Can We Stop Health-Shaming Please?

I love herbal teas, green juices, superfoods, detoxing, and yoga.

Now tell me…how many of you rolled your eyes after reading this? How many of you thought that I was a pretentious p****? If you did my darling, then you are guilty of health-shaming.

I’m used to it by now – the unsolicited comments about why gluten is a ‘Western’ concept, that superfoods are a waste of time, and that we’re all going to die anyway. And you know what? You may be right. Maybe all my efforts will go down the drain. But what I’m not ok with is the open judgement about my habits. Of course I do take it all with a pinch of (Himalayan pink) salt, but really, if I’m okay with your full English breakfast, why can’t you leave me alone with my superfood smoothie? I don’t judge someone if they don’t exercise, so why must I earn a lecture on the harmful effects of going dairy free.

I think every health fanatic has faced this. Comments like, “Are you only going to eat that salad?” or “Yoga? On Sunday?” There’s an assumption that being healthy means you aren’t living it up. I must confess at this point that I don’t remember when I last ate a burger. But you what? I don’t miss it one bit. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to live it up. I love my wine and my meat, even if I chug nettle tea the next day. I enjoy drinking coconut oil, I love the taste of kombucha, and getting a Nutribullet gives me a high. Deal with it.

The other argument I hear is that our grandparents never did this. But you know what, in those days the air was clean, the food was pure, there was no stress, and the fish wasn’t loaded with mercury. A wise woman once told me: “What would you spend more on: Superfoods or chemo?” Of course, being healthy is not a guarantee against the big C, but perhaps it will help you recover more quickly.

Don’t take this as a judgement on anyone who loves their fries. Not everyone needs to be on a health trip. Personally, I don’t care what you do as long as you’re nice to me. We all have our own palettes, personalities and life journeys. So if I’m not commenting on your double cheese pizza, then please, leave me alone in my cacao and chia paradise.

Lead image taken from: www.momskitchenhandbook.com