This happens all of the time. Talking about food is not the problem. Talking about food from a shame-based lens is the problem. The pressure to be on a diet, to berate yourself for what you have eaten or “should” be doing, to assume only certain body types can eat certain food…and the list goes on. All of this is shame-driven communication.

Sometimes we eat too much. Sometimes we do not eat enough. Sometimes we need help managing what we eat, how often, and how difficult it can be to feel like we are not controlled by food and self-loathing.

We don’t need to keep perpetuating the ideals that are simultaneously trapping us. So, what can we do if we find ourselves trapped in these conversations?

Try these responses…