Long ago (okay, five years?), your fellow dinner mates might have scoffed at you for whipping out your cell phone and snapping a pic of your meal before you devoured it. Now, not so much.

But according to a Canadian mental health expert (via Eater), photographing food is a sign of mental illness. Dr. Valerie Taylor says that those who take pictures of what they're eating usually have some type of unhealthy relationship between food and their weight.

LOL, OKAY.

This might be true for a very small amount, but I doubt it. The pre-devour pic session is just what the culture is like now. A friend of mine once uploaded a picture of a succulent strawberry and whipped cream waffle to Instagram, and that garnered over 30 likes. We all want high engagement on our pics, and if a sexy meal is gonna do it, then so be it!

Let's face it. We live in an era where #foodporn is thriving, and I'm guilty of participating. The purpose for taking pictures of my food is to show everyone what I'm eating and for them to drool in jealousy. And since I don't have an unhealthy relationship with food or my weight, I decided to go through a couple of the meals I snapped and relive what was going on in that moment.

Here's my self-psychoanalysis:

I love a good drank. This tasty cocktail is also really pretty and deserves to be shared with the Internet. Analysis: I'm a girly girl who likes girly things.

This gluten-free brownie cupcake was surprisingly delicious. And one of the thousands pictures of cupcakes on my Instagram feed. I'm not gluten intolerant, but I might pretend I am so I have an excuse to eat one of these everyday. Analysis: I have an unhealthy obsession with cupcakes.

This vegan sushi roll right here is the shit. Black rice, mango, avocado...mmm. Deliciousness. I'd never become vegan (GO MEAT!), but I had to make a sacrifice for the friend I was dining with. She is gluten intolerant. Analysis: I'll make sacrifices for my friends.

I could lie and say I ate this waffle topped with a giant marshmallow and an ice cream sundae all by myself, but I wouldn't want all the credit. I had a couple friends help. I hate sharing food. Analysis: I'm slightly selfish.

Here, I witnessed someone mix ketchup and mayo together for the first time. I then projectile vomited (YO, MAYO IS GROSS!), but all my friends on Instagram loved it. Analysis: I like to be different.

So, just because we Instagram our food doesn't mean we have eating disorders or are binge eaters.

Want more from Dara? Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @dadeeyo.

Photo: Instagram.com/dadeeyo

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