Food is how we survive. Food can be absolutely tasty and brings together people. Food can also be a massive stressor for many people. Many people develop an unhealthy relationship with food. Below are ten signs that you have an unhealthy relationship with food.
You Find Yourself Constantly Thinking About Food
The first sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is if you find yourself constantly thinking about food. How much time throughout the day do you think about food? Think of it as a percentage. Is the percentage of time you think about food more or less than you thought it would be?
If the percentage is higher than you thought, that is a good indication that your body is lacking the nutrition it needs. Our bodies are equipped with their own defense and alert systems.
If you’re preoccupied with thinking about what, when, where, how, or why in regard to food chances are that is your body telling you that it does not have adequate nutrition and that needs to change.
You Have Started to Ignore Your Hunger Signals
The second sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is when you start to ignore hunger signals. This is another example of the body’s alert system. Hunger signals are helpful so your body stays nourished, and strong, and your mental health stays in tip-top shape. Ignoring these signs can be detrimental to your physical and mental health.
Examples of ignoring hunger signals include internal statements such as, “I shouldn’t be hungry yet” or “I don’t need to eat again.”
You Are Noticing Increased Anxiety Around Food
The third sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is if you are experiencing increased anxiety around food. Do you become uneasy, stressed, anxious, nervous, or upset in regard to food?
When you have a healthy relationship with food you should not experience any negative emotions around eating food, someone else preparing food, what you’re eating, where you’re eating, or how you’re eating. Having constant anxiety around food will negatively impact your health.
You Feel Feelings Of Guilt Or Shame After Eating
The fourth sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is if you experience feelings of guilt or shame after eating. This feeling does not only need to apply to eating unhealthy foods.
This feeling can happen even after eating healthy foods. It may happen regarding what you ate, how much you ate, or if you ate something you hadn’t originally intended to eat. When you have a healthy relationship with food, you should feel neutral or positive after eating. You should not have negative feelings after eating as eating nourishes your body.
You Can’t Talk About Food Or Dieting With Others
The fifth sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is if you are unable to talk about food or diet with other people. This is not limited to conversations and communications about your own food journey but extends to the subject of food in general.
If you are unable to join a conversation about a new restaurant in town or engage in communication about food options with others, you do not have a healthy relationship with food. While talking about food does not have to be your favorite thing to discuss, you should be able to simply engage in some conversation regarding the topic as a whole.
You’re Scared To Try New Foods
The sixth sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is if you are scared to try new foods. Everyone has an inversion to some foods. Some people don’t eat meat or animal products. Others don’t eat food due to specific taste or pallet preferences. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to try every type of available food that is presented to you.
This becomes unhealthy when you do not want to try anything new. For example, If you regularly eat tomatoes, you should be open to trying new recipes that include tomatoes. If you are not open to this type of new food tasting with any food groups or food types, you may have an unhealthy relationship with food.
You Prefer To Avoid Eating Around Others
The seventh sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is if you prefer to not eat around other people. If you prefer to always eat alone or cannot eat in public, this is a strong indication that you have an unhealthy relationship with food.
Society is built around social interactions based on a mutual enjoyment of food. If you are unable to eat around other people you can cause yourself to be isolated from others, lose connections, and become depressed.
You’ve Tried Lots Of Different Diets And Nothing Works
The eighth sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is if you’ve tried lots of different diets and nothing works. Dieting or working on healthy eating habits can be a good thing. Many people try dieting at one point in their life or another. It becomes unhealthy when you go from diet to diet and are never satisfied with the plan.
Extreme Dieting
The ninth sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is extreme dieting. Extreme dieting is very dangerous for you. Extreme dieting can include eliminating entire food groups, consuming a very low number of calories, or “fad” diets.
Extreme dieting dehydrates your body, your muscles break down, and your metabolism slows down. You also put yourself at risk for starvation, serious injury, or death.
Hiding Food
The tenth sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is hiding food. This can include hiding food in your room so other members of your family don’t know you’re eating them, hiding food in your bags or purses, or in your car. This is another example of being ashamed or embarrassed by eating which is unhealthy and dangerous.
