You may have stopped dieting years ago, but have some of the food rules from those diets stayed with you?

Perhaps you don’t keep chocolate in the house because you don’t trust yourself around it. Bread is something you try to avoid. Dessert is reserved for special occasions. Or when you eat something you’ve labelled “unhealthy”, you feel guilty and promise yourself you’ll get back on track tomorrow.

These may seem like sensible ways to eat healthier. But sometimes restrictive food rules can make eating harder rather than easier.

Why can restricting food make you want it more?

We often restrict a food because we believe it will help us eat less of it.

Yet when a food becomes forbidden, its importance can grow. You may think about it more, notice it everywhere or bargain with yourself about when you’re allowed to eat it.

And when you eventually do eat it, you might think:

I’ve blown it. I may as well finish it and start again tomorrow.

Suddenly, there’s a small window of opportunity to eat the food because tomorrow it will be forbidden again.

Giving yourself permission to eat changes that conversation.

Instead of “I can’t have this”, you begin exploring “I can choose to eat this if I genuinely want it.”

Permission doesn’t mean you have to eat the food. Permission gives you the opportunity to choose.

First, an important distinction about food restriction

Giving yourself permission to eat isn’t about ignoring your health.

There are very valid reasons for avoiding or limiting particular foods, including diagnosed food allergies or intolerances, coeliac disease, diabetes and other health conditions. You may also know from experience that a particular food causes symptoms or makes you feel unwell.

That’s different from avoiding a food because you’ve learnt to believe it is “bad”, “naughty” or forbidden.

There can be a grey area between the two, which is why curiosity rather than judgement is so helpful.

Are food rules still influencing your eating?

There’s no score for this checklist and no right or wrong answers.

Simply notice which questions make you stop and think.

Which food rules no longer work for you?

1. Do I label foods as good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, clean or naughty?
2. Are there foods I won’t keep at home because I don’t trust myself around them?
3. Do I regularly tell myself I shouldn’t eat particular foods?
4. When I eat a food I’ve been restricting, do I feel guilty or disappointed in myself?
5. Do I ever think, “I’ve blown it, so I may as well keep eating”?
6. Do I promise myself I’ll “be good” or start again tomorrow?
7. Do I save certain foods for weekends, celebrations or eating out because I’m normally not allowed them?
8. Does telling myself I can’t have a particular food make me think about it even more?
9. Am I choosing not to eat a food because of how it genuinely affects my health — or because I believe I’m not allowed to eat it?
10. If I gave myself permission to eat this food, what am I frightened might happen?

What did you notice?

Perhaps one question immediately stood out.

You may have realised you have more food rules than you thought. Or perhaps there’s one particular food that carries a surprising amount of guilt, fear or judgement.

You don’t have to change anything today.

In fact, if you’ve spent years battling with a particular food, I’m not suggesting you rush out, buy it and test whether you can suddenly eat it without restriction.

Start with curiosity.

Choose one food rule and ask yourself:

Where did this rule come from?

What happens when I tell myself I can’t have this food?

Does this rule genuinely help me care for my health — or is it making my relationship with food harder?

That awareness is an important part of mindful eating.

Permission doesn’t mean nutrition no longer matters

Removing a food rule doesn’t mean giving up on healthy eating.

Without the constant question “Am I allowed to eat this?”, you can create space for more helpful questions:

Do I actually want this? Am I hungry? How much will be pleasurable? How will I feel afterwards? What would nourish me right now?

You can care about nutrition and have permission to eat.

Sometimes creating a healthier way of eating isn’t about finding another diet or adding another food rule.

It’s about discovering which rules no longer work for you.

Want to explore your food rules further?

🎧 Listen to Episode 184 of the Eating for You Podcast: Why Giving Yourself Permission to Eat Can Help You Eat Better. You can tune in on your favourite platform or YouTube.

And if you’ve recognised foods you restrict, avoid or don’t trust yourself around — or you’re caught in a cycle of restriction, overeating and starting again — book a complimentary Mindful Eating Strategy Call with me.

We’ll explore what’s happening with your eating now, what you’d like to change, and whether mindful eating could help you create a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food.