Last updated on February 3rd, 2024 at 04:54 am
Are you feeling like you are out of control with food or that you just can’t eat normally?
What is normal eating anyway?
What is normal or abnormal when it comes to eating patterns and behaviors will vary from person to person and across cultures.
Normal eating patterns should take into account:
- Family structure
- Culture
- Religious practices
- Allergies and Intolerances
- Medical conditions
In reality, there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” for normal eating. What is important is that we have a peaceful relationship with food.
Let’s dig into some of the ways that people who have peace with food think about and behave around food. We’ll explore some red flags for abnormal eating, and how we can start to change our behavior to heal our relationship with food.
How Do People Eat Normally
You Don’t Think About Food Much
Most people spend between 20-40% of their day thinking about food. You should be thinking
about food when:
- You’re prepping a meal
- Tasty food choices are available
- You’re planning out meals/snacks for the week
- You’re planning meals for a family member
However, if you find yourself thinking about food more than 60% of the day this is a good sign there is some disordered eating patterns happening.
Food Is Not Good or Bad In Your Eyes
People that have a peaceful relationship with food:
- Choose foods that taste good
- Make food decisions based on how their body feels after they eat a certain food
- Choose foods with a balance of convenience, taste, and nutritional value in mind
- Know that a variety of foods improves mood
People with healthy food relationships approach food from a food-neutral perspective. They understand that no food is “all good” or “all bad.”
You Eat As Much Food as You Want
People who eat normally do not:
- Stop eating just because a serving size or someone on television says “that’s enough”
- Measure out food
- Eat until they are physically and emotionally full
A normal relationship with food means you are respecting your body’s ability to decide when it’s time to start and stop eating.
What Others Are Eating Doesnt Influence Your Food Choices
People who have a peaceful relationship with food stay out of other people’s business when it comes to food. This means you are not:
- Eating more or less based on what you see someone else eating
- Choosing certain foods because you fear someone will judge you
- Letting food shamers influence what and how much you will eat
This does not mean you are not considering the likes/dislikes of family and friends that might be dining with you. Nor does it mean you are not considering food availability and sharing.
It simply means that when food is freely accessible, you are trusting your body to know what to choose and how much to choose.
You Do Not Earn Food By Exercising
Eating normally means that you don’t feel the need to earn food by exercising.
This means:
- You don’t need to burn the calories you ate at a meal
- You can still have sweets/goodies even if you didn’t move your body
- You exercise because you enjoy it, not as a punishment for eating
Eating sports is not the same thing as feeling the need to earn what you eat by exercise. Eating for athletic performance will require additional food intake and that is a part of having a healthy relationship with food.
You Don’t Eat Or Restrict Food To Change Your Body
People who have a normal relationship with food don’t make food choices to change the way their body looks.
A normal relationship with eating means you do not:
- Track calories obsessively
- Prioritize low-calorie foods
- Obsess over healthy foods
- Practice food restriction to shrink your body
- Initiate “cheat days” followed by a fast
You Eat Throughout The Day
People with a peaceful relationship with food know:
- That intermittent fasting is just a clever term for a diet
- That your body needs fuel from food throughout the day
- Energy levels are sustained by regular eating
- Honoring your hunger is just as important as honoring the need to pee
Meal and Snack Times Aren’t Rigid
While most people will experience hunger at relatively similar times during the day, intuitive eaters know that meal timing is more of a guideline than a rule.
Peaceful eaters:
- Eat outside of meal times without thinking twice
- Adjust meals and snack times if another event takes priorities
- Allow treats they enjoy when available even if they were not planned
- Easily adjust portion sizes for hunger at the next meal if meal/snack structure is altered
You Don’t Get Anxious Around Food
Eating normally means you feel calm before, during and after a meal. Not having anxiety around food means:
- You don’t have fear foods
- You keep all foods you enjoy in the house
- You don’t avoid social gatherings that might involve food
You Realize There Is Not Just One Hungry and Full
If you have a peaceful relationship with food you know that hunger is not black and white.
- You know hunger and fullness exist on a spectrum
- You don’t need to feel hunger pains for permission to eat food
- You understand it’s okay to stop at different fullness levels
What Is Abnormal Eating
Abnormal eating includes ritualistic eating behaviors and food guilt. A disruption in your relationship with food can be a sign of an eating disorder.
A disruption in normal eating behaviors can stem from diet culture and a Western obsession with thin bodies.
Abnormal eating often involves:
- Mental food restriction
- Physical food restriction
- Clinical symptoms of malnourishment
- Regimented food patterns such as clean eating, veganism, or rigid diets
- Binge eating
- Food apathy
Not every behavior around food that seems abnormal means that someone has an eating disorder. However, seeing many signs of a disrupted relationship may warrant seeking out a haes dietitian.
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