IMPROVING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD
Designed by Izzy Critchfield-Jain Written by Andrea Lauritsen Photographed by Alexandra Bradley
A Step Towards the Self-Love We All Deserve
No two individuals are completely alike; this applies to the physical and psychological parts of what makes us human. However, we all share similar needs—the food we eat being one of them. Yet, since childhood, we have all been engrained with specific metrics and measurements in multimodal forms to guide us in achieving a certain type of body, one that takes harmful habitual habits, and a construed mindset of what it means to be beautiful. If this resonates with you in any way, you are not alone. Before we can fix a relationship that may be broken or damaged, we need to acknowledge that change of any kind can be hard. Oftentimes, the outcome from change is not a process that develops overnight. Be mindful, and give yourself the grace you deserve while you embark on a new journey in becoming a healthier version of yourself. Often, when it comes to food, we find ourselves creating a very rigid structure of what we can and cannot consume. Sometimes we do not even realize we have created a rigid structure. When we subconsciously categorize food as good or bad, we feed into the idea that food has a moral definition, when it is merely just energy that keeps us alive. By letting go of the strictness we have created, we can allow more flexibility in the choices we make when we eat. This newfound flexibility will inevitably lead to the freedom and liberation needed to create healthy habits.
Text or Call: (800) 931-2237
31
Once we adapt to the new versatility in the abundant amount of food choices we have welcomed into our lives, we can work on creating a balance that works. Remember, a balance of food that is fuel and a balance of food that is fun is different for every individual. Never go based on someone else’s consumption! A food that is dedicated to fuel is one that provides nutritional value with nutrients galore. Whereas food that is fun is food that we enjoy eating, and allow ourselves to eat because it is yummy and delicious! Neither are better, but both serve different purposes, and recognizing that is an important part of improving our relationship with food entirely. When we create flexibility and balance, we open the door to listening to what our body wants and what our body needs. Sometimes when our body wants food, we find ourselves feeling guilty. However, when we give into this guilt, we are going against the judgment that has been created, which is a healthy step in moving forward. Mindset is everything. Learning to love yourself enough to know and believe that you deserve to eat all the foods, both the ones we need and want, is a step towards self-love. The self-love we have for ourselves is constantly put to the test when we work towards improving our relationship with food. While there is no definite answer to obtaining total self-love, there are resources to help you out. Below are resources that can help you improve your relationship with food and self-love, because you are not on this journey by yourself:
-or-
Text: NEDA to 741741
