why is it so difficult to have a healthy relationship?

Food what a dilemma: I wonder why it has become so difficult eat everything, in reasonable quantities. It seems that at the slightest deviation some are overcome with guilt. How to overcome the impasse? We asked two experts: a nutritionist and a psychologist.

The obsession with healthy eating –

The link between health and food has always existed, but it has strengthened over the years last 20 years, when to correct nutritional recommendations such as to eat more fruits and vegetables, or rediscover whole grains e legumesprefer extra virgin olive oil to other condiments, an important media hype about the alleged has been added beneficial properties of certain foods and the devastating consequences on the health of others. “It’s true – he explains Flavia Bernini, nutritionist biologist – certain media often present us with disturbing reports on the quality of the food we eat, and the internet has become a repository of sites where sugar is described as the new white poison and, gluten, a silent killer for our intestines “. All this contributed to the emergence of a new nuance in the wide range of deviations of eating behavior: orthorexia nervosa, the obsessive search for healthy, natural, organic, genuine foods. This behavior, apparently indicative of attention to health, can become pathological, lead to a maniacal obsession with even very strict dietary rules with inevitable repercussions on sociality and social life. The alarm bell rings loud not only for the “junk food”, but also for foods such as the milk, white flours, meat or sugar, that the guidelines for proper nutrition provide for in the right frequencies and quantities “.

Food: the social aspect –

We live in the dimension of performance, where everything must be perfect. “This is not conveyed to us only by the technology with which we have daily experience or by social networks: is present in many aspects of our society “– explains Gennaro Romagnoli, psychotherapist and author by “Psinel”, psychology and personal growth podcasts -. The result is a lack of cognitive flexibility, and to succeed in perform at their best we try to pursue habits that can become small obsessions. It is a kind of attempt dysfunctional solution: “I always try to be precise in order to obtain excellent results, but then I can’t have an aperitif with friends anymore. Because “Overstretch”, even just once, it would mean question those habits and that search for meaning that I struggled so much to search for “.

When awareness becomes pathology –

One of the tasks of a nutritionist is to educate on proper nutrition, make people more aware of what and how much they eat, lighten their relationship with food. “But when attention to one’s diet becomes excessive – precise Flavia Bernini -, we are facing one deviation of eating behavior. These attitudes should not be underestimated, but get out and correct as soon as possible. The nutritionist first should abolish words like “Sgarro” or “sin of gluttony”: lead to categorize certain foods as dietary errors. It is never a single food to affect our health, but the power supply as a whole. We live in the safest era ever from a food quality control point of view ”.

How to find a healthier relationship with food –

There is a difference between paying attention to something and becoming obsessed with it. “This gap consists in the ability to be flexible towards us – he explains Gennaro Romagnoli -, which, in the field of performance, translates into the ability to notice of how we are treating ourselves and trying to be more “Kind to ourselves”. We are convinced that treat us “Badly and rigidly” is the only way to achieve our goals, but it is not. Research shows us that be kind to ourselves helps us pursue our goals in a healthy way. To be able to do it well it is necessary to be aware, that is, we must realize the mistake, forgive ourselves and then retrace our steps. This ability to notice the mistake and treat ourselves in a way “more kind” is the key to flexibility also in ours eating behavior. Our obsessions arise just when we begin to think that treating ourselves rigidly is the secret to being able to achieve goals. It is initially healthy behavior: “I want to lose weight and I will never go short”, but the fact is that we are human beings and as such we make mistakes and often too. The secret is notice it and gently retrace our steps, again, again and again ”.

Follow us on our social channels!

Instagram

Facebook