Most of us know that it’s important to eat nutritious foods from a health perspective, but beyond that, even how we perceive food and eating matters. Are we scared of certain foods, worried when eating out, or nervous about going ‘off track’?
A healthy, positive relationship with food also includes things such as:
- Allowing yourself to enjoy foods, even if they may be outside the realm of “healthy”;
- Knowing that your body can handle and digest food, rather than relying on excess training, or other unhealthy practices after an indulgence;
- Not labelling yourself as “good” or “bad” for eating certain foods.
A lot of the above is deeply conditioned in us (thanks to diet culture), for example, feeling guilty after eating cake. But that doesn’t make it right. In fact, if these thoughts are a constant preoccupation, it could be indicative of disordered eating, the formation of irregular eating patterns that can be risk factors for developing eating disorders. I encourage you to challenge any pre-conceived notions and think about how your relationship with food really is.
Food is an essential part of our life, and absolutely something to enjoy! But as essential as it is, it’s not ALL there is to life so don’t let it occupy more of your energy than it should (and this will be individual for each one). And if eating a certain way is taking a toll on you or compromising your mental health, it’s not healthy for you! Please reach out to someone if you need to.