It’s hard to filter out the noise of what to eat and what not to eat. Everyone has an opinion on which diet works for them. Everyone has their own food philosophy. How do you know what is right for you?
We can drive ourselves crazy. It’s easy to constantly analyze and monitor everything we eat.
There’s actually an eating disorder called “orthorexia” which is an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy. *fun fact!*
For a long time I lived in a cycle of anxiety and food control. I would have anxiety which lead me to need to control what I ate so that I could feel better. However, since that control came from a place of fear, it caused more anxiety. This fueled the cycle of anxiety and food.
I eliminated so many of the “bad foods” in hopes that I would feel better. In reality, I was in a constant state of worry over what I could and couldn’t eat. Being invited out to dinner with friends can be anxiety inducing because you freak out over what to order. It doesn’t feel good being out of control, I get it, but this can lead to not want to go over people’s houses or socialize at meals, which is like the definition of unhealthy.
What I realized after trying to be so strict about what I would eliminate, I caused more stress to my system.
While I may have been eating well, I was still feeling bad because my negative thoughts were acting like poison in my body, just like junk food would. We all have those thoughts when we want to eat well and we act like the food police “don’t eat that… you will regret it…” Everyone has thought this at some point.
While eating healthy is the goal, if it means deprivation from fun experienced and punishing thoughts, it’s not going to make us feel good.
I’ve learned a few things through my experience with anxiety and food. These nuggets of wisdom help me navigate through life and not over complicate my food choices.
- The approach is what matters. Instead of “I really want that piece of cake, but it’s so full of processed foods and sugar, I will feel so sick and hate myself” we can shift our approach to one of love and positivity “I deserve so much better than what that cake will do for me. The next special occasion that comes around I will treat myself to a slice and enjoy every minute of it. But right now I will honor my body and give it what it actually needs to function”
- Intelligent Indulgence. There will be times where you want to indulge, and I say go for it! But know your limits. For me the combination of alcohol and pizza is no good for me, I get super lethargic, my energy plummets and I feel sick which causes my anxiety to go up. So I try to not combine them. Pick an indulgence once in a while without indulging on everything in sight.
- Forgive yourself. Rigid diets don’t work for me (I’m not an all or nothing, black and white kind of gal). So there are times where I can make a decision that I regret later on. I’ve learned the most important thing is to forgive and remember what my food philosophy is. Don’t see it as a failure. Love yourself to forgive and move on.
Lovingly feed yourself what it needs to function optimally, not stuff that’s going to gunk up all the amazing processes that’s happening inside to keep us alive.
Now I want to hear from you! What is your food philosophy? How do you find balance and harmony in what you eat?
