Can All Foods Fit? A Dietitian’s Take on This Approach
If you are trying to heal your relationship with food, chances are you’ve heard the phrase “all foods fit.”
You see this advice and think “yeah right! if I gave myself unconditional permission to eat all my favorite foods, I’d never stop gaining weight.”
Before you write it off to try a new diet that “promises” it will be the answer, let’s go over what all foods fit actually means.
From a non-diet dietitian who believes in the all foods fit approach, but dislikes how it’s promoted online…
What does “all foods fit” actually mean?
All foods fit means giving yourself permission to eat the foods you enjoy without guilt. There are no good or bad foods, just foods that serve different purposes. Some foods give our bodies lots of nourishment. Others provide joy and comfort. This approach takes the morality out of food, so you can make decisions about food that do not feel so emotionally charged.
For first timers, this probably sounds like having free for all with your favorite snacks every day.
I mean it makes sense, right? The reason these foods are off limits is because you feel out of control around them.
However, this reasoning puts the blame on you when it is not your fault. It is actually diet culture’s fault for putting these foods on a pedestal and letting your body get into a state of deprivation.
Because of this, I never have clients jump right into the “all foods fit” approach.
Here’s what I do instead.
How do I allow myself to eat what I want without going overboard?
Because your body and mind are in a state of deprivation, it is so hard to jump into the all foods fit mindset. The first thing I work on with my clients as a non-diet dietitian is rebuilding that trust with your body.
Here are the basics I start with:
- Eat 3 meals + 2-3 snacks a day: Your body needs to trust it will get food consistently in order for you to feel grounded around the fun foods. If you don’t, your body will basically be thinking “I need to get this high reward food now while I can.”
- Each meal should have at least 3 components: Eating a protein, carb, and fat will ensure you are getting the nutrients your body needs.
- Make snacks at least 2 components: Eating a variety of food is more satisfying, which helps reduce cravings.
- Eat enough carbs: Low carb is a huge trigger for night time binges. We all need carbs at every meal. Don’t be skimpy!
When you are eating enough, you can incorporate the “off limits” foods in a way that feels manageable.
How do can I incorporate “junk” food back into my diet?
While the goal is to embrace the all foods fit approach, I want to meet you where you’re at. It can feel so hard to just start eating these foods in your day to day life after years of believing they are bad. So here’s how I approach the reintroducing “off limits” foods with my clients:
- Food hierarchy: We create a list of foods from least scary to most scary and set a goal each week to try one of them. This breaks a huge goal down into micro-goals that feel manageable.
- Start with pre-sized portions: If getting a whole pack of Oreos feels too triggering, we start with a single serving pack. This allows you to get comfortable with the food again without the intense fear of a binge. When doing this, we are mindful to use neutral language. This is an exposure, not a way to restrict.
- Pair foods with a meal: When we are starving, our urges to eat feel more intense. Incorporating fun foods into a meal feels more grounding. For example, pack a piece of candy with your lunch or have chips with your sandwich and a piece of fruit. This allows you to get satisfaction AND nourishment.
- Eat these foods with a safe person: Guilt and binge urges get stronger when you are alone with these foods. Re-introducing a particularly scary food with a support can be grounding.
- Avoid eating these foods in a triggering space: If you always find yourself binging on the couch, try eating these foods in the kitchen or vice versa.
How do I start believing all foods can fit?
After years of believing that we need to control ourselves around food, it can be hard to shift into the all foods fit mentality. Unfortunately, there is no switch in our brain that allows us to change our thinking (if I ever figure it out, I’ll let you know).
It takes consistent work to challenge the thoughts and behaviors that are stuck in the diet mentality. Here are small changes that will slowly help you embrace the all foods fit approach:
- Reframing negative thoughts about food
- Talking through your beliefs with a dietitian and a therapist
- Challenging these thoughts by DOING the opposite
- Gathering evidence for and against a thought to help debunk it
The mental part is one of the hardest parts of this process! Fueling properly can help ensure your brain has enough energy to work through this.
All foods can fit
Now that you know how to apply the all foods fit mentality to your life without it feeling overwhelming, here are some more resources to help you continue on your journey towards a healthier you: