How Food Anxiety and Phobia Be Caused?
Diet culture is affecting not only youth but also individuals of all age groups. The focus of individuals must shift to positive trends in the current diet culture, such as consumption of nutritious foods and relieving oneself from societal stigmas like weight bias or weight stigma. A rigid diet culture that focuses only on an individual's dieting and restricts their food intake can not only take a toll on long-term health, but this negative culture further can make people prone to food anxiety, disordered eating, or the urge to keep dieting.
Many individuals have also become victims of the yo-yo dieting trend where individuals tend to think back and forth about switching between different dietary plans. Following a balanced and nutrient-rich or low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, low-fat, or even keto diet form, for instance, is good for healthy weight loss and preventing obesity in the long term, protecting one from the risk of cardiovascular or other multi-organ diseases. However, when one diets in a healthy way also, remember that the strict food rules where one restricts from following the natural hunger cues or the intuitive feelings are the main reason why diets do not work right. Further, not following the bodily cues or hints would tend to detrimentally impact the body's metabolism and suppress hunger, leaving one in a negative relationship with food. Individuals further become prone to the constant feeling of being left unsatiated or without food satisfaction.
How to Differentiate Between Intuitive and Mindful Eating?
Intuitive eating (IE) is a concept that is followed and recommended by nutrition experts across the world to combat disordered eating and to counteract food anxieties. Exploring the positive impact that intuitive eating would have on one’s body metabolism and some tips to relieve food anxiety include-
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Intuitive eating is when one eats food in response to the natural physiological hunger and follows satiety or hunger cues rather than emotional cues. Also, one is not restricted from consuming any type of food.
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Intuitive eating can be called more of a non-diet approach to what one consumes with fewer rules and eliminating all expectations of what and how much one should be eating. Intuitive eating rather places an emphasis only on internal cues of the body, such as the feelings of hunger (before consuming food) or fullness after consuming food.
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Through the practice of intuitive eating, one not only begins to enjoy food, but one has no regrets about the food choices one makes. Intuitive eating is shying away from the negative diet culture or the mentality set by societal or social trends. Rather one focuses on the overall systemic health and makes a healthy food relationship, understanding the cues of the body, thereby rebuilding a healthy metabolism.
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According to nutritional experts, mindful eating can be called a similar terminology to intuitive eating. However, mindful eating is still a slightly different terminology because it is an art, rather than an eating skill that may be used within the broader terminology or framework of intuitive eating. Mindful eating practices also follow certain principles or sets of exercises that require one to be focused in the present moment and practice self-compassion, and patience while creating a positive relationship between the body's metabolism and the food consumed. Simply put, the difference between these two branches of mindful eating and intuitive eating is that, while mindful eating is a skill or practice, intuitive eating would be called the entire philosophy that leads to wise choices and food freedom, relieving one from all sorts of food anxieties.
What Are the Tips to Prevent Food Anxiety and Phobia?
Now look at some tips to relieve food anxiety or prevent negative diet culture trends in society:
A. Rejecting the Dieting Mentality: Weight loss is not a permanent solution for any individual. It is important to come out of the concept of short-term or rapid weight loss which many diets tend to offer, but after one stops the diet, one would notice the quick weight gain again.
Rather one can focus on the positive diet culture practices like intuitive eating or mindful eating, in correlation to boosting the bodily metabolism with proper physical activity or exercise regimens and moderate sleep.
B. Preventing Cravings or Binge Eating or Disordered Eating: One can do this only when one can consume varied types of foods, not preventing oneself from consuming the foods that one wants to have. This includes the consumption of all foods that one can get through the diet, without labeling them as good or bad, right or wrong to eat. Many individuals who have less food satisfaction often deprive themselves of intense cravings for certain foods. Food cravings can lead easily to overeating, binges, or even food guilt. Remember that while occasional cheat meals are not bad, it is important to tune in or consult with a registered healthcare professional or nutritionist to know what foods can best keep one satiated and healthy all the same.
C. Challenging the "Food Police": Those individuals who practice intuitive or mindful eating can say no to counting calories or any self-induced thoughts of labeling foods as either good or bad. Rather by not feeling guilty about what one consumes and savoring what one eats, one is more likely to create a positive mental impact in the relationship with food, creating food satisfaction and preventing yourself from falling prey to disordered, or binge eating.
Conclusion
Creating a meaningful and harmonious relationship with food while also being unrestricted in the diet is an important key to fighting food anxiety and phobias. Focus on nutrient-dense and varied food groups by consulting a registered healthcare professional or nutritionist should be the ideal goal or the ideology of sustaining long-term systemic health. Education about nutrition and mindful eating practices can also empower individuals to make informed choices and approach meals with a positive mindset. Ultimately, with patience, persistence, and support, it is possible to overcome food anxiety and phobia and enjoy a more relaxed and fulfilling relationship with food. Additionally, creating a supportive environment and seeking the guidance of healthcare professionals can provide invaluable assistance in navigating the challenges associated with these conditions. Ultimately, by acknowledging the complexities of food anxiety and phobia and actively addressing them, individuals can cultivate a healthier relationship with food and improve their overall well-being.
