Food provides us with so many things. It is a source of nourishment and pleasure, it reminds us of happy times, and it can have cultural meaning. Food helps us celebrate, and it helps us mourn.
As a registered dietitian at Bamboo Nutrition in Columbia, Missouri, I often help clients understand the current relationship they have to food. Today, I’d like to talk about how to think of food with the use of some helpful analogies.
For some, part of the journey of establishing a more normal relationship to food is simply fueling our bodies. In those cases, it is helpful to think of eating like putting gas in your vehicle*. Eating is also like charging your laptop, phone, or tablet when the battery gets low. Cars run best when they have enough fuel in the tank. Electronic devices run best when they have enough juice in the battery.
Your body is much the same: a very useful machine that works best when it has enough fuel. When machines run out of fuel, what happens?
Now think about the fuel gauge on a car.
*I’ll use the word “car,” because that’s what I’m used to. Feel free to use a different word such as, “truck”, “speedwagon”, or “magic carpet” if you prefer.
What is happening in your mind when the indicator is on “F” for “FULL”? You’re not thinking about when to get gas, or where the next gas station is, right?
What happens when the indicator is on the halfway mark? Are you starting to become aware of where that indicator is?
What happens when the indicator is on ¼ tank? You’re starting to think about the next gas station and filling up, right?
What happens as the indicator moves further towards “E” for “EMPTY”? Are you starting to get pretty worried and you’re looking around to see where you are, if there are houses or maybe a store or gas station within walking distance? Is the car starting to splutter and make sounds like it’s getting REALLY empty?
Let’s try this with how your body tells you where your “fuel” level is.
When you’re full, are you thinking about food? Are you wanting to eat more? How does your body tell you that your inner tank is full?
When you’re midway between a meal and snack, or between 2 meals, what does that feel like?
When you’re getting close to the mealtime, how are you feeling? What signals might your body send you that it will be time to fuel up soon?
When your inner tank is totally empty, how does your body tell you? Does your stomach growl or grumble? Do you get irritable or cranky? Do you start getting shaky, dizzy, and/or weak? Do you get SUPER HUNGRY?
If we take the analogy past the point of the indicator on E, and say the tank is really, truly EMPTY, what happens to the car? It stops moving, right? It has now become a very INCONVENIENT mode of transportation.
The same thing happens in our bodies. If we let it go too far, we shut down, meaning we go into an unconscious (sleeping) state until our bodies can figure out what to do, or until we get medical help to wake up. This would be like someone bringing you a gas can so you can get to the next gas station.
You knew I was going to go here, right?
What thoughts are going through your head when your device’s battery is full? Are you worried about where your charging cord is? Are you looking around for an outlet?
What about when the battery is about halfway? Are you starting to wonder how long you have until you need to plug in?
And when the battery is getting into the yellow/orange zone? You know, where you’re starting to get a bit nervous about if you can last until you can plug in? Maybe you’re actually looking for your cord, or asking a friend if they have one?
Then you get this sweet little message:
Or maybe this type of message:
What are you thinking now? “Oh poop, I knew I should have brought that charger!” Or, “Gosh dern, where did I leave that? It must be around here somewhere…[muttering indistinctly while hunting through drawers, between couch cushions, under the table]” You’re definitely taking action now, right?
Okay, time to apply this to your inner battery.
Right after you’ve eaten a big meal, what are you thinking about? You’re probably not thinking about your next meal or snack, right? Your inner battery just got taken off of the charging cord, so you don’t need any more for right now.
What about halfway between meals (or meal and next snack, or feedings)? Are you just starting to think about food? Maybe certain foods sound good, and others don’t sound as good?
What about when you’re getting close to the next mealtime? Are you starting to sniff around whoever’s cooking, looking for a taste? Are you going through the pantry, looking for snacks? Is the smell of food extra enticing?
Okay, now you’ve let it go to the red zone on your hunger. Are you starting to act like a Snickers commercial? Are you HANGRY? Are you positively drooling because you’re so hungry?
Let’s take this analogy one step further. What happens if you don’t charge the device when the battery is in the red zone? It goes to sleep, right? That’s the same thing your body does. Your brain says, “We don’t have enough energy to keep the lights on, so we’re going to go to an unconscious state [sleep] so we can use less battery.”
Yeah, this is no good. Your body, like a vehicle or an electronic device, needs regular infusions of what keeps it going. Hint: that’s food. And you don’t get food by breathing. You get food by eating. Regular meals, three of them, and snacks, also three of them. Your body deserves to be provided with fuel regularly, just like everyone else’s body. And trust me, the world will be a better place with fewer of us hangry hunger monsters running wild.
If this concept is something you struggle with and you would like the space to explore these feelings and address this concept more, please reach out to us at Bamboo Nutrition! We would love to help guide your food decisions in a way that is positive, promotes healing, and overall improves your confidence in making food decisions for the rest of your life.