I worked as an acupuncturist for well over a decade. I continue to keep my hand in by helping out with a business group for acupuncturists. As someone who tended to hold weight easily, I studied food.
I hate that in my days of working as an acupuncturist that I’d tell people to avoid certain foods. I’d do it differently today.
Our bodies need sugars, fats, and salts to keep working. When we’ve undereaten and/or overworked then our bodies will crave those things. The foods that are the easiest to get the needed boost of sugars, fats, and salts are things like fast food burgers. They are high carb, high fat, and high salt. Add in a soda with caffeine and suddenly a body has a complete boost and can work for several more hours.
Telling people to avoid those kinds of foods while still living a lifestyle where they overwork and undereat is only going to lead to failure and probably ill-health. Our bodies need certain nutrients and calories to keep going. We crave things that are “bad” for us because of the other things going on in our lives, not because we’re weak or horrible people.
I think that if a person wants to avoid eating those sorts of foods or at least cut back on them, then maybe they need to look at their lives. If it’s possible to add in more nutritious food more often or not work as hard that’s great and it might help those sudden urges to run through a drive through. If it’s not possible, then realize that there are reasons the body is craving those foods. There might be other choices, but honor what the body needs.
We have to stop judging ourselves for what we eat. No diet is perfect and no diet will save everyone from ill-health and no diet will ever help us avoid death.