Food Is More Than Fuel

One of the most frequent concerns individuals bring to me in my work is their struggle with emotional eating. Heck, this “confession” arises almost just as often when I am not in work settings and someone learns I am a dietitian by trade….I’ve learned to disclose my profession more cautiously at holiday parties and summer BBQs.

And that’s not because I don’t care about the stressors and struggles with food that people experience outside of my paid hours. But because the actuality of what it looks like to walk alongside someone as they explore their relationship with food is (an estimated) 5 bajillion times more complex than one might expect. Because when someone says to me, “I can’t stop eating my feelings…what do I do?”, I have many, many more questions I need to ask before I can offer ethical and effective guidance. Because, most of the time, I need to start by saying, “It’s really normal for our emotions to be present at the table with us. And that isn’t inherently wrong”.

But it’s hard to do all of that while I’m searching for the serving spoon I inevitably forgot to bring for my spinach artichoke dip at said social gathering, and also simultaneously watching my kiddos from the corner of my eye as they make a bee-line for Grandma’s china cabinet.