you are allowed to eat comfort foods. here's why.

Food and body and weight have been on my mind more frequently these past weeks due to all of the things happening in the world right now.

For people such as myself with a past disordered relationship with food, seeing empty shelves and constant “jokes” about gaining weight have stirred up old but familiar food anxiety and obsessive thoughts about my body.

One of the many things that have helped me is to ground in one of my core values, that I am allowed to eat whatever I want {whenever I want} and allowed to enjoy the fuck out of it.

This weekend that meant rice and cheese for dinner. Today that meant a spinach smoothie for breakfast. and tomorrow it means whatever it will mean tomorrow.

Here’s the thing... living in a fat phobic culture that obsesses with objectifying our body tells that the only thing we should enjoy about food is its nutritional content.

But there is so much more to food than that.

Food gets to be a way to connect with others. it gets to be a ritual of feeding our body energy. It gets to be pleasurable and enjoyable. Regardless of how you categorize what you are eating. it gets to feel good.

For me, when things are chaotic around me such as during transitions or crises, I know that certain foods give me comfort. It grounds me and brings me into my body and connects me to my aliveness.

There is nothing wrong with that.

Let me say that again: we are allowed to experience comfort through food.

So when I crave comfort food, I don’t judge or question it or ignore it for more “healthier” options. Honoring my needs and enjoying my desires fully is the healthiest thing I can do. Period.

Where there is deprivation, there is binge. So instead I have learned to enjoy and allow myself to be filled with what feels good, knowing that the more I honor the needs of my body, the more freedom I will feel in terms of what foods feel right for me.

Listening to our hunger and fullness signals. Eating slowly to relish in the deliciousness. Chewing our foods. Letting our tongues and our bellies delight over what we are eating {aka presence}. All of this gets to be a practice of pleasure and joy rather than judgement and punishment.

XO Thais