right to avoid it or try something else. However, I hope you'll change your mindset about food and health and start accepting that less isn't necessarily better. Sometimes, a little less is actually just… a little less.

We really need diverse and high-calorie foods to support our bodies in detoxification and repair. Our hormones, bones, muscles, brain, and all activities in the world require food to support them. Start nourishing yourself in the way you choose!

Too Many Weight Loss Rules

Do you think donuts go straight to butt fat? Are Eggs Too High in Cholesterol? Is fruit too high in sugar? Can’t eat three hours before bedtime? Will gluten kill everyone one day?

We should carefully evaluate and examine the impact that all diet books and diet plans have on us. Various weight-loss rules are the reason why our relationship with food is out of control. These rules are still buzzing in our subconscious and even make us overeat uncontrollably at times. They should no longer exist in our lives.

A student recently shared with me her insights on food and life: “Thinking about food rules reminds me of all the ‘rules’ we have unconsciously internalized in life, such as people always asking me to follow through (eat everything on my plate). I’m thinking that maybe having a healthy mindset about food can help me have a healthy mindset in life. Everything is connected.”

You may also have this kind of experience. Once you start discovering your own rules around food, you’ll discover that there are a million little rules in every area of ​​your life. It can be very helpful to become aware of and pay attention to the rules in our subconscious mind, because they will no longer be able to manipulate us from the dark.

This article is from the book "Proposal for a Better Life without Dieting" published by Yuanliu Publishing