By Lisa J. Marcus, LMSW, HHC, Brennan Healer
Freedom from food issues is something many people in our culture strive for. As with any addiction or problem, with food issues, we become a slave to our projections, guilt, shame and dis-ordered relationship to the very thing which can also nourish us. And unlike other addictions, where our bodies can function without the substance (though it may seem we CAN NOT live without coffee, cigarettes, alcohol), with food issues, we truly must learn to relate differently.
In addition to the ‘diagnosed’ eating disorders in our culture, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia and Binge eating, here are some other ways struggles with food show up in our lives:
Of course, it is reasonable to be aware of how much and the types of fats we consume, to get excited and sometimes picky about food choices, to make reasonable efforts to maintain a body that we feel good in.
To readers, this list may look like ourselves and everyone we know, so common place in our culture is dieting, fear of fat, doing more, faster and wanting to look like the folks we see in magazine. But this is not normal or as nature intended. Do you see bears discussing the Atkins plan, counting calories or grams of fat?
So be aware to the ways your relationship with food is unduly influenced by current cultural perceptions and rigid and inflexible beliefs about food. Awareness is the key to healing and making changes in becoming a food libertarian – one who experiences space and freedom around food!