Paul Rozin, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania (and in the words of Michael Pollan, “psychoanalyst of nutritionism”) once did an experiment in which he recorded the word associations his volunteers had to chocolate cake. Most volunteers put “guilt” at the top of the list. French participants, when asked the same question, responded with “celebration.”
While the French think there must be a good reason to have chocolate cake and enjoy it, Americans don’t. But that doesn’t stop Americans from eating chocolate cake, as you well know.
How come?
A part of this issue can explained by understanding quality of food. Chocolate cake will be much more wholesome if it’s made with good quality butter, eggs and chocolate — likely to happen more in France — than if it’s made with artificial ingredients and low quality rancid oils — more likely found in America.
But there’s another side that’s really about our feelings towards food. Why do we eat foods and then feel guilty?
I have my thoughts:
1. We give food a moral value.
It’s either “good for you” or “bad for you”. These notions are not based on experimentation but rather a status quo that we don’t question.
People get surprised when I tell them that my favorite food is raw heavy cream. “Isn’t that bad for you?” Well, no. It’s actually really good — specifically — for me. It’s probably the highest source of vitamins A and D and saturated fat that I need, and it makes cooking fun and easy. More importantly, I feel good when I eat it. It doesn’t upset my stomach and it helps my digestion. I can’t really eat too much of it, because it’s extremely nutrient dense, which means a little goes a long way.
When was the last time you paid close attention to how a food — really — makes you feel?
“Good for you” or “bad for you” is always relative. It depends on the person and the circumstances.
2. We use food to fuel our little drama and prevent ourselves from getting busy with more important stuff. This is how we manipulate ourselves and commit self-sabotage.
Can you think of the energy you’d have if you didn’t spend it feeling guilty about eating chocolate cake? But then, what would you do with that energy? You’d have to put it to good use and that can be downright scary because you would 1.accept you’re a powerful being and 2. understand you have a responsibility to make the world a better place somehow.
Certainly, it is easier to stay in the comfort zone. That’s why we sabotage ourselves.
The Dalai Lama might eat chocolate cake or he might not. I don’t know. But if he does, I doubt he feels guilty about it, don’t you?
3. We are looking for nourishment that we won’t find in food.
No chocolate cake is so good that it will change the job that you hate or the boyfriend you fight with all the time. But it’s easier to reach for chocolate cake than it is to face reality. And since the cake is not going to fulfill that emptiness, you’re only going to feel guilty.
4. We don’t get enough from the present moment.
Instead of thinking about what happened or what’s going to happen, just close your eyes and really savor that chocolate cake.
You might find you can’t finish it, or you might discover you don’t want chocolate cake after all, or you might even be able to accelerate your metabolism and change the way your body responds to it (hey, there are studies that show this actually happens).
Eating chocolate cake is not — necessarily — going to affect your figure or your health, but for God’s sake, don’t feel guilty. Or just don’t eat it.
What do you think?
This post is part of Real Food Wednesday with Cheeseslave.
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I would like to submit a really smart comment here in response to such a well-thought out post, but all I can think about is getting my hands on some chocolate cake!
My anti-spam word to publish this comment is “craving.” Did you do that on purpose! ;)
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I think it goes back to our Puritan roots.
“The central tenet of Calvinism was God’s supreme authority over human affairs, particularly in the church, and especially as expressed in the Bible. This view led them to seek both individual and corporate conformance to the teaching of the Bible. It led them to pursue both moral purity down to the smallest detail as well as ecclesiastical purity to the highest level.
On the individual level, Calvinsists emphasized that each person should be continually reformed by the grace of God to fight against indwelling sin and do what is right before God. A humble and obedient life would arise for every Christian. Puritan culture emphasized the need for self-examination and the strict accounting for one’s feelings as well as one’s deeds. This was the center of evangelical experience, which women in turn placed at the heart of their work to sustain family life.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritan
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As one who lived in France for 5 years, and is married to a Frenchman, I agree with what you\’ve said!!
Last year I was lucky enough to meet in person, interview and have lunch with Paul Rozin. I was interviewing him for my book about the French as he\’s done lots of studies w/them & their approach to food.
Excellent post and what you say is all right on!!
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I don’t know about cake, personally, but I have seen it with candy bars. But I started buying higher quality chocolate, and I find I can’t eat as much anymore. I used to be able to eat 4 candy bars a day–I know, it was sick. But now, I can barely eat one of the more quality chocolate–60% or higher– or I will be sick. I don’t associate any food with guilt though…I never feel guilty after I eat it. (sick? maybe).
My spam word was soul :)
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I heart this post! As someone who grew up with the ever-looming “good” and “bad” tags all over food, it’s scary but also a relief to begin to look at food as morally neutral, from the standpoint of how it affects me.
In my next life I want to come back as French.
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What a great post! As a nutritionist, I am always working on the guilt issue with my weight loss clients. Thanks for the thoughtful insight — You’re definitely right on. As you mentioned, what would our lives be like without feeling guilty about the foods we eat? Oh, the possibilities! :>)
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Excellent article, Andrea!
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