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You and Food

V

violaine

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What's your relationship to food?


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I once heard someone described as a casual eater. Food was not a big deal to her. I forget to eat sometimes, I don't overeat but my relationship to food has never been casual. I'm acutely aware. I can feel the effects of something I've ingested almost immediately.

Been through all kinds of phases - strict vegetarian, now I can't get enough meat. Fish used to make me gag but I've eaten it twice this week already. Dairy is something I couldn't do without but after experimenting with my diet I discovered I'm really allergic to it.

(I really think there is a correlation between inadequate breastfeeding and dairy love. I think I've heard it called "mouth-hunger" though that covers other cravings too.)

Anyway, interested in hearing about others diet and food quirks and relationship to food. Do you think about it? I read somewhere else that people with a casual attitude to food are more likely to have healthy body weight. Makes sense to me.
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V

violaine

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Oh and btw, giving up dairy, the thing I was allergic to affected me in such a way that I dropped a dress size within about two weeks. I have always had a pretty stable weight and this was really extreme. I wonder if anyone else has experienced something similar.
 

Udog

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I used junk food as a form of self-medication during a very stressful period of my life. It's funny how I never found veggies, fruits, and grilled chicken to be very self medicating... it was always the high sugar and fatty stuff.

Anyways, I've been doing much better the past 3 months. I'll still occasionally eat too much or go for a snack, but I'm seeing it as far more utilitarian than I used to. It's something that I consume when my body gets hungry enough, and I generally avoid foods that taste "too good".
 

Unkindloving

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Food is a big part of my life, even when I am making the effort to eat well. Every other thought is on when I'll eat, what I'll eat, how relatively nutritional it is, if it puts me far below or just right with caloric intake. etc blahdiblah.
When I'm not eating well, the cravings for constant bad food take over. I'm not a food-aholic, but I need to know what I am putting in my body and when, or else I'll fall to pieces in that regard.

Over the past 4 1/2 months, I've been making the effort to eat much better things. I refuse to deprive myself of foods I love or really deep-rooted cravings I have if they fit into my intake. I'm 'laxed about it, but efficient :huh:.

I have friends who have terrible relationships with food and feel guilty for allowing themselves an ounce of food-happiness. That's what I strive to never, ever feel. The second I beat myself up for eating something rewarding after eating well continously is the second that I'll be doing it wrong.
 

Thalassa

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I've always had a relationship with food, and by that I remember even as a very young adolescent - maybe 11, 12 - being conscious of wanting to eat healthy cereal and yogurt and turkey sandwiches, or whatever. But then I actually went through a disordered eating phase throughout my teens (it will be less calories if I put orange juice on my bran flakes, green beans are okay for dinner, what will happen if I don't eat for two days, I even tried making myself throw up a few times but fortunately I don't enjoy suffering enough for it to have stuck THANK GOD) ... then I went through a phase as a young adult with my own money realizing I could afford all of this "expensive" food like crab legs, oysters, sushi, etc. because I was a dancer and made large amounts of cash almost daily.

I like food. At different points in my life I've overeaten, at other points I've under-eaten, but I can't fathom being someone who "forgets to eat" or who will "just eat whatever." My ex used to say, "how come it can't ever be a bologna sandwich with you? it always has to be something SPECIFIC and NICE that you want to eat."

That's not the truth, because I know how to survive on a very low food budget when I'm poor (oatmeal, eggs, ramen, beans, peanut butter, bread), but I always do put a large amount of thought into what I'm eating.

I've been on low-carb diets, I've even been vegan for a month or two here and there.

I also love to cook, and people tell me I'm quite good at it. I'd like to be as good of a cook as my mother.

So yes, I have a pretty serious relationship with food, but I hope it's healthier at this point in my life than it has been at other times.
 

Amethyst

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I have a very strange relationship with food...as it changes quite frequently.

I'd probably say that it started getting unhealthy when I was forced to go on a strict diet (I needed to make weight, and it is really hard for me to weigh under 130 lb or 59kg with having a substantial amount of muscle mass).

I'd start missing particular foods where once I could start eating normally again I would binge eat those foods, and just live off of them.

I'm still the same way with some things...recently I've been seeking a large amount of comfort foods that normally I would loathe eating (McDonalds and shit), but I have a clever way to fight off bad urges. Whenever I get my period, I have terrible cramps. I trick my body into thinking feeling like shit is related to eating shit, so then I ward off from eating such stuff for quite some time.

Foods that I rarely have I'm also the same way with, but I binge. If someone offers me grilled shrimp or apple pie, I will eat very large quantities until I am full. It gets unhealthy, but I'm better with it.

Other than those problems, I eat when I can, what I can, but only when I am hungry...I'll only munch on a small candy treat or snack if I'm not hungry.
 

Lady_X

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i'm not sure what you mean by casual or if that's what i am...probably not...i do forget to eat sometimes and i don't think about food often but i often like to think of the most perfect yummy thing that i want at that moment..i like to put together delicious meals n stuff...sometimes....other times i just feel hungry and it feels like an inconvenience that i have to now think of something i want to eat.

and...i like to snack...i would prefer and often do just kind of graze on things...some fruit in the morning...yougurt a bit later...maybe some eggs or cereal...then maybe some soup around lunch...maybe a bit later i'm hungry again and i'll have some cheese and crackers...and on and on like that...but not always.

wow...i keep boring myself even with these posts...this can't be interesting can it? haha
 

Patches

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I'm a picky eater. I don't really eat red meat, I'm lactose intolerant, and there are a lot of foods I dislike. I'm really bad about eating consistently. I forget to eat breakfast a lot, and this post actually made me realize that I skipped dinner tonight. I'm really indecisive at restaurants and my significant other has to order for me because I can never make a choice.

When I get stressed out I eat fatty/junk foods for comfort.
 

rav3n

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As a very selective eater, if food isn't well prepared, I'd rather not eat it. One real meal a day is enough for me, where the rest of the time I graze on fruit, vegetables, nuts and other healthy snacks. Don't like junk or fast food.

I also forget to eat quite often and notice it when my hands get shaky or my brain has slowed down.

Food's not a reward or comforting. It's enjoyable when necessary.
 
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I confess that when people say that they forget to eat, I can't even comprehend that. For me that would be like forgetting to breathe or forgetting to go to the bathroom. Doesn't hunger remind you that you need to eat? I'm certainly not one to throw stones, I'm a terrible eater. I just simply can't grasp the concept.

I'm very overweight. I have a sedentary job and I overeat. I'm a pretty serious amateur cook and food is one of life's great pleasures for me. Unfortunately, because of the hours I work it becomes one of life's only pleasures, and I overindulge. I eat to feel good and I overdo it. I think that if I were ever introduced to drugs, I might become an addict.

I would like to lose weight, but the pull of food is too great. In addition, as someone who loves to cook it feels like changing to a very healthy diet would be like painting with only two or three colors. I think that the best path for me might be to stuff myself with vegetables and other healthy foods so that I am too full to eat things that are bad for me. The problem is that when faced with a choice of food I don't love and not eating at all, I always choose not eating at all.
 

Lady_X

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well i don't always feel hungry...sometimes i just get shaky and light headed and realize that i haven't eaten...and then i eat..but other times i get super hungry...i don't know why or what that is...but yeah...without those those hunger pangs sometimes i just get busy and forget.
 

rav3n

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Does anyone else get bored of food? That's why the selectiveness. I love to cook but hate feeling bloated and weighed down by eating too much. The minute I feel reasonably full is the time I most often stop eating, no matter how much is left on the plate or how good it tastes.
 

niffer

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I'm pretty okay with food. I mean aside from how I used to (and sometimes still do) abuse it to release emotions/ED stuff etc. I used to binge and purge thousands upon thousands of calories of food 3 to 5 times a day every day for weeks at a time. I would say this is more related to my mental/body image/how I view myself as a part of society issue than a me vs. food relationship issue though. It's hard to say because on one hand my body and reactions to food are pretty much normal if I want them to be imo, but on the other hand food represents certain things in my life - though what these things are I am not exactly certain about. So I have/do sometimes use food as an indirect way to express myself. I remember there was a point in my life where I admitted to my counselor that purging felt better than crying. How often do you come across something in life that seems like it could function like a "rewind button" for your actions? It's like how people wash their hands after doing something they feel guilty about, as if to wash away their inner feelings of disgust by outwardly washing dirt away. It also represents a "taboo" - wasting food, overeating, making yourself puke, hurting yourself - these are all things people discourage you from doing. And when you do it, it sort of makes you feel like you're breaking free from these expectations and recommendations to you from others. It is also a way to divert your attention from other forms of pain that you are feeling, to be able to focus on the physical pain. It's like any other addiction that you know destroys you every time you engage in it - cutting, stealing, overgambling, alcohol abuse. You get a rush from doing it, but the feeling you get, the addiction - it's not part of who you are. It reflects a part of how you function and respond to your environment, but I would not consider it an innate part of one's personality.

My food allergies/complications:
MSG, and aspartame if in large enough amounts (for example a piece of gum won't but a bottle of diet coke will) give me severe headaches for the rest of the day and diarrhea as well. If I eat ground hamburger-style of processed beef, I will immediately become very nauseous and proceed to vomit AND/OR have hours of painful diarrhea if I choose to ingest it. I can eat steak and normal sliced beef no problem, but for some reason even hamburger patties from high-end restaurants have this effect on me. This also happens to me if I eat hotdog-type pork, but to a bit of a lesser degree. In general however I am not a fan of pork because I dislike the way it smells, and I especially hate bacon because it looks like scabs to me. I am not extremely lactose intolerant, and sometimes I accidentally or once in a while decide to eat dairy. But in general I tend to avoid it because it makes me FART LIKE CRAZY, and these farts smell really reallllly bad. It also makes me bloat and have gastrointestinal pain. If I drink dairy on an empty stomach I will feel absolutely awful. It won't make me vomit, but drinking dairy does make me a bit nauseated. Like if I would have the need to make myself vomit, I would just drink dairy. Also eating dairy makes my lips, mouth, and throat itchy, and my throat gets kinda phlegmy from it. So for a nice dairy substitute I use almond milk... doesn't always work out in some food combinations though, but whatever - I mostly just make cafe au lait with it lol. My mom being azn usually keeps soy milk in the fridge, but she only likes sweetened soy which I find too sweet, so I don't drink it very often.

I will tend to dislike anything that is overly sweet, salty, oily, or flavourful. Small amounts once in a blue moon are nice, but I'll feel unwell if it's more than very rarely. To me the food that I am most comfortable/satisfied with, the kind I find most "clean" and "pure" to me is home-cooked HK-style Chinese food, or Korean food. In general if I stay and live with people I love who have a certain kind of home cooking, I will consider that food to be sacred to me almost. These are the foods of quality that I don't get to have very often anymore, which remind me of spending time with those I cherish. It is more than just food - it represents something. It holds a place in my heart. Also, eating can be more or less enjoyable depending on the circumstances. Eating dimsum always tastes the best if I eat it with my grandparents! Also, I enjoy cooking and experimenting with new foods.

At the moment, I am trying to not eat any dairy, or any meat except for fish. Except for non-starchy vegetables which I eat without limit, I aim to restrict myself to on average about 400 calories each day. But I would say I eat AT LEAST 10 servings of vegetables (mostly dark leafy green, or yams, carrots, squash, or onion-type things) every day to make up for this restriction and avoid hunger. I try to avoid grain-based foods. Lately I have become addicted to instant coffee, which I take with a dash of almond milk and cinnamon. I also drink quite a bit of green tea as my mom always keeps a couple types stocked in the pantry.

Whether others consider this to be healthy or not is irrelevant to me. And yes I do want to lose weight. I have a BMI of 20 but I would like to lose 5 to 10 lbs.

I am and always have been in the normal body weight range, although I was a bit chubbier as a kid than I am now. Yes, I was bullied by skinny asian kids when I was younger, and yes it does affect how I think now and I obviously haven't totally gotten over it.
 

OrangeAppled

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I love to cook but hate feeling bloated and weighed down by eating too much. The minute I feel reasonably full is the time I most often stop eating, no matter how much is left on the plate or how good it tastes.

Yes....I loathe that over-full, stuffed feeling. Not a fan of the food coma...

I used junk food as a form of self-medication during a very stressful period of my life. It's funny how I never found veggies, fruits, and grilled chicken to be very self medicating... it was always the high sugar and fatty stuff.

Anyways, I've been doing much better the past 3 months. I'll still occasionally eat too much or go for a snack, but I'm seeing it as far more utilitarian than I used to. It's something that I consume when my body gets hungry enough, and I generally avoid foods that taste "too good".

I can stress eat too. Happily, these times are short-lived. On my job, it was like once every 4 weeks; and a cheeseburger once every 4 weeks is not so horrible. But I get the idea that this is not a healthy relationship to food & that it can be a real problem for some.

But I think enjoying food is important. It is NOT utilitarian. Healthy food and good tasting food are not mutually exclusive... Okay, I'll stop preaching. :X

i'm not sure what you mean by casual or if that's what i am...probably not...i do forget to eat sometimes and i don't think about food often but i often like to think of the most perfect yummy thing that i want at that moment..i like to put together delicious meals n stuff...sometimes....other times i just feel hungry and it feels like an inconvenience that i have to now think of something i want to eat.

and...i like to snack...i would prefer and often do just kind of graze on things...some fruit in the morning...yougurt a bit later...maybe some eggs or cereal...then maybe some soup around lunch...maybe a bit later i'm hungry again and i'll have some cheese and crackers...and on and on like that...but not always.

wow...i keep boring myself even with these posts...this can't be interesting can it? haha

Same here...I can forget to eat; I'm too lost in my head & not in-tune with my body. But then I am ravenous & shaky. If I am not at home, then it can be inconvenient, as I don't always want to be eating out. I've learned to carry snacks in my purse, stuff like granola bars & nuts, to tide me over until I can have a meal.

I'm also a grazer....I have a small appetite, but I like to eat often. I just try and snack on healthy stuff, which I like anyway. It also helps to have easy stuff on hand for when I am lazy.

And I like to imagine food in the "what would be perfect right now" way. I also like to cook and experiment with new recipes and foods. I grew up with a mom who made everything from scratch (she's very talented), and so I had to learn to cook myself, as I'm used to food always being fresh & homemade. Overall, I think I have a healthy relationship to food because of my mom. We learned to prepare our own food, eat a healthy variety, indulge a bit, develop wide pallets, and we were never criticized for how much/little we ate. If I was hungry, I ate, if not, I didn't.
 

Kingfisher

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i am super in love with food!! i eat all the time....
my friends make fun of me because i always want to get food when we are out, and if we are out a while i get food 3 or 4 times. my wife makes fun of me a lot too, she says i eat more in a day then she eats in a week.

besides NEEDING IT, i really love to eat.
my friend monitored our diets all day for a while one time, and he said i was eating 6200 calories a day. that was a few years ago... i don't know if i really believe that, but i do love food, and i love to burn it!
 

Amethyst

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Does anyone else get bored of food? That's why the selectiveness. I love to cook but hate feeling bloated and weighed down by eating too much. The minute I feel reasonably full is the time I most often stop eating, no matter how much is left on the plate or how good it tastes.

I do. Sometimes I won't eat for a whole day or two because just the thought of food and eating disgusts me, mostly because I'm bored with it. Everything is the same, even though it isn't, and I'd rather starve than eat the same thing over and over again.
 

Oeufa

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I have a major love affair with food. I don't seem to have much (read: any) restraint when it comes to food. If there's nothing but healthy food in the house I'll eat that and be happy enough, but if there's scones and frankfurters and biscuits and other yummy things I'll pig out (this is reason #382974293 for needing desperately to move out of my family home :(). I really do enjoy food a lot and I love dining out, though that's a rare enough occurrence. If I wasn't so woeful at cooking and working in high-pressure environments I think I'd enjoy being a chef :tongue:.
 

FDG

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I confess that when people say that they forget to eat, I can't even comprehend that. For me that would be like forgetting to breathe or forgetting to go to the bathroom. Doesn't hunger remind you that you need to eat? I'm certainly not one to throw stones, I'm a terrible eater. I just simply can't grasp the concept.

I'm very overweight. I have a sedentary job and I overeat. I'm a pretty serious amateur cook and food is one of life's great pleasures for me. Unfortunately, because of the hours I work it becomes one of life's only pleasures, and I overindulge. I eat to feel good and I overdo it. I think that if I were ever introduced to drugs, I might become an addict.

I would like to lose weight, but the pull of food is too great. In addition, as someone who loves to cook it feels like changing to a very healthy diet would be like painting with only two or three colors. I think that the best path for me might be to stuff myself with vegetables and other healthy foods so that I am too full to eat things that are bad for me. The problem is that when faced with a choice of food I don't love and not eating at all, I always choose not eating at all.

I also love food, but I manage to exercise a lot and so I'm not overweight (although I do weight a bit more than what would be "optimal" for cycling). I totally relate when you say that forgetting to eat is something hard to comprehend, it happens to me only when I'm seriously ill. One way I've personally found not to over-indulge is, by eating very healthy for - say - 2 days, then eating exclusive nice foods for 1 day. Usually the calorie intake ends up being slightly lower than required for the 2 eating-healyh days, slight higher in the 3rd day, thus on average I don't gain weight. Plus, nice food tastes even better if you haven't eaten something similar for a while.

Anyway, I personally don't like grazing / eating small snacks, because usually they taste horrible and/or become tasteless after a while. But I do love "grazing" when it's done with nice food, such as spanish tapas (or the local equivalent, which we call "cicchetti").
 

Eckhart

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Hm. I have some strange relationship to food.

On the one hand I am a very picky eater, I don't eat just everything. I don't eat much fast food because I am used from my home that we cook ourselves. Though I have no aversion against sweets, chips and the like. On the other hand, other than occassionally eating sweets etc. just for the taste, food has mostly no meaning to me at all. I don't eat too much, and I can come out with not eating at all for some time, and sometimes I "forget" to eat. I always see people having to eat something all the time whenever they have like 5 minutes free, which does not apply to me. I will eat when I feel I have the time and the setting to eat (or especially drink). Often I eat slower than other people also, but sometimes I will also eat fast.

That being said, I have been going through life some years being a bit underweighted until like around a year ago and was always rather thin, now I have around 10 kg more weight though so I am in normal weight area.
 

miss fortune

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I adore food... it is my artistic outlet in life along with one of the most accessibe manners for adventure (I live in the mixed ethnic and immigrant area of town... I can eat very adventerously :shock:)

I tend to eat whenever the opportunity arises... lucky for me I get a lot of exercize every day as well and I grew up on a farm and love for my food to be as fresh and local as possible, which helps somewhat, when I'm not off hunting for ham hocks and linguica to flavor black bean soup :ninja:
 
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