Big Picture Thinking – Creating A New Relationship With Food

Every person has a relationship with food.  Each individual is unique in regard to his or her personal connection to food and everyone has their own story. 

The relationship that a person has with food starts long before even their most distant memory can take them back into their childhood.  A baby’s brain is starting to develop and create pathways related to food from the very first time the mother feeds them.  For many years to come following that first feeding a child is given food by the caregiver and these pathways strengthen in the brain.  By the first time a child actually makes a food decision completely by themselves, there have been years of previous behavior and conditioning that will influence that decision.  A child that has been fed nutrient dense and natural foods will most likely make different decisions than an individual that was raised eating highly processed, highly palatable foods.

This is an important concept to consider, because it can help to remove some of the burden a person may feel when dealing with his or her own relationship to food.  The fact of the matter is that individuals do not wake up one morning struggling with food addiction or in a dangerous place with food, but rather reach that situation through many years of conditioning.  This is one of the reasons that recovering from eating disorders and food addiction is difficult, and in some cases can be trickier than even treating substance abuse problems. 

As an individual eats the highly processed, highly refined foods that are commonplace in today’s food environment, they excite the areas of the brain that produce pleasure.  Over the years, individuals often times start to seek out food for the sole purpose of pleasure or as a way of changing their mood, much in the same way that a drug user would. 

For an individual in recovery, an important shift in thinking with regard to food is a change from considering it solely as a source of personal pleasure to thinking of it as a source of fuel and energy.  Through years of conditioning and the intake of highly processed foods, it is common for individuals to stop thinking of food as a source of nutrients and how it will effect them in the long term, and only focusing on the instant gratification and how it will make them feel in that one brief moment.

One very important aspect of healthy recovery from substance abuse or eating disorders is the ability to look farther down the road and see how choices that are made today will impact things in the future.  For many people in recovery, this is a new concept, and it is a far cry from their self-serving and shortsighted behavior of the past.  This way of thinking is not only beneficial in terms of abstinence from chemicals or behaviors associated with eating disorders, but also in starting to build a new relationship with food altogether.  By shifting a person’s thoughts away from foods that make them feel good in the moment, and focusing on making choices that will benefit them in the long term, new behaviors can be learned and new pathways in the brain can begin to emerge.

Eating delicious food is one of life’s great joys and can bring an individual a great amount of pleasure.  Food should be enjoyed, but the problem arises when a person only considers the pleasure of the food without considering the impact.  On the road to recovery, if the thoughts surrounding food can shift from those of pleasure exclusively to those that include the idea of food as fuel and energy, an individual has started to make some important changes.

Every choice a person makes has an impact.  By expanding one’s vision from one that is small and micro focused, to one that is larger and paints a bigger picture, a person has more of a chance to succeed in recovery.

Calorie Counting

For many years, people have used calorie counting as a way to help navigate them through the complicated world of food.  Today with the use of different websites and smartphone apps, there are an endless number of ways to track each calorie ingested as well as every calorie burned through out the day.  Many individuals use these resources with the intention of losing weight or becoming healthier, but in many cases these flashy gadgets, watches, and applications can actually send the wrong message.

One of the problems with looking at food in this way is that not all calories are created equal.  There is a large difference between 200 calories of kale and 200 calories of ice cream.  One of these options is loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, while the other has little nutritional value.  By putting all foods on an even playing field and only looking at one aspect, it undermines the complexity of how the human body uses calories and nutrients, as well as how they interact with each other.

When focusing only on calories, it is common that individuals often restrict healthy foods.  For example, nuts and seeds in general are high in calories for their weight.  What many calorie conscious individuals may not consider is all of the other benefits that come along with those types of foods.  Fiber content, healthy fats, protein, and a host of minerals are all things to take into account when selecting foods.  In addition, quite often these foods can help with satiety and keeping a person feel fuller, longer. 

Another thing to take into consideration is that the nutrients in food can differ between the seasons, the variety, and the ripeness.  This is to say that an orange that is eaten today may have a slightly different nutrient and calorie makeup than one enjoyed three months from now.  This may sound insignificant, but if this is the case with many items throughout the day, week, or month, it could to equate to a vast difference in the number of calories a person thinks they are getting, and what they actually are.

In addition, food labels can be inaccurate.  According to the Food and Drug Administration, labeling laws allow for up to a 20% margin of error.  When the math is calculated on that, it can equate to large fluctuations in the actual amount of calories.  Take for example an item labeled as being 600 calories.  By law, the item could actually contain up to 720 calories.  If a person is just paying attention to calories alone, this is an inexact science that can leave them wondering why the results are not showing.

A more positive and sustainable approach to healthy eating is paying closer attention to the types of food being eaten and reducing the amount of processed food in the diet.  Including fresh, whole foods that are close to their natural state is far more beneficial than agonizing over whether or not a few extra blueberries will max out the calorie count for the day.  To put it simply, the balance of calories in versus calories out does not work.  If it were that easy, more people would do it and the obesity epidemic would not be what it is today.  There is no quick fix, and in order to have success, it is important to look at health and nutrition as a lifelong process. 

So put the calculator down and start looking at the bigger picture.  Nutrition and the health of the human body are more involved than simple addition and subtraction of calories. 

The Positive Impact Of Mindful Eating

What is mindful eating?  The word mindful is defined as being conscious or aware of something.  Being a mindful eater involves being attentive and making deliberate choices in regard to food.  While this may sound like an easy task, it can be difficult and present different challenges to many people.  With that being said, by being more present around food and during mealtimes, an individual can learn to navigate difficult situations and start to make better choices.  There are a number of benefits to eating more mindfully that can help those who suffer from eating disorders and food addiction, as well as individuals that are simply trying to eat healthier.

There are many approaches to mindful eating, but the most important aspect is learning to slow down during the eating process.  Becoming a mindful eater is learning to pay better attention to what is happening with the body, and removing the unconscious eating habits of the past.  By considering the thoughts, sensations, and feelings that accompany eating, a person can identify triggers and develop tools to successfully steer them through the complicated world of food. 

There are several areas to focus on when becoming a more thoughtful eater:

·      How does the body feel before and after the meal?  Is the stomach empty or full? 

·      How does the food smell, look, and taste?

·      How does the food feel as it is being digested and throughout the day?

·      What feelings are associated with the food?  Joy, guilt, pleasure, or disappointment?

·      What thoughts are accompanying the food?  Fears, beliefs, or nutrition myths?

So where does a person start?  Becoming a more mindful eater is a skill just like any other, and it requires practice to become proficient.  Thoughtful eating is not a decision that is made one day and practiced perfectly the next, but rather something that is learned and perfected over time.  Slowing the entire eating process down is an excellent way to start being a more mindful eater.  This includes creating space between the initial craving for food and when it is eaten.  Additionally, increasing the length of time in between bites is a great way to slow the eating process down.  By allowing for more time, it makes it possible for an individual to examine what is happening during the eating process.

Another great way to begin eating more mindfully is to eat in a quiet area.  With the constant interruptions from cell phones, computers, and television, it is easy to forget what it is like to sit in an area away from distractions.  It is important to allow for some quiet time to reflect when eating in order to truly get to the core of what is happening within the body.

Being more mindful can help an individual to identify and manage their emotions in a more positive way.  With healthier coping skills, it is possible to deal with feelings and moods without relying on food.  This process is all about starting to hear and recognize the thoughts as they appear, but not having to obey them.  Becoming a more thoughtful eater is a learned skill and has many benefits that carry over to other aspects of life.  Take the time, take a deep breath, and start eating more mindfully today!

Behavioral Health Nutrition

What is Behavioral Health Nutrition?

Behavioral health nutrition includes areas such as addiction, mental illness, eating disorders, as well as intellectual and developmental disabilities. These conditions all require targeted nutrition interventions. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who specialize in these areas can be a critical member of the treatment team. Learn more about the Dietetic Practice Group HERE.

It is reported that twenty percent of Americans will experience a mental illness, and up to seven percent of American adults will experience a serious mental illness in any given year. Given those statistics, it is extremely likely that the majority of people in the United States are either suffering from or know someone that is suffering from some type of mental illness.

Providing nutrition services to individuals that have behavioral health issues is an important and complicated task. In many cases, the lines are not clear-cut, and an individual may be dealing with more than one diagnosis.   It is not uncommon for a person to have a mental illness as well as an eating disorder or substance abuse problem.

A physician is responsible for initially diagnosing psychiatric conditions, including eating disorders, but effective treatment is typically carried out by a team of professionals. This includes mental health and medical practitioners, counselors, and registered dietitians. Due to the fact that there are many things involved with a behavioral health diagnosis, it is critical for each individual to get the personalized care they need to recover. There are a number of things to be taken into consideration concerning treatment including age, learning style, culture, and education.

In regard to eating disorders in particular, there are numerous goals in terms of nutrition care and nutritional rehabilitation. Overall, a main focus is to assist the individual in creating and maintaining new lifestyle habits. Additionally, it is important for them to be comfortable with their body and body image. This involves eating a varied diet that includes items from all food groups in appropriate amounts. A reduction and subsequent elimination of compensatory behaviors such as excessive exercise, vomiting, or use of laxatives is also a primary goal of treatment.

Nutrition plays a major role in the treatment of behavioral health conditions and mental illness. To improve the chances of success, it is crucial that the individual considers a dietary approach to healing along with any psychiatric and spiritual steps they are taking. Through a combination of efforts and teamwork, recovery is possible!