Healthy Eating in Recovery???
It's such a fine line!
Eating healthfully while in recovery from anorexia or any eating disorder is tricky.
Is it a relapse or is it a genuine desire to eat well and nourish your body.
I have experienced both...
I have eaten healthfully as an attempt to manage my weight, and I have also eaten healthfully in an attempt to nourish my body.
The question lies in your honest intentions. Are you secretly or unconsciously dieting by eating clean, because that is a major RED FLAG for a relapse.
I have learned that in the beginning stages of recovery from anorexia, you have to eat out of your comfort zone. It is extremely scary but it is essential because you have to confront the fear of food head on. This means that you DO NOT eat the healthiest of foods for the time being. You may have spent years eating safely and healthfully while restricting, so in order to recover and nourish your body you have to do the opposite.
The phase of eating out of your comfort zone is not forever, it's TEMPORARY! After you have allowed your body to eat freely, and after you have restored your body to a healthy size, you can begin to explore balance in your diet. Balance means eating salads and fruits sometimes along with cookies or cake at other times.
The one thing I learned in recovery, is that food and nutrition is not black and white (I would either eat super healthy and low calorie, or I would live on sugar and carbs). Instead, nutrition is a total RAINBOW, full of many colors and shades! There are so many foods to explore. Eating well is necessary for overall health, yet eating well does not always mean living on greens and grains. It is different for everybody and every lifestyle.
First and foremost, focus on recovery! Eating safe 24/7 is stagnation in recovery. Do not freak out about eating fear foods because it is actually a sign of progress. Even if you feel your eating is a little out of control, It's not forever because you will find a way to restore balance.
