Let’s admit this right from the start: Your unhealthy relationship leaves you feeling unfulfilled and dissatisfied. You try so hard to make it work, but that relationship is sapping your emotional health.
Even with food, that unhealthy relationship you have with food can be detrimental to your health and weight loss.
What are the signs of an unhealthy relationship with food? Here are ten signs of an unhealthy relationship with food
Surely there is no reason for thoughts of food to consume your mind and interfere with your life when you have access to food when you are hungry. Constant thoughts about food are a sign that you may be denying yourself nutrients your body needs.
Your food relationship isn’t a healthy one when eating with people without feeling self-conscious, or obsessing over what your options may be at a restaurant or party.
You should not spend hours beating yourself up for having a second slice of cake or eating an extra breadstick. If you are spending more time mentally beating yourself up for eating something that you spent enjoying it, you are suffering from food guilt.
A healthy relationship with foods means that you know what you want as well as what you need in your diet. Remember that cravings are our body’s way of telling us we are lacking something in our diets.
Healthy eating is all about what keeps you healthy. Rigid perfectionism in your diet is a precursor for disordered eating and a definite warning sign to an unhealthy relationship with food.
Trying new foods isn’t something that that should cause you anxiety unless you have a severe food allergy causing the anxiety. If the idea of trying a new food causes fears and anxiety to the surface, you could have bigger problems to deal with.
If you eat to procrastinate, to entertain yourself, to reward yourself, or to console yourself, you are allowing your emotions to control your eating habits. This means that you aren’t listening to your body about what its needs are.
Choosing to eat a salad for lunch because you know you are going out for dinner is called balance. Going on a week-long juice cleanse because you ate three slices instead of two is a sign that you need to evaluate your relationship with food.
A couple of signs that you have no self-control when it comes to food are when you can’t have certain foods in the house without eating them, or you find yourself eating a full bag of chips without realizing it until afterward. A lack of self-control regarding food is a definite sign you need some help with your relationship relating to food.
If you have identified that your relationship with food is unhealthy, you might be wondering what the next steps are. If you find that your negative relationship with food is affecting your quality of life, then it might be time to consider talking to a therapist or a doctor and working through why you have the relationship with food that you do.
Thanks for your patients
From the Ditch that Diet Mindset Team