Relationship with Food
From Dr. Mary Rondeau:
In France, a group of individuals was shown pictures of chocolate cake and asked to describe a word that the picture meant to them. Common answers included "celebration" Americans asked the same question...our answer was "guilt"
It is not that the French don't like sweets...they do! I was raised by a French mother and she, like many other French people, love their sweets. One difference is the French tend to focus on quality vs quantity. When traveling in France and staying with relatives, I observed that most eat a little sweets daily but just a bite. This was true in my childhood house as well. It may be a bite of chocolate in the afternoon for a snack.
It is just a different approach to food. The food they eat is very fresh, includes a lot of veggies and is not too much. They eat slow, savor and have lots of conversation over food.
Most Americans eat on the go, some variation of packaged foods which are highly dense with calories and very low in nutrients and getting enough veggies in is a struggle. This routine repeats itself several times per day and multiple times per week and we find that Americans are struggling with weight, fatigue and are unhappy about how your body looks and feels.
Why do you feel guilty eating chocolate cake?
I don't feel guilty eating chocolate cake (given if allergen free for me). This is something that is really only for special occasions birthdays, and other celebrations. It is rare for me to make a cake without a reason. I hand-make all the cakes we eat. If you find that you are baking, buying or eating sweets on a daily/multiple x/ day then this may be a time to reevaluate your health goals. A time to reflect. The last thing I want is for you to hate yourself with every bite of cake or chocolate...what's the point of eating it if that's how it makes you feel? Those negative feelings will stick around way longer than the aftertaste of cake will and harm us in more ways than cake could ever.
STOP. REFRAME AND REGROUP.