By: Kelsey Pukala, dietitian at Nourishing Minds Nutrition

Happy New Year! I sincerely hope everyone had a fun and restful holiday season. I know you’re probably expecting a post all about why you shouldn’t start your next diet as the new year begins or how to avoid excessive diet talk that inevitably happens EVERY January. These are great topics and I’ve written about these in previous posts on Victoria Myers Blog! You can search for them if those are topics you need right now.

I’ve been thinking a lot about anxiety, especially since anxiety and depression are at an all-time high for a variety of reasons. Eating disorder diagnoses are also on the rise, which isn’t totally surprising because this is also in the realm of mental health. I fully recognize there are about a thousand things that contribute to anxiety, depression, eating disorders and any mental health diagnosis, and a lot of these things are likely out of your control. That can feel so overwhelming! What I want to write about here is how food doesn’t have to be one of those things contributing to that anxiety.

I know a lot of you are probably done with dieting and understand that it’s not a sustainable way to live, however, are you eating “clean,” counting macros, eating only “good” foods or “whole” foods? Striving to eat perfectly is not only just another way of dieting, but it is also likely contributing to your anxiety.

First, let me say, I totally understand the temptation to change your diet to help or even cure several medical conditions, including anxiety. We also know that food can be a helpful tool for some medical conditions. However, when we rely solely on what we eat and put all our hope in our diet to “cure” us, this is where disordered eating can creep its way into our lives.

I’m not going to talk about every medical condition here, but I do want to speak directly to food and anxiety. How can your diet possibly be increasing your anxiety? Well, let me ask you a few questions:

-Do you feel anxious when you eat at a restaurant?

-Do you feel anxious if someone else prepares a meal for you?

-Do you feel anxious if you are unable to eat at a certain time?

-Do you feel anxious if you eat over or under a specified amount?

-Do you feel anxious if you feel full?

-Do you feel anxious if you eat a food you didn’t plan on?

-Do you count calories?

-Do you think about food all the time?

Basically, the simpler way to ask ALL of the above questions is, do you feel anxious when you feel out of control?

If you answered yes to this, I’m going to assume that’s a super common response! I would also say I tend to feel anxious when things feel out of my control. Not many people (if any) thrive when they feel like they’ve completely lost control. In those experiencing anxiety, often so many things feel out of control. And what is something that’s relatively easy to control if you are feeling anxious? FOOD! We can so quickly turn to controlling food because it’s one thing we feel we can “manage.” But friends, manipulating your food intake, controlling what foods you eat… this is disordered eating that can swiftly develop into a full-blown eating disorder.

I also want to say that there are some things with regards to food that can absolutely be helpful with anxiety. For example, I wouldn’t recommend caffeine to someone experiencing anxiety or too much alcohol. Eating foods that make your body feel good can do wonders for someone experiencing anxiety. But, this doesn’t necessarily mean eating “perfectly” or “clean.”

Honestly, one of the best things you can do for your anxiety around food, is to heal your relationship with it. Giving yourself the flexibility and freedom to eat what you want, how much you want AND tuning in to how your body feels. Using your brain and your body knowledge to make food decisions. This is Intuitive Eating. Food is a lot of things… but it doesn’t need to be adding to your anxiety. What would it feel like to have the burden of needing to eat perfectly lifted from you? What would it feel like to not worry about what you ate yesterday or what you will eat tomorrow? What would it be like to have one less stressful thing taking up your brain space?

If you feel that food and your diet may be increasing your anxiety, please reach out to us! We have so many resources for you… whether it’s one-on-one work with a Dietitian, countless resources, blog posts or podcasts, we want to support you in your journey!