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What role do processed foods have in "food freedom?"

Feeling WORSE after eating healthy and working out?

Well I'm coming to you today to discuss why people's obsession with health is ruining their health and restrictive eating recovery process.

There are a lot of "recovery" approaches out there today, and a lot of people who promote metabolic healing or E.D. recovery, which enable:

  • being vegan, be HCLF vegan,
  • or non-vegan but whole foods only are allowed

...as the only way to heal the metabolism and heal disordered eating.

On top of that, they are trying to recover out of an orthorexic or restrictive lens.

Trying to be so healthy ends up ruining people's attempt at diet recovery. Therefore, it further exacerbates their mental and physical health issues, food obsession, binge eating, gut, hormonal and thyroid problems, and a suppressed basal metabolic rate (and all else).

People often think like this:

"I can substitute this set of restrictions for this set of restrictions, which will equal freedom and health!"

or

"I can go all-in by eating more" (but still have problems with restrictive eating that is causing them to get stuck)

In terms of "health," - health is much more than the foods you eat.

And skipping meals, not eating enough calories, spending hours a day anxiously reading health books and blogs, and neurotically avoiding going to restaurants ever because they cook with oil or the beef isn't grass-fed...

...is NOT HEALTH.

It's like pouring glue inside your brain. You become more confused, off-balanced, and overwhelmed as a result. And the stress will kill you quicker than the restaurant food will.

If you want something to be bad for you, you'll be able to find tons of research to justify your logic, as there's so much information proving grains, fruit, meat, dairy, fiber, sugar, coffee, chocolate, etc. are both the best and the worst for you...

Even with all the information in the world, I've worked with so many people whose gut and digestion is in shambles from numerous elimination diets, which are:

  • cold all the time,
  • who are binge eating,
  • who aren't able to sleep,
  • are constipated, etc., etc., 

...and then they eat pizza, whole cakes, or a couple of cheeseburgers and often feel relief from their "health conditions."

The processed foods LITERALLY heal their body, gut, insomnia, blood pressure decreases, and more energy, don't feel cold all the time, stop feeling neurotic around food, etc.

And feel much better than eating a huge salad or a clean meal with no salt, oil, not enough carbs, dairy, and whatnot.

So whatever the studies show, real-life experience shows that there's more to the story of health. There are legitimate purposes for all kinds of foods in different scenarios and at different stages and seasons of our life.

And when in a low metabolic state, processed foods offer a combination of digestibility, salt, calorie density, and sugar density, which can often be the most healing.

And processed foods can be used therapeutically in conjunction with whole foods.

 

So this strictly "healthy" way of solving one's metabolism and food problems that most promote is not the way to go.

It's not to say Whole Foods are wrong now. But, just like processed foods aren't "bad," it's more of a mindset issue than anything.

Broccoli isn't bad. Chocolate isn't wrong. It isn't bad. It's one's mindset behind these foods and the lack of understanding of the myriad benefits of processed foods in recovery.

Specific mindset shifts need to happen about health, what's nutritious and what isn't.

And there is a sequence of steps to take to find a balance of whole foods and processed foods that will serve you best throughout the stages of your diet recovery and after that being recovered.

And without making the necessary mindset shifts to then be able to use processed foods in conjunction with whole foods in your recovery, you'll only further the obsession around food and never heal your metabolism and mind.

Now, many people say to me but they didn't have processed foods back in the day, and these hyper-palatable foods interfere with our body's capacity to send proper satiety signals to the brain...

But do we think the body is this dumb??

The body that beats your heart for you and creates a baby from a tiny piece of DNA can't figure this out?

 

1st of all -

it's the restriction of these foods that makes us feel the desire to binge on them, to feel "addicted" to them, and for our hunger cues to be high.

But, also ask yourself - did they have these extreme diets back in the day either?

Were they ruining their metabolism, hormones, and all else through restrictive eating for YEARS and under the mental conditioning we are under today?

I'm almost sure the answer is no - so they don't have to endure an intense recovery and rehabilitation process of the mind, metabolism, and organs. 

 

2nd of all - 

nor would they be fighting their body on their hunger to prevent weight gain IF they did endure famine and their hunger heightened. 

Because they haven't been indoctrinated into the idea that all weight gain equals death and disease - they understood the purpose of weight gain and fat reserves under certain circumstances and environments. They weren't conditioned with certain body ideals to have to fit into.

 

3rdly -  

Anyone stumbling onto my channel isn't lacking in nutrition info. One also doesn't need to know more about micronutrient ratios, polysaccharides and monosaccharides, histamine levels, calorie consumption, mortality rates, and fiber types.

So, of course, most people would ask this question because they've been basing most food decisions on this idea.

And so FOR YOUR HEALTH, you want to stop being in this overly analytical state, telling yourself 'it's in the name of health,' when clearly your mental and physical health shows otherwise.

That's why you have to again be prepared and go through a proper mental rehabilitation process so that you don't keep reaching for the closest restrictive escapade to re-affirm your beliefs and attitudes about what is and isn't healthy when the going gets tough. For example, all of your internal objections come up when you're faced with a decision around food that will make or break your chance at progress towards freedom and proper health.

What you want to do instead is shift your perspective into what would indeed be healthy for you and what is and is not nutritious. My clients know we do A LOT of work around this - it's imperative to heal food obsession. 

You want to use processed foods to your benefit to your healing not only physically but mentally as well - it's just a matter of how we are defining processed foods and whole foods - and neither should be looked at as good or bad.

The essence of proper full restrictive eating recovery is neutralizing food across the board with all the foods you've demonized.

You're so neutral around food that you even eventually choose a whole food over a processed food for no other reason than they taste good, and you feel good with it.

But you have to go through a complete rehabilitation process and swing from one end of the pendulum to the other side of the pendulum first before you can settle back to this place.

Finding peace, freedom, sustainability, an easy-going relationship with the modern food environment, being diet-proof because you've found your truth, (the truth), and the truth sets you free from all the noise out there today on what to do and not do "in the name of health."

Health is balance and ease.

Balance happens NATURALLY when you begin to listen to your body again.

And as you begin to listen & trust that your intuition is correct, your body begins to TRUST you again - the relationship is reciprocal.

And when you and your body are reciprocal and harmonious again - health is the result.

My question to you is: What does "ease" mean/look like to you? Is your approach to health making you feel at "ease?" 

 

My homework for you:

Ask yourself: where will you be a year from now if you keep approaching food and "health" somehow?

Or the way you're feeling tempted to "go back to" or try because you went down the online rabbit hole vortex of a health blog.

 

If you want to continue the discussion in my community forum on my website, click here and join the free forum!

 

Xx 

Kayla Rose

Holistic Nutritionist

P.S. I'm hosting a free masterclass specifically for people who want to stop feeling obsessed around food and truly heal their metabolism, and you're invited! Click here to sign up.

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