“Don’t Yuck my Yum!”

5 Strategies for helping to handle unwanted/negative comments about eating and food choices.

I will never forget the time I was sitting at my first grade lunch table, surrounded by all my peers, when another child, from across the table, stuck their arm out, pointed to my lunch, and said “eew, what’s that?”. 

I remember how mortified and embarrassed I was, as all the other little heads looked to turn to see what I was eating, what was in my lunch. 

You see, growing up, I was a leftover kid, and how could I not be? My mom made the most delicious meals, and I took pride in packing thermoses/containers full of whatever we had eaten the night before- whether it was leftover pasta, meatball sandwiches, or soups/chilis/stews. Oh, how I looked forward to those lunches, to those meals. 

That was all until someone pointed out what I was eating and expressed what they thought I was eating was gross. 

I don’t know if I ever told my mom, because I did not want to hurt her feelings, but I remember pretty soon after that experience, I stopped bringing leftovers for lunch. 

“Don’t yuck my yum”.

It's important to realize that sometimes the things we say, the things we do, can have an impact on the way people feel, and, like me, in this particular instance, take the pleasure out of something I found so enjoyable- my school lunch. 

We all have different tastes/food preferences.

Do you know what I love about food and nutrition? It is that it is so individual to each and everyone of us. There is no one right or wrong way to eat, and how we experience food, how we experience eating, is so unique and individual to each and everyone of us. For many of us, food represents more than just the nutrition that we put into our body. It expresses who we are as people, our lineage, our family, our culture, and our own past unique eating experiences/history. 

If you’re not familiar with the phrase, “don’t yuck my yum”, it’s kind of a nice way to say, “hey, don’t criticize or judge something I enjoy, just because you are unfamiliar with/don’t like/don’t understand it. You don’t have to dampen my eating experience by expressing your own distaste, judgement or criticism towards my food preferences/choices”. 

5 Strategies for helping to handle unwanted/negative comments about eating and food choices:

• Recognize we all have different food preferences and tastes, and that’s okay.

  • For kids: educate/have conversations on the various preferences and eating styles of others.

• Be mindful of how our own comments/reactions/behavior around food and eating may impact those around us. i.e. think before you speak

• Speak up to help others out.

• Remind yourself, that just because someone does not appreciate/agree with/like what you do, your individual experience is your own, you enjoy what you enjoy, and it’s okay to make decisions and food choices that best suit you.

• Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. 

  • "Hey, don’t yuck my yum, just because you don’t like it/don't choose it for you, doesn’t mean you have to ruin/damper my experience/my enjoyment/my fun."

Side note: 

If you do have a genuine concern for someone and their eating behavior or food choices:

• Try having a one on one conversation with the person, somewhere private. Express their behavior(what you’ve observed) and your concern to seek more understanding. Don’t forget to use “I” statements. 

• For parents/caregivers, keep open communication with kids. If they have a concern for another child’s eating behavior, talk through the situation, and decide together next steps.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? 

What did you do/how did you handle it? What have you found to be helpful? What tips do you have?