These Are Red Flags
/I was driving home this morning and heard a statistic on the radio that shocked me….
55% of couples are hiding food from their partner.
The D.J.’s on the radio station made a few funny jokes about how they will go to a drive through in secret and throw away the wrappers in a different location. Or that they would have a “treat” and then hide the wrapper at the bottom of the trash.
I gently want to remind people that even though this sounds funny on the surface this is a huge red flag. You should not feel guilty for your food choices. I repeat YOU SHOULD NOT FEEL GUILTY FOR YOUR FOOD CHOICES!
Guilt or shame surrounding your food choices can lead to disordered eating or an eating disorder. In most cases it is symptom of disordered eating, a range of irregular eating behaviors that may or may not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder.
Signs and symptoms of disordered eating may include, but are not limited to:
Frequent dieting, anxiety associated with specific foods or meal skipping
Chronic weight fluctuations
Rigid rituals and routines surrounding food and exercise
Feelings of guilt and shame associated with eating
Preoccupation with food, weight and body image that negatively impacts quality of life
A feeling of loss of control around food, including compulsive eating habits
Using exercise, food restriction, fasting or purging to "make up for bad foods" consumed
I want to give you the space to think about food in a different way. To let go of food being something that controls your life or is '“your downfall. “ Food is meant to nourish the body, create community, and provide pleasure.
The food system and media have not encouraged people to naturally have a healthy relationship with food. Both encourage the signs and symptoms above. So unless you were raised to separate your emotions from food it can be difficult to find this freedom or even understand what I am talking about.
It's important to know that there are strong emotions behind these food behaviors, that until resolved, will leave you feeling frustrated, out of control, and defeated with food. If you are feeling stress or anxiety surround food please reach out to someone.
In my practice I help people understand and develop the principles of intuitive eating that include:
Separating food from emotions
Alleviating stress of anxiety surround food
Developing self confidence, worth, and a sense of peace with food
Achieving weight normalization without a diet
Teaching how to interpret your bodies signals
If this resonates with you schedule a free discovery call today so that we can work together to help you find peace with food. My services include in person, over the phone, and tele-health counseling.