The idea of achieving full food freedom is complex and has its roots in numerous significant discussions. The concept of food freedom is not just a diet. Instead, it is the mentality of intuitively nourishing your body without thinking like your decisions are influenced by the “shoulds” that we frequently imbibe from diet culture.
For instance, you can convince yourself that it’s good to have burgers and pasta for lunch because you are not basing your worth on what or how much you consume. When you embrace food freedom, you aren’t really judgmental of yourself for this decision and realize that your body can be trusted to direct your food preferences.
Moving forward, munching with absolute disregard for wholesome foods is not food freedom. In simple terms, food freedom eliminates the idea that certain meals are “off limits” and promotes flexibility, variety, and pleasure. Food freedom also doesn’t really entail restricting yourself, returning to “normal” eating, and then returning to confinement if you start to feel like you’re “falling off the rails” or “losing track.”
Accepting food freedom is accepting the liberty to eat whatever you want and whenever you want, without any additional restrictions. All in all, food freedom is the practice of consuming meals in a manner that improves your life and is good for your body, mind, sentiments, soul, and culture.
Why Does Food Freedom Matter?
When our meal plan fails, it’s a direct blow to our subconscious since dieting can be extremely time-consuming, given the preparation, caloric intake, and self-control it necessitates.
This regret about nutritional failure at best has a detrimental effect on how an individual feels regarding oneself. But, Bellefleur says that it can also cause people to indulge in unhealthy habits like limiting, purging, or over-exercising to assuage the guilt. These actions are abnormal and have the potential to develop into very serious eating disorders.
According to Friedrichsen, MPPD, LMNT, RD, at the Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, Omaha, food freedom offers a viable alternative to dieting and all of its associated baggage. In the end, being flexible with our eating habits gives us much more liberty in other aspects of our lives.
You also can’t fail if you adopt a food freedom philosophy. According to Kathryn Coniglio, MS, a doctorate candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, eating something unusual doesn’t hold the same ability to make you feel so bad when food isn’t in the forefront of your consciousness. Technically speaking, you can never “slip up” when you have true freedom to consume whatever you want and whenever you want. Below are 6 reasons why food freedom matters. Have a look.
1. You start appreciating your body
Is shedding pounds a top priority for you? Do you regularly weigh yourself prior to and after meals? Have you maintained several diets despite having continual hunger and fatigue? Well, all of these symptoms of dietary restriction are ones that the majority of individuals experience.
The concept of food freedom leads people to abandon these routines. Instead, food freedom enables individuals to honor their bodies’ hunger signals. Given that you are in charge of your health and wellness, learning to respect your body is crucial.
- With food freedom, you are free to eat when you are hungry without needing to burn off the calories in a strenuous activity before or after.
- If your muscles are suffering and you need some rest, then yes, it’s acceptable to take one or two days off. Long-term harm is probably on the way if you exert or pressurize yourself further. Don’t let exercise turn into a punishment.
- Except when your weight is negatively harming your standard of health, you do not require to reduce weight. Diet culture is waiting to capitalize on your vulnerabilities. Hence, spend a moment to acknowledge everything that your body is doing to maintain your well-being particularly in these tough times.
2. You mend your relationship with food
Phrases from diet culture like “earning food,” “cheat meal,” and “clean eating” simply exacerbate the already troubled connection with food. Many people have engaged in multiple quiet conflicts with food, which have resulted in disordered eating, dangerous diet cycles, and eating-related shame. By promoting food freedom, individuals can begin to heal from their painful past experiences and transform their relationship with food such that they see it as gratifying and fulfilling. Despite the fact that food fearing is constant, exercising food freedom will enable you to be brave and secure in your relationship with food.
3. You understand that every food fits well!
A term that is essential to our practice! No food is entirely “good” or “evil,”. Hence, it is important that you understand that all foods are equally fit and healthy. When food is given such labels, the majority of individuals develop symptoms of orthorexia, also known as an unhealthy fixation with “clean and good” eating.
This also applies to the ethnic foods that have consistently fit into a healthy diet and will continue to do so. Even though they lack nutrition, foods that are heavy in salt, sugar, and saturated fat are undoubtedly suitable for bringing satisfaction and fulfillment. As a result of food freedom, people realize that the importance of frequency of eating should be prioritized over good and bad. Instead, you can go grab that bar of chocolate or ice cream if you occasionally want it. Bear in mind that food cravings become stronger when you try to resist having it.
4. You learn to repeatedly trust your body
Dieting encourages us to tune out of our own bodies. This is absolutely what it implies if you’ve ever used a timer to keep track of when you’re allowed to eat again. By embracing food freedom, you can start to rebuild the trust in your body and realize that it is capable of recognizing when you are hungry and full.
However, regaining this trust is difficult. Especially in a society where we are constantly reminded that other people, things, or programs are better for our bodies than we are, food restrictions have become common. In fact, after years of disregarding your appetite and fullness cues, it may seem impossible to finish a jigsaw with only half the parts present. However, they are not lost. Rather, they have just been dragged beneath the couch, where you must use a torch to find and retrieve them.
Food freedom requires taking your time, paying attention towards how your body responds before, throughout, and after eating, and being extremely deliberate about acting on those signs. Trusting your body’s signals regarding eating is completely worthwhile in the long run and food freedom creates this path for you.
5. You adopt patience and forgiveness towards yourself
This is a dual side of food freedom, however when it concerns giving up dieting, you can’t talk about one without mentioning the other. Diets are designed to fail because they educate you to quit worrying about yourself and to quit listening to yourself. You come to understand that it is your fault if you don’t succeed in your goal to lose weight and become smaller. You punish yourself for failing every time because nothing you accomplish is ever good enough. When it comes to food freedom, you can eventually affirm kindness to yourself.
You start to give consideration to the way the food you consume affects your body, how it leaves you feeling, how it tastes and even if you are enjoying it or not. As you attempt to achieve food freedom, you have the opportunity to pardon yourself, to come to terms with your earlier food habits and choices, and to mend your eating patterns along with your mindset.
6. You get to know yourself
Understanding oneself is perhaps the most thrilling aspect of food freedom. Do you enjoy skinless or unseasoned broiled chicken breast? Do you require 2-3 meals per day? What does it feel like to consume too much food? How does it feel to accept that you are consuming excess food? Well, you will certainly come to know yourself if you aim towards food freedom. The biggest kick you could ever offer the typical diet culture as you work your way out of it is to get intimately comfortable with who you truly are.
Wrapping It Up
Food is gratifying and sustaining. In a nutshell, food freedom challenges diet culture’s ideas and improves our interactions with food and our bodies. The ultimate decision to choose food independence will bring relief and satisfaction among all the food-related fear mongering! Start embracing food freedom today and create the change you want to bring!