Alright, it’s time we had a talk. If you’re still calling your favorite snack a “guilty pleasure,” I have one thing to ask you: why? Seriously, why?
I don’t understand the negative connotation that comes with our favorite snacks. It’s not like you’re embezzling money or committing tax fraud. You’re literally just eating a brownie. That’s not guilt; that’s good taste.
We’ve somehow brought morality into the things we eat, which is somewhere it doesn’t really belong if you ask me. If the food we’re eating is green and doesn’t really taste like anything, you won’t get judged at all (unless it’s by your taste buds). If it’s cheesy, salty or covered in caramel, on the other hand, you’re getting side-eyed like you’re wearing your clothes inside out. It’s okay to eat the snack though because you “deserve it,” right? As long as it’s something you worked hard for, you can have it. Let’s be real here: this kind of thinking doesn’t make anyone healthier or happier.
Let’s just call snack time what it is: food that tastes absolutely delicious. We shouldn’t be putting guilt onto things that make us happy. If you love spicy chips (like myself), frozen pizza (also like myself) or that candy bar you secretly keep in your desk drawer, that’s not a guilty pleasure. That’s a completely normal and delicious pleasure.
Don’t even get me started on how this term shows up in the way we talk about “junk food.” That phrase alone is like a loaded bullet. A lot of these so-called “guilty foods” are part of someone’s upbringing or budget. I grew up with frozen meals and corner store snacks, and life wouldn’t feel even remotely the same without them. Honestly, it’s frustrating. Just because it didn’t come from some trendy health food store like Whole Foods doesn’t mean it deserves to be labeled as shameful.
At the end of the day, you’re allowed to enjoy food without turning it into some therapy session. We should be able to eat the snacks, love it and leave that guilt where it belongs: nowhere near your snack drawer.
