What does a healthy relationship with food look like?
It is possible for everyone to develop a healthy relationship with food even those who have been stuck in the diet cycle for many years or someone with a diagnosed eating disorder.
I like to use the analogy of learning a new language… sometimes you just need someone to support you through the journey, to motivate and give you the confidence to change, to give you the fundamentals to practice, and cheer you on when it becomes instinctive.
A healthy relationship with food can look like;
A person who responds to hunger cues, thereby respecting their body and acknowledging that it needs to be fuelled ( as opposed to the diet mentality which tells people to ignore hunger, delay/skip meals)
Deciding what to eat based on what you feel like eating and allowing yourself to feel comfortably full and satisfied without feeling guilty
Seeing all foods as equal and being able to eat an appropriate portion of whatever they choose to eat without feeling guilty or losing control
Enjoying food. It’s more than just fuel
Not using food to cope with difficult feelings (When we are stressed, sad, bored or lonely, we often use food to deal with our emotions. While it might offer a short-term fix, it doesn’t resolve the problem)
Respecting their body. We are not all the same shape and size, so we need to let go of unrealistic expectations of body image. Accepting and respecting your body at every size will help you to feel better and make choices about food that are logical, rather than emotional
It also means having healthy relationship with exercise. Instead of exercising to burn calories, exercise because it is fun, gives you energy, lifts your mood and a way of connecting with others
Honouring health. Dieters focus on limiting calories and/or food groups but forget what they enjoy eating and what helps them feel full. People with a healthy relationship with food choose foods that are nutritious as well as tasty and satisfying most of the time but also allow themselves to eat less nutritious food in moderation without feeling guilty. Less nutritious meals or snacks won’t make a difference in the long term, it’s what happens on most days that matters)
Pave the way to intuitive eating
If you are on a diet, ditch it and consider replacing it with these behaviours which will not only nourish your body and help regulate your own blood sugar levels and hunger/fullness cues but also make you feel more in control of your eating and realise how you currently see and use food. These also pave the way to achieving a healthy weight and enabling you to eat intuitively.
Have regular meals and snacks, making sure you include breakfast, and eat every 3-4 hours.
Ensure your main meals are balanced: This means having a portion of carbohydrate, protein, fat and vegetable on your plate
Learn what appropriate portions are for each of these food groups so that you get enough to nourish your body but not too much that can cause unnecessary weight gain
Keep a diary to be more aware of how you see and use food which will create awareness of problem areas
Ask yourself whether you are doing a healthy amount of exercise which is around 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 days of the week or 150 minutes a week. Exercise has so many benefits in terms of boosting mood and energy levels, is a great stress release, aids sleep and supports a healthy weight. However if you are doing an excessive amount of exercise, feeling compelled to exercise to give you permission to eat or feeling guilty if you don’t then seek support not only to help improve your relationship with food but exercise too.
It is possible to start making these small changes, and incrementally see benefits in your health and wellbeing, and also just the pure joy of eating delicious food that allows us to fully enjoy our lives.
If you are struggling with taking these steps, or think you may need some support to do so, get in touch and book in a call.