3 tips for eating fear foods in recovery.  

Overcoming fear foods can be one of the most stressful parts of ED recovery. I like to describe it as if you have a fear of snakes, it is just like head-first diving in a pit full of them.  

It certainly was for me.  

10 years ago, I would never have been able to eat pizza, cake, chocolate, and pancakes, and if I did eat them, it wasn’t without extreme guilt, shame and some level of compensation to at least bring ease to the eating disorder voice.

Fast forward to now and on a recent holiday to New York, I ate pizza and buttery pancakes with pure content and happiness, savouring every bite. Something I never would have believed was possible nor was able to do when living there in the peak of illness back in the early 10s. 

It isn’t easy though, navigating life’s challenges and the triggers for not eating your fear foods is tough, but you are stronger than you think. It is time to find that comfort in discomfort. Something Yoga continues to teach me daily.  

Here are 3 common hurdles and tips to help you eat your fear foods in recovery. 

Hurdle 1- Lack of purpose. 

You don’t want to eat these foods because you’re thinking “What is the point”. In recovery, getting to know yourself and your purpose will help in wanting to get the best out of life, without this, it’s hard to move forward. Be patient with yourself, many of you go through what you go through because you are destined for big paths, so it is ok to not know right away. After all, having anorexia was my means of not wanting to engage in mundane living.  

Tip 1-  Find Your Purpose. 

Imagine what your life would look like if you were free from all food fears and restrictions. 

Take a deep breath, feel into your body yes the one we often ignore and answer the following. 

1). What will life look like when you are free from all food fears? 

2).  What would you be doing if you didn’t worry about food all the time? 

3). What have your food fears been holding you back from doing? 

Here are some ideas that might help you. 

• Spontaneous pizza nights or dinners out without worrying about the calories. 
• Being present and connecting with your loved ones again, so that you can have a conversation without thinking about food non-stop. 
• Ordering the burger and chips you wanted, rather than the salad with the dressing on the side. 
• Not constantly obsessing or worrying about food anymore so that you have the headspace to do other things. 

Finding your purpose will help you take the first step, make this your reason WHY. 

Hurdle 2 – Feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start.

It can become very overwhelming when you have an eating disorder deciding what to eat and how to start, and due to the conflict and piercing voice of the ED, it can be easy to let it win and not try altogether. The number of days I battled with this is absolutely countless.   

Tip 2 – Write a list of your fear foods and choose 1 to start with. 

Contrary to what people might think about eating disorders is that people that might experience one, do not like food. That was not the case for me I LOVED food except I was terrified of it and what I thought it might do to me. I had a massive fear that I would gain weight and for some reason, I was cursed. I dreamed of being able to eat chocolate and ultimately a balanced intake. 

Eating disorders bring FOMO (fear of missing out) and in all totality, it is the truth. I was big into journalling and writing during my recovery so instead of ruminating over obsessive food thoughts due to starvation, I decided to take action and write down what I was missing out on and what life would look like beyond an eating disorder. I’ve always found visualising and manifesting powerful in my life and it wasn’t until during my eating disorder recovery I realised just how powerful intention can be.  

I created a fear food list and decided one day I would be well enough to eat them. I started small and I would take my Mum on challenges occasionally however it was a lot of trial and error which helped me overcome perfectionism. Sometimes I would gravitate towards one specific food for a while until I was so used to it that it almost became boring and so natural to include in my eating.  

Starting small can help stop you from getting stuck and you might not get it right, I didn’t right away, but to make this even more achievable you need a plan of action which brings me on to hurdle 3. 

Hurdle 3- Not Having a Routine: It is essential to establish a routine until you get comfortable. This allows you to stay focused and committed to eating your fear foods even when you are not particularly “feeling it”.  For me, I had to set an alarm reminder for every meal and snack. I was never really enthused about eating and could think of every excuse in the book to do so, but doing this, kept me accountable. By using the SMART goal method, it can help you stick to your goals and take action. With this in mind, it is ok not to be perfect and know that the magic, freedom and spontaneity that comes from recovery is going to come completely by knowing what is best for you in time. This is just to get you started.  

Tip 3.- Use the SMART method. 

Specific- Identify the fear food from your list that you want to try and stick with it. 

Measurable – Use a journal to reflect on the experience. Ask yourself: 

• How do I feel after eating? Etc am I anxious? Am I jittery? Am I feeling grounded? 

• What did I like about this experience? What didn’t I like about it? 

• What are my initial thoughts after eating? Etc I need to exercise, I am enjoying this  

Achievable – Start with 1 fear food, or whatever is more achievable for you. 

Relevant- By challenging your fear foods weekly you will feel more confident each week which will get you closer to your recovery goals. 

Timed-based– Sticking to a weekly goal will keep you on track. 

Eating your list of food fears can be hard, but having a plan will help you overcome them. 

Wrap up. 

Even though the above steps will help you eat your fear foods, this doesn’t stop the feelings of guilt and shame that may arise.   

If the guilt becomes overwhelming, please remember this. 

• It’s okay to eat and all food has its place.  
•  The feeling of discomfort will soon pass. 
• Learn to embrace and be with the feeling over time. 
• Look at food as essential to FUNCTION, not the enemy. 
• If having a bad body image day from food guilt remember to dress in loose clothing. AVOID the scales. 
• When you deal you heal, when you let go you grow. 

When you practice eating your fear foods over and over you start to create a new and healthy habit in which your body and mind will start to trust and renourish again. 

I’m here to support you all the way.  Work with me