Episode 11: How do I add “fun foods” into my day?

In this week’s episode, Jessica is discussing the question: “How do I add fun foods into my day?”  The word “fun foods” is synonymous with labeling foods as “good” and “bad” which can idolize and give food morality. It is important to remember that there is nothing wrong with having these foods in our diet, and I would actually encourage it!

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Teaser

Often people's reaction or first reflex is to just say well I'm just going to cut them out and my body doesn't need cookies or my body doesn't need these quote-on-quote processed foods or it doesn't need sugar so maybe I can just live without it. 

Intro

Welcome to the Art and Science of eating. I'm Jessica Begg, registered dietitian and clinical counsellor. I worked for 15 years in programs for the treatment of eating disorders. I now help those that struggle with emotional eating and their relationship with their body. This podcast is where I answer questions to help people along this bumpy journey to creating peace with both food and their body. Hello and welcome to episode 11.

Podcast

I am really enjoying doing this podcast and I'm really enjoying listening to other podcasts as everybody else in this planet is probably doing. We're all listening to podcasts as they've been exploding. One of my favourites right now is called Smartless, L.E.S.S., and it has Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett and they have other comedians and celebrities on and it's just good funny listening. A friend of mine also suggests Poog, P.O.O.G.. I don't know if that's an acronym or maybe that's a new word that they've made up with Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak. It has more about wellness type stuff. I've actually only listened to the one episode called “The Bleed” which was really cute so I would suggest that one too but I'm really enjoying Smartless. I was just listening to the one with Martin Short and of course, Awesome Canadian comedian. 

This week's question for my podcast is how do I Implement fun Foods into my day. This actually came from a client within a session. We were talking about how to do this as she had been working on making sure that she was eating enough and we were using a lot of safe foods comfortable foods that she was happy to eat but then we were talking about how do we integrate these fun foods or often foods that had been felt like that they were taboo or that she shouldn't be eating but she enjoyed them. So how do we do it in a new and safe way to create new connections with these foods. Often people's reaction or first reflex is to just say while I'm just going to cut them out my body doesn't need cookies or my body doesn't need these quote-on-quote processed foods or it doesn't need sugar so maybe I can just live without it and in some sense it feels easier to just separate yourself or remove yourself from the whole situation. However by removing yourself from those foods you also remove yourself from the experiences that come with those foods, that often foods with sugar, come at celebration times that we have cake to celebrate or we have chips and popcorn at movies and we eat all sorts of fun and experiential type foods on vacation or going to another person's house for dinner but there's so many times where you will interact with fun foods and if you said no to it then you would be separating yourself from that experience. So how do we engage in it in a way that we can still experience all of those things plus having fun in our day-to-day lives? That was the question for this client is how do we now do that? Now that we've got her eating in a more consistent pattern more regularly eating well balanced meals once we figured out that whole hunger bit that dries eating how do we how do we add in the fun Foods so there was a couple of options that I suggested that maybe you could play around with too if you're at the similar stage is to do it in a new way is to find Safe ways so for example oftentimes nighttime eating is where these taboo foods might present themselves more often and people feel more out of control within them at  night time is then I would say bring them earlier on in the day have them planned in the afternoon so have them perhaps at work time or just planning a different time of the day will create a different connection where your brain can see oh I can interact with this food and I can do it in a different way and as soon as you create those new connections your brain start seeing oh it doesn't have to be like that old way. The planning component is really important too. I like being very intentional when adding in fun foods. Historically it has been just on a wham like I feel like eating this food so I'm just going to go for it which should be the case but when we're trying to create new connections. I like being kind of intentional about it by saying OK every afternoon I'm going to have a fun food so that your brain can know that it's not a surprise that I'm intentionally having in this fun food at that time at 3 o’clock in the afternoon or with this meal as dessert or some some sort of planned period of time it also could be with different people maybe these taboo foods are often eaten alone. I would encourage you to maybe find people to have it with so maybe having it at dessert time when you're having a meal with your partner or with your family or even when you're connecting with somebody that you might see during the day is having that fun food at that time cause then we start just getting it as a more connection thing like I'm sharing this at this time with this person which again just creates a new pattern with that food. if you can switch it up, then it creates like I said that new network see if there's any new ways that you can connect with these old foods so that you can still keep that enjoyment and that fun and the experience that fun foods provide for us. Let me know how it goes looking forward to hearing from you.

Connected Eating ad

This episode is brought to you by my new online group program connected eating where I help people that struggle with emotional eating from feeling out of control with food feeling not in alignment with how they want to care for their body and spending all of their time worrying about it but they've tried every diet and finally know that diets have claimed too much of their time but don't know where to go next this online group program has been built from my many years of helping people that struggle with food but now it's not just me to help through this process but also with the support of all sorts of other people that are working towards the same goals I have heard too many times that people think that they're the only ones that feel this way that they haven't spoken with anyone about the way that they eat or the way that they feel in their body, so I'm on a mission to create a community. You no longer need to feel alone, no longer feel ashamed thinking that you're the only one or that it's just you it's not you it's how diet culture has impacted all of us so similarly so come and join us come and learn from both me and other people moving towards happy eating and being comfortable in their body follow the link in the show notes and I'll see you in there.

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and information purposes only please consult your own healthcare team to discuss what is right for you and your care.