Do you feel stressed and guilty about certain food? Do you avoid food groups or label food as good or bad? Are you ignoring your body’s hunger cues and have a history of dieting? Do you overeat or binge on foods that you usually don’t allow yourself?
If you answered yes to any of those questions you have an unhealthy relationship with food. But let me tell you - you are not alone! So many people are struggling with their relationship with food and many are not even aware of it.
We are bombarded by information about what food is healthy and what is unhealthy. How much we should be eating, when we should eat or if we should fast and how long for. And if that wasn’t already overwhelming enough, the “facts” are changing pretty much on a weekly basis.
In a weight-obsessed culture where food plays a role in how much we weigh, it’s no wonder that so many people struggle with their relationship with food.
Food is not only meant to nourish us and give us energy but it also is meant to give us pleasure and is connecting us to our culture, friends and family. It is ok to eat food for pleasure. We all know that a piece of cake is not giving us the nutrients that a bowl of fruit would give us. However, it is totally fine to enjoy the cake. The problem starts when we see these foods as the enemy and only turn to them to avoid certain emotions and feelings. Only to be left with guilt and shame.
Another problem is that many of us lost their connection to the body, not being aware of what nourishes us and what actually depletes us. As children we all have that intuition when to eat, how much to eat, and when to stop. But many lose that connection to their body in a culture that focuses on weight loss, constant dieting, and body image ideals.
So how do we get this intuition back and build a healthy relationship with food? Below are some tips to get you started on your journey.
Experiment with your diet
Observe how the food you are eating makes you feel. What does it taste like? When do you know you are full? You might find that one type of food causes a spike of energy, but is followed by a crash an hour later, while another food gives you more consistent energy throughout the day.
Try to approach these food observations with curiosity rather than become judgmental. Your curiosity allows you to take a step back and get some perspective.
When you understand how different foods affect your body, you act from a place of self-compassion and make wise judgements with beneficial outcomes.
Practice Mindful Eating
Mindful eating supports the awareness of our relationship with food and our body. Eating mindfully helps us to learn for ourselves what we really need for nourishment and to learn to listen to any sensations, thoughts and emotions.
Practice slowing down before you start eating and eat your meal slowly, without any distractions. When we slow down and actually pay attention to the act of eating we might discover that there are foods that we usually eat out of habit and we actually don’t even like them. Practicing mindfulness will also help to tune in with your body and understand your hunger and fullness cues.
Break the Food Rules
What are the stories you tell yourself around food? What are the rules that you picked up from other people and the diet culture?
Food is not meant to reward or punish you. You can eat the ice cream, cookies or pizza whenever you really want it - not only on certain days as a cheat meal or when you are going to “run it off” the next day. Restriction leads to overeating. You don’t need to cut out certain food or even food groups. Give yourself permission to eat as much as you want of the food that you usually are scared of having in the house because you would overindulge. Believe me, once you allow everything, chances are that you lose interest in it.
See food as what it is - just food. Do focus on foods in their whole, natural states as much as possible but no foods should be off-limit or labeled as good or bad. Yes there are foods that are better for your health than others but no food is evil and makes you a bad person when you eat it.
Value your emotions
Our emotions have an impact on our relationship to food. That’s why it’s so important to become more aware of your feelings and emotions that are in need of your attention.
Be aware of triggers and the times that you turn to food, especially the so-called “comfort food” that we often crave when we feel tired, stressed and anxious. In the hope of filling a void and not to feel the negative emotions, we crave food that at one time made us feel good. But no matter how much food you are trying to stuff into that void, you will feel empty again because food is not the solution for the problem.
What is this craving showing us? What are you really hungry for? The void you try to fill with food might be a need for connection, a meaningful job, a purpose in life the need to love and care for yourself.
Having a healthy relationship with food takes time and isn’t something that you can achieve overnight. See it as a journey. Be patient and kind to yourself. It might be very bumpy and frustrating in the beginning but the further along you get the easier it will be. Need some guidance on your journey? Send me a message or book a free call.
Tell me, what is your biggest struggle when it comes to your relationship with food? Let's chat on Instagram!
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