Objectives:
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of selected psychological variables on the intensity of guilt after eating in women who are not on a specialized or weight-reducing diet.

Material and methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted using a proprietary research tool on a group of 208 women. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the impact of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The dependent variables were the intensity of guilt after food consumption, while the independent variables included the belief of being ineffective in managing one's eating behaviors, intrusive thoughts about food and diet, using intense physical activity as a method of coping with food consumption, binge eating as a method of emotion regulation, and treating food as a reward.

Results:
The linear regression analysis demonstrated that four factors had a statistically significant impact on the frequency of experiencing guilt after eating. The belief of being ineffective in managing one's eating behaviors, intrusive thoughts about food and diet, using intense physical activity as a method of coping with food consumption, and binge eating as a method of emotion regulation explained 41.90% of the variance of the dependent variable (Nagelkerke R-squared = 0.419) - F(4;207) = 38.390; p < 0.001).

Conclusions:
Analyzing and modifying erroneous beliefs about diet (e.g., cognitive modification) and developing effective methods for coping with emotions can reduce the frequency of guilt after meals. Therefore, nutritional education efforts should focus on building competencies in this area.