Confronting Fear Foods in Eating Disorder Recovery
Fear foods are foods that individuals suffering from eating disorders avoid due to the associated negative thoughts, feelings, and distress. These can include fear about what will happen if the food is consumed or about the food’s nutritional content, taste, or texture.
By: Karlie Weiler
While it may seem daunting at first, confronting fear foods is a crucial step towards recovery from an eating disorder. A large part of recovery involves neutralizing and legalizing all food regardless of nutritional composition. It is also important to remember that recovery does not happen all at once. Taking what may seem like small, insignificant steps now will lead to large changes over time.
Making a list of all fear foods can be in the form of a spectrum or a pyramid by starting with the least challenging foods at the bottom and making your way up to the top to the most feared food. The least challenging foods will still cause some anxiety, but do not cause too much distress when consumed.¹
Begin by consuming foods on the lower end of the fear food pyramid until any distress or discomfort feels habitual and virtually nonexistent. This will take time and repetition. At first, you may need some extra support from friends, family, or clinicians who can help distract you during meals and process feelings surrounding the experience. Beginning with these less-anxiety provoking foods will allow you to sit with and eventually tolerate the discomfort they cause.¹
Write down your automatic thoughts and feelings before and after consuming fear foods. Acknowledge these intrusive thoughts as just thoughts that are separate from yourself. Address and accept any emotions surrounding the meal. How does this food make you feel? How much anxiety/distress are you experiencing on a scale of 1-10? What about the food gives you anxiety?¹
Reframing negative thoughts from your eating disorder voice can be helpful as well. Fact check the messages your eating disorder is sending you. At first, it may be difficult to distinguish between eating disorder thoughts and healthy ones. Going through this process before and after each meal will increase awareness of your emotions and anxiety levels, how your eating disorder is influencing these feelings and fears, and how to reframe your thoughts.¹
One way to fact check or reframe eating disorder messages includes looking at food simply as fuel. All food can be broken down into three essential macronutrients: carbohydrates, fat, and protein, which the body uses as energy to keep going throughout the day. No matter the form, the body will use any fear foods as fuel in the exact same way. Additionally, using mindfulness during a meal is an effective tool. Being mindful of a meal includes appreciating and gathering objective data about the food’s texture, flavor, etc. in place of focusing on any distress that arises.² Both of these techniques are used frequently at BALANCE and can help separate emotions from food.
Combining fear foods with foods you are comfortable with may be helpful in the beginning, but is especially advantageous when moving up the pyramid towards the top fear foods. Continue to add fear foods to meals once or twice a week and document how the experience makes you feel. Lean on your support group to help you to sit in the discomfort afterwards without engaging in compensatory or calming behaviors. Allow the anxiety to dissipate on its own.¹
Finally, practice self-compassion as you confront your fears. This isn’t easy. Know that each step you take in this process is a step towards recovery.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues. We offer a variety of programs and services targeted at helping clients overcome fear foods and develop a healthy relationship with food. We offer nutrition counseling with a licensed dietitian, meal support, a Food & Mood group, and a variety of other groups and resources to help those seeking help for food concerns.
Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our programs and services. Book a free consultation call with our admissions team below or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE Intern, Karlie Weiler.
Karlie is currently a Dietetic Intern at Hunter College. She moved to New York City only a few years ago from the Midwest where she grew up and completed her undergrad in Nutrition. She knew she wanted to work in eating disorder treatment early on in her degree when she became interested in the intersection between psychology, nutrition, and eating disorders. Interning at BALANCE has been an amazing experience for her!
Resources
1. Rollin, J. Tips for Facing Fear Foods in Eating Disorder Recovery. Psychology Today: Eating Disorders. 2015. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindful-musings/201512/tips-facing-fear-foods-in-eating-disorder-recovery
2. Albers, S. Using Mindful Eating to Treat Food Restriction: A Case Study. The Journal of Treatment and Prevention: Eating Disorders and Mindfulness. 2010;19(1):97-107. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10640266.2011.533609?casa_token=pHtxuasrBdgAAAAA%3AkDb6g689u7_yF9FwZnjSRHs0UgWA6A8S69egiSJ6YX7NvnZ67UfcPDYfMsaMZzbaz8scyRkanV97