Why There Are No “Bad” Foods in a Healthy Lifestyle

 

Hey beautiful human!
Ever eaten pizza and immediately thought, “Ugh, I was so bad today”? Or labeled a slice of cake, a handful of chips, or even a piece of bread as “bad”? You’re not alone, but it’s time to let that thinking go.

Because food is not good or bad. It’s just food.
And the guilt, shame, and all-or-nothing mindset? That’s what’s keeping so many women stuck.

In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly why there are no “bad” foods, and how to finally let go of food guilt so you can fuel your body with freedom.

We’re getting into:

  • The difference between nutrient-dense and less nutrient-dense foods without labeling

  • Why guilt and rigid food rules do more harm than a cookie ever could

  • How your body processes food based on amounts, not morality

  • Real-life tools to create balance without shame, punishment, or perfection

  • How macro counting can help you ditch the guilt and finally feel in control around food

If you’re tired of the “good” vs. “bad” food game and want a healthier, more sustainable way to nourish your body — this one’s for you.

🎧 Want help simplifying macro counting? Listen next to Episode 251: 8 Ways to Make Macro Counting Simple (For Getting Started or Getting Back on Track)

If you want more from me, be sure to check out… 

Transcript

00:00

Hey, hey, beautiful human, Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go. Hello, and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace your Real podcast.

00:39

Today we're going to be talking about a phrase that I hear all of the time, and that is that food is bad for me. Now, let me guess, at some point you've probably felt guilty for eating pizza, dessert or even just a piece of bread, right? You've thought to yourself like ugh, I was so bad today. Or maybe you've been so good. All week you've been eating salads, chicken, and then Friday night comes around and suddenly you're just bad because you had chips and queso and a margarita. Here's the thing is not moral, right? It's not good or bad, it's just food. And today I want to help you break out of this good versus bad cycle, because labeling foods that way is one of the biggest things that keeps women stuck in the guilt, shame or all or nothing thinking. By the end of this episode, you'll know exactly how to understand the difference between nutrient dense and less nutrient dense foods, without judgment, Learn how to eat in amounts that fuel your body and your goals without falling into guilt, and then finally release the idea that one food choice can actually make or break your health.

01:32

But first I want to share this review. It's a five-star review and it says worth your time. This podcast is one of the few that I will continue listening to. I'm generally not a huge fan of podcasts, but lately I've been trying to help find help for my weight and muscle gain journey, and this is a big help for someone in my situation. There are so many episodes on so many different topics and I can just go through and choose it. Thank you so much for all that you do. Thank you so much. I'm so grateful that these podcasts are helping you. Honestly, it means the world to me when you guys go to Apple and leave a rating and review. So if you have any Apple device an iPhone, an iPad you can scooch over and leave a rating and review. That would mean the world to me and our team.

02:11

All right, let's just dive right in Number one. There are no bad foods, just different nutrient levels. Here's the truth. Broccoli and ice cream are not sitting on opposite sides of a moral spectrum. They're simply different in how they serve your body, and understanding that difference is the key to breaking food guilt for good.

02:27

I want you to think of food as falling on a spectrum of nutrient density. So on one end, you've got foods like salmon, berries, eggs, oats packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber all the raw materials that your body uses to build muscle, balance hormones, keep your energy steady. We call these nutrient-dense foods because they give you a lot of nutrition for the calories that they provide. On the other end of the spectrum, right, you have foods like cookies, chips, candy, fried foods. These are less nutrient-dense because they provide energy mainly carbs and fats, without much in the way of vitamins, minerals or protein. They don't do a ton for recovery or satiation, but they do bring pleasure, culture and satisfaction. Don't do a ton for recovery or satiation, but they do bring pleasure, culture and satisfaction.

03:06

And here's where most women get tripped up. They think that it has to be this all or nothing. Either they're eating clean with chicken and veggies every single meal or, on the other end of the spectrum, they're bad because they had pizza with their kids. But food doesn't have to work like that. Your metabolism doesn't have to label food as clean or dirty. It just simply asks where and what can I do with this fuel Like? If you eat salmon, your body says perfect, here's protein for muscle repair and omega-3s for reducing inflammation. If you eat pizza, your body says cool, here's some carbs and fats for energy. Right now, Neither is sinful, Neither cancels out the other. They're just tools, right? Some helps you build, Some helps you build, some helps you enjoy, and a healthy lifestyle has the space for both. Here's kind of a fun way to think about it. Nutrient-dense foods are like investments in your body's long-term health bank account. They pay those dividends in energy recovery, strength Less. Nutrient-dense foods are like withdraws for joy, and they are like your money. It's not about never spending. It's about balancing the deposits with withdraws so that your account grows over time.

04:10

Number two guilt does more harm than food itself. So it's not the cookie that hurts your progress, it's the guilt that comes after it, and modern research shows that when people follow really rigid food rules, the second that they break one, the risk of overeating skyrockets, and psychologists call this cognitive restraint, which is just a fancy way of saying that you're restricting yourself mentally. So if you've told yourself I can't have carbs, then the moment that you eat one slice of bread your brain flips into well, I already failed. I might as well just keep going. That guilt-driven spiral does far more damage than the one slice of bread that you decided to have, and that's why so many coaches and even doctors are moving towards this flexible approach like macro counting or intuitive eating, because when you remove the strict good versus bad label, you're also removing the guilt trigger, and without the guilt there's no spiral.

05:01

I actually did create a macro counting, made simple, on the academy, so I understand firsthand how exhausting it can be to live in this guilt cycle, like the rules, the restrictions, the constant second guessing. It's not just frustrating, it's really unsustainable. And inside this academy I help you break free from all of that. I teach you how to feel your body in a way that's flexible, freeing and completely personalized. No more fearing bread, no more stressing over every bite, just clarity on what your body actually needs and confidence in giving it that without the guilt.

05:30

And number three your body cares about amounts, not morality. So, at the end of the day, your body is not handing out gold stars for eating a salad or a black mark for eating chips and queso, right? It doesn't care about the labels of good or bad. It's asking two very simple questions every single day Did I get enough fuel to power my energy, my recovery and my hormones, or did I get enough fuel to power my energy, my recovery and my hormones, or did I get more fuel than my body actually needed right now? That's it. That's the whole entire game, and here's what I mean.

05:58

Every bite of food that you eat is energy. We measure that energy in calories, and if you consistently give your body less energy than what it uses, that's what's called a calorie deficit. When you are in a deficit, your body taps into stored energy, usually body fat, to make up for the difference, and that's how fat loss happens. On the flip side, if you consistently give your body more energy than it uses, that's a caloric surplus, and the extra energy has to go somewhere, right. Sometimes it gets stored as fat, but if you're strength training, that surplus can actually be used to build muscle. And then there's the middle ground called maintenance, and that's where your energy that you are eating matches the energy that you are using, and your body just keeps humming along. Here's the part where most women miss. None of these states are bad. They're just tools.

06:42

If your goal is fat loss, then you're going to want to sit in that manageable deficit phase. If your goal is muscle growth, then you're probably gonna need a little small surplus. If your goal is maintenance feeling energized, strong, balance then you aim to stay even. The key is the pattern over time, not every single meal, right, Eating pizza once a week is not gonna ruin your health any more than eating kale once a week will magically fix it. What matters is the overall balance of your fuel. Now I get it.

07:14

This can sound so overwhelming. You're probably thinking, okay, but how do I actually know if I'm in a deficit or surplus or maintenance? I don't want to be doing all this math. It's so stressful. I hate math. Like I get it, I totally feel that Like figuring out if you're eating too much or too little or not enough or just enough. It is no wonder most women just feel stuck, and that's where my macro academy and simple online academy will help you take the stress and the confusion out of it. Like I, break everything down into super simple steps so that you can finally understand what your body needs and how to give it that, without overthinking and doing a bunch of complicated math, Like you realize. Oh, I can enjoy pizza and dessert and still be in alignment with my goals. It's not about perfection, it's about clarity, and once that you have that clarity, food stops being the enemy and starts being what it's supposed to fuel for the life and the body that you want. And last but not least, number four, how to actually practice this in real life. Like. Here's some real life tools that will help you to walk you through this without the guilt. I that will help you to walk you through this without the guilt.

08:09

I want you to think in ratios, not rules. So forget the old 80-20 for a sec. Instead, look at your week as a whole. Did most of my meals this week give me energy, protein and nutrients, and did I also have some room for enjoyment? That way, one slice of cake or a night out doesn't feel like a failure, it just feels part of the ratio. Right? Pause before you eat.

08:27

This one's huge. Before grabbing food, take 10 seconds and say am I actually hungry? Because if you're not physically hungry, maybe what you actually need is a walk or a glass of water or just five minutes away from your phone. And last but not least, ditch the punishment reward mindset. This is the hardest one because it's the most freeing. Food is not a prize for being good or punishment for being bad. You're not a better person for eating a salad and you're not a failure for eating fries. You're just a human making choices and the best part is you get another choice at your very next meal.

08:55

When you stop moralizing food, you can finally let food be what it was always meant to be, which is fuel connection and enjoyment, not a test of your worth. So let's quickly recap there are no bad foods, just more nutrient dense and less nutrient dense. Your body cares about fuel and balance. Guilt spirals do more damage than a cookie ever could and tools like macro counting can help you find clarity without obsession. If this episode hit home for you, I know you will also love episode 251, eight ways to make macro counting simple for getting started or getting back on track. I will go ahead and link that in the show notes that you can easily go check that out and if you're finally ready to ditch the guilt and learn how to properly fuel your body in a way that feels sustainable, I want you to check out my Macro Academy and Simple Online Academy. I will walk you through step-by-step, calculating your numbers and building a lifestyle of freedom, not restriction.

09:49

Until next time, please remember this that food is not good or bad, it's just food, and you are worthy of fueling your body and knowing how to properly feel your body so that you can feel your absolute best. All right, I love you so much. I mean it. I'll talk to you in the next one. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so.

10:18

Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk. Healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. Healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to apple podcast to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought the most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it. You.

 
Julie Ledbetterembrace your real, q and a, workouts, scheduleComment