I am responding to the article "RUBI celebrates Halloween candy fiends". It never ceases to amaze me that if you tell people or print information that suggests that it is actually "OK" to eat without feeling guilty, people automatically assume you are telling or giving them permission to overeat - to stuff themselves continuously.

This is especially apparent if you suggest, in our diet-focused culture, as in RUBI's flier, that one can even eat candy and enjoy it ... after all, isn't candy one of those "bad foods"? Is it really possible to eat without guilt? I sometimes wonder when people are finally going to understand the connection between our relationship with food and weight.

We have more diets, more fat-free, reduced-calorie foods than ever in this country. Eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity are all on the increase - occurring at younger ages, in all genders, in all socioeconomic groups. If restricted eating, dieting, deprivation and guilt really worked, overweight/obesity would not be a problem in this country. If people understood our relationship with food, we would enjoy all foods.

We would understand that by giving ourselves permission to eat everything from Oreos to carrots, we would more likely be able to nurture ourselves both physically and psychologically. Food will have a place in our life, but won't be our whole life.

We wouldn't need to use food to cope in our lives, we wouldn't judge people by weight and what they eat, and we would understand that anorexia and other eating disorders are not about food - it is much more complex than that.

We have a long way to go, and thank goodness an organization such as RUBI is trying to make a difference by promoting a positive connection between ourselves and our bodies.

Ronda Bokram
Olin Health Center nutritionist