6 things you can do to build a healthy relationship with food

1. Understand your relationship with food

Your relationship with food is not based on the types or amount that you consume, but rather on how you choose what to eat and when you eat it.

Avoiding or restricting foods, ignoring signs that you are hungry or full, following fad diets, or feeling anxiety around your food choices are all signs of a problematic relationship with food.

2. Identify what a good relationship with food looks like

I have come a long way from trying diets, obsessing over every calorie, and spending years treating food as if it was the solution to all of my problems. I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum and it’s taken me time and practise to finally get to a place where I feel comfortable with how I view food.

You should be able to eat foods that you enjoy and make you feel good (in moderation). Listen to your body when it tells you that you are hungry, without constantly obsessing over numbers. Whether that be the calories in every bite or the digits on the scale. A healthy relationship with food is giving your body what it needs, without excessive restrictions and making sure you are eating for the right reasons.

3. Recognise that food is not the enemy

Food is fuel.

I know that sounds like a given, but honestly, it’s so easy to push the reason that food is so important in the first place to the back of our minds. Of course, it’s not just a source of energy. We also eat for joy and in social settings, and these factors are just as important. We need to make sure that we eat enough of what our body needs.

4. Be flexible

Most, if not every, diet out there will forbid you from eating whole food groups and types of food. Not only are these unsustainable and impractical, but also they are the complete opposite of what you need.

You cannot label foods as ‘good’ or ’bad’, and by doing so you are depriving yourself of essential nutrition. Following these rigid diets inevitably leaves you feeling unenergized and unmotivated. After only a matter of time, you crack and end up feeling guilty for eating something that was never bad in the first place.

Not to mention, the stress and anxiety around restrictions also make us crave higher calorie, fattier foods which defeat the original object of the diet.

5. Maintaining balance

Carbs, carbs, carbs. I used to think that all carbs were off-limits, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. They are one of the most important food groups in supplying us with the energy that we need.

Having at least 3 meals a day, loaded with fruit, vegetables, protein, and carbs is the key to healthy eating. I like to have smaller meals and snacks in between to keep me energised throughout the day, and include all the food groups into my diet. Spacing out what you consume throughout the day is a sustainable way to stay full and avoid bingeing, but it’s important to keep track of portion sizes.

Eating a balanced diet has helped me the most in maintaining a healthy relationship with food, whilst giving me more energy, helping me fight stress, and still allowing me to eat foods I enjoy.

6. Your relationship with food won’t always be smooth sailing

Going out for a meal is something most of us are looking forward to right now. At times like these, it’s important to allow yourself to eat what you like, without letting feelings of guilt or failure take over.

Think about it – eating healthier foods for just one day isn’t going to make a difference, so treating yourself for one night is not going to have much of an impact.

You will always have ups and downs when building a healthy relationship with food but by simply being mindful about your decisions, you are already a step further in the right direction.