Personalised nutritional support to help you understand your eating patterns and develop a healthier relationship with food
You don't need to have an eating disorder for food to feel complicated.
You might find yourself eating in response to stress or emotions, feeling out of control around certain foods, repeatedly trying to eat “better” only to find yourself back in the same patterns, or spending far more time thinking about food than you'd like.
We help you understand what may be influencing the way you eat, without judgement or another restrictive diet.
What can a difficult relationship with food feel like?
Problems with food don't always fit neatly into a diagnosis. You may eat well most of the time but struggle in particular situations, or find yourself caught between trying to control your eating and feeling as though you've lost control altogether.
You might experience:
-
Eating in response to stress, anxiety, boredom or other emotions
-
Comfort eating
-
Feeling out of control around particular foods
-
Episodes of overeating or binge-type eating
-
Feeling guilty or ashamed after eating
-
Frequently starting a new diet or trying to “get back on track”
-
Restricting food to compensate for eating more
-
Labelling foods as “good” or “bad”
-
Feeling that you've “failed” when you eat certain foods
-
Constantly thinking about food, calories or what you should be eating
-
Difficulty recognising or trusting hunger and fullness
-
Eating differently when you're alone
-
Avoiding social situations because of food
-
Feeling confused about what or how much you should eat
You don't need a diagnosis, or to wait until things become more difficult, to ask for support with your relationship with food.
Why might my relationship with food have become difficult?
The way we eat is influenced by much more than hunger.
Our relationship with food develops over time and can be influenced by our experiences, emotions, health, environment and the messages we've received about food and our bodies.
Some of the areas we may explore with you include:
DIETING & RESTRICTION
Repeated dieting, skipping meals or trying to tightly control what you eat can sometimes leave you increasingly preoccupied with food and more vulnerable to overeating or feeling out of control around it.
EMOTIONS & STRESS
Food can become a way of coping with stress, anxiety, loneliness, boredom or difficult emotions. Understanding what is happening around your eating can be more useful than simply trying harder not to do it.
EATING PATTERNS
Long gaps between meals, inadequate food intake or an eating pattern that doesn't meet your needs can influence hunger, cravings and how you eat later in the day.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD
Rules about what you “should” and “shouldn't” eat, fear of particular foods, previous dieting experiences and beliefs about body weight can all influence how you feel and behave around food.
SLEEP & WIDER HEALTH
Poor sleep, hormonal changes, medication, digestive symptoms and other aspects of physical health may also influence appetite, energy and eating patterns.
YOUR INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES
There isn't one reason why someone's relationship with food becomes difficult. We'll look at what's happening for you, rather than assuming that everyone who emotionally eats, overeats or feels out of control around food needs the same approach.
How we can support you
Understand your eating patterns
We'll explore your current eating habits, relationship with food, dieting history, health, lifestyle and the situations or emotions that may be influencing how you eat.
Build a more consistent way of eating
We'll help you develop an approach to food that supports your nutritional needs without relying on rigid rules or unnecessary restriction.
Understand what's driving the pattern
Together, we can explore the patterns around emotional eating, overeating or feeling out of control with food, helping you develop practical strategies that work in everyday life.
Support your wider health
Where relevant, we'll also consider factors such as gut health, hormones, sleep, stress, medication and nutritional status as part of your wider health picture.
Our Eating Disorders & Relationship with Food service
You don't need an eating disorder diagnosis to work with us. Our specialist service also supports people who want to understand their eating patterns, move away from restrictive dieting and develop a more comfortable and sustainable relationship with food.
Lastest Mental Health Blogs
