In my eating disorder counselling practice, I get asked multiple times a week about whether or not it is safe to eat certain foods. Clients will send messages with their dinner plans and ask if it is okay for them to eat that food or if what they are eating is too much. While I am of course here to provide support, I also think it is important to realize that one of the main jobs of recovery is to say yes to pretty much every food opportunity and option that comes your way and to train yourself to realize that food isn’t what hurts you.
In recovery, very little is actually about food, but on the flip side, each person needs to develop a healthy relationship with nourishing their bodies and supplying their body with the food it requires to live a positive, energetic life. The disorder, when in control, places endless restrictions on what is allowed vs what isn’t and what is safe vs. unsafe. These rules, generally, have nothing to do with nutrition (a registered dietician would almost never make those recommendations) and everything to do with the abusive role the disorder plays. While I understand that some people may have some preferences, for example not loving meat, overall one of your jobs in recovery is to recognize that the problem lies with the disordered rules, not the food itself.
My promise to you is that there is absolutely no food (with the exception of legitimate allergies) that will be even remotely as toxic and detrimental to your system and health as your disorder will be. So with that, try to practice saying yes a little bit more this week. Be brave. I assure you, nothing will be different about you tomorrow except for the fact that you just moved yourself closer to the freedom you are really seeking.
