5 Thoughts to Save You When Eating a Fear Food
When it comes to eating disorder recovery, your thoughts make a difference.
For those “normal eaters” out there, the title of this article may be confusing. What’s so scary about food? And, what in tarnation is a fear food?
You’re right. It does sound a little…unrealistic. Food couldn’t possibly be scary.
But!
For those struggling with an eating disorder, or even for those sucked into the chronic dieting vortex, certain foods can be scary. These foods, called fear foods, are usually blacklisted from one’s diet altogether and generally cause an immense amount of anxiety when reintroduced into someone’s diet.
According to Boston Children’s Hospital, fear food is defined as:
foods that make you feel afraid, anxious, or uncomfortable eating. The fear of food may come from irrational thoughts about how it impacts your body or weight or from negative memories of a food. Disordered thoughts (also called your eating disorder voice) can make you feel guilty, ashamed, or even disgusted when you do eat a fear food.
As an Eating Disorder Recovery Coach part of what I do is to help people expand the list of foods they allow themselves to eat. This includes eating fear foods…
