I hear this all the time, “Emily I just love food too much”.  I disagree, I don’t think we love it enough!  We talk negatively about it, we manipulate it, we try to avoid it, we abuse it, we don’t slow down enough to truly enjoy it, and we are usually distracted and/or judgmental about it while we are eating it.

If your experiences with food have been largely negative, it’s quite possible that you doubt your ability to truly make decisions that are in your best interest.  It’s a natural physical and psychological response to seek out food when it has been scarce; we have evolved to survive!  That instinctive survival response is natural and necessary, and we cannot survive without food.  Inadequate carbohydrates and energy signals famine in the brain.  Naturally, it increases hormones to encourage you to eat more, commonly referred to as “carb cravings”.  Instead of judging yourself for it, maybe it’s time to get curious about how to best meet your body’s nutritional requirements and innate desire for food satisfaction.  

When you feel preoccupied with food or unable to stop eating, I encourage you not to blame it on lack of willpower or self-control.  You are not broken and you are not a failure.  Here is my message to you: curiosity will get you much futher than judgments and labels.  Pause and listen.  Try loving and savoring food instead; I think you’ll suprise yourself.  

A good place to start is to be sure you are eating regularly and consistently.  Aim to refuel every 3-5 hours (5 hours at the most, that even might be pushing it in becoming overly hungry), to keep your body and brain well-fed and satisfied.  Just like you wouldn’t expect a car to work without gas, your body and brain will not work without adequate nourishment.  This will likely mean working against the subconscious diet mentality that is a result of years of dieting and restriction.  By consciously making the decision to eat and enjoy your meals, you create new positive experiences with food.  This will go far in creating a healthy relationship with food.

Emily Fonnesbeck RD, CD