You know how it goes. You’re standing in the kitchen, staring at the cookie, thinking, “I shouldn’t.” You’ve been “good” all day. Salad for lunch, passed on the bread at dinner, and now—bam!—here you are. One cookie away from ruining it all.

“Ruining it all.”

Gahh, it’s wild how easy it is to make one food decision mean so much, right? How a cookie—just a simple cookie—somehow turns into “ruining everything.” Holy all-or-nothing toxic thinking, amirite? One minute you’re doing “great,” sticking to the plan, being “good,” and then, boom—a cookie happens, and suddenly, it feels like you’ve completely failed.

Let’s just pause for a sec and think about how deep this goes. You’ve been told your entire life what foods are “good” and what foods are “bad.” It’s been drilled into us from a young age—maybe from your parents, teachers, the media, diet culture. It’s so ingrained at this point that you might not even realize it, but you don’t actually see food as food anymore. You see it as categories.

Salad? Good.

Burger? Bad.

Broccoli? Good.

Cake? Bad.

It’s like you’ve got this invisible scoreboard tracking your “wins” and “losses” all day long. And it’s exhausting, isn’t it?

Your brain loves categories. It thrives on labeling and organizing. It makes things feel easier and more efficient. We’ve evolved to categorize to survive—‘dangerous, not dangerous,’ ‘edible, not edible.’ It was super helpful back in the caveman days when we needed to make quick decisions about what would keep us alive. But when it comes to food, this categorizing habit is now working against you. Instead of survival, it’s pushing you into this rigid, all-or-nothing thinking that actually triggers binges.

Why? Because when we slap a “bad” label on food, our brain kicks into scarcity mode. It’s like telling yourself, “You can never have this,” and suddenly that cookie becomes the only thing you can think about. It goes from just a cookie to the most important cookie in the world.

You know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s like you’re sitting on the couch at 9 p.m., telling yourself, “Nope, I’m not having dessert tonight.” But then, ten minutes later, you’re opening the fridge just to ‘look.’ And suddenly, that chocolate bar you’ve been trying to avoid is calling your name. It’s like, “Just a little bite won’t hurt…” Fast forward 30 minutes, and you’ve devoured the whole thing, wrapper and all, wondering how the heck you went from ‘one bite’ to a full-on sugar marathon.

Or maybe it’s 3 p.m. at work, and you’re trying to push through that afternoon slump. You’ve been so good all day, sticking to your meal plan. But now, someone brings in donuts to the office. You say, “No thanks,” at first, trying to stay strong. But after a couple of hours, that donut is still sitting there, staring at you from the breakroom. And eventually, you give in because your brain is screaming, “If I don’t eat it now, I’ll never get another chance!”

Sound familiar? That’s the brain in scarcity mode. The more you tell yourself, “I can’t,” the more your mind turns it into a ‘now or never’ situation.

Honestly, I’d argue that by labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” you’re actually making your eating worse. I know it sounds backward, but think about it. When you restrict or deny yourself something, it makes you want it more. You tell yourself you can’t have it, so when you finally do, your brain’s like, “YES! Gimme ALL of it!” And that’s where the binge comes in. You eat the cookie, then more cookies, and suddenly you’re spiraling because, well, you already “ruined” everything, right?

Here’s the kicker—you’re not doing this because you’re trying to be miserable. No, you’re doing it because deep down, you’re trying to keep yourself safe. You think, “If I just avoid the ‘bad’ foods, I’ll stay in control. I won’t fall off the wagon, and I’ll keep everything together.” It feels like a form of protection, like if you just hold the line, you’ll be okay.

But here’s the truth: that line you’re trying to hold? It’s actually what’s pushing you over the edge. The more you try to control and keep yourself ‘safe’ from those “bad” foods, the more power you give them. You might think labeling foods is helping you avoid a binge, but in reality, it’s setting you up for one. Because the moment you step out of line—eat one “bad” thing—your brain goes, “Welp, might as well go all in now!” And that’s where the binge starts.

So really, is this labeling helping you? Is putting all these rules in place actually keeping you safe, or is it just making you feel more out of control?

So what if you stopped playing the labeling game altogether? What if food was just food? No more good vs. bad. No more moral weight attached to what’s on your plate. What if, instead of focusing on whether a food fits into some made-up category, you looked at what that food is doing for you?

Let me offer a different perspective: foods serve different purposes.

Sometimes food is for fuel. You’re hungry, your body needs energy, and you grab something nutritious to keep you going. Other times, food is for pleasure. Maybe you’re at a party, and there’s cake, and you just want to enjoy a slice with your friends. Both are valid. Both serve a purpose.

It’s not about being “good” or “bad.” It’s about letting food do its job without turning it into a battlefield in your mind. Sometimes food is about nourishing your body, and sometimes it’s about nourishing your soul—and both are equally important.

So, next time you’re staring down that cookie, ask yourself: What purpose is this serving for me right now? And remember, it’s just a cookie. Not a moral dilemma. Not a failure. Not “ruining it all.” Just. A. Cookie.