Eat What You Need, Part II

“Don’t dig your grave with your knife and fork.” – English Proverb

C.H.A.R.G.E. #036

What do you find comforting?  Is it work, play, worship, exercise or food?  Typically, we all turn to something to feel more at ease when life throws us a curve.  Several of my personal training clients will lift weights, go on a 10-mile run, or attend a yoga class in order to set things straight.  However, we all know those people (ourselves included) who choose unhealthy behaviors for comfort, especially food.  In essence, these behaviors temporarily help us feel loved, accepted and relieved of feelings of anxiety.

Knowing that food won’t actually meet any of our needs outside of fuel and nutrition, we often seek distraction from what we really need.  Do you know someone who has gained weight after the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or enduring chronic pain?  I think we all do.  Food has a way of taking us to “another” place, even if it is for a very short time.  In Eat by Choice, Not by Habit, Haskvitz points out that when she asked her “class to make such a list (of comfort foods) they wrote:  oatmeal, mashed potatoes, pudding, and pumpkin pie, all of which met needs for nurturance, love and comfort.” 

Awareness is the key.  Once you can identify the need you are trying to satisfy with food, you have more options for meeting those needs.  For example, if you have a strained relationship with your mother, you may turn to comfort food to feel loved or nurtured.  At this point, Haskvitz suggests that you “…pause, breathe, and ask yourself:  How am I feeling?  What do I need?  Follow this with a request of yourself.  What choices are best for my individual health?  What other needs am I trying to satisfy with any of these dieting strategies?”  Then, you will be more open to address the issue(s) with your mother, if you so choose.

 C.H.A.R.G.E. Questions:  Where do you go to be comforted?  Of those “places”, which ones have a negative effect on your health?  What healthy behaviors could you engage in that would comfort you?  What will it take to start making those healthy decisions?  Where do you need more awareness?  How willing are you to make a change with your food intake once you have increased your awareness of what you need?

Eat by Choice, Not by Habit: Practical Skills for Creating a Healthy Relationship with Your Body and Food by Sylvia E. Haskvitz, M.A., R.D.

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