Last updated on February 22nd, 2024 at 09:22 pm
Do you struggle with food freedom?
You might know you struggle with your relationship with food if:
- You spend a significant portion of the day worried about what you will or will not eat
- You feel you need to exercise to earn food
- There are fear foods you won’t keep in the house
- You place your value on the thin privilege that comes with a small body
- You feel guilty after eating
- You sneak, hide, or hoard food
- You’re terrified to eat dessert first
- You are plagued by messages from food shamers
- You have so many food rules nothing sounds good to eat at all
Let’s dig into what it really means to be free with all that we eat, how to identify where food tension is happening, and what to do about it!
What Is Food Freedom
Food freedom is when we honor all foods we enjoy as having equal value and eat food to meet our physical and emotional needs without guilt.
As we experience freedom with the food we learn to:
- Honor the body
- Get rid of diet rules
- Eat all desired foods
- Get rid of shame and guilt around food
Food freedom is not a diet. In fact, it is anti-diet. Often, diets disguise themselves as not being restrictive by making claims like “allows all food! Just in moderation.”
This is not true freedom when it comes to food. It’s simply another ploy of diet culture to wrap food restriction in a bow!
What Eating Without Rules Feels Like
When we truly eat fearlessly, we don’t worry about what we should and shouldn’t eat.
When you have freedom with food:
- You get to think about something else rather than what you’re going to eat for the day
- Your careers, passions, and relationships take priority over your thoughts instead of food
- You get to ENJOY food again
Ditching food rules allows you to enjoy your life to its fullest.
How To Eat Fearlessly
Here are a few steps to help you truly feel free with what you eat
- Take this food freedom quiz to figure out where you’re struggling
- Stop counting calories
- Practice food neutrality
- Work on respecting your body
- Practice intuitive eating
These tips and this quiz are for informational and educational purposes only. If you are feeling like you are struggling with food, its important to reach out to your doctor and eating disorder dietitian to ensure you are not experiencing an eating disorder, which can be life-threatening without treatment.
© 2022 Peace and Nutrition
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