NUTRITION AUTHOR
Coach Kati Epps & Coach Melisa Rehm
HOW TO BUILD A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD n Because, let’s be honest, we all struggle with it sometimes.
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hen it comes to relationships, the connection a person has with themselves is the most important. This relationship is centered around how the body, mind and spirit are nurtured, nourished and challenged. With the nourishment of the body, food and fluids are the key elements to how the body feels and moves. If the things going in are bringing negativity, exhaustion and stress, the interconnection will suffer. Just like any relationship, a positive and healthy relationship with food takes work — and it is a
FEBRUARY 2021
meal-by-meal, daily choice. A negative relationship with food is not innately ingrained. Babies and toddlers have no problem asking for food when hungry, and they stop eating when they are satisfied. Overeating or self-deprivation are learned behaviors from outside influences. Many negative relationships with food come from a feast or famine mentality; the outdated goal of having a “clean plate” at the end of the meal is completely negligent of the self-awareness of being satiated. Many times, this setting of overeating is then rewarded with more food in the form of dessert.
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From teen years to early adulthood, the sphere of influence changes as self-awareness comes with a change in hormones and physique. Food can be a source of social time, from cooking with family to dining out with friends. It can also become a source of loathing, as awareness sets in to how food affects the look and feel of the body. Food can be both inclusionary for one circle and a method for exclusion in another. This not only challenges the emotions that come with being in community, but it also changes how nourishment is conducted. Is food consumption, or lack of
