I have a really poor relationship with food. Growing up, my parents never enforced the idea of ‘eat your greens,’ and my mom was mostly focused on body shaming. I’m trying not to slip back into an ED spiral, as I’ve just gotten out of it, and I’m working on disciplining myself—something I was never really taught. I’ve read countless articles, but I’m still struggling to grasp what a balanced diet actually looks like. For example, if I have mostly fats and carbs for lunch, fruit as a midday snack, and protein for dinner, is that balanced? Or should I have a little bit of everything in each meal? And those percentages they mention in articles—how do you even figure those out? I naturally have a small appetite, and I find it really hard to eat as much as I’m ‘supposed’ to. Honestly, I’m clueless when it comes to balanced meals and would love some clarity.
In: Other
This is mostly an anecdote, but–
In my experience, eating a balanced diet means a few specific things.
– Eating WHEN you are hungry
– Eating until you are NO LONGER hungry
– Eating CONSISTENTLY
– Eating a little of EVERY group as much as you can
So, it’s okay if you can’t cram a veggie in for breakfast, if you had a little bit of protein, a little bit of carbs, and a little bit of fruit, that’s a HUGE start for your day and gives your body a *variety* of fuels and resources to help you.
I try to eat *at least* three meals per day (I also suffer from disordered eating, but we’re recovering together–I wish us both good luck!) but sometimes I can only manage two with a midday snack. And that’s okay! I keep some snacks at my desk, stuff like granola bars, cups of yogurt, dried fruit, peanuts, stuff I love *and* has the benefit of hitting one or more of the big important groups.
Another thing they don’t tell you is FIBER. Fiber isn’t a ‘food group’ in its own right, but fiber digests slowly, because it’s tough, and your body can’t fully break it down–but that’s OK! It helps you to *stay* full for longer, *and* helps with gut flora and digestive health.
Which is another little secret I’ve found! You can ‘train’ your gut biome to eat certain foods if you eat them consistently enough, which is why having a little of each group is so critical. It helps fuel your whole body, and gives your gut flora a smorgasbord to enjoy, which leads to a lot of side-benefits like regular bowel movement, as well as *help balance your appetite* which is so, so important.
I hope this helps demystify stuff, and GL on your recovery! o7
Latest Answers