I mentioned last week that my anxiety has been ramped up lately (I’d say moving was a big part of it), and I’ve found myself turning to food to ease those feelings a little too frequently.
To be honest, I think occasional instances of emotional eating are COMPLETELY NORMAL. But lately I’ve found myself standing at the kitchen counter shoveling in chips & salsa, cake straight from the box (#sheetcaking, anyone?), or popcorn by the handful.
All without a second thought until moments later when I’m uncomfortably full.
And while I’ve been handling the subsequent guilt well (i.e., I shrug my shoulders, feel bad for a second or two, then tell myself, “I need to stop this” before moving on), I haven’t made a true effort to practice mindfulness at these stressful times.
Anyway, now that I’m more cognizant of the issue—and have a little accountability—I’m going to focus more inward and remember some things about food.
Food is NOT….
punishment
a measure of one’s worth
a cure-all
binary or black and white
a gauge for self-control or “willpower”
complicated
a tool to shame or embarrass
sinful or righteous
a metric for comparison
…the list goes on.
Our ever-pervasive diet culture and pressure to look a certain way or fit a certain size lead us to believe that food is all these things and more, but it’s just not so.
Can our diets and eating habits affect our health? Absolutely. But food in and of itself is not medicine (or poison).
Can an intricately decorated cake or seven-course meal be complicated? You bet, but the ingredients themselves are quite simple: they’re just food.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t eat nourishing, ethically-raised foods and watch how certain foods make us feel, but we should stay away from labeling food itself as “good” and “bad” or “reward” and “punishment.”
In fact, I think food and our ideas around it should come down to these 3 things:
food is nourishment for living a full and healthy life
food is a tool for bringing families and communities together and sharing our stories and love for one another
food is something to be enjoyed—but not at the expense of missing other joys
When food gains enough power to intrude our thought patterns and influence our moods, then we need to find a way to return to these 3 basics.
What food is...and what it is NOT Share on XSo tell me…
- What is food to YOU? What is it NOT?
- What is a favorite recipe you like to enjoy with friends and family?
Love this Catherine. I think food is not something that should cause stress or anxiety. I don’t think food should be that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. I think food should be viewed from a compassionate and non-judgmental standpoint.
“I think food should be viewed from a compassionate and non-judgmental standpoint”<--- agree! That kind of attitude is especially important.