You can probably think of a time in your life when you had an incredible meal or dessert. Perhaps it was on your birthday, during a vacation or for a holiday. This meal was so delicious that you felt a physical sense of happiness and joy. To this day, you can't help but smile and feel your mouth water as you think back to that special occassion.
For me, that meal is carrot cake. I love carrot cake. And in a few days (May 31st), I will enjoy a big slice of this spicy and moist cake as it's my favorite way to celebrate my birthday. Although I can enjoy carrot cake any day of the year, this is a special yearly tradition that started when my dear friend Laura made me a delicious carrot cake for my birthday back in 2009.
Food is a necessity for life. Although I can live without carrot cake, humans can't live without food.
For any individual who is living with disordered eating habits, you may find that certain foods do not bring you joy, but instead, bring you great feelings of anxiety and stress.
Extreme focus, fear or worry about food and calories can bring on great emotional distress. Attempting to follow a 'perfect' diet can cause someone to become rigid and inflexible about food. This may bring on guilt and shame when certain foods are consumed. Ultimately, disordered eating patterns can impact physical health and mental well-being.
Unless you have a food allergy or intolerance to a certain food, eating should always remain a source of pleasure, not panic.
By improving your relationship with food, you may find yourself more at ease in social settings, during holidays and events, when traveling and while eating out.
Viewing foods as "good" or "bad" may seem harmless but this language has a direct impact on how you feel about yourself. In other words, you are assigning a moral value to food which means when you eat a "good" food (like a vegetable) you feel good about yourself but if you eat a "bad" food (like cake) you feel bad about yourself. Transferring labels onto food means you are putting labels on self-worth, which can create shame and guilt - further affecting how and what you eat. The reality is unless you have a medical reason to avoid creatin foods, enjoying french fries or a slice of carrot cake will not make you a bad - or unhealthy - person.
To help you feel more at peace with food, remain open-minded with your food related decisions. Relaxed and mindful eating doesn't mean you are letting yourself go but it's the opposite - you are listening to your body and eating without judgement, punishment or to compensate (earn and burn).
Food doesn't only exist for fuel and nourishment but it is also for pleasure and to satisfy your hunger. Give yourself freedom and flexibility with your food choices. While it's ok to have a preferred style of eating, allowing yourself variety during special occasions (birthday) and during unique circumstances (ex. travel) is part of being human. | 