Is sticking to an eating routine good or bad? 

If you are feeling your eating is a bit chaotic and has no consistency, you should stick to a gentle eating routine. This shouldn’t be stressful. It should be like a bridge between “dieting” and a less restrictive healthy lifestyle. Consistent meals will make sure you are well fed and have fewer unintentional snacks.  Bonus: It also helps you sustain energy so you have fewer unplanned purchases (or right now, trips to the store).  

 

Our bodies like knowing when to expect food and when it will be nourished.  Our bodies thrive on consistent/frequent meals. We need some sort of structure – I would suggest gentle structure.  

 

Structure is super important if you are recovering from disordered eating. And remember disordered eating means binging, going from one diet to the next, thinking of food as the enemy, restricting food groups, etc. This is because hunger and fullness cues aren’t going to be reliable after ignoring them for so long. We don’t want you waiting until you feel hungry, not actually eating enough, and then in the end binge from the calorie and nutrient deficiency. Sticking to structured eating is a great way to fuel your body appropriately.  

 

Consistent/frequent eating all day long helps support your metabolism and digestion. 

There are plenty of diets, specific foods, or other means of boosting your metabolism, but the best way is to eat regularly. You may not see a change over night, but the health reward is worth it. Plus, you may not think having a healthy digestive system is a priority for you – but your digestion has a lot to due with how full you feel, how “good” you feel, how many nutrients your body actually absorbs from the food your eating, and can impact much of your daily living! (Our Registered Nurse, Callie, has lots of information on benefits of a healthy gut! Here is 5 ways to a healthier gut and gut health.)

 

Now for those of you who are working on your relationship with food, the gentle structure eating pattern can help heal you relationship and allow food to stop taking up so much mental space. It is important to note that this relationship will take work, but will become less stressful. If you are struggling, or need more guidance – please reach out to us at P50. We offer nutrition, wellness, and mental health services to meet your needs.