Saturday, 07 November 2009
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Is It an Eating Disorder or a Relationship Disorder?
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This article was written by Joshua Rosenthal for the Huffington Post.
Most Americans have been on a diet at some point in their lives. Even if they're not overweight--it's hard to resist the temptation to look like the hottest celebrity whether they're on the low-carb, no-carb or cabbage soup diet. We're bombarded with advertisements touting the benefits of the latest dietary craze. If you're on a diet now, you're not alone. But I'm going to fill you in on a little secret that could very possibly change your life and the way you look at food.As you have probably heard countless times before, most diets don't work. Let me rephrase that, most diets are not sustainable. Can you imagine never eating a piece of bread again, or living on cabbage soup? In fact, studies have found that depriving yourself of certain foods will just have you craving more. Can you relate?
The problem is most Americans have an all-or-nothing approach to life. Our bodies are very smart. When we completely cut one food out we have intense cravings. People think they should resist their cravings or if they give into them they're weak. I encourage you to be kind to yourself. Listen to your body.
Sometimes when we crave certain foods it's our body telling us that we're dehydrated or lacking certain minerals. For example, if you need water the body doesn't send the message that you're thirsty until you are on the verge of dehydration. You might think you're hungry, but it's actually your body telling you that you're really thirsty. Before you go to the refrigerator have a tall glass of water. Salt cravings are an example of nutrient deficiency. Ask yourself if you've had any vegetables or whole grains.
There are also times when we think we need chocolate or a half pint of Ben & Jerry's to get through the day, but it's actually a lifestyle imbalance. Have you ever thought that your cravings and weight gain could be linked to more than just the foods you eat?
A theory that I've taught since I founded The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 1992 is primary food. Primary food refers to everything that's not on your plate: career, relationships, spirituality and physical movement. The idea is when you have a fulfilling career, loving relationships, a spiritual practice, and regular physical movement you are more likely to make better decisions over the foods you eat. When you are balanced in your personal life, food becomes secondary.
Before I founded Integrative Nutrition, I worked in a small natural food store. All day, every day, I watched customers moving through the aisles, shopping, asking questions, giving great care and attention to the quality of the foods they would be consuming. Then after work, I would often go out into my neighborhood to chill out. Sometimes, I would go to the movie theater, where many of the popcorn-munching, soda-gulping moviegoers were laughing and enjoying themselves with their friends or romantic partner. I noticed that the people I saw in the evening often looked healthier, happier and more alive than the people shopping in the natural food store. This got me thinking. It wasn't just about the food.
Another situation that had a big impact on me was when one client came to her counseling session crying about her marriage. While working with her, I saw that eating more fruits and vegetables was not going to make the issue disappear. And then later I found other clients who made great improvements in their health by smoothing out their relationship issues. Creating more positive relationships made them happier and healthier than any dietary changes could have made them. It's fascinating!
Think about your own life. Have you been on a diet for as long as you can remember? Are you one of those yo-yo dieters? Before you give up hope, look at your primary food. Are you in nurturing relationships? Do you have a career that inspires you and gets you excited for each day? What is your spiritual practice? It takes time to balance out all areas of your life, but I encourage you to be aware of these outside influences. You will slowly see that as you adapt a more balanced lifestyle you will be happier and more likely to nourish yourself with nutrient-rich food.
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About the Author
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- From: AnaInTheNews@xanga
- Name: AnaInTheNews
- About Me: This blog is pretty much for me to post news articles i come across that are eating disorder related or might be of interest to those with eating disorders.
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Comments (6)
it makes sense. i got my eating disorder when my parents were fighting really badly and then divorced, sending me to live with my mom and her new boyfriend, which made me very depressed, confused, and out of place for a 13 year old.
this totally makes sense, but I had the opposite happen to me last year. I was in a bad relationship, stressed, and not eating well. and somehow I LOST 8 pounds. Now, I'm in a great relationship, love life and school. But I gained the weight back. I feel much healthier though, so I wouldn't have it any other way.
I know that my emotional health is directly linked to how I am eating. When my life is balanced I have very little issues with food, when my life feels chaotic food becomes an obsession. Very interesting post.
i agree in highschool I ate healthier because I was in a stable enviroment. but here at college i AM almost constantly under stress which leads to me pigging out more. very insight full post, I am studying holistic health right now and dietetics, so I kinda already knew about this connection, but it is finally nice to have some one post on it.
I've always thought everyone knew that emotional well-being had a lot to do with your health. Even your weight, because there are a lot of people who go to one extreme or the other with their foods when they are feeling depressed or overwhelmed. There are comfort eaters, who will eat more the more they feel unhappy. And there are others who lose their appetites completely instead, when they are feeling unhappy.
As for the movie-goers, though, I think its unlikely that they probably ate junk food like that all the time, or that they were constantly going to the movies. I've always felt that you can eat whatever you want to eat, just so long as you make sure you aren't overeating. Cutting out specific foods makes logical sense at face-value, but like you said when you cut out some foods you are also cutting out some minerals and vitamins that you need. Being responsible about the portions you eat is probably a lot healthier than cutting out specific foods completely.
Emotional well-being is important, although I wonder why its necessary to have a spiritual aspect in order to be healthy and happy. I really don't think it is, I think people can be just as happy and healthy with or without spirituality. But, to each their own. :p
I am on a diet, and I've been on one for a while. But, that's because when I started my diet I was 283 lbs. I've still got more to lose before I am at my target weight, but I'm still making steady progress. Its slow, but I feel that that is how its supposed to be. Losing weight too fast is also not very healthy. I'm not worried about it. :) I know I'll get there. I haven't made a lot of changes in the types of food that I eat, however I've changed the portion sizes of how much of them I eat.
There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to diet and a responsible and irresponsible way to go around it. There are definite correlations between emotional wellness and physical wellness. But, I didn't think this was a new concept, I was pretty sure that this is something that experts have been saying for quite a long time. o.o; Haven't they?
the happier i am, the fatter i am.