May 6, 2024
I’m a recovered binge eater who changed the story from something that happened to me to something that happened for me. Now, I’m a licensed therapist teaching you to do the same.
My mission? To help you ditch food stress and live your life with mental peace and freedom every single day!
Let’s talk about something no one seems to address much, but is super common – eating your kids’ food. I’m talking about Goldfish, fruit snacks, those mini muffins… you know what I mean. You find yourself sneaking handfuls of their food when you’re making lunches or cleaning up after dinner. Then you beat yourself up for it, thinking, “Why can’t I just stop?”
The problem isn’t that you keep bingeing on their food. The real problem is your emotional attachment to the idea of it being their food in the first place. It’s not the food itself—it’s the story you’ve created around it.
Somewhere along the way, we’ve been taught that there’s “adult” food and “kids” food. And the more you tell yourself that this food is off-limits or only for your kids, the more power you give it. You’ve basically put a “forbidden fruit” label on it, and as we all know, forbidden fruit tastes extra sweet, right? The minute you say, “I can’t have that,” your brain flips a switch, and now it’s all you want. It’s not even about the Goldfish or fruit snacks anymore—it’s about what they represent.
As long as you keep making the food the problem, it will have power over you. The more you try to restrict yourself from it, the more you’ll find yourself craving it. It’s like trying to push a beach ball underwater—the harder you push, the more it fights back, eventually popping right back up in your face.
So, how do you stop bingeing on the kids’ food? You stop by allowing it.
Yep, I know it sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out. When you start allowing all food—yes, even the so-called “kids’ food”—into your day, you take away its power. Imagine looking at your pantry and just seeing food—not “my food” vs. “their food,” but simply food. When you allow yourself to eat what you truly want, without guilt or labels, the food just becomes less interesting.
Related Post: Why Intuitive Eating Isn’t Working For You *YET*
Related Post: How to Stop Counting Calories and Trust Yourself Around Food
This isn’t just a feel-good idea—it’s backed by research. Studies show that when we restrict ourselves from certain foods, it only increases our desire for them. It’s called the habituation response. Think about the first time your partner told you that they loved you. The first few times were probably exciting, right? But after hearing it all the time, it became less special, more normal. That’s habituation at work. The more we expose ourselves to something, the less exciting it becomes.
The same thing happens when you stop labeling your kids’ food as off-limits or forbidden. By allowing yourself to have it, you reduce the novelty factor. It’s no longer this exciting, forbidden thing you have to sneak—it’s just food. Over time, you naturally start to crave it less because your brain isn’t constantly hyper-focusing on the restriction.
By shifting your mindset from “I can’t have this” to “I can have this whenever I want,” you’re retraining your brain to stop putting certain foods on a pedestal. And when food isn’t up on that pedestal, the urgency to binge on it fades away.
If you’re sitting there thinking, “But I can’t eat their food, I’ll gain weight!” It’s a valid fear because diet culture has drilled into us that some foods are ‘bad’ and that indulging will somehow wreck everything. But here’s something to think about: you tell yourself not to eat the ‘kids’ food,’ you eat it anyway, don’t even enjoy it, and still aren’t happy with your body. So, is not allowing it really working for you? When you allow all foods, including your kids’ snacks, they start to lose that emotional hold they have over you. You find yourself able to enjoy a few crackers without spiraling into a binge. You’re satisfied, you move on, and you didn’t have to fight an internal battle over whether or not you should eat them.
Related Post: Why Your Focus on Weight Loss Is Keeping You Stuck Binge Eating
So, how do you actually start making peace with your kids’ snacks and stop the cycle of sneaking and replacing? Here are a few easy steps to try:
If you love Goldfish, have some as part of a snack plate. Enjoy a bowl of cereal alongside your usual eggs in the morning. Maybe throw some chips on your salad. It’s about showing yourself that you can have these foods without going overboard—they can just be part of your normal meals.
Remind yourself that you can have these foods. There’s no need to restrict or feel guilty. When you let go of the idea that you ‘shouldn’t’ eat something, it loses that irresistible pull.
The more you allow these foods as part of your everyday eating, the less special or ‘forbidden’ they become. The novelty wears off, and soon enough, it’s just another snack or meal, not something you feel you need to binge on.
This helps you feel more balanced. Love fruit snacks? Have them with your lunch. Want a cookie? Pair it with something you’d normally have, like a yogurt or some fruit. This will make it less anxiety provoking to have them more often.
Once you start allowing all foods, you’ll find that some days you might want more snacks, and other days you’ll crave something else entirely. That’s totally normal—your body knows how to balance things out when you let go of the rules.
The ultimate goal? To be able to walk into your kitchen, open the pantry, and see food. Not “kids’ food” or “adult food” but just food. Food that you can eat whenever you’re hungry, without the shame, guilt, or all the mental gymnastics we do around it. The less power you give it, the less hold it has over you.
So yeah, maybe it’s time to give yourself permission to eat the dang Goldfish. They’re good, after all. 😊
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Ryann Nicole
Licensed Therapist, Certified Nutritionist, and Virtual Wellness Coach
Ryann is a licensed therapist and virtual wellness coach who has assisted individuals worldwide in establishing a healthier relationship with food and their bodies.
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