It’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week and a great time to check in on your relationship between mind, body and food. We asked Beth Penzone of Victory Nutrition for her best advice when it comes to building a healthy mindset around what you eat and how you feel.
Learn to be flexible without guilt.
Learning to be flexible with your food and meal choices is an amazing feeling. So many of us have grown up in a culture that judges food/meals as GOOD or BAD. With these labels comes emotions and feelings that can wreak havoc on our self esteem, mental well being and our social health. Understanding that food is meant for so many things and serves many purposes. It is Ok to choose a certain food or meal for enjoyment, tradition, or comfort. Allowing yourself to do this with a happy heart and mind and move on is an amazing tool. It’s a tool that for some will take practice and that is ok. Guilty feelings over food can lead to an endless cycle of emotional eating, guilt, and repeat. Getting out of this cycle means letting go of the guilt. Enjoy your choices and move forward
Consume foods you enjoy without worshipping them. Do not give them that kind of power over you.
Who is in control…you or the food that surrounds you? We all have that one food we love but it is still just food. In our lives there are so many things that we care deeply about. If someone asked you what your top three things are in life that are most important to you, I doubt that any one candy, treat, or food would make the list. Enjoying food is great but don’t put it so high on a pedestal and hand over so much power.
Balance – variety of foods, eating for pleasure and for hunger, and no restrictive diets.
Balance is very important when it comes to your daily diet and nutrition. When we try to be “perfect” or restrict certain foods we can get into a dark and frustrating place. Understanding that all food has a place in a healthy life is freeing and sustainable during all points of our lives. Both adults and teens alike tend to crave or desire what we are told we cannot have. Diets that remove foods or are “not allowed” become the one thing we want. You tend to “white knuckle” these diets until we fall off to the other side and eat an over-abundance of what once was “off limits”. Knowing you can have all types of foods will help you stay in the middle of the road
Learn to eat mindfully; seated at the table, taking the time to see, smell and taste.
Technology has taken over hours and hours of our lives. We feel the pull to always have tv, phones, or computers close by. TVs are on in the background for hours, our phones and computers are in front of us no matter what we are doing. Taking time to be mindful of our meals and snacks allows our minds and bodies to connect. We can truly embrace the flavors and textures of the food. We feel fuller and more satisfied if we take the time to turn off the screens. Be present at meal times. Talk to one another or quiet your mind.
Approach social situations with your focus being on people and conversation instead of solely on food.
Human relationships and personal connections are vital to our wellness. Health and wellness is so much more than food. What makes social events important? The people, memories, and laughs we share with each other. Going into family events and social situations looking forward to the special people you are going to spend time with. Don’t make the sole focus on the food you are going to eat. You will not remember the bites of food…but I can almost guarantee you will remember the memories you made!
Beth Penzone has a BS in Physiology and Athletic Training as well as a number of nutrition certifications including AFPA, MNU and special populations, adolescents and performance-based needs. She’s also the owner of Victory Nutrition, a personalized nutrition coaching system designed to help bodies function at a higher level of efficiency combining physiology, biomechanics and a deep understanding of the human body to help clients achieve weight loss, better performance, and ultimately a healthier lifestyle.
