What does a positive relationship with food look like?
10 insights adapted from Ellen Satter
A diet consisting of only “allowable food, good food or healthy food” can’t be truly beneficial if it has a negative effect on your mental, social and emotional wellbeing. This is where our relationship with food comes in. Our food choices are important but, more often, the reasons WHY we make those choices and how we feel about them is SO much more important.
In a nutshell, having a positive and sustainable relationship with food can be summarised in 10 key points, which we have outlined below for you.
1. Going to the table hungry and eating until you’re comfortably satisfied
2. Being able to choose foods you like and eat them until you really feel like you’ve had enough
3. Giving some thought to the foods you select so you are well-nourished, but not being so wary that you feel restricted or miss out on enjoyable eating experiences
4. Mostly three meals a day, or four, or five, or choosing to graze along the way
5. Sometimes eating because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it tastes good
6. Having non-food coping mechanisms in place to deal with tough emotions (eg. a walk, calling a loved one, an episode of your favourite show)
7. Overeating at times and feeling full and uncomfortable, and undereating at times and wishing you’d had more
8. Leaving some brownies on the plate because you know you can have more tomorrow, or eating more now because they taste so dang good
9. Trusting your body to act on signals related to hunger and feeling full
10. Eating in a way that is flexible and varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your proximity to food and your feelings If you’d like support to improve your relationship with food, then please let us know.
We us the RAVES™ eating model which was developed in 2005 by our dietitian Shane Jeffrey, who has presented the model to health professionals both nationally and internationally.
References: Satter, E. (2011). Secrets of feeding a healthy family. New York: Kelcy Press.