It’s important to have a healthy relationship with food as food is such a large part of our lives. Nutrition can be overwhelming, complicated and is anything than straightforward. There are so many aspects of nutrition we “should” and “shouldn’t” be focused on. Food is everywhere we turn, constantly in our face. We worry about making the right choices, preparing meals and grocery shopping. Just like any other important relationship we have in life, we have to give the relationship love and attention for it to grow and be healthy. Once we have a healthy relationship established whether it is food or personal relations, many new doors open for growth and opportunity.
With a new mindset you will have new results. In this blog, I will share with you my top five strategies to help you feel less overwhelmed and know exactly how and where to get started to begin improving your relationship with food.
#1 Avoid Restrictions
Chances are slim if you’ve ever been on a diet that you felt happy doing so. Diets often promote restricting particular types of food. When we restrict a food entirely it begins to create a negative cycle leading to a poor relationship with food. Restriction almost always leads to a bingeing. After we binge we feel guilty and then restrict again and the cycle continues. When we tell ourselves that we are not allowed to have a certain food we end up wanting it more. Above all, restricting food creates a war in our mind. We end up feeling guilty if we ate the food we “shouldn’t” have ate or we can’t stop thinking about this food we “shouldn’t” eat. As you can see either of these outcomes aren’t helpful for creating a happy and healthy food relationship! Restrictive diets are not sustainable. Instead of labeling food as “bad,” “good” or “off-limits,” reframe eating in a way that allows you to enjoy all foods in moderation.
#2 Practice Intuitive Eating
Intuitive eating is an eating style that promotes a healthy attitude toward food and body image. Intuitive eating can help you form a connection to the physical sensations that arise from within your body (energy levels, hunger and fullness as a few examples) to get both your biological and psychological needs met. In addition, intuitive eating helps to remove the barriers to having a healthy relationship with food. Barriers usually come from the mind in the form of rules, beliefs, and thoughts.
“We’ve all been there―angry with ourselves for overeating, for our lack of willpower, for failing at yet another diet. But the problem is not us; it’s that dieting, with its emphasis on rules and regulations, has stopped us from listening to our bodies.”
Here are the 10 principles of intuitive eating: Reject the diet mentality, honor your hunger, make peace with food, challenge the food police, discover the satisfaction factor, feel your fullness, cope with your emotions with kindness, respect your body, movement- feel the difference and last but not least, honor your health with gentle nutrition.
To learn in more detail about the principles of intuitive eating please visit: Intuitive Eating
Learn how to incorporate intuitive eating into your daily routine. Send me a message and tell me more about you or schedule an appointment today: Email or Schedule
#3 Keep a Healthy Home Environment
Food available in the home is the food we are going to put into our body. If our home has bowl of fruit visible on the counter, fresh vegetables, whole grains and lean protein, then these are the foods we are going to eat. If our favorite ice cream is in the freezer and bag of chips in the pantry we may find ourselves constantly thinking about these foods and eating them. Should I have some? Should I not? Make it easy for yourself in your home to make healthy choices.
Remember, we never want to restrict any particular food. It’s not to say you can’t have ice cream, just avoid keeping it in your home environment available on a regular day to day basis. In other words, if you’d really like an ice cream go out for some and meet a friend! Enjoy some cake at your friend’s birthday, join in on the pizza party at your work luncheon. Your home needs to be your safe healthy haven. If we live in a happy and healthy environment naturally we will be happy and healthy!
#4 Keep a Food Journal
Nutrition can be overwhelming! A food diary can be a useful tool in helping you simplify. Learn exactly where you excel and where improvements can be made. By keeping a food journal, you will better understand your eating habits and patterns. A food journal will help you to hone in on specifics rather left feeling overwhelmed trying to do it all. Research shows that keeping a journal can be a very effective tool to help change behavior and to also help improve relations with food.
Your journal does not have to be anything fancy! Simply write down what you ate, what time you ate it and how you are feeling. Were you stuffed after finishing or bloated an hour later? Did you end up having great energy and an improved mood? After journaling for some time you will connect more with your body’s needs and likes. It will help you to simplify where to focus leading to less negative thinking and more positive outcomes.
For more great information on keeping a food journal visit: Food Journaling
#5 Eat breakfast and regular small balanced meals throughout the day
Speaking of food relations, breakfast is king! Starting your day on the right foot will help reduce overall cravings throughout the day. You will think less about food and be more in tune with your body’s natural hunger and satiety cues. Studies prove that breakfast leads to reduced cravings later in the day, helps maintain better focus and leaves us feeling more satisfied.
Feeling satisfied and reduced cravings is a huge win for improving our relationship with food! By eating small balanced meals throughout the day we will avoid over eating leading us to feel yucky and guilty. Improve your food relationship by being a step ahead of your hunger and a step ahead of your cravings by eating breakfast and small balanced meals throughout the day!
To learn more about the importance of breakfast read: Mom Was Right, Eat a Breakfast for Champions
In conclusion, many times we are our own worst enemies. By learning to let go, surrender and focus on a few core principles and strategies unhealthy thoughts and feelings regarding food will begin to diminish and a healthier relationship with food is established. Just like in human relations, when a healthy mind/body collaboration with nutrition exists barriers are removed and opportunities become endless. With a new mindset we will have new results!
Click below to take quick quiz to help you begin to assess your food relationship:
I hope you enjoyed this blog! Reach out to explore, learn and improve your relationship with food! I look forward to hearing from you!
