Why we all need Food Freedom & how you know when you’ve got it
The term ‘food freedom’ is becoming more widely used in the nutrition and wellbeing sphere. In this blog, we’re going to explore what the concept really means, why it is something to aspire to, and how to know if you have it.
The reality is we all need to eat on a daily basis for our survival. So of course we can’t have total freedom or ‘escape’ from food (and if we could, we might be missing out on what is potentially one of the most enjoyable aspects of life!).
But food freedom is, in essence, about having a flexible, peaceful relationship with food - and also your body as the two tend to go hand-in-hand. It means that broadly your tendency is to eat in a way that feels good to you both mentally and physically, and is in alignment with your personal values.
However, Food Freedom can mean different things to different people I work with at different times.
What could Food Freedom look like for you?
Freedom from exhausting food thoughts, fears or body criticism
If the way you relate to food or your body is troubling or over-whelming, you feel guilty, confused or anxious around the choices you’re making and worrying about how your body is going to react, whether that be down to body weight concerns or even symptoms you may experience, the associated mental chatter can be stress-inducing and exhausting.
What’s more, being hooked by these thoughts may be leading to compulsive, negative behaviours around food such as chronic dieting, over-eating or bingeing, emotional eating or following highly restrictive or punishing regimes in the pursuit of wellness.
If this sounds like you, finding food freedom may be about changing how you relate to your thoughts about food and your body, breaking old cycles of self-defeating behaviour, taking power back diet culture, or no longer allowing restrictive food rules to determine what you do and do not eat.
It means feeling freer and easier around food, with unconditional permission to eat all foods on your own terms. And it’s about the life you gain when drop the struggle with food and your body,
Freedom from frustrating symptoms
Many of the mild niggling symptoms we can experience are subtle signs the body is out of balance. They are hints to make some adjustments to press pause, or make some tweaks to our diet or lifestyle. But, for many reasons, sometimes the body loses its ability to adapt, disease states can develop and symptoms become more serious or chronic.
If you’re struggling with physical discomfort, exhaustion, digestive distress or have diagnosed conditions impacting your health and quality of life, then food and body freedom for you may be about gently exploring empowering nutritional or lifestyle strategies or other natural approaches to help you rebalance your health and better manage, perhaps even alleviate, some of the more avoidable symptoms.
It may also be about better listening to your body, and building confidence in how you’re nourishing your body for your personal needs.
Do you have Food Freedom? 7 revealing questions to ask yourself
So, if what we all need is food freedom, and perhaps even (re-)discovering the enjoyment of one of life’s simple pleasures along the way, then how do you know if you have it? The special things about it is that it’s not something you strive for through acts to moderate or balance your diet. It’s just what flows as a result of a more intuitive, connected approach to food and eating, your body and emotions.
Here are some questions to ask yourself which will give you insights into your current relationship with food and your body:
Can you easily unhook from any unhelpful mental chatter about food, and consistently and adequately nourish your body in a way that is unrestricted by food rules related to dieting pressure, wellness overdrive or unrealistic societal body ideals?
Do you have enough skills, resources or respite to effectively handle the stress of your life-load or challenging or difficult emotions, without using food as pacifier, or letting stress get the better of your health?
Do you feel attuned with your body and the signals it’s giving you? This means feeling in touch with and attending to your body’s need for self-care, and might include honouring hunger and fullness signals or gut feelings.
Are you compassionate with yourself? This means that you tend to side with your inner care-taker rather your inner critic, and your self-care and exercise feel like joyful acts of kindness, rather than necessary evils.
Do you feel confident around knowing how to make nutrition work for you? Eating for health can feel complex or overwhelming, but by incorporating variety, pleasure and satisfaction alongside meaningful and manageable nutritional strategies for health, it’s possible to mindfully and flexibly connect with nutrition in a way that feels authentic to you.
Do you sleep soundly and feel adequately rested? Having enough R&R elevates your general mood, energy, focus, improves your gut health, and strengthens the connection with your intuition or inner wisdom to help you make the best food and life choices for you.
Do you feel connected to the natural world around us, or the larger meaning to life? Our mind-body energy is easily replenished when we feel inspired by life or feel connected to the rhythms which run us, and we can even find connection with more spiritual aspects to the food on our plates.
Finding Food Freedom
I hope this blog post has been helpful in opening up your thinking around the concept of food freedom and what it means to you.
If you feel like your relationship to food and your body is a struggle, trust that you can find an easier, more peaceful way, where your mind, body and food feel more attuned and aligned.
It can take a little time to unlearn or unhook from old ways of thinking or habits and discover how to make nutrition and eating work for us as individuals, but I would love to help show you the way.
Next steps
Do you struggle in your relationship to food? Would you benefit a fresh approach to eating that helps you take care of both your health and your emotional wellbeing?
My personalised approach brings together nutritional therapy with coaching in intuitive eating and behaviour change to help people eat and live more ease, energy and enjoyment.
Please check out my Reconnect programme here, or contact me for an exploratory chat to find out more about how I can help you.
