Making peace with food
Why can food be such a battleground?
Whether it is encouraging our children to try new foods or eat a nutritious variety or our own battle with food. Are we eating too much or have we ‘earned’ it?
There is a better way.
We are actually born this way.
It is our culture, family values and society that shape how we change.
We are all born Intuitive Eaters.
It is time to make peace with food and rediscover your intuition so that you can learn to find joy, satisfaction and optimal health in food.
Time for a Truce
Last week the focus was honouring your hunger and how eating is a primal instinct, you are read more about this HERE.
Last week was about biological deprivation. This week we explore psychological deprivation.
It is human nature to want what we can’t have.
The minute we give up a food whether that is ‘carbs’ for a particular diet or maybe chocolate for a religious event such as Lent, our mind is now focused on what we can’t have.
Why do you eat?
The answer to the question “Why do we eat?” seems an obvious one—to obtain the energy we need to support our everyday activities and, ultimately, promote our survival. However, many of our modern-day food choices suggest another answer—one that actually stands to threaten our health and well-being.
Psychology Today
Maybe the question we should be asking is;
Why should we eat?
Here are some ideas;
- Energy
- Nourishment
- Growth & Repair
- Satisfaction
- Joy
- Celebration
Build a Better Relationship with Food
In order to heal our relationship with food we need to stop putting food on a pedestal and attaching emotional words to it, such as BAD or DIRTY.
Putting any type of food or all food on a ‘forbidden list’ or restricting the amount of food leads to cravings.
Once the initial excitement and novelty of a new eating plan wear off it is easy to succumb to cravings.
Cravings can lead to ‘last supper eating’ where because you have broken the diet or self-imposed rule you eat this food uncontrollably and because you know that once the binge is over, you will resolve never to do this again, you need to make the most of it.
The cycle begins again, and the war continues.
To build a better relationship with food the place to start is UNCONDITIONAL PERMISSION to eat.
There is no good or bad, clean or dirty food.
There is energy and nourishment.
Intuitive Eating teaches us to listen to what our body needs to keep us optimally healthy and satisfied.
Obstacles to Making Peace with Food
Experiencing unconditional permission to eat for the first time can be scary.
You are used to having rules to follow, what and when you can and can’t eat.
You might think that rules help you and that without them you will eat uncontrollably.
How many times have you experienced ‘last supper eating’?
Just like the scenario above maybe you have experienced the decision of starting a diet the next day or Monday and you spend the time leading up to this enjoying ALL of the foods you love with abandon because it will be the last time that you eat them.
You are effectively saying goodbye, at least until you have finished the ‘diet’ and reached your goal.
The trouble is, once you have finished that diet, the foods you have said ‘goodbye’ to are probably the first thing you are going to eat.
You are going to be craving them, therefore, in all honesty, you will probably binge on them, overeat them, and you won’t be able to stop yourself.
Eating in this way gives our subconscious the impression that we can’t be trusted around certain types of food.
Intuitive Eating gives us another way.
How to make peace with food
What is your story?
- Did you grow up with ‘empty cupboard syndrome’?
- Or did you have a big family and need to make sure you got your share?
- Did you have to clear your plate?
- Were you only allowed to eat certain special foods on special occasions
- Or has restrained eating to lose weight or eating carefully caused triggers that lead you to overeat?
Chronic dieting and restricting food keep foods exciting.
You can learn to eat intuitively by asking yourself:
- Am I hungry right now?
- Do I really want this food now?
- How does this food make me feel after I have eaten it?
What is the Key to Unconditional Permission?
The key to unconditional permission to eat is to make food emotionally neutral.
You can have any food at any time and eat without restriction.
The previously forbidden food still tastes good but you have removed the emotional charge, therefore, making peace with it.
This is a phase that chronic dieters can feel some resistance to.
You may find yourself eating more during this phase but fear not, trust your body and understand the Habituation Response.
Habituation is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations. For example, a new sound in your environment, such as a new ringtone, may initially draw your attention or even become distracting. … This diminished response is habituation.
Very Well Mind
For instance, if you made dinner on Sunday to eat throughout the next week, on Monday it may taste great but as the week goes on the pleasure will decrease.
When we are dieting or restricting foods we aren’t practising habituation, we are being ‘good’ and waiting for the cheat day or falling off the wagon.
Repeated exposure to all food without restriction will put you in control of the choices you make and this will give you the FREEDOM to enjoy all the foods.
The non-diet approach
This post is part 3 of 10 in the series on the subject of Intuitive Eating and the non-diet approach to health and well-being.
If you are on your menopause journey learning to nourish your body effectively is one of the strategies you can implement to overcome unwanted symptoms of menopause and protect your future health so that you can make the most of your possible 30+ years post-menopause.
Can you think of anyone who would benefit from what I have shared in this post?
My mission is to reach as many women as possible to support them on their menopause journey and beyond so that they not only survive but truly thrive for the rest of their life.
There is also support to be found in my Facebook group The Holistic Menopause Health Hub, come and join us.
I have 5 complimentary 30-minute menopause assessments available next week, use this link to book one. Come away with clarity about your journey and the next steps you can take that will put you in control.
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