How To Start Breaking Food Fears and Start Eating Your Fear Foods

How do you actually start letting go of your fears and eat something that you've been really afraid of?

Many of us have the fear that if we eat a certain thing (or things), one or all of the following will happen:

We're going to get sick
We're going to gain weight overnight
We're somehow a bad person for eating it.

So, we decide that we will never touch this food that we thought is bad for us.

In my opinion, there really are some real reasons to avoid certain foods:

You have a medical condition, such as diabetes or other insulin/blood sugar regulation issue, food intolerance, allergy etc
It doesn't make you feel good — gives you poor energy, bloating, fatigue etc.

Other than that? Most food rules are made up, meaning, we don't actually have any problems with them but we simply believe that we have to avoid them, which then causes stress, fatigue and even nutrient deficiencies and binge eating.

Watch the video below to see what you have to know, if you want to start practicing food freedom and stop having food fears. If you prefer to read, there's a recap below the video.

Here are the steps to start eating your fear foods:

Take Opposite Action

Understand that no single food or nutrient can cause you harm (food intolerances, excluded, as I mentioned earlier). You can eat your ice cream, you can eat your bagel, you can eat your chips. Nothing bad will happen to you. Once you let go of that fear in your head, your body will handle it perfectly.

So, every time your Inner Mean Girl wants to say No! You're not getting it! You're going to take opposite action. This is the magic.

You don't have to try seven different foods all at one. Some of my clients have 1-2 new foods a week. Others proceed faster and are able to try a new food every day. It depends on the pace that's comfortable for you. Faster steps yield to faster results, but every step in the right direction moves you forward.

Put Yourself Into Uncomfortable Situations

Putting yourself into uncomfortable situations can mean things like going out to a restaurant and ordering a food without knowing what the exact calories look like or what the exact ingredients are. Or, it can mean practicing the same thing by going to a friend's house and having a dinner with them. Or, eating some new foods at a potluck.

Find these opportunities to practice! Get uncomfortable but also enjoy the newly found freedom. This is how you change.

Allow Yourself to Eat More Variety

Eating the same things over and over is not only boring, it can also set you up for some nutrient deficiencies. I worked with a client whose skin rash completely went away after we started eating more different foods.

Of course, it's okay to have your favorites that you eat on a weekly basis. But if your breakfast, lunch and dinner look the same month after month, this is unhealthy and can cause your body become deficient in nutrients.

That way, introducing some “fear foods” will do two things: Give you the mental freedom, but also healing your body physically.

Do you have any questions about how to start eating fear foods?

If you're ready to let go of food fears, heal your body and mind from restriction and find a good balance with food (that is not over- or under eating!), get in touch here. I'm happy to help you.