Breaking Up With Food Rules
How often do you think about food? Weekly? Hourly? Minute by Minute?
It feels exhausting for our minds to constantly be thinking about food. In fact, it probably feels anxiety inducing and overwhelming at times to always be assessing what is good v. bad and healthy v. unhealthy. It feels like there are so many rules when it comes to food and learning how to untangle and find the truth seems like too much to handle.
And it is necessarily our fault that we have these ‘rules’ or feel confused.
We live in a world and society that encourages us to count calories, cut carbs, obsessively exercise, and restrict in order to shrink our bodies into the acceptable mold. We feel pushed into doing these things to our body and altering our relationship with food because of the guilt we experience if we don’t. Think about it for a second. How many times have you gone out for a meal and really wanted a burger or pasta but ordered the salad because it’s ‘healthier’? Or how many times have you ordered what you wanted, but felt guilty about it after? Whether we restrict what we really want or ‘indulge’ and eat something considered ‘unhealthy’, we feel shameful and punish ourselves long after for the decision that we made.
It never feels good enough when it comes to food decisions and our minds are always racing. We want to feel like we are making the right decision but we always end up back in the same cycle of punishing our bodies, feeling shameful and moody, and ultimately are left feeling negative about ourselves.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to live in society's food ‘rules, ’ feel guilty, shameful, or confused about food any longer. There is another way!
We can make peace with food. (Yes, I know this sounds bonkers to so many of you, but we really can!). We can let go of the control and the diet culture madness and make peace with food and your body. We can find food freedom and give ourselves the permission to eat ALL foods anytime and anywhere.
Here Are Steps You Can Begin To Take
#1 Break Up with Food Rules
Belief systems that we have about foods have dedicated what we can and can’t eat for so long. But it is time to break up with them! Start by taking a look at the food rules that you have. Write them down. Get curious about each one. Understand it. Ask where it came from. And then break it. Choose one to break, and then do it again. And again. Breaking your food rules is also a crucial part of quieting the guilt, shame, and negative self-talk.
#2 Rewiring Your Brain
This is tricky, yet very necessary if we want to change our relationship with food and our body, for that matter. We need to unlearn all of the ‘information’ diet culture has taught us, challenge it, and reframe it. So, instead of restricting yourself, using exercise as a way to compensate for eating certain foods, or convincing yourself that you’ll be happy if you're thinner, we can utilize mantras or affirmations that are the opposite. Say them. Write them out. Think about what you are saying to yourself, your body, and the food you interact with. This is such a BIG step because our thoughts influence our emotions, we influence our actions. If we can change our thoughts into something more effective, it is going to help us in the long run!
#3 Get Rid of Labels
No more good v. bad or healthy v. unhealthy! Throw those labels out the window because they aren’t serving you. In fact, these labels are just adding to the confusion and chaos you are experiencing with food. When we feel like we are eating something ‘bad’ or ‘unhealthy’ we get an overwhelming sense that we are doing something wrong and we can’t enjoy that present moment because the guilt immediately sets in instead. Instead of doing this, we need to be more mindful of the language we are utilizing around foods and adopt food neutrality. So, the next time you encounter one of those ‘bad’ or ‘unhealthy’ foods, get curious. Ask yourself, why do I need to label this food this way? How did I start believing that this food is bad? See what happens when you start to challenge labels, would eating become more pleasurable and satisfying?
#4 Making Peace with Your Body
We can break all the food rules we want, but if we don’t make peace (or have tolerance) with our body, it is going to be challenging to feel peace with food. We have to work on the connection that we have with our body and the lens that we view our bodies through. Working on respecting, appreciating, and honoring our bodies for what they do daily is a start. And the more that we learn respect and appreciation, the kinder we become with ourselves, our body, and how we fuel it.
Quieting the constant chatter that is happening in our heads when it comes to food takes time and is possible! We can break up with food rules, make peace with food, and feel more connected to ourselves and the present moment. We deserve to do this for ourselves!
