The emotions of food
We can experience many feelings around eating and drinking
WRITTEN BY GREG HARRIS
ILLUSTRATED BY MICHAEL BYERS
We all have a relationship with food.
It’s a necessity of life that nourishes us.
It may also bring us joy as it can delight
the senses and stir pleasurable emotions.
Some people may have an unhealthy
relationship with food that can trap them
in an emotional cycle of anxiety and
shame.
KEEP IN MIND
You can improve your relationship with food by eating mindfully, breathing deeply and understanding your eating habits.
“One estimate I’ve seen is that as much
as 65 per cent of the population has some
dissatisfaction in the way they manage
their eating,” says Mallory Becker, an
Edmonton-based registered psychologist
with an interest in eating disorders.
“This can range from life-threatening
conditions such as anorexia nervosa, to
situations where people feel a lot of guilt
about missing the eating goals they’ve
set for themselves. They get caught up in
an idealized picture of what they think
they should be doing, then crash when
they’ve failed to meet those unrealistic
goals.”
No matter how good your intentions