This is going to sound controversial, but the villainization of food has led to us having a toxic relationship with what we eat. Daily, we get told not to eat bread, that meat is bad for our health, milk is unnecessary and fruits have too much sugar.
And yet, all the foods have nutrients that are good for us.
The problem we have with food is that we are afraid to say we love it. The minute someone sees you slathering butter on freshly baked bread, there’s an upturned eyebrow, almost questioning your decision to eat it.
But food is there for us to eat and enjoy. Something I realised while trying to cut down on some foods, so I don’t become overweight, is that when you deny yourself a particular food, one that is your favourite, it becomes an obsession. And we know that being obsessed with food is not good for weight loss.
We know that moderation is the trick when it comes to food. I’ve learnt that the food I love is almost impossible to give up. But I have learnt to decrease the portion size and the frequency in which I have the food.
This edition of the IOL Food magazine is about the food we love and why we love it. From understanding the psychology behind our love for comfort food, to why we keep going back to junk food and fast food.
We have curated recipes that celebrate our favourite food, while offering tips on how to make it taste better.
Stop feeling guilty about food; it’s there to be enjoyed. Yes, we do need to make better choices, but we also need to stop feeling guilty when eating our favourite food.
You can read the latest IOL Food digimag here