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Ah, so much to comment on this. Instead of going my usual way with different comments for different topics, I'll pack them together.

First and foremost, thank you, Arielle, for writing about the absurdity of "guilt-free" food. Unless one has a medical condition preventing them from eating (or sometimes just eating too much/often) of a given food, there shall be no "guilt", anywhere, anytime. I wonder if the "guilt" perceived is about the food itself, of the ability to control one's desires. Do people make us guilty for eating or drinking something, or for not having the willpower to resist eating or drinking it, while they strive to avoid it. Guilt, in this idea, would be epidemic in that those infected project it on others, and try to infect them.

I'm a man, and I confirm I'm basically not targeted by the food and weight messages. I can't imagine what it is to be a woman and constantly be told and shown bodies beyond perfection, absolutely not representative of the population. Still, Aussies like Chris Hemworth and their tendency to quickly loose their shirt has some effect on me :-(

With a close friend, we do talk about weight loss/control, carbs, tips and techniques we've tried. I believe the male market is big enough for capitalism to gradually invade this space. And when I read "I’m only eating this because I’m gonna do a big workout later", I can't help but think how weight-scale-driven my appetite often was until recently: weighting, then deciding on the guilt-free meal, or the guilty one.

Thanks for the recipe, I didn't know this spinach salad, and will give it a try.

You mentioned celery and negative calories. It reminds me what I wrote about "celery and the negative-calorie food controversy" (here: https://guillaumevg.substack.com/p/saute-vegetables-ginger-lemongrass). Spoiler: it's (indeed) a lie! :-D

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Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

- signed, increasingly life-long feminist and unabashed curvy human <3

(who feels the mild but true pull to also tell you that I do active daily things and spent years as a bike commuter but by saying that I defeat some of the original purpose, although I'll leave it to hammer in the initial point !)

p.s. looks delicious

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Thanks for talking about "guilt-free" culture! I've always felt upset about how icky that kind of jargon can make one feel. Food is food. It shouldn't be made into a shaming tool. Also, the recipe looks delicious 🤤.

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