{"id":168772,"date":"2021-04-23T02:00:44","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T09:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=168772"},"modified":"2021-04-23T12:51:29","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T19:51:29","slug":"how-to-build-a-healthy-relationship-with-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/how-to-build-a-healthy-relationship-with-food\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips on Building a Healthier Relationship With Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you struggle with your relationship with food, you\u2019re not alone: About <\/span>30 million Americans<\/span><\/a> currently suffer from an eating disorder, and many others suffer from less severe cases of disordered eating. It\u2019s hard to have a perfectly healthy relationship with food, after all, when you\u2019re constantly surrounded by messages that your body isn\u2019t good enough. But it is possible to heal from these kinds of issues and to improve your relationship with food no matter where you’re at in your journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some ways to develop a better relationship with food.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Focus on adding, not subtracting.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With all the messages out there about cutting calories, the thought of\u00a0adding\u00a0<\/em>to your diet might sound contrary to your health goals. But getting enough healthy food is more important than avoiding less healthy foods \u2014 and the former helps you do the latter.<\/p>\n

“When I think about adding goodness to my life, I think a lot about what I’m using to fuel my body,”\u00a0says Dr. Tasha Holland-Kornegay, licensed professional counselor and founder of Our Treatment Center<\/a>.\u00a0“Instead of eating less of this, or cutting that, I’m adding wholesome, nutritious\u00a0food<\/span>\u00a0that fills me up and keeps me going.\u00a0And just like that, I’m treating myself to something that makes me feel good, and I no longer have room for\u00a0foods<\/span>\u00a0that don’t.”<\/p>\n

Eat in a pleasant environment.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Eating alongside good company and in a positive setting can make your experience of food itself more positive. “Spending time with your family in the kitchen is a great way to connect, unwind, and build on healthy\u00a0relationships,” says\u00a0Holland-Kornegay<\/span>. “If you live alone, try putting on some relaxing music and using your time to reflect on your day.”<\/p>\n

Practice affirmations.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you have insecurities around weight or body image, one way to deal with this is to recite affirmations such as “I am beautiful” and “I am sexy,” or more specific food-related ones like “I make healthy meals for my family,” in front of the mirror,\u00a0says board-certified nutritionist and alternative therapist Agatha Repice, owner of\u00a0CleanClearBody<\/a>. “Journal after doing this and see what comes up,” she suggests. “Often, it\u2019s old childhood wounds, things we didn\u2019t want to look at or address, or memories that hurt us deeply.”<\/p>\n

Notice how different foods make you feel.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Everyone’s body is different, so instead of labeling foods “good” or “bad,” notice how you feel after eating different things, keeping track of this by journaling if you’d like.<\/p>\n

“If you just look at\u00a0food<\/span>\u00a0as fuel, now you\u2019re looking at: What are the\u00a0foods<\/span>\u00a0that feel good in my body? What are the\u00a0foods<\/span>\u00a0that don\u2019t feel good in my body? What are the\u00a0foods<\/span>\u00a0that give me energy? What are the\u00a0foods<\/span>\u00a0that don\u2019t give me energy?” says therapist Debbie Gottlieb, LCSW<\/a>. “These questions will begin to improve your\u00a0relationship<\/span>\u00a0with\u00a0food.”<\/span><\/p>\n

As always, if you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, reach out to a therapist or licensed professional for guidance.<\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"If you struggle with your relationship with food, you\u2019re not alone: About 30 million Americans ...","author":7532795,"featured_media":169106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/23094400\/food-relationship.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/23094400\/food-relationship-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"April 23, 2021","category_name":"Health","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113835\/health-2.svg","author_name":"Suzannah Weiss","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#eda79c","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168772"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7532795"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}