Enjoying Your Food

In recovery from eating disorders, there are many different approaches – even controversies – to food. Some programs talk about food as fuel, some talk about mindful eating, some have weighed and measured plans with no exception, others promote three meals a day with snacks in between.

There may even be a variety of suggestions amongst your treatment team (therapist, dietician, doctor, etc.) and support groups (a 12-step group like OA or FA). None of these approaches are right or wrong. The right one is the one that’s right for you.

I encourage clients to see food as fuel, with life in between. Otherwise they can easily dwell on it too much. For example, instead of struggling to make a healthy version of a dessert you used to crave (that will probably not satisfy you anyway), you can experiment with new types of dessert that use healthy fats, fresh fruit, or homemade smoothies.

For people who have spent their lives obsessing about and trying to control food, it may take some time for recovery to evolve to a place where food is enjoyable. What does it mean to enjoy your meals? It means choosing colorful, nutrient-dense and appealing foods, while still living a full life in between.

For some people in recovery from eating disorders, it’s best to take a “harm reduction” approach and focus only on cutting back on certain behaviors like binges or purges. After that we would look at a secondary purpose such as weight management.

Eating well is essential for clear thinking, healthy heart and other organs, strong bones, and healthy skin and hair. To recover from an eating disorder, people need proper nutrition – and enough of it – to fuel their body and brains and fix their thinking.

Wherever you turn for guidance about finding an approach to food that works for you, be sure it’s to someone who specializes in eating disorder recovery.