The Best Strategy for a More Relaxed Relationship with Food

strategy-for-relaxed-relationship-with-food

Do you sometimes think in black and white categories when it comes to food? Well then, it’s time to rethink!

Categorizing food into “good” and “bad” can have a negative impact on your relationship with food. It means lots of stress! It also makes it a lot harder to reach your goals and stick to them!

In this blog post, we’ll show you an effective way to develop a more relaxed attitude when it comes to eating.

 

The problem with category thinking in terms of food…

“Chocolate doesn’t fit into a healthy diet because it contains way too much sugar, fat, and calories.”

“Pizza tastes delicious, but it’s a no-go in your eating window because it compromises your fasting progress.”

Have you ever had these (or similar) thoughts? If so, you’re like many of us. After all, diet industry has taught us for decades what is allowed and what is not allowed at all when it comes to eating.

The problem with this is that when we constantly judge, condemn, and ban foods, it causes us to feel MUCH MORE attracted to them. And when we then indulge in them, feelings of guilt are inevitable. A vicious circle!

It’s time to leave these old beliefs behind and allow ourselves a more liberal and relaxed perspective on food: a perspective that allows pleasure and joy in eating, without frustrating rules, a natural and intuitive way.

By the way, you can learn more about food cravings here. Top tips on how to fight them are included!

 

Our top strategy for a more relaxed attitude towards food

Next time you find yourself putting the “unhealthy” stamp on pizza, fries and the like, do the following instead:

Imagine a spectrum of more and less nutrient-dense foods instead of two drawers.

The thing about cravings for sweets and the like is that the better you provide your body with nutrient-rich food, the less it will crave “empty calories”.

Your cravings for less nutritious foods will automatically diminish as soon as you make sure that your body is supplied with what it really needs.

Then it’s not a big deal if you indulge in something that has fewer nutrients. The quantity is crucial!

There is room for EVERYTHING in your diet! This is especially true if you practice intermittent fasting.

A few final suggestions:

When making food choices, ask your gut, not (just) your head.

Most of the time we know pretty well what would be the (rationally) best choice for us when eating. However, it doesn’t always make sense to follow your brain only.

When it comes to choosing food, listen to your body. Ask your tummy what it feels like at the moment.

Very important: Don’t ban yourself from anything, but enjoy it consciously and without judgment!

This will help you to break away from black-and-white thinking in the long term.

 

How to achieve your goals with (conscious) enjoyment

As you can see, conscious enjoyment and progress are not necessarily mutually exclusive – not even if you want to lose weight. The balance between a nutrient-poor and a nutrient-rich diet is decisive!

Allow yourself to find a middle ground that works for you. That way, you’ll get to your goal with much less stress.

By the way, intermittent fasting can help you find that middle ground and improve your relationship with food for the long term! By consciously taking breaks from eating, you learn to listen more to your needs and to appreciate your meals.

 

Interested in trying intermittent fasting? You can find your personal fasting plan, recipes tailored to your fasting lifestyle, motivating weekly tasks, daily coachings and much more in the BodyFast app.

BodyFast-intermittent-fasting-app-free-download

7 thoughts on “The Best Strategy for a More Relaxed Relationship with Food

  1. Kayleigh Reply

    I have just started fasting on the 16:8 plan I am a fussy eater and struggling with what to break my fast with.
    I confused about pasta as it would be my go to on healthy easting but reading all these groups pasta is not great because of the carb I’m stuck at what to eat help before i give up

    • Christian Mall Reply

      Hi Kayleigh, yes, breaking your fast with pasta is not the best choice since it will cause your blood sugar to shoot up. A better solution would be breaking your fast with a combination of protein and healthy fats. We wrote a blog article which contains many tips on how to best break your fast. You can check it out here: https://www.bodyfast.app/en/break-your-fast-right/ We wish you all the best on your fasting journey 😊

  2. Karen Reply

    Hi l have just started my plan 2 days ago, my main dinner would be veggies, chicken/salmon/meat and potatoes l have cut down on the potatoes l would have 2 small potatoes is this alright

    • Christian Mall Reply

      Hi Karen, during your eating period, you’re free to pretty much eat and drink whatever you want. But of course, if you keep your meals varied and healthy, you can achieve even better results. When it comes to determining the right serving size, we shared some tips in the following Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqWby6GsKNG/. Of course, this is just a general guideline and you can adjust this rule depending on your hunger, activity, and weight goals 😊

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