Food Neutral Language

Using food neutral language means:

•All foods have the same moral value

•No food is valued over another

•All judgment from food is removed

•No foods are inherently “good” or “bad”, “healthy” or “unhealthy”, “everyday” or “sometimes” foods

•Not all foods are nutritionally equal, but they should be morally equal!

When foods are labelled or categorized as “good” or “bad”, “healthy” or “unhealthy”, “junk” or “superfoods”, it creates a food hierarchy and there is judgement on that food.  When adults label foods with positive or negative associations, kids can transfer those feelings towards themselves. They may feel guilt or shame about eating (or not eating) certain foods.

Neutral exposures

Neutral exposures are opportunities to learn about food without pressure or judgment. Examples of neutral exposures include: reading about, seeing, touching, smelling food, or watching others eat food with no judgement or expectations.