When I was in college, I had a roommate who didn’t eat the healthiest food, yet she had what most would consider a ‘rockin bod’. In hindsight I realize that her food choices weren’t the healthiest, but it was her relationship to food that made the difference in how she felt — and probably (definitely) contributed to how great she looked!
At the time, I was riding my Healthy Eating High Horse, an embarrassing point of my life when I thought I was better than everyone because of my cleaner food choices (read: very, very restrictive).
(actual footage of me, riding my healthy eating high horse 😂 )
Whenever my roommate and I ate together, which was often, I got the salad, and she got the burger – always the way normal people do – you know, with the bread, the cheese, and the fries.
I’d devour my lettuce, never leaving a single leaf behind. More often than not, I’d look over and leftover on her plate was some of the burger and most of the fries 🍟
I couldn’t wrap my head around it. If I were to order fries, I would eat ALL OF THE FRIES! (And then, like, some of hers, too.)
At the end of the meal, my stomach (the one filled with kale, mind you) was the one that was visibly distended and her stomach was flat as a board! It made no sense to me at the time.
But after a decade of deconstructing my relationship to food, I understand it very well. I was falling prey to the Healthy Halo Effect.
Ordering what I thought was ‘healthy’ ignoring my bodies cues and desires, and failing to tap into my body’s wisdom. I honestly thought that if I listened to my body, it would betray me.
During this time, I was a proud member of the Clean Plate Club. President, in fact.
Whenever it was meal time, I always ate EVERYTHING that was put in front of me.
This is actually one of the main reasons my disordered eating went unnoticed by those around me… and from myself.
I always ate – and it seemed I always ate a lot. I also never purged. My eating habits didn’t fall into a neat box labeled “Eating Disorder.”
ALSO, HOW COULD EATING NUTRITIOUS FOOD BE A PROBLEM?
It was.
I started by eating a vegan diet (not for ethical or sustainability reasons), and then not eating processed carbohydrates, and then avoiding sugar. The eliminations and restrictions continued – I tightly controlled what food I could eat and when I could eat. I truly thought that each dietary modification I made was for my “healthiest self” but, really, this was a lie I told myself to stay feeling safe with my limited food options.
When I did allow myself to eat, I felt FREE, but also that the time I had to eat was limited. As a result, I ate everything I put in front of me. I ignored any signals my body gave me about being FULL. It didn’t help I had also developed a fear of hunger after so much restriction – this contributed to the habit of never leaving any food behind during a meal.
I thought these behaviors and habits translated to a LOVE of food and health, but in reality, this was a FEAR of food, a FEAR of eating, and a FEAR of trusting my body.
If I had just given my body a microphone and if I’d just have listened to what it had to say, I would have realized I could reach satisfaction without having so much discomfort by simultaneously overeating and restricting. But alas, this is a lesson I had to learn.
THE HEALTHY HALO EFFECT IN 2019
In 2019, the Healthy Halo Effect looks a bit different than it did a decade ago.
Now, the Healthy Halo Effect occurs when foods are marked as paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, organic, oil-free, etc. When we see these labels we are prone to eat more than we need because our minds think that they are actually more healthful or safer to eat.
When we chalk a food up to being good for us, ‘free’, or ‘healthy’ we’re not asking ourselves the questions we need to be asking like:
- Am I in the mood for this food or am I eating it because it is marketed as “healthy”?
- Is this food going to satisfy what I’m craving/in the mood for?
- Am I hungry, or am I just eating because I believe this is a safe food I think I can eat that won’t affect my weight/health?
- Am I enjoying this food or just eating it because it’s here, “safe,” and “healthy”?
Where I come from, whole wheat bagels are given a Healthy Halo. The PTA moms won’t touch the white bagels, but they’ll easily scarf down a whole wheat bagel (or two!), because ‘whole wheat is good for you’. 😏😏
While the wheat bagel may have some healthier components compared to the white (more minerals, vitamins, a touch of fiber which depends on the level of processing) this actually doesn’t affect the number of calories or carbs in the bagel.
Oftentimes people are choosing the wheat option because they think it’s healthy, which in their minds translates to ‘won’t make me gain weight’. They think of the whole wheat bagels being a completely different thing than a regular bagel- when in fact, they aren’t very different at all. As result, they’re not asking themselves the fundamental question of: “do I want to eat this?”
In my opinion, bagels aren’t the place to get your daily dose of fiber and nutrients. We should be getting those in daily by way of unprocessed grains, fruits, and veggies.
But bagels should be eaten because we like bagels, not to fill our nutritional needs! If you can top it with some tomato or lettuce or some real food nutrients, great! But remember, it’s more important to eat what you want, rather than eat what you think you should. The body is wise, it will tell you when it needs some wholesomeness.
Bottom Line: If you’re itching for a bagel, eat the one you like, not the “healthier” one. By making the empowered decision to eat what you like, you’re able to tune into flavor, enjoyment, and eat to a point of satisfaction – not overeat because it’s deemed “healthy” or “healthier”.
I watch the Healthy Halo Effect with family and friends when they come to my house and rummage through my pantry. They know I like what they call ‘healthy food’ and plow into my pantry thinking that it’s ‘blessed’ with magical ingredients that are better for them than anything they could get elsewhere.
In our house we eat a lot of vegan ice cream (aka #Beegan Ice Cream if you follow me on Instagram). We eat it because Evan is vegan (for his own personal reasons that I stand behind) and loves ice cream – not because we feel vegan ice cream is healthier. Non-dairy ice cream is on the rise and I’m seeing more people say no to regular ice cream but yes when they see it’s vegan! This is the Healthy Halo Effect at work! Because it’s dairy free, it must be good for you, when the truth is vegan ice cream (most of the time) has the same if not more calories, fat, and sugar than traditional ice cream.
If you’re eating the ice cream just because you think it’s safer to eat because it’s vegan, you’re falling prey to the Healthy Halo Effect.
I consider my relationship with food healthy, yet I too fall for the Healthy Halo Effect at times. It’s easy to do!
To avoid being influenced by the Healthy Halo Effect, ignore buzz words, bring mindfulness into your life, and start asking yourself questions before eating. Have you experienced this before?
Leave your thoughts in the comments, I love hearing from you guys!!!
PS. I’ve got some amazing news!! Another round of F*RK THE NOISE Fundamentals will be happening this summer (like, very very soon 🤗). VIP PLUS is sold out, spaces for VIP are limited, and we already have a fantastic group of women signed up and ready to kick some butt!
