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Welcome to Part 5 of our journey toward healing your relationship with food. In Part 4, we explored the complexities of food restriction, focusing on two key motivations: weight loss and the impact of mental health challenges like depression and anxiety. We discussed how these factors influence eating habits and shared strategies to nourish your body and mind while addressing the underlying causes.
In this installment, we’ll shift our focus to two often-overlooked reasons for under-eating: the fear of pain and the tendency to deprioritize food in our busy lives. For some, eating becomes daunting due to past or ongoing physical discomfort associated with food. For others, the demands of daily life push meals to the bottom of their priority list. Both scenarios can have significant consequences on physical and emotional well-being, but there are actionable ways to break these patterns.
Let’s dive into these challenges and explore how to reclaim balance in your approach to food, even when life or discomfort gets in the way.
Not Prioritizing Food in a Busy Schedule
This is one of the most common, yet often overlooked reasons people fail to eat enough. In Europe, this issue is less prevalent, thanks to shorter workdays, longer lunch breaks, and a stronger emphasis on quality of life. In contrast, the fast-paced lifestyle in the United States often leads us to prioritize work, responsibilities, and deadlines over our own well-being. With busy schedules and constant demands, food often ends up at the bottom of a long list of priorities, making it easy to skip meals or eat poorly.
However, neglecting food can have serious consequences. Long-term undernutrition, whether due to skipping meals or choosing less nutritious options, can lead to fatigue, mood swings, and even impaired cognitive function. In the end, failing to make eating a priority not only impacts your physical health but also your ability to perform in other areas of life. To break the cycle, it’s important to consciously carve out time for proper meals and snacks throughout the day:
- Plan and Prepare Ahead: Set aside time each week to prep meals and snacks. Batch cooking and meal prepping can ensure healthy options are ready to go, making it easier to eat well even on the busiest days. Try searching for “Crockpot Freezer Meals” to find meal plans with full recipe instructions, allowing you to prep up to 14 meals in just 4 hours.
- Explore Nutritious Meal Delivery Options: Many companies deliver healthy, balanced meals to your door weekly. This can be a great solution for busy days, offering a more nutritious, cost-effective, and convenient alternative to eating out.
- Set Regular Meal Times: Treat meals like important appointments. Set reminders on your phone to eat at designated times, even if it’s just a snack. Consistency helps your body adapt to a routine and ensures you’re nourishing yourself regularly.
- Keep Food Visible and Accessible: Store healthy snacks and meal options where they’re easy to see — on the counter or in the fridge at eye level. The more visible and accessible your food is, the less likely you are to skip meals due to time constraints.
- Try Nutrient-Dense Easy Options: When time is tight, focus on quick, nutrient-dense meals. Smoothies with protein powder, fruits, and veggies are a great option. Leftovers also simplify meals by reducing prep time, allowing you to focus on just two main meals a day. This saves time, reduces costs, and minimizes food waste. Consider meals like Kevin’s Natural Foods entrees and sides — nutritious, ready-to-eat options available at Costco, Whole Foods, and many other stores. Simply heat and enjoy! While it’s ideal to consume 1.5-2 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables daily (depending on your size and needs), fruit and veggie powders (as suggested in the smoothie recipe) can help fill in nutritional gaps.
- Delegate or Ask for Help: If you’re feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities, ask for assistance. Whether it’s having a family member cook for you or seeking help with meal preparation, involving others can ease your mental load and free up time for meals.
Restricting Food Because You’re Afraid of Pain/Discomfort
Some individuals experience pain or discomfort after eating, often of a digestive nature, though it can sometimes involve other symptoms like chronic pain or fatigue. While these symptoms may not always be linked to food, it’s possible they are, and working with a knowledgeable healthcare provider — such as a nutritionist who specializes in digestive issues (like Belly, a telehealth company) — can help you navigate this.
Tips to Get Started:
- Smaller, frequent meals may be better tolerated than larger ones.
- Stick to the safe foods you know work for you and try to incorporate them in as many different ways as possible throughout the day. For example, if lean protein, cooked carrots, potatoes, and rice are your safe foods, aim to include them in your daily meals, even if it lacks variety at first.
- Cooked foods are typically easier to digest than raw foods, so consider choosing cooked options while you work through any digestive discomfort.
- If you are unsure whether certain foods cause discomfort, it’s helpful to avoid gas-producing foods (like beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc.) until you’ve figured out which foods you tolerate best.
- Exploring low-FODMAP recipes might also help, as these are less likely to trigger gas or bloating.
- If fatigue or pain (outside the digestive tract) are contributing to your fear of eating, consider temporarily eliminating gluten, dairy, red meat, and sugar to see if your symptoms improve. Additionally, pairing protein with complex carbohydrates every 2-4 hours can help maintain stable blood sugar levels, which may reduce fatigue.”
Important Note
These are general recommendations, and it’s crucial to work with a healthcare provider — especially one trained in nutrition and digestive health. Not all nutritionists or doctors are well-versed in these areas, so seeking the right professional guidance is key to developing a tailored approach.
Once You Address the Underlying Cause
Once you have addressed the root cause of the issue, you may be able to gradually expand your diet to include a wider range of foods (except in cases of food allergies or sensitivities). However, some people may still experience fear around food even after their symptoms improve. The fear of re-triggering symptoms can make eating feel daunting. In such cases, it is essential to work with both a nutritionist and potentially a therapist to address the psychological barriers that remain. Hypnotherapy can be especially beneficial in helping to break the cycle of fear and improve your relationship with food in this case.
In Closing
It’s important to remember that every step toward improving your relationship with food is a step toward greater physical and emotional well-being. Addressing fears of pain and the tendency to deprioritize meals requires patience, self-compassion, and a willingness to explore solutions tailored to your unique circumstances. Whether it’s finding ways to manage discomfort, making time for nourishment amidst life’s demands, or seeking professional support, these small but meaningful actions can pave the way to lasting change.
