My Food Philosophy

 I wanted to talk about this because I do post photos of some of my meals and snacks. Why? Because I love food, I love trying new things and I love experimenting in the kitchen. I don’t post a full day’s intake because I don’t see that as being helpful for me right now. I have often fallen into the trap of comparing my intake to others and feeling guilty because I don’t eat a clean/raw/vegan/organic diet. My diet, overall, is not unhealthy (in my opinion!). I am working on developing a healthier relationship with food- it’s not about the food itself, but about the way I view it and use it. For a long time, my food has been selected primarily on nutritional content- right now the focus is more on 1) eating an adequate amount, 2) trying new things and rediscovering what I like/dislike based on taste and 3) finding out what foods make ME feel my best. I do rely a lot on protein bars and I do eat prepackaged foods pretty frequently. I don’t feel ‘bad’ about this- for now, it’s a good way for me to get the nutrition that I need whilst experimenting with different meals. I haven’t seen a dietitian for about 2 years and I don’t talk specifically about my meals in therapy, so I make my own plans and can discuss progress/struggles when I see my treatment team.

I’ve toyed with the idea of becoming vegetarian again and I’ve considered cutting out dairy. Going ‘raw’ has also been on my mind- for me, at this point, none of that would be helpful because I don’t think my relationship with food is healthy enough for me to cut things out without falling into old habits. I would never knock anyone who DOES choose to be vegetarian/vegan/raw- it’s just not right for me/my body/my recovery. I am very much an ‘all or nothing’ kind of person and I am working really hard on leaving that aspect of my personailty seperate from my food choices.

 

Bottom line- I do what works for ME (which is likely different to what works for you). I eat more than some people, and less than others. My weight has been stable for a while so I am obviously doing something right in that respect. Finding a balance between losing/gaining is tricky (for a lot of us, I think!) and that ‘middle ground’ is different for everyone. I am only now discovering how different foods affect me mentally and physically- no way am I ready to jump headfirst into intuitively eating, but I am paying more attention to how I feel before eating and how different food choices affect my energy/satiety levels. It’s a journey. I don’t expect to go straight from 14 years of ‘prescribed’ meal plans (either by a dietitian or my eating disorder) to suddenly being able to honour my body’s signals, but I am once again starting to enjoy food and see it as fuel for the life I want to live.

I don’t judge ANY food as ‘good’ or ‘bad- I eat some foods more frequently than others but believe that ‘everything in moderation’ is a healthy goal for me to be working towards.

 

My disclaimer: everything pictured has been eaten, not everything eaten has been pictured. I am not a nutritionist and not qualified to give any medical advice, but if you have any questions, comments or feedback on my food choices, feel free to comment and I’ll get back to you.