importance of nutrition in recovery
I always thought that an eating distress is a condition which is solely connected to food obsessions. However I am learning more and more each day that food is only a symptom we use to block out the real issues underneath the condition.
When I started recovery I found nutrition very difficult. I played games trying to avoid meals and fool myself. I spent each day planning meals and obsessing about food, hours in supermarkets trying to look for low calorie food. Overall I had no life but the strange thing is it didn’t bother me at the time. I was always busy engaging in behaviours. I can clearly remember a therapist showing me a picture of how one’s brain reduces in size as a result of malnutrition. I didn’t believe it for a second! ‘They are just saying that’ I thought!!
I heard somebody say that recovery is not solely about nutrition. Nutrition is only one element of recovery; one must also work on emotional, spiritual etc. Of course the condition filtered out this information and used it unconstructively. As a result I went through a phase of thinking that I can recover by focusing on the other aspects of recovery and forget about nutrition! How wrong I was!
When I did eventually start to nourish my body I noticed my thinking pattern changed, obsessions decreased, I became more interested in life, wanting to meet people, I started looking around me again seeing nature, discovering interests and passions. It was like entering a whole new world!!
I guess what I’m trying to say is that recovery involves working on a combination of areas for example; the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual self. Each part fits together like a jigsaw but most importantly one cannot do one without another. . One cannot work on discovering the root causes of the condition, discovering ones interests, passions, values etc without a nourished brain.
When nutrition gets challenging I focus on live: watch a film, do a vision board, listen to music, paint my nails, go for a nice relaxing bath etc. But without fuelling my body I can’t do any of the things I want in life.
Benefits of nourishment
My body has energy to do things in life
My concentration improved
My interest in life and activates opened up
Obsessions decreased
My tolerance level improved
My sleeping pattern improved
My skin improved
I have more hope and am mentally much stronger to fight the condition
Which areas of recovery do you find challenging?
Any tips of ways which help you in recovery?
I find I learn so much from others so would be delighted to hear from everyone
thanks
cherry
I wanna be honest here i fondit difficult to believe what i read here not because i dont want ot but i have tried tosince i started recovery. and tried in the time up to when i started too. it feels like i have been fighting condition on nutrition and losing for too long. this has driven me to extremes and ending up frustrated with myself and feeling like i let people down.
i guess what confuses me is that its not about food so then why is nutrition important, i managed life before without and can easily now? i guess what i like here is the balance you have between recovery and life that its about food and life. however i think recovery is confusing i got my degree in ED, i seemed to function and not get too ill. it makes askin for help difficult i think as ppl think your fine. i think the way others work has often left me confused too like should i be worryed about this, or is it no not that big of an issue, i very easily get to a point that life or work takes over.
i have some questions for you.
how did you start to nourish yourself or make sense of the info?
what helped overcoming the fears?
was there a time it just clicked that you where ready?
Im guess i can just work to get to this realisation,even if its taken me longer than ppl expect. i think though personally that you can work thru stuff without the fuel, i know i have to work through certain fears or things in order to find whatever is stopping me from nourishing my body or feeling guilt/shame if i do.
Hi dora,
To be honest, I am hearing a lot of condition talking here, finding all sorts of excuses to explain why nutrition would actually not be important. Seems to be doing it pretty well?!
Isn't it such an easy excuse to hear people say, "oh, condition is not really about the food, there are so much more underlying issues..."
Well, to be honest, nourishment and self care is not really about food either. It is about health, energy, creating a balance, renewal, strength...
You say "I managed life before without (food), and can easily now"...
But: Can you really?
And that life before...did you actually enjoy it, was it authentic, spontaneous, happy, content, assertive, confident, full of values...?
I don't think so...though I'm sure condition really loved it.
Like Cherry said, a malnourished brain increases distorted thinking, becomes obsessive, stops working properly...
It's not about food, no, but it is about nourishing your brain and the rest of your body, respect your body and yourself...not senseless self destruction.
And in the end it really comes down to your choice...do you choose to fuel your body, or not.
I know this seems a challenge when you are in the habit to listen to condition (who always comes up with excuses everywhere), but this it what it comes down to.
It is your choice and you are well able for this, even tough condition might say otherwise.
keep up the good work,
love,
xxx Robin xxx
Things that help me:
vision board of reasons to nourish myself
create nice atmosphere before cooking as I said earlier
watching a film or listening to music
Bringing food to sessions and eating it there
How do you know you are ready? While you listen to the condition you will never be ready!! So make a list of all those condition thoughts that try to persuade you that you are not ready and bring them to a session!
In relation to eating distress not been about food: You correct it not but without it you cannot learn and deal with the real issues. Just remember all the problems in ones life are learning opportunities - in the end of the day we learn how to do or not do something in the future.
Most importantly Dora remember that while nutrition is a vital part of recovery it is not the only one. I know you are doing so well in other areas in recovery and should be so proud of yourself. Your awareness and determination is a hugh inspiration to many of us. This can plainly be seen by your participation on iceberg alone.
Hello everyone, what a fantastic discussion, I like here to give my two pence worth.
Yes, recovery is not about food, but the way we think about our nourishment can be huge obstacle. It is about the way how we think about the food. It is hard to change our thinking if the brain does not get enough nourishment.
To keep our brain healthy, we need energy. Like the rest of the body our brain depends on nourishment to be fueled and to function effectively. If your body is starved of essential nutrients, your brain cannot function properly, leading to low mood and depression.
The brain has no capacity to store energy – it needs to receive a constant supply of fuel.
Sadly, many people don’t realise that what they they nourish themselves may have fundamentally contributed to their mood.
Protein can have positive affect our mood. Tyrosin, an amino acid found in protein foods, can increase levels of chemical dopamine and norepinephrine, which improve concentration, alertness and energy. Having a serving of fish, chicken, turkey or soya tofu each day can add some important amino acids (the building blocks of protein) which are known to help give your brain a natural mood boost.
Memory plays a thousands tricks on us. But nowadays, we can control it better with nourishment. The lack of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, can lead, to a loss of attention and memory. Vitamin B1, B3, B6, B9, B12 and C are indispensable for attention and memory. Deficiency is very common.
Fish oils contain fatty acids from the Omega 3 family that ease the transmission of messages from one nerve cell to another. Several studies have confirm their effectiveness. You can find them in oily fish or food supplements containing fish oils.
Certain foods can help improve concentrate, memory or speed a reaction.
How do you keep yourself orientated towards a positive, healthy brain with a good memory, good concentration and good mood?
Simple – fed your brain.
We can analyse and procrastinate for ever - or we can just take an action, it does worth it and it will get easier:):):)
M
Well done Cherry!! great realisations :)
Thanks a million Cherry for bringing this up. I'm astonished at how relevant this issue still is for me. I used to find it embarassing to still be working on this area, but that will get me nowhere.
Thanks to you Dora, for your honesty, and to Robin and Marie for the helpful, factual replies. I recognised a lot of what you said Dora, as it is very similar to the way I always thought - but Robin is right, that was a lot of conditioned chatter in my own case and it sounds like it might be in yours. I can't hear the beautiful voice of the strong, rational, intelligent Dora with whom I've spoken about the CHOICE BETWEEN SOUNDING LIKE A RESPONSIBLE, HEALTHY ADULT AND A SICK PERSON.
The only reason I'm allowing myself type these words is because what you said sounds so familiar. Also, it helped me see that I need to continue shoving, with all the aggression I can muster, this condition out of my life completely, once and for all. Here are some little strategies that have worked well for me in the past, and regarding which I need to renew my efforts over and over for as long as it might take to fully recover:
1. Say aloud my thoughts about this snack/meal. Does it sound rational? How would I feel about sharing that thought with my sister/friend/niece? How would I feel if she said it?
2. Hand over responsibility to the professionals whose advice I'm following. Just trust that they know their stuff, and that I can go to them with whatever the consequences of my actions might be. I've even joked to them that I'll come in and give out hell if I end up ... (insert irrational and baseless fear here!).
3. Ask myself if I want to be a hypocrite. I hate that word and do not want to be one.
4. For a time, I found it extremely helpful to focus on one particular goal that I simply can't achieve if I'm still in the condition. I got a lovely feeling yesterday evening, when I realised that I can be osteoporosis-free if I continue doing what I'm doing. It was the exact opposite to how I felt when I realised a few months ago that there could be things I'm ruling out for myself by not bamboozling (not just tackling, obliterating!) behaviours out of my life. Either of these can be motivating. Give yourself a reality check.
5. Using strong language against the condition. I've used some already here - shoving, aggression, bamboozling (and stronger - as strong as you like, it's YOUR recovery!) - and seeing myself as stronger because of the nourishment that will help me overcome it.
I must be honest and say that it takes the right frame of mind for some of these suggestions to be effective, I've found.
BUT the one that is perhaps most useful to me when the condition seems to be making a very rational, well-thought-out case, is the first one I mentioned:
HEAR YOURSELF VOICE THE CONDITION'S VALUES.
They sound far UGLIER than you could ever look by nourishing yourself.
I have really benefited from each person's contribution in this discussion. Please take the thanks personally. I need to keep fighting this bloody, stupid, crazy voice until every trace of damned, b&*£%?d ED is gone from my thinking.
I wasn't messing about using strong language!
I also want to emphasise strongly that I LOVE MY LIFE AND I WANT MORE OF IT.
I WANT MORE.
Grá daoibh,
Michelle xxx
Thanks for the ideas and challenges ;) and cherry thanks so much you are also an ispiration too never forget that. there is no point beating myself up or been embarrassed. something i have struggles with is balance inmy thinking around nourishment some great tips and ideas here. xxxxxxxx
Thanks Michelle for sharing some great tips. Your so right when you say that it takes the right frame of mind to tackle the condition. God I hate those days when it all seems pointless and I doubt my ability to fight condition. But lately I am begining to notice that very often there is a reason behind it. For example I may not have sleep well, be stressed about something etc. I find it very usefull to ask myself am I HALT?(Hungry, angry, lonely, tired). But when you come to think about it that just shows that we use behaviours to numb other feelings e.g stress etc.
Thanks again for all the great advice
Cherry
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Hi Dora
Thanks for replying to my post. You posted some valuable questions that put me thinking and that I can use to continue to motivate myself to nourish myself.
how did you start to nourish yourself or make sense of the info?
what helped overcoming the fears?
was there a time it just clicked that you where ready?
I think sometimes when ones brain is so malnourished they cannot think straight and find it difficult to even recognize that the procrastination in relation to nutrition is simply another condition strategy to keep you in condition longer. I spent so long trying to come up with reasons why I shouldn't listen to condition, it kept winning always coming up with a better argument. You see the condition is a lier. As the saying goes you can get away from a thief but you cant get away from a lier!
And I think thats where the answer lies - don't even try to argue with the condition its pointless!what I found helpful was to make a list of condition strategies/tools which is used to keep me in the condition. In other words I would write down all my obSessive thoughts around nutrition and see them just as the conditions marketing strategies to keep me in condition. Bring these to one to one sessions and discuss them with your theripist.
Apart from ED thoughts I think deep down we all know that it makes perfect sense to nourish our bodies regularly throughout the day. It provides us with energy to get up in the morning, go to work, go to town, read a book or whatever our daily tasks are.
So going back to your questions how did I start to nourish my body? I still find it difficult to trust to listen to my body but I do trust the advice given to me at Marino. How did I learn to trust those at Marino? By learning the hard way - doing it and discovering nothing happens!! However at the start I was unable to do it on my own so I bought food to sessions with me each day. I did this for a long time and eventually started slowly having things myself - just baby steps! And the more I did it the easier it got! When I am cooking for myself I find it helpful to make an effort an create a nice atmosphere in the room: light a candle, have a nice colourfull plate, nice table mat, maybe some music or dvd for distraction. Another tool that helps is to take a few mins before starting cooking to sit down, take deep breaths and remember a situation in my life when I felt happy. This maybe when I was a child, having fun in a concert etc but it always buts a smile in my face and therefore I begin to think nice thoughts!!