Addition Nutrition for Eating Disorder Recovery

When it comes to nutrition for eating disorder recovery and beyond, our approach can be summarized in one work: addition. 

It is unfortunately all too easy to look at nutrition from the lens of what to take away. Most of us have been told throughout our lives various foods to remove, or restrict, in the name of health. 

I look back now and think about all the foods we were told to stay away from in the 90’s…they are all the most popular foods in diet culture today! Conversely, the foods we were told to add in, we are now being told to stay away from! Every few years the ideas on what is/ isn’t healthy change.  Our diets have become a trend and it is creating more and more confusion and disconnection from our body’s.  

But trends aside, our body’s needs are both simple and diverse.  We all need carbohydrates, fats and proteins.  These are our essential macronutrients, meaning we need them to thrive and survive and need to consume them in large enough quantities (macro vs micro).  We can get these macronutrients from a diverse range of foods.  Humans have a wonderful ability to eat and digest all kinds of foods from all kinds of sources (plants and animals).  So we actually don’t need to pigeon hole ourselves into a very limited selection of foods or sway from one dietary trend to the next. 

We are so lucky to have so many options of foods available to us, in so many different forms, which help a variety of foods and nutrients be more accessible. Some foods are quick and easy, some cost more and others cost less, some come in packages, and others grow in gardens, farms or greenhouses. Some foods and meals take time to prepare and are cooked with love and attention, while others serve as a grab and go way to meet our nutritional needs, which are always shifting.  All foods fit, and there is a time and place for all different foods and food scenarios.  In nutrition for eating disorder recovery, and beyond, we want to create space for an additive, or inclusive diet, for a healthy and positive relationship with food.

3 tips to to focus on addition with your nutrition:

Focus on what to add in, and don’t worry about taking anything away. 

Here are some questions to help you explore this:

-What foods do you love that help you feel satisfied and content with your meal? Are there any foods, tastes or flavors you can add in more regularly to help with this?

-What foods make you feel energized and healthy? 

-What foods and meals are comforting or kind to you? 

-What foods or nutrients are you lacking in your diet that would be beneficial to incorporate more of? (for example: fats, grains, sweet flavors, fruits, salty foods, etc. Tune into your body- I wonder what it’s asking for?)

Your nutrition is not mutually exclusive. 

That ice cream you had for dessert, doesn’t cancel out your nutritious dinner.

That frappucino you grabbed after yoga class does NOT mean that the movement you treated your mind and body to was a waste of time. 

And the nutrients in the salad you ate are still equally as nutritious whether you just have that salad or enjoy it alongside some pizza!

Health and nutrition does not mean removing foods from your diet.

It’s incredible what can happen when we simply focus on feeling good and finding enjoyment without defining what that “should” look like.

Focus on what feels good. 

There are so many “shoulds” in the wellness and nutrition space. And they all contradict one another and can be incredibly confusing.  But the truth is that we are all unique and so are our nutritional needs.  What makes me feel my best, may not make you feel your best.  And what  makes me feel my best in this stage of life will most likely look different 10 years from now.  We are fluid, individual and constantly changing.  

When we release rigid food rules and ideas about what to remove from our diets and lifestyles, and instead tune inward and simply ask ourselves how we feel and what we need, it is extremely liberating.  When we add vs subtract foods, the journey to eating disorder recovery and ongoing wellness stops being about loss and becomes so much more about what you receive.  

As always, if you are looking for more support, reach out. We offer free calls to help guide you in the right direction to the best possible support for you and your family.