How to Decrease Anxiety with Food

How to Decrease Anxiety with Food

First, you’re not alone. A lot of people feel anxious around food. The trouble is, the “fix” to this is not what many have been doing.

Do:

• Eat consistently every 3-4 hours

• Include carbohydrates, dietary fat, and protein at all your meals

• Incorporate previously forbidden foods into your meals and snacks

• Allow yourself to eat snack

Don’t:

• Go long periods of time without eating

• Avoid whole food groups especially carbohydrates

• Avoid foods you feel anxious about

Obviously there are many ways to decrease anxiety with food. Remember eating your fear foods is a must. The trick is…

You need to eat the food consistently…and actually change your belief about the food.

Yes, truly believing the food is not bad.

More on how to decrease anxiety around food

You’re not alone. A lot of people feel anxious around food. It’s actually one of the things I see most often in my office.

You have probably tried to avoid the food all together, not bring the food into your house, only have a small amount of food, moderate yourself in some way, or create “healthy” alternatives.

In the end you really can’t avoid the food completely so you still feel anxious around the food and the anxiety is actually increasing the more your try to restrict it.

So what if I told you you actually need to do the opposite?

In order to decrease anxiety with food you need to eat the food. Over and over and over again. Expose yourself to the food in different ways until the anxiety starts to decrease. Then continue to keep the food in your normal rotation.

Eating the food is an important part, but you also have to change your beliefs about the food in the process. Try to find the value in the food. What does this food do for you? Does it provide you with carbohydrates, dietary fat, protein, or vitamins and minerals? or perhaps it provides you joy or something more emotional. Both are valid reasons to eat a food.

Remember there is no one food that is going to save you or hurt you. It’s really about your whole relationship with food.

If you are interested in working with one of our dietitians on decreasing your anxiety with food please click the button below to schedule an appointment.