Kaitlyn Bruneau (Food Relationship)

How can you start building a positive relationship with food?

To build a positive relationship with food. You can start by identifying the emotions and thoughts that come up when you are experiencing cravings. It might even help to jot these down to identify any patterns that are occurring. Do you notice that you're craving something sweet or salty when you're feeling bored or after every meal? These cravings are not necessarily wrong, but by noticing them, we give ourselves the option of how we want to proceed and engage in some intuitive eating practises. On top of noticing what is going on, when you experience cravings, you can also look at how you respond to those cravings. Are you able to respond with a healthy curiosity or self-compassion, or do you notice self-judgment and minimization of your needs? To form a positive relationship with food, you'll need to also be willing to be kind to yourself and your body, and I understand that that can often be complicated and take time. I mentioned morality of food earlier, and this can be a really good place to start to pay attention to how you talk about food. And if you can think of food in more of a neutral way, in a way that promotes joy or in a way that recognises the biological need for food, then when you notice a craving, approach it with curiosity and allow yourself the opportunity to make a mindful decision as you go forward.

What are the goals and when should you seek additional help?

The ultimate goal is to help you find control, autonomy, and self-compassion in your decisions. However, if you feel like your relationship with food is leading to unintentional negative impacts on your health, such as extreme weight loss or weight gain, not eating regular meals, pervasive feelings of shame or desires to throw up after eating, you would likely benefit from further consultation with a medical or mental health provider to help you learn and practise the tools that you need.

What roles do mindfulness and intuitive eating play?

The next area to consider for building a positive relationship with food and eating is mindfulness and intuitive eating. Mindfulness is the skill of paying attention to your thoughts without judgement . Intuitive eating is the practise of making decisions based on what your body actually wants and needs, instead of letting mindlessness or autopilot make the decisions for you. So let's imagine that you notice that you're having a craving for some ice cream to be mindful. You'll want to first notice this craving instead of instantly acting on it. You can ask yourself, what am I feeling right now? What do I hope to achieve out of having some ice cream? If you're hoping to achieve something that ice cream cannot actually accomplish, such as alleviating boredom or sadness, then this is a good opportunity to check in with your actual needs at that moment and revisit the desire for ice cream afterwards. But let's assume that the craving was just a craving without any connection to uncomfortable emotions or avoidance. Barring any medical reasons, you are allowed to have food that you enjoy. That's one of the exciting things about being human and living in a society with so much innovation. With food. Intuitive eating involves making decisions on what your body, not your emotions, is craving, and also being aware of when you may or may not actually need or want more. So as you proceed with your delicious frozen treat, keep checking in with how it is making you feel, and if you actually want more, or if you are acting more mindlessly and just eating because it's available.

Why do people have negative or complicated relationships with food?