Getting Mean about Eating 'Clean'

Pardon me for being rude,

but who the heck gave anyone permission to judge our food?

I once ate chocolate, chips and cake with guiltless glee

But now it seems everyone is lactose averse and gluten free

Gone are the days when food could be of pure pleasure

Now its simply about how much you can skip, skimp, weigh and measure

From Calories, Carbs, Protein and our long term friend fat

Several worshipped idols proclaim how to eat this but not that

Then theres 100 Calorie snacks, meal replacement shakes and bars stuffed with not much other than dates.

You may think I’m nuts, but they’re not to everyone’s tastes.

And all of those antioxidant green powders I’ve bought to eliminate toxins

Popping vitamin pills till my wallet became thin.

For some of us vulnerable souls, we fall into this trap

Believing that dairy causes cancer, and other such CRA*

We get crazy if someone puts whole milk in our tea

Or god forbid anything that came from an udder that ain’t dairy free

Eating out nearly always becomes a debate about diets

With talks of whether fasting or cutting out carbs causing incredulous riots

I don’t remember the day when my supermarket trip became something I dread

Is it because I spend at least a whole hour checking labels and finding the healthiest bread?

Even choosing a sandwich or lunch pot becomes a task of such anxiety

Who would have known that to choose the ‘right’ option, you’d need a nutrition degree?

And since when did new age forms of eating become religions to proclaim

That entrenches their congregation to see the devil as ‘fat’ and weight gain ?

We even call some foods a sin, with others either pure or guilt free

This moralistic mind field is one I would rather ignore or just flee

Theres nothing truly sinful about the way that we nourish our soul

It can’t be redeemed by drinking super purple smoothies served in a coconut bowl.

Why is everyone so obsessed with equating food with our own self-worth

Believe it or not, You don’t have to be vegan or fully plant-based to be kind to this earth

Being unconditionally kind and to ourselves is just as key

Compassion to others can’t be given without providing it firstly to me.

But thats hard to realise when we swim in a sea where food is the shark

Apparently all we eat ‘should’ pure, clean, naked and stark.

Its hard to see our own uniqueness and beauty when all that we see

Is the ‘clean and lean’ eating brigade promoting their next weight loss tea

Do they not know we’re already sick of seeing them in the gym

Surely it can’t be life’s mission to drink sickly protein shakes in the pursuit to be slim.

Can’t we just see that health and our worth isn’t tied up with food or our size

For gods sakes lets permit ourselves to order both burger and fries!

But theres not much room online either for self-compassionate reflection

When everyone’s so obsessed with abs, glutes, thigh gaps and crystal complexion

All those ass-parading babes posting their pouts on Instagram

Fill up our news feed with ‘skinny’ teas and sick detox plans

Yet theres no real plan for life and ensuring us through

Definitely not ones that make sure that food tastes like spew

But don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t all taste so bad

Its the inequality and injustice it promotes that leaves me quite sad

We all can’t afford to snap flat lay pictures of avocado on toast

Nor oat milk turmeric lattes, with your slim waist and fat wallet to boast.

Healthy eating need not be expensive, nor provocative porn to ingest

Simply what you crave most and that will fill you up best

Yes its great to eat our veggies and vitamins when we’re able to do

But everyone’s nutrition is based on the complex needs of you

We can’t find the answer in the latest plant based cook book

Only by listening to our own needs and making time to take a good look

You may find that sometimes you want to eat biscuits to your hearts content,

Or other times enough chocolate to last you through lent

Food can be permitted for use with emotions, our culture and social pursuit

Nothing off limits, demonised or given the boot

When we learn to see everything as moral and to be consumed without remorse

We will learn to eat without self-sabotaging force

Our bodies are clever, much more than we think

Lets stop trying to control it to the point where it sinks

Say a big F U to diet culture, and with full permission

Eat whatever you want with your unique intuition

That may mean waving a middle finger to the trends that make you self-judge

And for those influencers who make you feel worthless - give them the nudge!

You deserve to be happy, healthy and you, whatever you eat

Food is here to be enjoyed and to create your best life - its not an occasional treat

By feeding ourselves well, we give ourselves the energy and space

To be more compassionate in a way to make the world a much better place

Theres no need to take up the next wellness trend, its time to go and feel free.

So go put the kettle on with a chocolate hobnob or 3,