Such an important topic. Thanks for this piece, Vanessa. Food is the equivalent of love and connection in infancy and childhood. And for some people, this is one of the reasons food becomes a way of coping. It’s, of course, more complex than what I just said but I think it’s always useful to see the complexities of why people do what they do before offering one-size-fits-all solutions.
My coteacher (we currently have 8 babies in the infant room of the preschool we work at) is on Mounjaro after getting diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes earlier this year, and honestly she never really ate all that much before really, but she did treat herself to Starbucks white mocha Frappuccinos here and there and now she has no appetite to drink them. The side effects have been tough on her stomach, and it just doesn’t seem like she’s able to enjoy the little treats as much (we tend to get candy around the holidays from parents).
I had an eating disorder that started when I was 11 (and I did talk to my first therapist in grad school about a lot of the residual issues that go with that despite having “recovered” after a relapse at age 22), so I am very aware of my relationship with food. I tend to want to restrict food when I am anxious and feel out of control, but I also want to treat myself when I feel bad (it’s not a coincidence that I gained back some of the weight I had lost postpartum after I started going to Starbucks more when I couldn’t sleep after I had a second miscarriage when my daughter was 1.5- my miscarriage was a missed miscarriage so it took nearly two months before it resolved). I am extremely aware of my relationship with food, but I also refuse to let diet culture make me feel like it’s wrong to have treats sometimes. I mostly eat what’s provided at school, and my husband cooks the majority of our dinners (my sister-in-law also has clients she meal preps for, and since she lives down the street we get some of her extra leftovers too). My 5 year old daughter is always watching me and listening to everything I say so I am extremely careful about how I talk about my body and eating- she talks about listening to her body so I know something is sinking in.
There’s just so much to say on this topic and our social conditioning around food, particularly for women, is heartbreaking. I’m a psychologist also and food anxiety is an issue for almost every one of my clients (of all genders, none of whom are overweight). I struggled myself with an eating disorder and although now ‘recovered’, I’m still haunted by lingering ghosts. I can only dream of the freedom and time we’d get back if we didn’t set so many rules and expectations around food.
I couldn't agree more. Food is not 'bad' or 'good'. It's just helpful for our bodies or not as helpful and so it's better to have the latter in moderation.
Such an important topic. Thanks for this piece, Vanessa. Food is the equivalent of love and connection in infancy and childhood. And for some people, this is one of the reasons food becomes a way of coping. It’s, of course, more complex than what I just said but I think it’s always useful to see the complexities of why people do what they do before offering one-size-fits-all solutions.
Thanks Selda! Very true. We are so much more than physically nourished by food.
My coteacher (we currently have 8 babies in the infant room of the preschool we work at) is on Mounjaro after getting diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes earlier this year, and honestly she never really ate all that much before really, but she did treat herself to Starbucks white mocha Frappuccinos here and there and now she has no appetite to drink them. The side effects have been tough on her stomach, and it just doesn’t seem like she’s able to enjoy the little treats as much (we tend to get candy around the holidays from parents).
I had an eating disorder that started when I was 11 (and I did talk to my first therapist in grad school about a lot of the residual issues that go with that despite having “recovered” after a relapse at age 22), so I am very aware of my relationship with food. I tend to want to restrict food when I am anxious and feel out of control, but I also want to treat myself when I feel bad (it’s not a coincidence that I gained back some of the weight I had lost postpartum after I started going to Starbucks more when I couldn’t sleep after I had a second miscarriage when my daughter was 1.5- my miscarriage was a missed miscarriage so it took nearly two months before it resolved). I am extremely aware of my relationship with food, but I also refuse to let diet culture make me feel like it’s wrong to have treats sometimes. I mostly eat what’s provided at school, and my husband cooks the majority of our dinners (my sister-in-law also has clients she meal preps for, and since she lives down the street we get some of her extra leftovers too). My 5 year old daughter is always watching me and listening to everything I say so I am extremely careful about how I talk about my body and eating- she talks about listening to her body so I know something is sinking in.
Your daughter is lucky you know the pitfalls of buying into the pressures of diet culture!
Brilliant.
Thanks Hannah! Diet culture gets especially vicious around the new year!
There’s just so much to say on this topic and our social conditioning around food, particularly for women, is heartbreaking. I’m a psychologist also and food anxiety is an issue for almost every one of my clients (of all genders, none of whom are overweight). I struggled myself with an eating disorder and although now ‘recovered’, I’m still haunted by lingering ghosts. I can only dream of the freedom and time we’d get back if we didn’t set so many rules and expectations around food.
I couldn't agree more. Food is not 'bad' or 'good'. It's just helpful for our bodies or not as helpful and so it's better to have the latter in moderation.