Our Relationship With Food

Food is such an essential part of our lives – it fuels us, it can bring us joy, it can bring us sadness, it can bring us excitement, and it can bring us frustration. What seems like such a simple aspect of human life, is actually something that many have a complicated relationship with, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are 4 ways to start making peace and forming a better relationship with food

LISTEN TO YOUR HUNGER CUES

Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full. It’s something that seems intuitive, for example looking at babies and toddlers, who will cry when they’re hungry and just stop eating when they’re full. However, this “intuitive sense” gets overridden as we live life and are influenced by other factors, eventually losing this ability. Food can often be consumed because it’s a meal time, as a coping mechanism, or simply boredom. By taking a moment and really listening to your body, you’ll be able to have a better understanding of its needs and learn how and when to better fuel it.

LOOK AT FOOD WITH A NEUTRAL PAIR OF LENSES

Society has made us believe that foods should be put into categories – “good” foods and “bad” foods. But who’s to say what these definitions of good and bad are? If something is sugary but brings us joy, is that automatically deemed a bad food? My answer to this question is always NO. Different foods serve us different purposes. A strawberry-jam filled donut may not have the same nutritional content as a quinoa tofu power bowl, though both equally delicious, can have very different purposes. That power bowl can be fulfilling our nutritional needs, and a donut can be filling that heart hunger, that craving – and that is okay. One is not better than the other, one is not worst than the other, they are neutral, and the moment we accept that is the moment we release the control food has over us.

EAT YOUR CRAVINGS

Clients are often in awe when I tell them this – “but won’t I eat too much?” “are you sure?” “I don’t understand”. But yes, you heard me right; if you’re craving a triple chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream, allow yourself to eat it! Diet culture and society has ingrained that in order to succeed and achieve our goals, you must restrict yourself and deny the urge to give into cravings. However, this does the exact opposite of what you want – rather putting yourself in a vicious circle of restricting, then overeating or binging on that craving and feeling guilty, and then restricting again. Rather, if you just allowed yourself to eat that brownie and ice cream and allowed yourself to enjoy it, you would feel better and continue on with your day. You’d be surprised that when you listen to your body and eat what you crave, that it finds a way to balance out all your needs.

CONNECT WITH YOUR FOOD

Given our current fast-paced lifestyles, eating is often a secondary thought as we’re in the middle of a Zoom meeting, catching up on our Instagram feed, or in the middle of a Netflix episode. Eating with these other distractions prevents us from really connecting with our food and truly enjoying all that it has to offer. When was the last time that you ate without any distractions – no phone, no TV, no laptop, no book? I challenge you to try one meal with just you and your food, crazy, I know, but it’s worthwhile I promise. I want you to notice the textures, the taste, the appearance, the aromas, and really taste every bite. If we really love food that much, why not give ourselves the time and space to enjoy it?

WHAT TO TAKEAWAY

Many of us have complex relationships with food, and we each have a different, unique and personalized experience with it. Ultimately, we want to make peace with food and have it as a relationship that can contribute positively to your health and well-being. Getting it to this state can be a journey, but you don’t have to do it alone – there are many qualified registered dietitians out there that can help guide you through these hurdles. It may be daunting, but even this self-reflection is one step closer to a better relationship with food.

Article contributed by OpenSpace Clinic

Written by: Isabelle Lam, RD, Dt.P.

Isabelle is a registered dietitian and member of the Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec OPDQ. Originally from Toronto, she obtained her B.Sc. in nutritional sciences from McGill University. Throughout her clinical experiences, she has worked with a wide range of clients including stroke recovery, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and pulmonary diseases, general weight loss or weight gain, and those looking to lead healthy lifestyles.

Isabelle truly believes that food and nutrition have an important role to play in people’s everyday lives, so her clinical focus is to create personalized treatment plans and lifestyle changes that work best for each individual.