Disordered eating behaviors don’t always lead to an eating disorder. They can cause problems in one’s physical as well as psychological relationship to food, which can have long term effects. Food doesn’t have to be a debilitating part of your life. Instead, it can be empowering.
Eat Everything, In Moderation
We are prone to using harmful words like “cheating” “bad” and “guilty pleasure” when it comes to food. By using these words we create a shame around eating certain foods, which actually inspires our rebellious nature to stray from our restrictive diets. Clean eating diets are helpful to an extent. Every now and then the body needs sweets, sugars, and fats. Eating in moderation is more healthy than eating in restriction, which leads to bingeing, potential purging, and more restriction. Worse, eating with a negative connotation is damaging to self-esteem and self-worth. Eating in moderation means eliminating all negative connotations with food and empowering the ability to make healthy choices
Eat What’s Right For You
Some foods are very healthy. Some foods are less than healthy. Diets and diet trends don’t take into account the unique requirements of every individual body. While an eating plan might advocate focusing heavily on one kind of food instead of the other, your body might not respond well to that. Find out what your body needs. Pay attention to how you react to food, what you like, and what you don’t like. By including moderation, you’ll be eating for yourself instead of eating according to what you think you should be eating. You’ll feel more empowered in your food choices because they belong to you.
Make Food a Celebration
Food is a necessity. It’s a vital part of life. You can only survive so long without food. Learning to eat when you are hungry is a skill. Eating doesn’t have to be a chore or a burden. Make food a celebration! Buy fresh ingredients, try new recipes, enjoy the accomplishments as well as the perils of cooking. Food is something which can be enjoyed by making it an intimate part of your life. Food tastes good, feels good, and can be a good part of who you are by creating a love for food rather than a fear of it or a hatred towards it.
