Substituting Food For Feelings
/I went out for frozen yogurt the other night (yes dietitians do eat dessert) and saw the BEST example of food being used wrong.
Food’s job is to nourish the body, NOT to deal with emotions. You should absolutely enjoy food and feel good after eating it, but you shouldn’t have to have a specific food to make yourself emotionally feel good.
I give you exhibit A, Rachael’s Froyo Cup. On the side of the cup it says: “A BFF brings you frozen yogurt when the struggle is real.”
Fact: Frozen yogurt is delicious
Fact: If a friend brings you food they care for you
Fiction: Frozen yogurt will make your “struggle” less real
Using food to cover up your problems/frustrations/anxiety/annoyances whatever you call them will not make then go away. The only thing that will make you feel better is handling what is going on in your life vs hiding behind food.
Now why do I even bring this up? Because time and time again when I find people who have gotten stuck in a diet loop or people who have trouble with binging and restricting it is because they have been using food to either control or hide their feelings. As I always so food is never the problem, it’s a symptom of a problem.
So how should you look at food differently? Great question!
Opportunity to Nourish- food is down right magical and has the ability to heal your body literally from the inside out
Act of Self Care- By eating foods that you enjoy and make you feel good you reinforce you are worthy of having what you like
Enjoyment- You should enjoy everything that you eat from the salads to the cookies, guilt should not be attached to eating but neither should rewards
So how does me having froyo count fulfill the above mentions points? Isn’t dessert bad for you?
Your life is about balance! And that is why every once in a while you need to have low nutritional value item to provide high self care and enjoyment.
It was important for me in the moment to honor that I truly desired froyo, not because I felt stressed or deserved a reward, but because I really wanted it. Honoring your food desires can be a form of self care!
Listen I know this can sound confusing. I get it. Two years ago I would have said eating froyo could never be health promoting. But part of being healthy is having a good relationship with food.
If you find yourself struggling with intense food cravings, binging, food restriction, or food obsession it’s time to heal your relationship with food.