Food can be such a complex topic. For some people, eating can be as simple as fueling your body with whatever sounds good a few times a day. Yet for others it is much more involved than that.
You may be familiar with the feeling of anxiety — whether you’ve experienced it just on occasion or more chronically. Yet you may not be aware of whether you are dealing with food anxiety specifically. But what exactly is food anxiety? And if you have it, what can you do about it?
Here we’ll be diving into all of that and more.
Food Anxiety: What it is & Why it Happens
Food anxiety is a term used to describe feelings of worry, guilt and/or fear surrounding food.
Note that this differs slightly from food noise, which refers to an internal mental dialogue about food (i.e persistent and often intrusive thoughts about food that are unrelated to hunger). Yet experiencing “food noise” can be a part of having food anxiety.
If you’re thinking these things sound similar to having an eating disorder, you’re not wrong. While food anxiety in and of itself is not a diagnosable eating disorder, it is often a symptom of other types of eating disorders — like anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Yet it’s also very possible to deal with food anxiety that is unrelated to any specific eating disorder.
Food anxiety can become a major issue as it often destroys a healthy relationship with food. Rather, food mostly becomes restrictive and stressful, not enjoyable.
Some of the reasons why you may have food anxiety include:
- You have an eating disorder, such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder.
- You suffer from disordered eating habits, even if it’s not officially diagnosed as an eating disorder.
- You have a genetic predisposition to addiction tendencies, which may make you “addicted” to food.
- You have significant food allergies and/or food intolerances that require severe restriction of certain foods.
- You suffer from negative digestive symptoms that make eating highly unpleasant.
- You suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, which may pass over to your relationship with food.
- You have an obsession with healthy eating, also known as “orthorexia.”
- You have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
- You’ve had an extremely negative experience with a particular food, which makes you fearful of eating it or being around it.
One extreme example of food anxiety occurs as part of the condition called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). ARFID is a diagnosable eating disorder that severely limits either the quantity and/or the variety of foods consumed. Yet unlike other eating disorders, this food avoidance isn’t related to fear or distress about body shape, size or weight. Rather, the selective eating caused by ARFID is caused by things like:
- A lack of interest in eating
- Severe sensory issues with food, such as strong reactions to taste, texture and/or smell of foods
- Fear of adverse consequences surrounding eating, such as choking or vomiting
It is estimated that about 0.5-5% of children and adults experience ARFID, and the disorder is most common in infancy and early childhood.
Food Anxiety: How to Heal
Like other eating disorders and disordered eating habits, healing from food anxiety is more of a mental shift rather than a dietary one. Here are some tips you can work on:
Obtain a diagnosis when possible
If your food anxiety is caused by severe digestive issues, for example, be diligent in pursuing an accurate diagnosis from a medical doctor. Getting an official diagnosis allows you to take your health into your own hands and can empower you towards healing. Once you know what you’re dealing with, you’ll better know how to treat it. This can ease a lot of food anxiety.
Keep a food journal
This can serve as a written inventory of both what you eat as well as how you feel about what you ate. Try to notice any tendencies to use extreme language, such as “good” or “bad” or whether you are assigning moral character to food like guilt or shame. Tracking your food and beliefs may also help you notice patterns about what foods you really do need to be avoiding and what foods you are actually safe to consume.
Trust that your food decisions are right for you
Food anxiety often stems from comparison to other people and/or a feeling of being left out of eating what other people are eating. You may feel like you need to conform to what the majority are eating and not trust your own instinct. Yet trusting yourself is key to being able to relax around food. Refuse to let other people dictate how you feel about food and simply make the decisions that you know are right for you.
Pursue food freedom
Food freedom is the opposite of food anxiety. While the definition of food freedom is somewhat fluid, some of its principles include:
- Ditching the diet mentality by eating without guilt or fear of judgment
- Believing that the food you eat does not define your self-worth
- Not striving to eat “perfectly” and rather recognizing that there is no perfect way to nourish your body
- Never labeling food as “good” or “bad” which is unhelpful and inaccurate
- Not engaging in unnecessary restrictive eating such as counting calories or strictly portioning food
- Never punishing yourself for eating differently than what you may have wanted
Seek professional help
You may likely benefit from working with a licensed therapist and/or a Registered Dietitian (RD) who specializes in dietary needs (e.g., gluten- or dairy-free). The right therapist can guide you in challenging your thoughts and fears about food. An RD may help you gain confidence in your ability to feed yourself right, despite any food limitations.
Remember that food can be your friend
Food doesn’t have to be your enemy. Even if you need to restrict certain foods for medical reasons, you are in control of how you label food in your mind. Think of food as medicine — a tool to help you heal and/or stay healthy — rather than as an evil thing you must avoid. And remember that you can enjoy food, too, just for the sake of doing so. Food is social and emotional, just as it is also a biological need.
In Summary
Food anxiety can be a real issue. And if you are currently dealing with it, you’re not alone. The good news is that you were not meant to live in constant stress over food. It is very possible to create a healthy relationship with food that surpasses any food anxiety you may be dealing with. Start by acknowledging your food anxiety, then take steps towards working through it. It will likely take time, but it will be worth it.
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