9 Tips for Promoting a Healthy Relationship with Food

Eating is a foundation of wellness and is important as preventative care for mental health conditions such as depression and disordered eating such as bulimia. It is important to reflect on behaviors that you are modeling and start developing good habits that promote a healthy relationship with food.

Have you considered what message you might be communicating to yourself? What messages might you be unintendedly communicating to your family? Reflecting on your own relationship with food can help bring awareness and encourage behavioral changes to give children and adolescents a healthy start through nutrition.

Mealtimes can be stressful due to many factors such as busy schedules, lack of time for planning/ preparation, distractions, and picky eaters. It may be easier to help yourself or opt for convenience foods and snacks in replacement of meals or reach for beverages such as sodas or other beverages with little nutritional value.

Daily habits can create patterns for your lifestyle which include mealtimes, snacking patterns, and physical activity. It feels good to feel good about yourself and your decisions, no matter your shape or size. Working to establish habits that promote a healthy relationship with food and dietary needs is an important aspect of loving yourself.

Here are Tips to Promote a Healthy Relationship with Food:

• Have regular family meals. Include a variety of nutritious foods, with repeated exposure to a variety of foods to try.
• Engage in mindful eating; avoid activities such as eating in front of the television which promote mindless eating.
• Encourage trying new food and serving your own portions (including young children).
• Have a glass of water during mealtimes and throughout the day.
• Prep nutritious snacks and beverage options to have these readily accessible between meals.
• Create an enjoyable experience for mealtime. This can include sharing one’s culture through food and enjoying conversations with others.
• Focus on healthy lifestyle choices rather than dieting. Avoid modeling unhealthy weight-control behaviors or comparing your body to others.
• Love yourself and others. Bodies are naturally different and come in a variety of shapes, and sizes.
• Talk to a medical or mental health professional about concerns related to you or your child’s physical health, emotional health, or behavioral health.

Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC