When people go through eating disorder recovery they often go through a phase of eating their former fear foods or the foods they once deemed as “unhealthy” or “bad”.
To fully recover it’s crucial to heal your relationship with all foods and overcome the mindset of “healthy vs unhealthy” food.
But many people also know that eating “healthy” foods like fruits, veggies, whole foods etc is generally good for you and does not necessarily result in an eating disorder unless you become obsessive with it and have an unhealthy mindset around it.
So how does “healthy eating” fit into intuitive eating?
As you know I came from orthorexia and had an obsession with healthy eating. I had this ingrained “good and bad food” mindset that was very restrictive.
So in recovery, I had to make peace with all foods and unconditionally allow especially the foods I had been restricting and controlling.
But of course, I had a fear that “once I allow them I will never stop eating them”. But it did NOT turn out to be true!
Actually, by allowing all foods unconditionally those former “trigger foods” lost all their power over me and now I eat them normally. I no longer binge on those foods or obsess over them. I am FREE.
I eat whatever I want. But without the obsession. I also eat “healthy foods” like fruits, veggies, whole foods. But it’s a totally different mindset.
Once you have a healthy mindset and no longer think of foods as either “good or bad”, you no longer restrict anything, then “healthy” foods will also naturally be part of intuitive eating without it turning into an eating disorder.
So it is all about healing your MINDSET around food!
So what is my mindset with healthy foods now?
- I eat everything and anything I want.
- “Healthy eating” is not only about food but also about a healthy mindset.
- “Healthy eating” also supports your mental health, social health etc.
- There is no “all or nothing” kind of thinking. If I eat a “healthy” salad I can also finish it with a creamy fudgy chocolate cake!
- The “best” food to eat is what satisfies me at the moment. And this varies every day.
- There are no labels. All food is equal and neutral.
- There is no thinking what I “should be eating” but rather “what do I really feel like eating?”
These are some examples of my mindset with “healthy eating” now as I am an intuitive eater and have fully recovered from orthorexia.
Know that it IS possible to restore a normal relationship with “healthy foods” after overcoming orthorexia.
This weekend I visited my good friend Mariin at her eco-farm here in Estonia. She also overcame orthorexia many years ago and is now free! I had a chat with her about “healthy eating” vs intuitive eating and what is her midset now.
