Breaking the Label Loop

In this digital era, we get most of our inspiration from social media. But when you scroll through that social media, all the foods are labeled in their glory; recipes are promoted as “good," "healthy," "skinny," and so on.

Today's diet culture teaches us to avoid "bad" food at all costs. You can never have your favorite cupcake or brownie again, not a guilt-free one, at least. 

But You know that labeling the food as "bad" or "good," "healthy" or "unhealthy" will not give you any benefit; in fact, it may destroy your relationship with food. So, what can you do?

Well. You can identify this label loop and overcome all-or-nothing thinking. You need to break this label loop cycle and feel the freedom around your favorite again. And we are here to tell you how can you do that:

Overcome All-or-Nothing Thinking

Food labeling is a form of all-or-nothing thinking, in which we only see things as good or bad, with nothing in between. You are either the image of perfection or a complete utter failure; no other option.

Unfortunately, this all-or-nothing thinking has become a part of nutrition and health. This diet culture has adapted so much that most of us now have an all-or-nothing diet mentality. And this mentality makes us create restrictive and un-useful beliefs about food and health.

But this thinking and labeling of the food is all a mere concept. The slice of your favorite pizza is not "bad"; it is just a mere slice of pizza. That's All.

What if that chocolate chip cookie was simply a chocolate chip cookie? That’s it. That’s all.

You can challenge this all-or-nothing thinking and get over it with the help of a few behavior changes.

Break the Label Loop Cycle

We are going to help you break the label loop cycle and all-or-nothing thinking by using a behavior chain; these behaviors will make you feel free and happy around food:

1.  Find Your Trigger:

The first thing that you have to do is to be aware of the food that you label. That food can be the one you love the most or the one you don't like at all due to its high caloric content.

2.  Make A List:

Make a list of labels or write down the talk you have about food in your head. Maybe you say, "This sugary cupcake is my enemy," or this slice of pizza is not a healthy option." write down those phrases. Once you have almost ten phrases, look at them closely. And you will see how many foods you have labeled in a day. And how many labels have you used for the foods. From "cheesy," to "off limits" and "disgusting." And You may still have more labels inside your head.

3.  Listen to Your Thoughts:

Now that you know which food is triggering you the most, it’s time for you to listen to your thoughts about that food. And every time you notice yourself calling that food "bad," try to change that label. For example, when you see your favorite brownie next time, you can say, "These brownies are delicious; I can enjoy one or two in moderation."

4.  Analyze Your Actions:

No doubt, you are a strong person, and you can successfully avoid that triggering food, but that would only last for a while. No matter how strong your rider is, when all you think is about that favorite brownie, you feel deprived, and that little piece of brownie will feel more rewarding.

That's when your inner elephant will take you over, and you may end up having the whole tray when you are trying to avoid the one piece. But that can happen to any of us. And you may struggle now, but you can break this habit.

5.  Face the Consequences:

Now that your inner elephant gets loose, there is no way to go back. But don't worry; as humans, all of us have gone through this. We cannot always keep our inner elephants under control. What's important is how you feel afterward.

Do you feel ashamed? Or guilty? Or uncomfortable and weak? Well, you may feel those emotions, but instead of feeling guilty and apologizing to yourself for that brownie,

6.  Break the Cycle:

Breaking that label loop is not something that will happen in a day. And it won't happen tomorrow as well. It will take some time and patience, as well as a few psych tricks that you have learned with Lean Leaf.

All you have to do is identify the food and the label,  Remove or change the label from your triggered food, recognize and desert your thoughts, and associate your thoughts with a different behavior: "I can enjoy a piece of my favorite dessert once in a while." And that's all, you are all good.

Let’s take Some Examples Here

You like Crispy Fried Chicken:

Remove or change the food label

Fried chicken is "high in calories." →Fried chicken is "ok to eat in moderation."

Replace your thoughts

Associate your thoughts with different behaviors

Your Favorite Brownie

Remove or change the label

"I can't have this dessert; Sugar is my enemy." → "I can have it in moderation."

Replace your thoughts

Associate with a different behavior

Now that you know the way, you can create your break-the-cycle plan for every love-hate food you have on your label list.

Final Words

Breaking the label loop will give you your own responsibility; you decide what you want, how much you want, and when. You will be in control of your food choices rather than the food controlling you.

We know that it is not easy, but we encourage you to try. To become fully aware of the labels that you put around your food. Notice your improved relationship with food when you drop the labels and change your behavior around that food.